Fallen Eagle
by Captain Alaska
Summary: When a mysterious craft crashes near the Ponyville Lake, Princess Celestia, Luna and 5 of the Mane 6 investigate and find a human near the wreckage. They promptly bring him to the hospital where he awakens frightened & alone. To help him adjust to their world, Applejack volunteers to take 'Cougar' in at her farm. But what happens when the two strike up a very close friendship?
1. Prologue: Shattered Skies

**Fallen Eagle**

**Prologue: Shattered Skies**

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The faint sound of jet engines shutting down for the night filled the air of my temporary bunk room. The smell of burning jet fuel entered my nose and kept me calm. I kept the window open since the sound of dead silence would have driven me insane long ago. My radio was connected to my phone, playing _Bad Moon Rising_ from CCR. Footsteps echoed throughout the hallway near my room, for several pilots had just exited their jets and were getting ready to retire for the night. Being a fighter pilot in the movies looks badass, but in real life, it takes its toll on people. My eyes hadn't opened since I put music on, allowing me to relax until tomorrow.

My left eye creaked open when there was a soft rapping on my door. My hand reached down and turned the volume down until the song was playing as a faint whisper. "Cougar, you awake?" I heard a voice question. I propped myself up and stretched my arms out, putting on my United States Air Force hat and started to go for the door. Before opening the door, I turned my lamp on, quickly illuminating my small room. "Hey Cougar, how you doing?" A man about my age entered the room.

I shut the door as he entered and turned the radio completely off. "Can't sleep Reaper," I replied, calling my best friend by his call sign. He smirked and sat down on a small wooden chair in the corner of the room. "There's just too much going on to let me sleep," I added.

"Yeah me too," Reaper replied, "ever since this second Missile Crisis started, I've been more on edge than before; I can't even remember the last time I slept for more than 40 minutes straight." I pinched the bridge of my nose when I heard him talk about the missile crisis. Having to be relocated from our home base of Elmendorf in Alaska to this makeshift base at the Homestead Airport put a lot of stress on us and the rest of our squad mates in Ghostrider Squadron. It still amazed me how fast the airport and practically every citizen that had zero military experience had been evacuated.

"Well I understand your situation, at least you have a family to think and worry about back home," I quietly reminded my friend. Reaper sighed and put and arm on my shoulder and hugged me tight.

"Don't think like that Cougar, I'm sure that your family is still proud of what you've been able to do in the Air Force," he reassured me. My eyes drifted over to a picture on the table next to my bed. My eyes fell onto a picture of myself and my parents on the day I graduated from the academy.

"You know Reaper, sometimes I think humanity is just a waste, and what we're up against here doesn't make me think otherwise. Whenever I strap into my jet and soar through the clouds, I feel at peace. It makes me feel that humanity can and should be better, but maybe that's because I'm all by myself up there," I kept talking down.

"Come on Cougar, I know it sucks that we're practically in World War III here, but you and I are apart of something that can stop this from going further. As long as there are people like us in the Air Force, humanity has a chance to live on." I looked back up at Reaper and cracked a smile.

"You're the only family or friend I've got left, I won't let you down, I can promise you that," I put my hand on Reaper's shoulder.

"Cougar, you've never let anyone down before, I doubt you're gonna start with me," Reaper replied and sat up from his chair. "And I know how much you want this war to be over, trust me on this Cougar, you're not the only one that hates it," and with that, Reaper left. Just as I was about to turn my radio back on and try to fall asleep, my phone rang.

"_Cougar, we need you in the briefing room, we may have a crisis situation so bring your flight suit and helmet,"_ I heard the base commander on the other end of the line, "_I'll also be getting in touch with Reaper, Grizz, Boa and Tex, this may require the best we've got,"_ the Base Commander added before hanging up.

"Better to be up and at it than failing at sleep," I said to myself as I opened my closet to find my green flight suit with various Air Force and F-15 patches sewn on. I grabbed my duffel bag to store my helmet in just so I wouldn't drop it on the ground. I also grabbed my phone, which was odd since I've never and the desire to bring it before, but something told me I should bring it just in case.

"Gentleman, I apologize for calling you in this close to lights out, but we have a slight problem," the Base Commander known only as Stinger announced as myself, Reaper and the three other pilots arrived inside the briefing room. Stinger had a pot of coffee ready for us and had us all sit down at a round table in front of a large computer screen. Out of instinct, I had my helmet sitting next to me on the table, ready for when I had to put it on for a flight.

"What do you need us for sir?" Reaper asked when another officer flicked on the computer screen to show the schematics of a recon ship known as the SS Layton. Stinger cleared his throat and pulled out a laser pointer from his front shirt pocket.

"Three hours ago, the Recon Ship SS Layton launched for a nightly patrol from north of the Florida Keys on a mission to the East Florida keys," Stinger waived the laser pointer around a picture of the ship. He clicked on a mouse and the image changed to show a map of the ship's route. "However, one hour ago, the commander of the ship failed to check in and we need to find the ship to make sure it's safe and that the crew is safe as well. The area near Cuba is very dangerous right now and we need these patrol ships to make sure we will not get attacked," Stinger informed us.

"So do you want us to find the ship Sir?" Tex raised his hand in question.

"Find it and escort it to it's destination," Stinger replied as he pointed the laser pointer to the eastern most island. "I've already gotten off the phone with the port where the Layton is supposed to dock and they are expecting a four jet escort. They even have reserve fuel on standby for your jets, any other questions?" Stinger asked. When no one else raised a hand, Stinger put away his laser pointer. "Then good luck to you gentleman and be safe," he wished us.

"Let's do this!" Grizz exclaimed and grabbed his helmet. We all put on our helmets and jogged on out to the makeshift hanger where our jets were kept. My personal F-15C Eagle was sitting proudly on its wheels at the head of the group with my call sign painted just below the canopy. Reaper's jet, an F-16 Fighting Falcon, was sitting to the left of my jet. We both jogged on over and climbed into the jets as other aircraft personnel hooked our jets up to trucks to tow us out of the hanger and onto the taxiing area. I looked behind me briefly in time to see Grizz climb into his F-22A Raptor and quickly shut the canopy before buckling in. I set my duffel bag in the little area behind my seat and hooked it to my seat as I had been ordered to do ever since I joined the Air Force. Not only did it house my helmet when I wasn't using it, the duffel bag also had a spare set of clothes, a first aid kit, food, water, an emergency CB radio, a pair of aviators for flying during the day and for special occasions, a .44 magnum pistol.

"Are you boys ready?" I heard Tex call from his T-38 Talon.

"Born ready Tex!" Boa called from the backseat of the T-38. Normally the Air Force used the T-38 for strictly training purposes, but Tex and Boa worked so well together in a T-38 that the Air Force had specially weaponized one just for them. And boy, I knew they were dangerous in that jet. As I hooked up my oxygen mask to my helmet, I heard from the tower that we were ready to launch.

_"Cougar this is tower, you are cleared for launch,"_ the tower controller radioed to me. I breathed in deeply and replied, "Tower this is Cougar, I copy that," I radioed back. My hand moved from the joy stick to the throttle control and inched the lever forward. The rumble of my F-15 engines built up until there was a deafening roar and I released the break. Instantly my jet took off like a cannon. My speed built up and up until I reached 200 miles per hour and I gently moved the joystick back and my jet took off for the wild blue yonder, or the black yonder as the sky was currently turning. "Cougar is airborne, I repeat, Cougar is airborne," I radioed back to the tower.

_"Roger Cougar,"_ the tower controller replied, "_maintain speed of 700 knots and an altitude of 9,000 feet_," I was ordered. I checked the altimeter on my dash and pitched my jet further up until it read 9,000 feet and my speedometer read between 698 and 702 knots. Soon enough, Reaper, Grizz and Tex and Boa were in the air along side me and we headed for our destination of the last known area of the SS Layton: Key Largo.

"So Cougar, where exactly are we heading?" Grizz asked me.

"Key Largo is near where we lost contact with the ship and that's also near where it was supposed to dock," I relayed back, "so about 30-40 miles west of Key Largo," I explained. I could hear Reaper whistling slowly in amazement.

"Wow, that's near the Bermuda Triangle!" He commented, "or at least right up against the border, maybe the ship got lost in the Triangle and got sucked up into another dimension," he pondered. Boa and Grizz snickered while Tex began howling with laughter. Although light was still fading away, I could see his Red, White and Blue Texas themed helmet bobbing up and down as he laughed.

"Boy Reaper, you sure do love those science fiction shows don't ya?" Tex teased. I even cracked a small smile at Reaper's expense whom just sighed at us from his F-16.

"Say what you want boys, but there are phenomenons in this world that we can't explain," he retorted.

"Alright that's enough guys," I stopped the laughter, "I hate to be a party pooper but we still have a job to do," I reminded the rest of my Ghostrider Squadron. Every pilot shut up at that statement. Even though we all lost our maturity at some points and had fun immature times, we still got serious when the time called for it, and this was one of the most important times to be serious. "Boa, anything on radar yet?" I called to Tex's WSO.

Boa gave me a second so he could check his radar for anything. "Nope, nothing yet, but we're getting close to Key Largo as we speak," Boa radioed, "should we try radioing to the Layton? Maybe they've got communications back online," Boa suggested.

"I don't think so, we should wait until we're right at the exact spot of where we lost contact," I replied.

"So Cougar, have you ever given thought to ditching your dusty old Eagle for a Raptor or maybe an F-35?" Reaper asked me as he and Grizz grouped up closer to my jet. Truth be told, I had thought about it before, right when Grizz dumped his F-16 for a new F-22 that was personally delivered to our squadron. The way he could out maneuver all of us was just astounding to me, but the F-15 had never let me down and has always exceeded my expectations.

"Not until Stinger holds me down and forces the crew to dismantle my jet," I replied, "we've been through too much together to part ways," I added with a smile. The rest of the flight remained a silent journey. My eyes kept drifting down to the radar on my dash, waiting to spot a blip for the SS Layton. The sky was now completely black and the only things any of us could see were the stars and tail lights of all the jets. "Alright boys, time to flip to night vision," I radioed. I flicked my visor down and clicked a button which switched it to bright green so we could see.

"Hey Cougar, my radar is picking something up about two miles to the west of our location," Boa relayed.

"Roger that, let's descend to 7000 feet and keep our eyes peeled for that ship. Reaper, you try to hail them," I ordered my friend. Reaper gave me the thumbs up signal and began attempting to hail the SS Layton. We all began to slowly drop our altitudes and scanned the ocean waters.

"SS Layton, this is Reaper with the Ghostrider Squadron, do you have a copy?" We all heard Reaper in the radio. "Hmm, nothing but static guys, I'll try again."

"Keep it up Reaper, we need this ship," Grizz reminded. Reaper nodded before reattempting to hail the recon ship.

"Again, SS Layton, this is Reaper of the United States Air Force Ghostrider Squadron, do you have a copy?" Reaper called. He waited a few seconds before groaning in frustration, "_still_ nothing guys. Boa, how's your radar looking?" He asked.

"We're just about on top of the ship guys. There it is!" He exclaimed. We all looked down to scan the ocean where we saw a faint spec with our night vision visors. "Your call Cougar," Boa said.

"Try hailing her one more time, if it fails, we'll have the Coast Guard come out here and investigate," I replied.

"SS Layton, this is the Ghostrider Squadron," Reaper skipped his name this time, "do you have a copy? We are here to escort you to your destination." Finally, there was a crackle and hiss in the middle of the static.

_"-urn, ba-, ow,"_ we all heard a faint voice.

"SS Layton, please repeat that," Tex said.

"_Turn, back now,"_ the voice whispered in the radio. My heart stopped at what happened next. We all heard the distinct sound of a gunshot on the radio and a body thumping against the floor.

"SS Layton! What's going on!?" Reaper shouted into his radio. Some fumbling was heard on the other side before we heard heavy breathing on the other end.

_"Hello, American Scum,"_ a spanish accented voice said on the radio.

"Who is this!?" Tex demanded. The voice cackled and teased us.

"The one who just ordered your execution, DEATH TO AMERICA!" The voice cut off transmission. Suddenly, all of our radars went crazy as four surface to air missiles came flying at us.

"EVADE, EVADE!" I shouted. Reaper and I broke to the right and barrel rolled while Tex and Boa and Grizz broke to the left. Through my night vision, I saw two missiles fly in between our four jets. "Homestead Tower, the crew of the SS Layton is dead and the ship has been taken over. We have just been fired upon," I relayed back to base.

"_Roger that Cougar, any enemy bogeys?" _The tower questioned.

"None yet so far, but keep the alert backup on standby," I replied. Just as I ceased communicating with the tower, there was a loud and long sustaining tone bombarding me. "Reaper, check our tails," I nervously stated.

"Oh shit, we got about ten enemy bogeys behind us!" Reaper shouted.

"Tower this is Cougar, we have ten enemy bogeys on our tails and have us locked on. Launch the backup squad now!" I ordered the tower.

_"Backup is on their way Cougar,"_ the tower reported, "_we have orders from Stinger for you to take on as many enemies as possible and lure them away from Key Largo."_

"You heard them boys, let's blow them right outta the sky!" Tex cackled and dropped below the wave of enemy fighters and came up behind them. Grizz did a 180 and took the bogeys head on. Fearing a collision, three bogeys broke away as Grizz started firing off his guns. Tex maneuvered his T-38 upwards and began to pursue two of the enemy jets.

"Alright Reaper, attack pattern Delta now." Reaper flew just below and to the right of me as we suddenly dropped down and hit the brakes. The other five jets flew past us overhead and we both locked onto two jets. We both flinched as we heard a large explosion followed by the flash of fire.

"Got ya you miserable SOB!" Tex declared and began to lock onto another jet.

"Better move it Tex, we got one trying to get on our six," Boa radioed to his pilot.

"Reaper, stick together, we got these two up ahead of us," I told Reaper. My tracker waved around on the screen, trying to lock onto the bogey ahead. The tracker turned from Green to red as it hovered over the jet I was pursuing. "I got tone, firing!" I announced. My thumb clicked down on the button and a missile dislodged from my right wing and fired off towards the enemy. There was a loud explosion as my missile made contact and demolished the jet. "Fox 2!"

"Cougar, I'm too close for missiles on this one, switching to guns," Reaper informed me.

"I roger that Reaper, I'll drop in behind and cover you." I yanked the joystick to the left and my F-15 pitched to the left hard, forcing me against the right side of the fuselage. As I turned around however, I could feel something hitting my Jet in the rear. My jet began shaking and an alarm went off. "Guys, we've got more enemies coming in from the south! I'm hit in the right engine," I informed my squad-mates. I quickly killed the engine so my jet wouldn't seize up.

"Get out of here and get your plane fixed!" Reaper ordered me.

"I'm not leaving you guys in danger!" I shouted back, "I can last on one engine, but I just can't perform the same maneuvers." I checked my radar only to have my heart stop at the sight of thirty more aircraft heading right for us. "Tower, where is the backup aircraft?" I asked.

_"HELP US! WE'VE BEEN BOMBED! ALERT AIRCRAFT HAVE BEEN DEMOLISHED!"_ The tower screamed back.

"Guys, our base was attacked, help isn't coming," I said with a stopped heart.

"We've gotta retreat to the nearest air field and request help, we don't have enough weapons for this!" Grizz worriedly replied.

"Not with thirty eight enemies trailing us, we can't just lead them to another air field," I replied. "We can try to lose them in the darkness of night, but that may not work," I said as I fired my guns at an enemy. My bullets hit their target and the jet exploded. The familiar sustained tone of being locked on hit my jet again. I checked wildly behind me while pitching my jet back and forth. I knew I was putting too much stress on my one engine, but I had to keep fighting to keep my friends safe.

"Hold on Coug!" Reaper shouted and blasted the enemy out of the sky. As the explosion went off, I could see the faint outlines of the enemy jets above us.

"They're everywhere. We've gotta move!" Grizz shouted. Despite having one of the most sophisticated jets ever created, Grizz was at a big disadvantage with being outnumbered.

"You got a bogey to the left at 3 o'clock! He's gonna fire!" Tex exclaimed. We all heard the sustained lock on tone and saw a flash of light as the missile took off.

"AHHH!" We heard as Grizz's F-22 went up in flames.

"GRIZZ!" I screamed. The flaming remains of his F-22 Raptor crashed into the ocean and fizzled away into the night. I could feel a tightness in my chest and a tear roll down my cheek.

"His whole plane went up, there's no way he could've ejected," Reaper said solemnly.

"THOSE SONS OF BITCHES!" Tex shouted and went ballistic on the enemies; firing bullets and several missiles everywhere. For reasons I cannot explain, Tex actually took down three more bogeys because of this.

"Jesus Tex, calm down, we can outsmart these guys!" Boa said in a panicked tone from the back seat of the T-38.

"They took down Grizz, now they're gonna pay," Tex gritted his teeth and went to pursue another bogey. He was pushing his T-38 to its limits. Tex was pulling off dangerous moves that could cause his engine to stall at any moment.

"COUGAR! BOGEY ON YOUR TAIL!" Reaper shouted. I braced my hand against the glass of the canopy to look behind me and saw flashes of light coming from an enemy jet.

"Shit," I commented as I barrel rolled and ascended higher. "Tex! You get your ass over near Reaper and I and we can outrun these guys!" I ordered the T-38 pilot.

"For the love of God do what he says, please!" Boa begged from his seat. Tex ignored me and continued to try and bring down another jet with his guns.

"Just a little closer," Tex growled and switched back to his missiles. "I'll bring down one more then we'll join your escape route," Tex relayed back. I heard through his radio that he had locked onto the bogey. Suddenly, the jet in front of Tex pitched up and vanished for a brief moment before reappearing behind his T-38.

"Now he's behind us!" Boa looked behind wildly. "GET US OUT OF HERE!" Boa shrieked as the bogey locked onto their T-38.

"Reaper follow me and take down that bogey!" I ordered. Reaper banked left and followed me over behind the enemy.

"I've got a lock on," Reaper reported and fired his missile. Right as he did however, the enemy launched his and his jet exploded. "Tex, break left! His missile is still heading towards you!" Reaper warned.

"My engines stalled, dammit!" Tex cursed in his radio. "PUNCH US OUT BOA!" Tex yelled. Their canopy exploded off the jet and I saw their seats rocket from the fuselage. Right as they ejected, the missile hit their T-38. The explosion engulfed the pilots before they drifted away in their parachutes.

"No," Reaper breathed out. I couldn't say a word. Three of our friends were now gone. "Come on Cougar, let's get out of here before they can catch us," Reaper suggested, "maybe we can hide out at Daytona Air Base."

"Yeah, let's get out of here," I said as we both pitched lower to the islands to mask our planes. "Fly tightly together," I reminded Reaper. As we descended lower, an alarm went off on my Dash. "NO! Don't seize up on me!" I tried to jiggled the joystick around to try and speed my jet up faster.

"Come on Coug, before they catch up," Reaper slowed down to stay with me. I finally got my engine re-fired, but that also alerted a nearby bogey of our location. I felt the pinging sensation of 30MM bullets piercing through the left engine of my F-15. "COUGAR!" Reaper exclaimed as my engine let go. I had to shut it off before it exploded and took me with it.

"REAPER, I CAN'T CONTROL IT!" I shrieked as the force launched me forward into the dash while my F-15 was sent into a flat spin. "Save yourself Reaper, you've got a family to think about! Forget about me!" I begged as my jet started doing random barrel rolls and pitches. My altimeter and GPS were going haywire, trying to figure out where my jet was going to end up.

"Cougar, eject out of there. I'll give you cover until you're out," he informed and started to encircle me. My GPS started to fizzle out when we crossed over the border for the Bermuda Triangle.

"Just leave me! I'm done for!" I ordered him.

"I'M NEVER LEAVING YOU!" Reaper replied and shot his guns in all directions, trying to keep enemies at bay. I found myself having trouble breathing with all the pressure being exerted on my body. With all my strength, I lifted my hand up and grabbed onto the ejection lever. The canopy jettisoned off my jet and my pilot seat rocketed out of the fuselage. The 20Gs of pressure from ejection was almost too much for me. I felt my seat jerk when the parachute opened. My jet had plummeted towards the ocean below me, but I was curious as to why I didn't see a splash or hear a crash for that matter. My helmet was still on, but my oxygen mask was gone. The energy I had was almost empty, and as I looked up towards Reaper's F-16, all I could see was a ball of fire engulfing his jet.

"_Rea-"_ I said until I blacked out and the world around me disappeared.

**End Prologue.**

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_Well, here's the prologue to my newest MLP story: Fallen Eagle. I really hope this was a good and intense start. And, most of the call signs were inspired by Top Gun and most of the jet facts come from my grandpa and my dad. And I hope you all __like the cover, I made it myself using photoshop. Also, in case anyone is wondering, Cougar's real name will not be revealed until much later on in the story. _

_I do not own MLP, the USAF or Bad Moon Rising by CCR._

_This story also has it's own soundtrack that I've picked out. Some songs will be played from an MP3 source, be played just to set up a scene, or actually be sung by the cast. Please read and review!_


	2. Chapter I: Saviors

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter I: Saviors**

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_Hello all! Thank you so much for coming back for another chapter of Fallen Eagle. In this new chapter, the events of Dishonorable just finished up and Celestia, Luna and 5 of the Mane 6 investigate the strange craft that crashed in Ponyville near the lake. Various third person and first person points of views are expected!_

_And I guess you could call me a Brony since I have seen every episode at least once by now, excluding Equestria Girls and Rainbow Rocks. I have no clue if I will ever see those._

**(With the Investigators)**

Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy, all galloped as fast as they could towards the Ponyville Lake. Two pegasus guards flew forward to clear a path for the seven ponies. "Official Royal business, everypony clear the way!" One of the guards ordered. Ponies on both sides of the main road moved out of the way for fear of being trampled. Celestia flapped her giant wings and lifted off the ground to catch up to one of the guards.

"Does anypony else know of this strange craft's existence?" The princess questioned the guard. The pegasus cleared his throat and turned towards his Princess.

"No, we have four other guards that have quarantined the area so no other pony can discover the wreckage," the guard explained, "the safety and sanity of the populous was our main priority your majesty." Celesita smiled and slowly lowered her hooves back to the ground and began to gallop quickly once again.

"But sister, remember the guard said some creature may have crashed along with the craft," Luna reminded.

"Yes, well if it is true Luna, the creature may be injured and we must tend to it," Celestia replied. Rarity grimaced at the thought of an unknown creature and craft appearing in their world.

"But Princess, what if this creature is highly dangerous and hurts somepony?" Rarity questioned. As the large group approached the lake, they were met with the sight of black smoke rising from the ground and two guards standing still as statues near a tree.

"Rarity!" Twilight scolded, "we have to show mercy and compassion to whatever creature is here. If it realizes we are kind and caring, then there is a good possibility the creature could return the same feelings."

"Yeah, and maybe the whatever it is loves to party!" Pinkie Pie bounced up and down, "do you think they'll like cake and ice cream and loud music?" She asked. The other ponies rolled their eyes and stopped when they reached the lake and gasped. They saw a large metallic object split in two. The back was burning and had two large openings with two large and tall tails atop the backside. The front side had two strange and rounded triangular wings with a long and narrow tube at the front. Inside the tube were various lights and buttons and weird controls no pony had ever seen before. "Oooh! I wanna touch those buttons, maybe balloons will pop out the holes in the back!" Pinkie Pie started to hurtle towards the craft but was lassoed by Applejack.

"Hold on there Pinkie Pie, d'you really think touchin' those strange buttons is a safe idea?" The country pony asked. Pinkie Pie whined a little and struggled against the rope tying her legs together.

"Oh my, the color choice is simply dreadful! The dull grey is boring, bland and simple enough to make me lose my breakfast!" Rarity covered her eyes. Fluttershy meanwhile brushed some dirt and sand away from the tube and discovered writing below the opening.

"Hmm, who is this, Cougar?" Fluttershy wondered, but no pony heard her.

"Twilight Sparkle, look at these strange markings," Luna pointed out as she hovered around the tails of the craft. Twilight flapped her wings and raised herself off the ground.

"Hmm, USAF, F-15, AK? I've never seen markings like these before, we're more than likely dealing with, an Alien source," Twilight gulped. "Princess Celestia, have you ever seen anything like this?" Twilight asked.

"No Twilight, but this provides an interesting opportunity for us to discover and study a new species," Celestia began, "now then guards, where is this strange creature?" The guards nearest the group nervously looked at each other before pointing their shaking hooves upwards in the trees.

"U-up th-there your m-majesty," one of the guards worriedly replied. Everypony gradually looked upward and dropped their jaws, save for Rarity.

"AHHHHH!" She screamed and fell onto her fainting couch, "that color of green is absolutely hideous! Did that creature come from the land of vomit fashion?" Rarity covered her eyes again.

"Twi, what in tarnation is that thing?" Applejack asked. In the tree was a tall monkey-like creature with wires from a parachute holding him up in the tree. On his body was a strange dark green jumpsuit with numerous patches and markings adorning the sleeves and chest area. On his head was a purple colored helmet with yellow piercing eyes on the front and images of claw marks going down the sides. Just below the yellow eyes were the white letters of the name 'COUGAR.' His eyes were covered with a visor and his mouth hanging open, but no noise was coming out.

Princess Celestia flew upwards to the tree, despite various objections from a few ponies. She gently placed a hoof around the creature's neck and lowered her head onto his chest. "He's unconscious, but still alive," she reported, "quickly, let's get him down and bring him to the royal infirmary," she declared.

"Sister, are you sure that's a good idea? We have no clue where that thing even came from!" Luna objected. Celestia glared at Luna and held onto the body while her magic cut the wires of the parachute from the back of the creature. She held onto the body while a large bag crashed to the ground and a black box fell out and smashed to pieces.

"Don't be cruel Luna, it is our duty to nurse this injured creature back to health, correct Fluttershy?" Celesita asked Fluttershy whom just quietly nodded from behind Applejack.

"Oooh, free bag!" Pinkie Pie declared and snatched the bag from the ground.

"Careful Pinkie!" Twilight warned, "we don't know what could be in there." Pinkie Pie glowered and hoisted the bag onto her back. "Princess, what about this wreckage? We can't just leave it here, some ponies will find it and panic," Twilight pointed out. Celestia gently touched back down onto the ground and set the unconscious creature onto her back.

"You're right Twilight Sparkle, Luna, help me transport this wreckage to the largest Dungeon cell," Celestia ordered. Luna stepped forward to her sister and both horns began to glow simultaneously and the wreckage soon disappeared in a flash. "There, now let's take, _Cougar, _to the royal infirmary. I shall request Rainbow Dash to moved to the Royal Infirmary as well, all of your friends will be valuable assets in assisting Cougar to adjust to our world," Celestia informed. Twilight and the rest nodded towards their Princess whom sprouted her wings and took off for the castle.

"Ah can tell y'all one thing," Applejack began, "that there ain't no Cougar, that's fer sure."

**(At the Royal Infirmary)**

"So, what'd exactly you guys find?" Rainbow Dash curiously asked as she was transported to the castle hospital and awaited for 'Cougar' to show up. Soarin' was sitting on a stool next to her new bed and Spike was in the corner, pretending to flip through a comic book, trying to hide his boredom.

"We already told you Rainbow Dash," Twilight annoyingly replied, "Princess Celestia will be here any minute, she had to make sure none of the guards or doctors would breath a premature word of this until she herself made an announcement."

"Okay that totally didn't answer my question," Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, "Fluttershy, you guys said there was a strange monkey like creature with the word Cougar everywhere?" Rainbow asked.

"Well," Fluttershy began quietly, "yes, but we're not quite sure what it was. It was a male, that was certain, but he had on this strange dark green jumpsuit with various cutie marks all over and he had on these strange sunglasses and a purple helmet with the word Cougar in white letters below yellow piercing eyes," Fluttershy explained, "and he was unconscious, but that's all we know. Even though he was strange and came in a weird craft, I felt horrible for him, he looked really innocent."

"He called himself Cougar? That's actually pretty cool," Rainbow Dash commented, "do you think he was some sort of daredevil? Maybe I could teach him a few things, right Soarin'?"

"You could teach anypony anything on stunts Rainbow!" Soarin' replied with his usual goofy grin. Suddenly, the door burst open with two doctors, a stretcher with the creature known as Cougar laying down on top, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and a nurse hurrying through.

"Alright, let's get an IV in him and a heart monitor hooked up," one of the doctors ordered. He took off Cougar's visor and quickly looked into his eyes with a flashlight before stick bandages over them. "His eyesight seems fine, we don't want to blast bright lights in his eyes after being knocked out for no pony knows how long," he explained and lightly taped white bandages over his eyes.

"We should probably get an X-Ray scan as well, he may have broken something," the second doctor said to the nurse. The second doctor took a stethoscope in his hoof and placed it in his ear and on Cougar's chest. "Princess, would you please remove the helmet and jump suit?" Celestia's horn glowed as Cougar's jump suit and helmet levitated off Cougar's body and were gently hung on a coat rack in another corner of the room.

"Woah, you guys were right, he is strange looking!" Rainbow stared wide eyed at Cougar. Below the jumpsuit was a dark blue shirt with the words _U.S. Air Force_ imprinted with white letters across the chest. Below that was a pair of dark cargo pants.

"Well, he certainly does work out," Rarity commented on the muscles, though not flustered or anything of that nature. The second doctor ignored all the remarks and placed the stethoscope on Cougar's chest and listened very carefully.

"Heart rate is actually normal, breathing is labored, but he is unconscious so that is to be expected. Pulse is normal as well," he reported and scribbled his findings on a clipboard. "Well he is healthy, just knocked out, we'll have to wait until he wakes up so we can get the full story, and we'll still need an X-Ray scan and maybe a CT Scan as well, we want to make sure he is 100% healthy." Pinkie Pie pulled a cupcake from under her chair and zoomed over to Cougar.

"I know what'll wake him up, a cupcake a day will make anypony play!" She declared and stuck the cupcake under Cougar's nose.

"At least ya got a cool roommate this time Dashie," Soarin' joked and nudged Rainbow's arm. Suddenly, the heart rate monitor began to beep slightly faster and a quiet moan escaped Cougar's mouth. Little shrieks and grunts also began to escape his mouth and his body began to shift. Pinkie slowly moved her cupcake away as Luna approached Cougar and softly laid a hoof on his forehead.

"He is having a nightmare," she said, "I shall see what is the matter," she touched her horn to his forehead and then in a flash, she was gone.

"Okay, let's bring the X-Ray machine and the CT Scanner over," one of the doctors ordered the nurse. The unicorn nurse levitated a machine over Cougar's body and flicked it on. "And let's have a look see here," the two doctors studied the images on the screen.

**(With Luna)**

The Princess of the Night transported herself into Cougar's nightmare to find out what was bothering him. In a bright flash, she found herself in the sky, flapping her wings quietly. "I don't want to frighten him, I must make myself invisible," she told herself and became invisible. Suddenly, a roar like distant thunder invaded her ear drums. Luna turned her head to the side and ducked as four strange crafts, one of them belonging to Cougar, flew by her at an incredible speed. "By my Sister's name, what is going on?" About 100 more strange objects, all looking vaguely similar to one another, flew past where she was hiding, pursuing Cougar's and the other three crafts. Luna transported back to Cougar's craft and kept up with it.

_"He's gonna fire!"_ A voice shouted out. Luna looked behind and saw a weapon smaller than the crafts flying towards the group. One of the metallic crafts exploded in a ball of fire, causing Luna to cover her mouth.

"Such violence, what would cause any creatures to resort to something so disgusting?" Luna questioned. Luna then jumped as even smaller weapons began to fly at her and Cougar. The little metallic objects pierced Cougar's craft and caused one of the engines to start smoking. A second craft then exploded near the group.

_"TEX, BOA!"_ Cougar and his friend shouted.

"He is a creature of violence and anger, we cannot let something as dangerous as him roam around Equestria," Luna gritted her teeth, but then Cougar's craft started to fly in a crazy pattern.

_"No, Reaper, get out of here now! Go back to your family and leave me!"_ Cougar's voice pierced the sky.

_"Just eject Cougar, now, I'll get the Coast Guard to come back for you!"_ His friend known as Reaper replied. Luna looked upward to see the other craft firing off its weapons to defend his friend when suddenly, the other crafts went away and a demonic laughter came out of nowhere. The black sky turned red as a shadowy figure with two devil horns appeared in the sky. Only its mouth and eyes could be seen on the backdrop of the shadow. A clawed hand reached up and grabbed the second craft.

"_REAPER, NO!"_ Cougar shouted. The demonic figure ripped Reaper's craft apart and held his body. Luna froze in terror, but shook it off as Cougar started to scream and panic.

"**ENOUGH!"** Luna shouted as the dream began to dissolve and Cougar calmed down before appearing as himself in the hospital bed. Luna quietly walked over to his body and laid her horn on his forehead again. She had him pinned all wrong. On the surface he seemed like a violent creature with the weapons he was utilizing, but she could sense he wanted everypony he knew to be safe and sound. The way he feared for his friend's safety was proof of that, though he would be in for a surprise when he woke up. Cougar was still shaking like a leaf, but Luna whispered into his ear, "You're safe Cougar, now awaken."

**(Cougar POV. Royal Infirmary)**

Breathing hurt my lungs. Every time air entered my lungs, it felt like I was breathing in burning gasoline. The scene played over and over again in my head. I just couldn't fathom that my friends were dead. Wait a minute I realized, I'm breathing? How am I alive? Unless this is purgatory. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't. Luckily, my arms and legs still worked and I could feel the fabric of a hospital gown and a hospital bed sheet. "Stop, you're going to hurt yourself if you keep struggling," a heavenly voice told me.

"Wh-who are you?" I called out.

"Shh," the voice reassured me, "we found you hanging from a tree by a parachute. Your back was injured in the process; the doctor told me your spine isn't broken, but you need to take it easy for a few days until your back heals," the voice explained.

"Am I dead?" I asked. I know it was a rather brash and bold question, but I had no clue where I was and I wanted answers, _now._

"No, we saved you just in time. Your craft was severely damaged in the process, but luckily we had it transported to the castle dungeons." Dungeons? Castle? Before I could ask the voice where exactly I was, I heard footsteps entering the room.

"Ah, the patient is awake, we can finally remove these pesky bandages around his eyes," I heard another voice say. Bandages? That would explain why I couldn't open my eyes.

"Well before you do, could you please tell me where I am?" I asked. My voice was shaking a little, but who wouldn't be a little nervous in my situation? Being tended to in a hospital in an unknown country? And who knew if they were just going to nurse me back to health and use me for target practice? The heavenly voice cleared her throat before replying.

"You are in the royal infirmary in Canterlot, Equestria."

"Excuse me?" I replied in shock. I then froze when I felt the bandages peeling off my face and my eyes were bombarded with bright lights. They were open, but I could barely see anything until my sight was adjusted.

"He has blue eyes huh? I imagined him havin' green eyes fer some reason," a southern accented voice pointed out. I raised my hands and rubbed my eyes before sitting up slightly. I felt a tiny twinge of pain in my back, but that was the least of my worries. I blinked a few more times until my vision was back to 100%. Around me were at least ten _ponies_ of all things, and a small purple dragon, all standing and staring at me. In fact, all the ponies were different colors instead of just brown or white.

"Hey there roomy! Bout time you woke up!" I looked over to see a cyan pony with a Rainbow mane and wings in the bed next to mine.

"Welcome to our world Cougar," a large white pony with a mane that flowed without wind, a small sun on its hindquarters with wings on its side and a horn atop its head greeted. I reacted the way I believe any normal person would've. I started to panic and ripped the various wires connected to my body, causing the equipment I was hooked up to to start blaring.

"Please, calm down!" A dark blue pony with a horn and wings begged.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" I shouted and tried to run away, but I couldn't get a grip on the floor with my bare feet. My hand reached out and grabbed a railing from my bed and I used it to propel myself to the door. A white pony with a horn and diamonds as a cutie mark cowered in the corner at my outburst and the little dragon got in front of her for some odd reason.

"Stop him before he hurts himself!" A pony wearing a lab coat declared. A lavender pony with a horn and wings along with an orange pony with a cowboy hat jumped in front of the door.

"Please Cougar, we just want to help you!" The lavender pony exclaimed.

"How do you know my call sign?!" I demanded as I raised my fists up. I then looked down to find that my flight suit was gone and I had a hospital gown on. "And where is my flight suit?! I swear if you did any experiments on me or did any weird satanic ritual you'll be sorry!" I warned. Suddenly, a pink pony with poofy hair and a joker-like smile hopped up in front of me.

"I like him! He's feisty and has some really nice moves!" The pony exclaimed and held out a cupcake, "wanna cupcake Mr. Cougar?!" She exclaimed more loudly. Then, the orange pony with the cowboy hat slowly approached me, causing me to move back into a wall.

"Now jest take it easy there Cougar," she said in her southern accent, "we jest wanna help ya okay? But you gotta relax and let the doctors here do their job, are ya thirsty?" She asked. I was shaking like a leaf and my breathing was very short as I could only breathe through my nose.

"Where is my flight suit and helmet? I know they didn't come off by themselves during the ejection," I replied. I kept my fists up as the largest pony in the room approached me and laid a hoof on my shoulder. I jumped slightly, but something made me not take a swing at her.

"Please do as our friend Applejack says," she pleaded softly. So she was the heavenly voice I heard, "if you lie down on your bed, we will explain everything to you," she stared into my eyes kindly. I can't explain it, but there was something in her eyes that made me trust her, not completely, but enough to where I listened. My fists were lowered to my sides and I slowly walked back to my bed. The pony smiled and her horn glowed as a glass of water was levitated towards me. I took a few sips before setting the glass down on the table.

"Okay, first thing, I can trust you all enough that you'll heal me, but I'm not just going to trust you on everything all at once okay?" I pointed to everyone in the room.

"That seems fair," the blue pony remarked, "if I woke up in a hospital in a strange world I would have a hard time putting my complete trust in just anypony," she explained.

"Second thing," I continued, "how do you know my call sign?" I asked. The lavender pony levitated my flight suit and purple helmet above me, "oh I see," I blushed slightly at my brainfart. Applejack cleared her throat and walked up to the bed.

"D'you have a real name there Cougar?" She questioned.

"Sorry," I replied, "but I'm not going to tell any of you until I feel the time is ready," I explained. She nodded and dropped her hoof from the side of the bed.

"That seems fair," the largest pony smiled, "I understand your fear and uncomfortable attitude."

"I apologize, but what is your name?" I asked the pony.

"My name is Princess Celestia, I rule over all of Equestria and this is my sister Luna," she used her wing to point to the blue pony next to her, "and myself, her and Princess Twilight are alicorns," she explained and pointed to the lavender alicorn pony.

"Princess Celestia, that's a very holy sounding name," I commented.

"Why thank you Cougar," she bowed her head.

"So, why did you guys save me? I mean, I'm sure my appearance scared some of you." A few of the ponies nodded, except for the Rainbow maned one in the other hospital bed and the pony sitting next to her.

"Well, we couldn't just leave a poor, innocent and injured creature to die, that would be cruel of us," a yellow pony with a pink mane and wings commented.

"I thank you for that, but I still don't have any clue as to how I got here or even survived, I should've died last night," I said aloud. I heard a few gasps and Luna placed a hoof on my chest.

"How could you say such a thing young Cougar? I felt the nightmare you were having and I entered so as to make you feel better. I saw the bravery you showcased by attempting to sacrifice yourself to save your friend known as Reaper," she explained. My heart stopped, and my body went limp.

"Reaper?" I choked out before thoughts of my now dead best friend flooded back and tears started to flow down my face. I covered my eyes and looked away from the ponies that rescued me.

"Oh my, are you alight?" The yellow pony asked.

"No, I had to watch-" I started before I stopped and wiped my eyes, "it's nothing. I don't want to talk about it right now," I covered up.

"Well, is there anything else you'd like to tell or ask us?" Twilight asked. I sighed and looked back at everypony in the room.

"Look, I don't mean to be rude but I've had a very stressful last few hours. If you let me sleep for a little bit or just leave me alone, I will tell you a little more about myself if that's what you want, but there's a lot of things I've got to think about," I instructed. Celestia bowed her head and respected my wishes and led everypony out of the room, save for Applejack for some reason.

"Cougar, I know ya want to be left alone fer a little bit, but I can tell ya don't actually want to be alone, and if ya want, I can stay here with ya if ya ever need somepony ta talk to," she offered with a smile. I opened my eyes and raised an eyebrow. Damn, she was good at spotting lies. I didn't really want to be left alone, I just didn't want to answer any questions.

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that Applejack," I returned the smile. My eyes drifted over to a few of the chairs in the room and I spotted my survival duffel bag. "Hey, could you please bring that over here?" I pointed out to Applejack. She turned her head to see what I was talking about and fetched the bag for me.

"What's in it?" She asked me as she looked at it curiously. Since these ponies were kind enough to save my life, I decided to hide my pistol so I wouldn't scare them. I grinned as I pulled out my iPad.

"What is that thing?" the cyan pony next to me asked as she propped herself up to look at what I was holding," it looks like a book with a screen," she commented. I turned on the power button and entered my password and I was met with the main menu of my iPad.

"This is an iPad, it's an entertainment device that my species uses to avoid doing anything on our days off from work," I explained and hit the music app. I scrolled though the library and clicked on one of my favorite songs.

"Where in tarnation is that music comin' from?" Applejack jumped as the music started.

_Out of touch, out of reach yeah _  
_You could try to get closer to me _  
_I'm in luck, I'm in deep, yeah _  
_Hypnotized, I'm shakin' to my knees_

"The music is coming from this device," I explained as I clicked the repeat button and laid the iPad on the table next to my bed. My eyes started to feel heavy. I expected that as I used up a lot of my energy trying to escape. Though I expected I didn't have that much energy to spare anyways.

_I gotta know tonight _  
_If you're alone tonight _  
_Can't stop this feeling _  
_Can't stop this fire_

_Oh, I get hysterical, hysteria_

"This is a pretty good song," the cyan pony said, "so what was your world like?" She asked.

"Rainbow Dash," Applejack started. _'So that's her name,'_ I thought. "Cougar said he ain't answerin' no more questions tonight alright?"

"Fine, guess I'll just get some more shut-eye too," Rainbow yawned. Before I fell asleep however, I turned to Applejack.

"Hey, sorry for jumping to conclusions and threatening to hurt you," I apologized as a doctor came by and reattached my IV tube.

"Don' worry 'bout that Cougar, you were scared and confused, I understand yer reaction," she replied, "but what's a satanic ritual?" She asked.

"Nothing, just nothing," I replied as the IV fluid finally made me fall asleep.

**End Chapter 1**

* * *

_Alright, chapter 1 is in the books! I hope Cougar's reactions weren't too rushed. I felt that he responded appropriately and come on, I'm sure Celestia's mother-like voice and reasoning would swing anybody if they were non threatening. Next Chapter, Cougar gets released from the Hospital and Celestia has him explain a little more about his past and tries to get an answer about how he got to Equestria and we find out where Cougar is going to live._


	3. Chapter II: A Moonlight Chat

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter II: A Moonlight Chat**

_Hello one and all and welcome to Chapter II of Fallen Eagle! I am so ecstatic and grateful that I now have 8 followers and 5 favorites to this story! I know it's not much, but I am happy to have that many early on. In this chapter, Cougar awakens in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep, so he decides to take a little walk to tire him out and help him wrap his head around why and how is in Equestria. Luckily for him, a certain Princess of the Night is on patrol and decides to help him open up a little. And an FYI, Luna is one of my favorite characters._

_And to the guest review who asked 'Why does Cougar's tail have AK painted on when he was stationed in Florida?' An excellent question my friend. Sorry if I didn't make it clear enough in the prologue, but Cougar and the rest of Ghostrider Squadron were originally based at Joint Base Elmendorf/Richardson (JBER) in Anchorage, Alaska (where my grandfather was stationed at in his final days of serving in the USAF) when they were moved to Florida at the start of the second Cuban Missile Crisis. The Air Force didn't think changing the tail initials were a very high priority._

_By the way my fellow readers, do you like only having Cougar do a first person point of view so you can all have a better sense of his internal struggles?_

* * *

**(Cougar's POV)**

Surprisingly to me, I actually slept pretty good. Probably due to how exhausted I felt from ejecting from my F-15 and then having the big reveal about being saved by talking ponies. My slumber didn't last very long however, for I woke up due to a slight tugging on my right hand. My eyes snapped open and my left hand immediately smacked down on whatever was yanking on my right hand. I looked over to see a poor nurse pony shaking from my hand smacking her hoof. "I-I ap-apologize s-sir," the nurse said and pulled her hoof away, "but the IV is empty and I was going to remove the cord from your hand," she explained and turned away in fear. My tongue briefly stuck out to moisten my dry lips as I opened my mouth to reply.

"No that's alright," I replied, "it's just instinct with how I was trained back on my world. I didn't mean you any harm," I apologized with a smile. "I'm sorry if I hurt you," I quickly added. The poor mare slowly turned around with fear in her eyes and slowly removed the needle from my hand. She went to leave, but I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Trust me, I don't want to hurt anyone or anything while I'm here, you just startled me," I kept apologizing and explaining. The nurse gave a weak smile and trotted out in a hurried pace. "Nice going Coug," I mentally cursed myself. My trust with these ponies was still extremely limited, but I still felt horrible for smacking a nurse on her hoof for doing her job.

My eyes drifted up to the clock only for a groan to make its way out of my mouth. "Only 2:34 in the morning?" I complained and laid my head back down. The faint glow of the moon shone through the window of the room and briefly shed light on the bed next to mine. Rainbow and her boyfriend (I'm guessing) were sound asleep, not together of course. I rubbed my eyes and swung my legs over the side of my bed. Again as I tried to stand up, a small twinge of pain radiated throughout my back. My top teeth bit my lower lip to keep a swear from making itself public while I rubbed my back. "Celestia wasn't kidding about me having to take it easy," I remarked as I slowly stood up and began to walk out the door. Luckily these ponies left my cargo pants on so I didn't have to double check to make sure my back door wasn't wide open. Untying the knot in the back, I removed the hospital gown and laid it on my bed before putting on my Air Force shirt and quietly opening the door and silently walking out. Going on short walks always helped me to get back sleep when said sleep would do its best to avoid me.

The hallway I strolled into was _huge._ The ceilings were at least twenty five feet high and there were about twenty foot windows all along the wall, allowing a brilliant white glow from the moon to illuminate the entire hallway. Taking in all the decor and statues, I rounded a corner only for my heart to freeze before jumping into my throat. About four pegasus guards were standing in front of a giant pair of doors. "Who goes there?" One of the guards flew up and landed in front of me. "State your business," he ordered me as a spear was produced from behind him.

"I'm the creature your Princesses brought here to heal and all I want is to take a little walk to help me sleep, alright?" I explained. The guard looked from me to back behind him where another guard nodded towards him.

"Very well, but stay away from these doors," his free wing gestured to where the other three pegasus guards were, "these doors are private and only Princess Celestia or Luna may enter," he explained.

"Understood sir," I instinctively saluted and turned away from the giant pair of doors. Obviously I was curious, but since I was grateful for Celestia and her friends for saving my life, I wanted to honor her privacy. But before I left, I turned back to the guard, "hey, which door is the exit to the balcony outside? I Just want to maybe walk a few laps around it to get tired," I questioned.

"Turn back around, past the infirmary and it's the first door on your left," the guard replied. I looked back from where I came and nodded a thank you. I soon found myself on the outside of the windows on the balcony, basking in the moonlight. The night air was cool and relaxing as I did what I came outside for: Walking laps. The view of a city down below, was to die for. Even though a good majority of the lights were out, I could faintly make out the silhouettes of the buildings in the distance. My feet stopped waking and refused to move as I leaned on the concrete railing, overtaken by the beauty of this night.

A gentle breeze flowed past me, but I barely noticed. Forgetting all the harshness and negativity of the past 24 hours, I was absolutely lost in what was feeding my eyes before me. I was so lost, that I failed to hear the sound of wings flapping and hooves clacking onto the concrete behind me. "Hello, young Cougar," a gentle voice remarked, making me nearly fall over the railing, "what are thou doing outside, shouldn't thou be in thy hospital bed recovering?" She asked with a smile as she folded her wings in. The dark blue alicorn walked up to me before standing beside me as I caught my heart. "I apologize, did I startle thou Cougar?" She apologized.

"Just a little bit," I replied while pinching my thumb and index finger close together.

"My apologies," she said again and rested one of her hooves on the concrete railing. I waived it off as my heart rate got under control and I sucked in a deep breath. "So, what are thou doing out of bed?" Luna questioned curiously.

"A nurse woke me up by accident while taking the IV tube out of my hand," I explained, "so to get back to sleep, I decided to take a little walk throughout some hallways until I saw this balcony. The view of the city below is absolutely beautiful. I haven't seen a view like this since I was a child," I told the dark blue Alicorn Princess.

"Hmm, yes the view is quite breathtaking from here," Luna remarked. I looked up from the city to the night sky and again got lost in the sight.

"The night sky is probably the most beautiful thing I've seen in my life. I've always admired the twinkling stars against the inky blue sky," I whispered. Luna's hoof dropped from the railing and dropped onto the ground.

"I thank thee for the kind compliments young Cougar," Luna thanked me.

"What do you mean you thank me?" I asked, completely confused as to what she meant.

"I am the Princess of the Night, I raise the moon at dusk every night and I lower it at dawn every morning. The night sky took me quite awhile to get right, but the sky felt so empty with only the moon occupying the space, so I created the stars to give ponies and other kinds something to admire besides the moon," Luna delineated.

"Wait, you _raise_ and _lower_ the moon, every day?" I asked. I couldn't believe someone could actually do that, then again, I was rescued by talking ponies and Alicorns, so I shouldn't be getting so surprised.

"That is correct, and my dear sister raises the sun at dawn every day and lowers it at dusk every night," Luna said as her horn glowed and a table with two chairs appeared in front of us, "please sit down so we may talk further," she asked nicely. Still feeling wide awake, I pulled a chair out for Luna and then one for me. "Thou are quite the gentle-colt," Luna complimented.

"Thanks," I replied, trying to get the hang of the different Lingo.

"So dearest Cougar, who raises and lowers the moon and the sun in your world?" Luna questioned. I swallowed, still marveling in the fact that the moon and the sun didn't move on their own in this world.

"Well Princess, nobody does," I began to explain, "you see, in my world, our moon orbits our planet, meaning it raises itself every evening and lowers itself every morning. In turn, our planet orbits our sun, so it raises itself in the morning and lowers itself at night." I purposely didn't explain about planet rotation since I was afraid she would start asking questions I couldn't explain. Let's just say science was not my strongest point in High School.

"Fascinating," was the only thing Luna could say at my explanation. It was then I remembered what Luna told me earlier about my nightmare I had, so I decided to pry into that a little harder.

"If you don't mind me asking Princess," I began, "what did you mean earlier when you said you entered my dream?" I questioned.

"Oh I do not mind at all Cougar. Along with raising and lowering the moon, my duties as Princess of the night also include becoming in charge of citizen's affairs during the night and also protecting my subjects from their nightmares or sharing advice with them in their dreams. Not long after we brought you here to heal you, you began to show symptoms of a nightmare, so I entered it to protect you," she explained. "Many times I have had to enter dreams of my subjects to make them feel better or to prevent them from making a terrible mistake."

"Wow, that's amazing," I remarked and setback on my chair.

"Tell me young Cougar, who watches over your dreams in your world?" Luna politely asked me.

"Just like with the sun and moon, no one does your highness. If we have nightmares, we wake up and handle it our own way. I would listen to my favorite song or just tell myself that my nightmares cannot hurt me, though different people had their own ways of dealing with them." Again, Luna's face was of complete surprise and shock.

"You're telling me that nopony watches over thy dreams at all?" She questioned.

"Kind of," I decided to have a little fun, "there is this movie where someone enters random people's dreams and well, he kills them," I cracked a small smile. "His name is Freddy Krueger."

"How gruesome!" Luna exclaimed, "why would thou create something so evil?" Luna shook her head back and forth.

"Because, that's how some of my species liked to spend their time, watching others- eh never mind," I wanted to tell her, but I didn't want to scare her of how my species behaved most of the time. Luckily for me, she refused to hear any more of the dream murderer. "Princess, I have to be honest with you, I may be calm right now, but I still don't really know how to react to being a new world," I admitted, "and I'm not worried about not being accepted by everyone, heck I'm still shocked you and everybody that saved me is alright with me being here. "It's just, this is so strange seeing another species other than mine being the dominant one. Everything is upside down to me and to top it all off, I'm still confused as to how I got here and how I am still alive."

"Do not fret, I went through the same thing young Cougar," Luna replied.

"Excuse me?" I replied.

"Well first off, I was locked away for a millennia and when I returned, the speech patterns had changed, behaviors and customs had changed. It took me almost a year to get the hang of the newer lifestyles," she told me, "second, what do you mean you do not understand how you survived?" Luna leaned closer to me. I let out a long and loud sigh before attempting to explain.

"When I ejected from my jet, there were 20Gs of pressure being exerted onto my body. Some pilots are lucky enough to escape with a broken arm or leg. Sometimes if a pilot is not sitting in the correct position, their bodies could be put under too much pressure and it can kill them. And I injured my back because of how I was sitting, but even if that didn't kill me, I should've drowned from crashing into the ocean, but I somehow missed the entire ocean and wound up here," I explained as bet I could.

"Perhaps it was a saving grace from forces beyond on even my comprehension, or because you showed humility and tried to sacrifice yourself, you were blessed with a second chance," Luna offered.

"If that's the case, I'm going to do my best to embrace it," I remarked. "But, I'm terrified Princess. I don't have a clue if I will even fit in here. I'm mostly worried about causing a panic from your subjects and ruining your, Celestia's and Twilight's reputation as Princesses. And plus, who is going to take me in?"

"My sister and I can if you are willing," Luna replied with sympathetic eyes and patted my hand with her hoof, "you are scared and that is normal, but with time you will learn to accept friendship from anypony and our world can learn to accept you."

"That might not work Princess. No one here has ever seen a creature such as myself and if word got out that you and your sister are housing a dangerous new species, I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me, I've been through that too much in my life," I let out.

"Well, you have the rest of the night to relax young Cougar. Tomorrow you will be released from the infirmary and meet with my sister, Twilight and the rest of the elements of harmony," she smiled and got up from her chair.

"I am willing to embrace my second chance and prove that I am capable of sharing living quarters with some_pony_," I attempted to use the local terms, but found it very weird to say. "I do not wish to harm anypony Princess and I will work to the bone if that's what it takes to find a house to stay in."

"Very well, now sleep on it Cougar, you have a busy day tomorrow," Luna touched her horn to my forehead and I suddenly felt extremely tired. "Oh, and if you ever need anypony to talk to, just close your eyes and call my name," she advised and took off from the balcony. I watched her groggily as she flew upwards into the sky and disappeared in a quick flash.

"Did I just, make a new friend?" I asked myself. Thanks to Luna though, I shook it off because I was suddenly tired, so I walked back into the castle and found the infirmary. The nurse whose hoof I accidentally slapped earlier was refilling the IV bag near my bed and started shaking when I re-entered the room. "Hello nurse," I grinned, "I am still very sorry about slapping you earlier, can we please start over?" I extended my hand out.

"O-o-okay," she trembled and shook my hand with her hoof.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Nu-nurse Candy Striper," she replied.

"Thank you for taking care of me," I bowed my head slightly and held the door open for her as she left. As I was about to fall asleep, I heard some mumbling behind me. I saw Applejack whispering to herself, but also shaking slightly.

"G-granny Smith, couldja please shut that winda? It's gettin' a lil chilly in here," she wrapped her arms around her torso. My eyes fell upon the coat rack where my helmet and flight suit was. I grabbed the flight suit and laid it out over her like a blanket. It was obviously too long for her, but it fit around her just enough. I wrapped the sleeves around her neck and she snuggled right into it.

"Goodnight, Applejack," I said before tossing my shirt onto the nightstand next to me and climbing back into bed. I could've sworn I heard Luna's voice wishing me a good night's rest before I shut my eyes.

**End Chapter II**


	4. Chapter III: Shedding some Light

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter III: Shedding Some Light**

_I just want to take a second to say thank you guys so much to give me 11 followers and 5 favorites already for this story. And I love all the kind comments, that's what keeps bringing me back to write. I'd like to apologize for the nearly week-long wait. My mother had surgery on her foot last week and I had to drive around on her errands. She's fine, she just couldn't walk at all. Anyhow, in Chapter III, Cougar wakes up (again) and has a small meeting with Celestia and the entire Mane 6 plus Spike just to shed some more light._

_And I apologize for the extremely lame names of the doctors._

**(Normal POV)**

Cougar, Soarin, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were snoring soundly in the hospital room while the doctors finished up removing the equipment from Cougar and Rainbow's bodies. Nurse Candy Striper approached both Applejack and Soarin and woke them from their sleeping states. They both grumbled awake and yawned. Applejack went to rub her eyes, but instead found something laced across her body. "Huh? Whut in thu hay is coverin' me?" The orange mare asked.

"It looks like that jumpsuit thingy that Cougar was wearing when he got here," Soarin' said while let out a big yawn as he slowly walked over to Rainbow's bed where the daredevil was sleeping peacefully.

"Well, how in thu world did this thing get on me?" Applejack questioned and unwrapped the jumpsuit from her and set it back on the coat rack in the corner of the room. She adjusted her cowpony hat and stretched out her forelegs. "Them chairs ain't that comfortable, but Ah've slept on somethin' worse," she commented, "oh, mornin' Doc," Applejack added to the glasses wearing light Tan unicorn Pony with a black and yellow mane in a lab coat.

"Good morning Miss Applejack," Doctor Needle replied. His horn lit up and his glasses floated in the air before wiping themselves on his lab coat and returning back to his face. "Much better," he said under his breath while looking over the charts for Cougar.

"So, can Rainbow go home today?" Soarin' asked the other doctor in the room, a light green earth pony Stallion with a cyan mane.

"Of course Captain Soarin', she should be fine, but we will send her home with some pain pills just in case," Doctor Scope replied with a smile. Soarin' let out a sigh and smile of relief and put his hoof on Rainbow's forehead, looking forward to their Apple Pie and Apple cider date in the future.

"And, whut about Cougar over here?" Applejack questioned Doctor Scope, "is he goin' to be released today as well? Or has somethin' else come up?" The mare farm worker wanted to make sure. Doctor Scope darted his eyes across Cougar's information clipboard and smiled.

"Yes, other than his tweaked back, the patient should be able to go home- I mean be discharged today," Doctor Scope put the clipboard down. Applejack smiled and trotted over to see how Rainbow and Soarin' were doing.

"So, Ah'm guessin' yer gonna want sum cider 'n apple pie fer tonight Soarin'?" Applejack asked the newest Wonderbolt Captain.

"I-if you don't mind Applejack," Soarin weakly smiled at the orange mare.

"As long as ya take good care 'o my friend here Soarin', I'll give ya all ya need," Applejack replied and lightly slapped her hoof on Soarin's back. The two ponies looked down as a snore from Rainbow Dash was cut off with a yawn.

"Ahhhh, I still hate these hospital beds," Rainbow yawned and scratched her back, "but as long as my friends are here, I guess it's okay," she joked.

"Good mornin' to ya Rainbow," Applejack greeted her friend.

"I've got good news for you Rainbow," Soarin' cut in. Rainbow gasped and gripped her blanket tightly.

"The newest Daring Do release date has been set?!" She exclaimed. Soarin' and Applejack both gave each other looks of confusion before Soarin turned back to his Mare-friend.

"Uh no, but the doctor told me that you'll be able to go home today, and Applejack said she would lend us some cider and some Apple Pie tonight, if you're up for our date tonight," Soarin' explained. Rainbow gave a quick look of disappointment, but immediately smiled and hugged her colt friend.

"That sounds great Soarin', but I get the first drink of the cider, got it?" She made sure. Soarin' smirked and decided to have a little fun with Rainbow.

"Are you ordering your _Captain_ around?" Soarin' teased.

"Captain shmaptain, _I'm _the Mare-friend Soarin', so that means whatever I say goes," Rainbow crossed her forelegs in front of her chest. Soarin' playfully stuck his tongue out at Rainbow and ruffled her mane. Applejack rolled her emerald eyes and grinned at Rainbow and Soarin' flirting with each other.

"At least they ain't as mushy and gooey as Big Mac and Cheerilee were that one time," Applejack shuddered under her breath. Her eyes drifted over to the sleeping form of Cougar next to Rainbow Dash's bed. Careful as to not wake him, Applejack tip-hoofed as quietly as possible over to him and sat down on a stool. She was wondering if Cougar was the one who wrapped his jumpsuit around her body last night, or if one of the nurses or doctors had. One thing was for certain though, he had to have gotten up in the middle of the night since his hospital gown was wadded up on the night stand right next to his blue shirt.

"Hey Applejack, toss me that pad thingy that Cougar was playing with last night," Rainbow pointed her hoof to the flat and square device on the nightstand underneath the shirt and hospital gown. Applejack removed the clothing from atop the device and noticed the music wasn't playing anymore. She touched a little button on the front with her nose, but nothing happened.

"He must've turned it off las' night," Applejack concluded, "and 'sides Rainbow, it's _his_ property, and he doesn't really trust us all that much, how would he react if we just got into his stuff and snooped around?" The farm worker asked.

"Fine, killjoy," Rainbow muttered and finally climbed from her hospital bed. "Oh Celesita does it feel good to stretch," Rainbow groaned as her back and muscles popped.

"Yes it does," A heavenly voice replied as the door to the room opened. Everypony in the room instantly snapped up as Princess Celesita entered. They all bowed while Princess Celestia held the door for Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Spike, whom was walking right next to Rarity.

"Ah Princess Celestia, what can we do for you?" Doctor Needles stood up from his bow. The Princess of the Sun casually walked over to the bed that housed Cougar and placed a hoof on his forehead.

"He is still sleeping soundly, I had Luna make sure his dreams were peaceful and she did a good job," Celestia commented. She then turned to the group that had stayed the night. "It is time for Cougar to awaken and be welcomed to our world, but we also need to learn more about him," Celestia added. Rarity cleared her throat and approached the Princess.

"Princess, are you sure about that? He refused to tell us much last night and I fear he may never tell us anything. Not to mention, he is easily tempered and resorts to violence rather briskly," she countered. Twilight glared at the seamstress and her wing lightly punched Rarity's left foreleg.

"Rarity, he was frightened and injured. How would you react if you suddenly woke up in a strange place with different creatures surrounding you? He was only going to defend himself," Twilight lectured. Rarity 'hmphd' and turned around. Ignoring all the conversations, Pinkie Pie pricked up at Celestia saying Cougar needed to wake up, so she took matters in her own hooves.

"Come on Cougar! Wakey wakey cookies and cakey!" Pinkie exclaimed loudly and hopped onto his chest and bounced up and down.

"PINKIE NO!" Twilight shouted.

**(Cougar POV)**

I was sleeping peacefully, though my dreams were just repeating my talk with Luna. Now, I had no romantic feelings for her, she's a pony for God's sake, yet I saw her as a good friend for wanting to talk to me. I honestly would not have approached her to have a conversation, save for maybe saying hi. I was thankful she wanted to make me feel more at ease and at peace, and I'm glad she was my new friend. Even though I vowed to make these ponies earn my trust, Luna broke through that barrier just for talking to me.

These ponies saved my life, that much I am grateful for, but I still don't want to just give them my life story in one day. It may seem unfair and ungrateful, but I want to treat this like getting back with an ex. Racing back to what we had would do neither side good, but building friendships and trusts works overtime and if this was going to be my new home, then I was going to earn their trust and vice versa. Suddenly, my dream shattered and something was pumping my chest up and down.

"WAKE UP!" A high-pitched and overly happy voice penetrated my eardrums. I snapped my blue eyes open and was met with bright blue eyes set on a pink face and a pink poofy mane.

"GAHHH!" I screamed and shoved the face out of my face. "What the hell?!" I demanded as the pink pony fell on her butt, yet got right back up.

"Good morning Mr. Cougar!" The pony exclaimed and kept bouncing up and down as if the floor was her personal trampoline. "Did ya sleep well? Want a sweet donut for breakfast?!" She pulled a donut out of, nowhere, and held it in my face. I held my breath and politely shoved the donut out of my face.

"Could I please get some space?" I asked. I expected the overly energetic pony to be sad, but she still had a smile plastered on her face.

"Sure thing, just tell me when you want that donut," She put it back behind her. I looked around at every other pony in the room and gave a little wave before opening my duffel bag and putting on a new shirt. It was white and had a picture of the Thunderbirds on the front. My dog tags were wrapped in the shirt and I decided to put them on, but under my shirt. I also threw on a new hat, my black and red Drive to End Hunger hat that I've cherished since 2011 when I was 13. I sat on the edge of my hospital bed and silently put my regular shoes on.

"What are those?" A new voice asked. I looked up to see the purple dragon pointing at my shoes on my feet.

"Oh, the dragon talks?" I asked, not meaning at all to sound like an asshole, but he took it the wrong way.

"What is that supposed to mean tough guy? Yeah I talk!" He angrily replied, "you think just because I'm a baby dragon I can't talk? Well I'm very mature for my age!" He shouted. I put my hands up in defense.

"Geez, take it easy there, I didn't mean to insult you, I just thought maybe you were a pet of one of these ponies," I explained. I wasn't prepared for making things worse, though the small white unicorn, Applejack and Rainbow shared a good chuckle. Twilight, Celestia, the pink pony and yellow pegasus all flinched at what happened next.

"A p-pet!? I am NOPONY'S pet!" The dragon screamed at me and clenched his teeth in a harsh frown.

"Woah, I didn't mean to offend you, what's your name?" I asked. The dragon crossed his arms and turned away from me. Twilight bent her head down and nudged him.

"Spike, don't be rude to Cougar," she scolded. _'Alright, so his name is Spike,'_ I thought to myself.

"But Twilight, he called me a pet!" Spike replied.

"Well he didn't know," Twilight scolded again. Spike sighed and turned back to me, but not looking happy about it. Celestia walked back up to me and I stood up out of politeness.

"So, I take it you slept well Cougar?" Celestia asked me kindly.

"Yeah," was all I replied while stuffing my bag with my Air Force shirt and my iPad, careful to not accidentally set off my pistol. I put the strap on my shoulder and bent up slightly, only to have my back twinge again. "Ah," I groaned slightly. It didn't really hurt that much, but it was enough to grab my attention.

"You need to take it easy there," one of the doctors reminded me, "one wrong twist and you could throw your back out." I knew it all too well. My mother didn't have the best back in the world, and my favorite NASCAR driver, Jeff Gordon, suffered from back pain in 2008.

"I will," I said to the doctor as the pain subsided and I stood up fully. "Okay, so you said you wanted to know a little more about me and I could learn a bit about you?" I asked.

"Um, yeah, I mean, if-if that's okay with you, C-Cougar," the yellow pegasus replied in a meek voice. I walked over to the coat rack and grabbed my flight suit and helmet and quickly stuffed them inside my duffel bag, just barely able to close it. I briskly walked to the door opening and turned around when no one was following me. Soon, Celestia led myself and the seven other ponies plus Spike to what appeared to be the throne room.

"Wow, this is nice," I commented while gazing over every inch of the throne room.

"Have you never been in a castle before?" Rainbow asked while waking extremely close to the lighter blue pegasus next to her.

"Hell no," I replied, "but I've seen some on TV before and on postcards," I explained.

"What's TV?" Applejack questioned. I was actually about to answer when Celestia cleared her throat.

"Now Applejack, let's start off with making sure he knows all of our names," she said. "You already know myself and my sister Luna," she began.

"Yeah, and I know Twilight, Spike, Rainbow, and Applejack," I pointed to the four animals. Celestia's left wing sprouted and pointed to the yellow pegasus with a pink mane. Her pupils shrank down to the size of peas and her knees started shaking slightly.

"M-my n-name is F-Flutter-" she began, but didn't finish.

"Flutter what?" I asked.

"Flut-Fluttershy," she whispered. She must've been scared of me, but then again, I did tower over everyone being 6'2". I must've been extremely non-threatening while laying in the hospital bed.

"And I am Rarity," the white unicorn proclaimed. Alright, I detect an English accent on her voice now that I'm fully paying attention. "I am the seamstress and dress designer for Ponyville where we are located," she explained. _'Great, now they're gonna tell me what they do and they'll expect me to do the same,'_ I thought, then remembered they already know I was in the Air Force. Next, the Pink and hyper pony bounced up and down.

"I'm Pinkie Pie! I plan all the best parties in Equestria and I help run the bakery in PonyVille! Which reminds me," she produced the donut again and I politely declined. The light blue pegasus next to Rainbow raised his hoof.

"I'm Soarin' and I'm Captain of the Wonderbolts," he declared.

"What are the Wonderbolts?" I questioned. Rainbow's jaw dropped and she gasped.

"The Wonderbolts are only the best flying demonstration team in the world!" She announced. I chuckled at that and pointed to my shirt.

"Yeah, _these_ guys are the best flying demonstration team ever," I said.

"The Thunderbirds?" Soarin' read my shirt.

"Yep, they represented the United States Air Force and toured the country I lived in trying to recruit new members," I explained. Rainbow rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at me.

"Well, that's pretty cool," Soarin' said and bumped my shoulder with his hoof.

"Where you apart of them?" Applejack asked me.

"No, they flew F-16s and I flew an F-15, besides I wasn't one to show off," I replied. I looked around the throne room and noticed that Luna was not there. "Hey Princess Celestia, where is Luna?" I questioned.

"She is asleep at the moment since she is awake during the night, though sometimes she will skip sleep for a day and stay up," Celestia explained, "and she did tell me about your talk you had last night and how both learned a little about each other."

"Hold on!" Spike butted in, "you've repeated several times that you don't want to tell us anything, but you go and blab your story to Princess Luna!?" He shouted.

"Spike!" Twilight's wing smacked his head, "be polite or else you won't get any gems tonight for dessert."

"For your information Puff the Magic Dragon, I only told her that the moon and sun raise themselves in my world and that I have no clue as to why and how I got here," I said calmly.

"Alright then," Rarity said, "where in fact did you come from?" She questioned.

"Fair question. I came from a place called Earth, Alaska, United States to be more specific," I replied.

"And what was your world like?" Rainbow asked me, getting more and more curious.

"I don't want to answer that one," I said quickly. Everypony in the room all looked at each other weirdly and turned back to me.

"Okay," Applejack started, "besides the Air Force, did ya have any other jobs?"

"Before the Air Force I worked in a mechanics shop," I said, "I enjoy hard work, I also helped work outdoors with friends on construction projects or cleaning up their properties."

"Did you have a special somepony back home?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"What the hell is that?" I replied with a cocked eyebrow.

"Like a mare-friend, or girlfriend," Twilight explained to me.

"Oh, no," I replied.

"What's your real name?" Applejack questioned.

"Sorry, don't want you to know too much, you can call me Cougar or Coug if you want, but not my real name just yet," I said rather harshly.

"What was Alaska like?" Soarin asked me.

"It was a beautiful place to live," I said, "in the summer time, it was nice and warm with beautiful blue skies and plenty of wildlife to admire. In the winter time, it was cold and sometimes dark, but still a great place to live and be away from too many people." This piqued the interest of Fluttershy when I mentioned Wildlife.

"What kind of wildlife was there?" She asked me.

"Oh, well there were bears, moose, caribou, deer, plenty of birds, an abundant amount of fish, otters, whales, foxes, wolves, coyotes, lynx, wolverines, I could go on all day," I explained briefly.

"Wow," Fluttershy whispered.

"One more," I said to everyone, "you already know where I lived, what my call sign is, that I did not have a 'special somepony' and what I did before joining the Air Force." Twilight put her hoof under her chin and smiled when an idea popped into her head.

"Did you like music?" She asked.

"Oh of course, my favorite band was Def Leppard," I replied, smiling at talking about my favorite band.

"Your favorite band was a group of deaf felines?" Princess Celestia asked and Fluttershy gasped at the thought of leopards who couldn't hear.

"No, the band was made up of five guys from England and they called themselves Def Leppard."

"So, they named themselves to make fun of poor kitties who couldn't hear? That's gruesome," Fluttershy frowned.

"D-E-F L-E-P-P-A-R-D," I spelled for them, "the best part was their drummer had only one arm," I said, putting my left arm behind me to show what he looked like.

"That's insane, how is that possible?" Applejack asked me.

"Sorry, but I really don't want to answer any more questions until later," I politely apologized, "but I will let you guys know that I am not here to hurt you and I don't want to hurt anypony," I used their Lingo, "okay?"

"Understood, we actually learned a bit about you Cougar," Celesita smiled. "It's an honor to meet someone that served in the military of your country and who is kind like you."

"Well, thank you Princess," I took her hoof and shook it.

"Now, Luna also mentioned that you were curious about where to stay while living here," Celestia added. Crap, I forgot.

"Right," I said, "well I wouldn't be offended if any of you didn't want to take me in. I would actually be surprised since I won't tell you a lot about myself and that I'm strange to you," I explained.

"Don't be silly Cougar," Twilight chuckled, "you are kind to us and we're all on the same page. You are strange to us, but we all don't know much about each other so it's a great learning curve for us and you," she explained.

"That's really kind of you Twilight," I smiled and patted her head.

"So, which one of you will take in Cougar?" Celestia asked.

"I would, but with Sweetie Belle frequenting my boutique more and more, I simply don't have enough space, but I do hope you come in though Mr. Cougar, you could use a new outfit," Rarity offered.

"I don't think he could live on a cloud right?" Rainbow asked.

"No, I didn't even know that was possible," I replied with shock.

"The library doesn't have any more room," Twilight said in an apologetic tone.

"All the rooms are taken at The Cake's bakery," Pinkie Pie looked sad for minute but perked up when she ate a donut.

"With all the animals in my house and Discord coming and going a lot, I don't have another guest room," Fluttershy said. All eyes, including mine, turned to Applejack.

"Aw Heck, I'll take 'him in," she smiled, "he said he likes to work hard and we could use another set of hooves to help out on the farm," she grinned.

"You work on a farm?" I asked.

"Yes indeed Cougar, wide open spaces, fresh air n' hard work at Sweet Apple Acres," Applejack painted the picture for me. I loved working outdoors and the fresh air was the icing on the cake.

"Alright, but Applejack, I don't want you to just give me a place to live, I want to earn it," I said, "I'll work my ass off everyday in exchange for living on your farm." Applejack chuckled and smacked my back with her hoof.

"I like yer attitude partner. Alright, if you work hard everyday without complaint, I and my family will gladly let you stay on the farm, heck, you could even be apart of the family if ya work at it," she said. I froze when she mentioned the word family.

"Hey Coug, you alright?" Rainbow nudged me. I snapped out of my funk and nodded my head.

"Uh yeah," I replied and adjusted the strap on my duffel bag. "Princess Celestia, I want to thank you again for saving my life and I wish to offer you my services if you ever need anything," I bowed.

"Thank you Cougar," Celestia offered me her hoof and I shook it again. "I will send you and everypony in the royal carriage while I have Spike take this letter to the Mayor to let everypony know that you will be arriving and to not be afraid," Celestia smiled.

"Come on Cougar, I can't wait for you to meet ma family!" Applejack grabbed ahold of my hand and began to gallop towards a golden carriage.

"Ooh and we can give him a tour of Ponyville after he's settled in!" Pinkie Pie hopped up and down.

Despite being happy that I will have a job and a place to live, I was still worried about how these ponies that offered me friendship would be treated for bringing a strange and dangerous creature like me to their town. Sure, I was nice and humble and cared for the people, well ponies now, around me. But I still knew how my old world was, and how I grew up, wasn't a good bedtime story for kids. But, like I said to Luna, I will make the most of this and try to live out my second chance.

**End Chapter III**

_Well, there's chapter III! Hope you liked some of the Pinkie Pie and Spike jokes. And the ponies know basically what you guys know, which is next to nothing. But don't worry, this story will be a day by day type story so over time Cougar will begin to unravel his whole story. How will PonyVille react to Cougar and how will Applejack's family react? Find out next time in Fallen Eagle Chapter IV: Meeting the Apples._


	5. Chapter IV: Meeting the Apples

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter IV: Meeting the Apples**

_Before we begin, it's time for another author's note. Just, man you guys are AWESOME! No other word to describe this. Doubling the amount of favorites and adding five more followers? It's just so awesome of you guys. I'm so glad that you all love this story already, but we're just getting started. I want at least 40 chapters MINIMUM for this story, so you can all enjoy it. And if there's anything you guys don't like, don't hesitate to tell me so I can fix the problem. If I can get at least 50 reviews for this story by its end, I'll be extremely happy. Also, if anyone is curious as to exactly what Cougar's Drive to End Hunger cap actually looks like, just Google 'Jeff Gordon 2011 Drive to End Hunger Pit Cap' and you'll find it._

_And without further ado, let's kick off Chapter IV!_

* * *

**(Normal POV.)**

Cougar readjusted the strap on his duffel bag as he got back up from his bow to Princess Celestia and turned back to the group. "So, where is this royal chariot?" He asked. Princess Celestia cleared her throat and two pegasus guards stepped aside to open a set of doors which revealed a large golden chariot encrusted with gems and other jewels. It was large enough to hold all non-flying ponies and one 6'2" human male. The two guards trotted quickly to the front of the chariot and hooked themselves up, ready to pull the group to Ponyville.

"I trust you'll all have a safe flight?" Celestia smiled.

"Of course Princess," Twilight smiled back and gestured for Cougar to take a seat first. The Air Force pilot took a deep breath in through his nose and climbed aboard, setting his duffel bag down on the floor.

"Wow," he whispered as he traced his fingers over the shiny golden surface, "I've never seen this much gold in my entire life," he commented and relaxed back onto the cushioned seats. Pinkie Pie hopped up and down until she landed right next to Cougar and stretched out with him.

"Princess Celestia sure knows how to ride in style, if only this chariot had a cupcake dispenser, I'd _never_ leave it!" She exclaimed and tapped her fore hooves together. Cougar chuckled and looked behind him.

"Well, you guys coming or not?" He called. Rainbow and Soarin' stretched out their wings and flapped them until they were hovering in the air.

"Nah, we'll just fly along side you guys," Rainbow saluted.

"Yeah, haven't flown in about two days, these babies need some exercise," Soarin' added and did a few loops. Soon enough, Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight, Applejack and Spike joined in the chariot with Pinkie and Cougar. Being the gentleman that he was, Cougar held out his hand and helped the ponies and dragon into their respective seats. Twilight and Spike both sat down in the front seat while Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack joined Pinkie and Cougar in the back. Rarity was a little hesitant at having her hoof held by whatever was on Cougar's arm, that and she was still skeptical of him.

"I won't bite," Cougar smirked and motioned with the long curling devices on the end of his hoof. Rarity whined slightly and placed her hoof on Cougar's and the things wrapped around her hoof.

"Oh my!" The White unicorn shrieked while Cougar led her to her seat. "Thank you, but what in Celestia's name are those things on the end of your arm?" Rarity asked. Cougar looked at his hand and curled his fingers several times.

"You mean my fingers?" Cougar questioned.

"Yes, they feel, very weird," Rarity kept inspecting her hoof. Cougar chuckled and sat back down in between Pinkie Pie and Applejack. Up ahead, the two Pegasus guards both turned around and cleared their throats.

"If you are all ready?" The guard on the left asked. Everybody in the chariot nodded and the two guards sprouted their wings. They flapped their wings mightily and the golden chariot lurched forward.

"Weeeeeeee!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily exclaimed when the group was soon flying above Canterlot and over the valley. Applejack held onto her hat tightly so it wouldn't fall off while Fluttershy shook and covered her eyes. Cougar took notice and tapped Applejack on her shoulder.

"Hey Applejack, what's wrong with Fluttershy?" Cougar asked the apple farmer. The orange mare's emerald eyes darted from Cougar to Fluttershy and smiled a little.

"Oh, don't worry none 'bout Fluttershy, she's jest got uh fear uh heights is all," Applejack explained. Cougar raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out how that was possible.

"But isn't she a pegasus?" Cougar questioned. Applejack chuckled and rested her arm on the side of the chariot.

"Ya, we can't figure it out either, but once she's on thu ground, Fluttershy is the kindest pony y'all ever meet," the farmer replied. Meanwhile, Soarin and Rainbow were flying directly next to the chariot, all while doing various loops and barrel rolls.

"Oh man does it feel good to be back in the air!" Rainbow shouted and started flying on her back. The wind whipped through her mane and she rested her head on her arm. On the other side, Soarin was just chilling while taking in deep breaths.

"Ah, now this is relaxing," Soarin sighed and looked down at the scenery below him. "Hey Cougar, how does it feel to be back in the air again?" Soarin called. Cougar looked up and over to Soarin and clicked his tongue.

"Well, I wish I was in control, but this is nice," Cougar replied. He sat back down and tried to get a good look at what wonders lied on the ground, but was stuck in the middle seat.

"Hey Pinkie, could you switch me for a sec? I want to just see what everything looks like," he asked politely. The poofy maned pony grinned like the joker and picked up Cougar and scooted him to the side.

"Now, will you meet Gummy later on?" Pinkie asked.

"Who is Gummy?" Cougar replied before getting a chance to look at the landscape.

"My pet Alligator of course! He's the cutest and cuddliest little reptile you'll ever meet in your life!" Pinkie exclaimed and squeezed the air around her. Cougar turned his eyes away from Pinkie and shuddered at how overly-hyper she was. Ignoring her for just a brief moment, Cougar leaned over the side of the chariot and gazed upon the land before him.

"_Wow_," he whispered, "this is beautiful." Nestled in a valley was a quaint little village surrounded by acres upon acres of green hills and fields and various streams. Down below, he could spot numerous colors of different ponies on the ground, unaware that he was above them. He looked up ahead further and saw something he didn't expect to see in this land of ponies. "You guys have trains?" He asked in a curious tone.

"Yep!" Twilight replied from the front seat, "you sound surprised, do you have them back on your world?" She asked, sneaking in a question for her journal studying.

"Of course we have them on my world, I just didn't expect you guys to have them here, I thought you could just gallop or in some cases fly!" He pointed to the two pegasi flying next to the chariot.

"Well, Earth Ponies and unicorns can't fly Cougar, and some places are very far away!" Twilight explained. Suddenly, Twilight felt herself be pulled down on her seat by a clawed hand. "Spike!" Twilight scolded, "what are you doing?" She demanded as she fixed her mane.

"I just need to talk to you for a second Twi," Spike explained.

"You could just tap me on the shoulder instead of yanking down on my mane!" Twilight annoyingly exclaimed.

"Sorry, it's just that I don't like this guy Twilight," Spike admitted, "I think he's here to find our weaknesses and bring his species here to he can overthrow us." For another time that day, Twilight's wing slapped Spike upside the head.

"You listen here Spike," Twilight glowered, "Applejack can sense when someone is lying, and she hasn't said one word about him not telling the truth, and he looked so helpless and scared in the infirmary. He doesn't want to hurt anypony and he wants all of us to earn his trust and that's exactly what we're going to do, even if it does take awhile," Twilight scolded Spike.

"Fine, just don't complain if this all backfires on us," Spike pulled a comic book out of nowhere. Twilight rolled her eyes and breathed a sigh. '_I can't wait to tell Shining Armor and Cadence about this. I wonder if we can take Cougar to the Crystal Empire someday?'_ She thought to herself. Finally, the chariot began to slow down and descend upon Ponyville.

"Spike, do you still have that letter that Princess Celestia gave you to give to the Mayor?" Twilight asked. Still reading his comic book, Spike held up the rolled up scroll and set it down next to Twilight. "Alright now Cougar, we're about to land, how are you feeling?" The purple Alicorn asked. Looking up from admiring the town, Cougar blinked hard several times and gulped.

"I have an idea on what will happen, but I've only seen it happen in Monster movies," Cougar replied. Applejack scooted past Pinkie and placed her hoof on his shoulder.

"Come on now Cougar, yer not a monster. Sure yer different, but that don't mean anything as long as yer heart and mind are in the right place. Like fer you, these other ponies might take some time to get used to ya," Applejack replied.

"I know Applejack, but what about you guys?" He asked, "I don't want every other pony to shame you guys or ostracize you all just because of me," Cougar admitted. Now Rainbow and Soarin flew closer to the chariot so as to get a better listen to the conversation.

"Pfft, don't sweat it Coug, we already know you're not dangerous to us, and besides if they mock and shame Twilight, they'll be shaming a Princess and Twilight can take care of them," Rainbow rubbed her hooves together evilly.

"Rainbow, you know I'm not going to use my Princess status to abuse my power just because other ponies have a different opinion," Twilight glared at her friend.

"Oh come on, I'm just saying once isn't gonna kill you, and haven't you always wondered what it would be like to always have the final say?" Rainbow asked.

"Try living with her and you'd understand," Spike remarked in a smart aleck tone. Twilight ignored Spike and braced herself as the Chariot touched down on the ground.

**(Cougar POV)**

This was it. I finally get to reveal myself to more than a dozen ponies now. I was dreading it more than looking forward to it. I couldn't care less about how they reacted to me, I was far more worried about how the others would get treated. I wouldn't call them my friends just yet, but they had saved my life and I wanted to try and at least make new friends. The Chariot touched ground and the two guards pulling said chariot galloped until they came to a complete stop in front of what I guessed was the Town or City Hall. Immediately, ponies of all colors, species, sizes, ages and genders were wide eyed at the royal chariot landing in Ponyville. I could hear various voices talking to one another about what the royal chariot was doing in their town.

"Okay, I've got the letter for the Mayor, do you have everything Cougar?" Twilight asked me. I couldn't speak. Not a word, not a sound, but I nodded slowly. The two guards opened the doors to the chariot and we all stepped out. A hushed silence fell upon the crowd as I stepped out with my duffel bag hanging from my shoulder. Dozens upon dozens of ponies' eyes were as big as dinner plates staring at me.

"Come on Coug, just ignore them for now," Soarin' tried to get my spirits up. I made sure to not make a sound for fear of there being a large panic ensuing.

"What is that thing?" I heard a voice ask. I turned slightly to see a little filly that was pink and had a tiara on her head and on her hindquarters. That I'm gonna have to ask about. Another filly that was silver and had a tattoo of a spoon on her rear stood next to her.

"It looks like a monkey and a minotaur had a baby, and an ugly one at that," the two snickered at the comment. Thankfully, I had learned to not give a crap of what negative opinions others had of me a long time ago, so I easily ignored the two brats. I allowed Twilight to lead the way since she was the Princess of this group. Her hoof knocked on the front door of the town hall and a Mare with a gray mane and a pair of glasses on her face answered.

"Oh hello Princess Twil- OH MY!" She shrieked when she saw me, "your highness, what is this creature that is with you?" The Mare Mayor asked. I just realized the pun there if there was one.

"Hello Madame Mare, this is Cougar, we found him near Canterlot unconscious, injured and without a place to stay," Twilight covered up where I was truly found, "so we decided to take him in at Ponyville and Princess Celestia sent us this letter for you," Twilight explained. She levitated the scroll into the hooves of the Mayor whom promptly opened it and read it aloud.

"Dear Madame Mayor, we found this poor human who calls himself Cougar injured and alone near our castle in Canterlot. We know not how he arrived here or why, but we took him in at the royal infirmary and now the Elements of Harmony have taken it upon themselves to give him a loving home in Ponyville. I know this is all sudden and that Cougar is vastly different than any of our creatures in our realm, so please give him a kind and warm welcome, for he promised us he is not here to harm us, and my sister has already made his acquaintance, so he is a kind soul." The Mayor ceased reading the letter and set the scroll down on the table.

"We couldn't have just told her that ourselves?" Rainbow questioned.

"Or that he was really found-" Pinkie started before Applejack shoved an apple in her mouth. I chuckled at Pinkie's reaction.

"Well, this is strange, do you talk Cougar?" The Mayor asked me.

"Unless you have a different word for it, but yes I am," I joked. She looked like she had seen a ghost after I talked. She calmed herself and took a sip of water from a paper cup before resuming.

"It is a pleasure to meet you then if the Princesses trusts you, but I must warn you, other ponies may not take your presence here lightly," she warned me.

"Don't worry, I kinda figured that," I replied, "as the letter said, I don't know how I got here, but I'm here and I will make the most of it, but I don't want to hurt any of your citizens okay?" I asked her. She cocked her eyebrow and slowly stuck her hoof out to me. I shook it and she had the same reaction Rarity had earlier.

"If you have any questions I'm sure one of the Elements can help you or you can come talk to me," she informed, "and I will hold a conference with the town later on to ease the town's mind," she added and showed us the door.

"Wait, is that it?" I asked.

"Yes, I am very busy today and it was nice meeting you, but you have to go," she shoved us out the door and shut it.

"That went better than expected," I commented before looking at the sea of ponies all surrounding us, "and we're surrounded," I said.

"Okay, let's back it up ponies, we gotta get our friend out of here," Rainbow floated in the air and motioned for everyone to move.

"Yeh, jest move outta our way so we can git on home," Applejack joined in. The sea of ponies parted ways, leaving a thin aisle for us to walk through. It felt weird being stared at like I was an animal in a zoo, but I trudged forward, ignoring the stares.

"I must simply get back to the boutique!" Rarity exclaimed, "Sapphire Shores is beginning her tour in a month for the summer and I have to make a different outfit for her and her dancers!" Rarity galloped away.

"And I better get back to SugarCube Corner and help out the Cakes make goodies," Pinkie licked her lips, "stop by any time for a cupcake or a milkshake Cougar!" Pinkie hopped away just like Pepe La Pew.

"Cougar? That is not a cougar, have these ponies gone mad?" I heard another voice ask. I turned and it belonged to a tanned stallion with a black mane and three bags of money on his hindquarters.

"It's just a nickname buddy," I replied without thinking.

"IT TALKS?!" Several dozen voices asked at the same time. A good majority of the crowd vanished into different buildings while some stayed behind.

"Well, I've got to get back to the library and start on my report," Twilight said as Spike followed her.

"Report fer whut?" Applejack asked Twilight.

"Oh, nothing," Twilight hid her face and disappeared with a flash of pink light. I turned around to not see Fluttershy anymore, except a cloud of dust where she was.

"I'll go get ready for tonight Rainbow, I'll pick you up around seven?" Soarin' asked her.

"Sounds good, you're paying right?" She asked.

"As a good stallion would for his amazingly awesome and beautiful mare!" Soarin replied and took off after hugging Rainbow.

"At least he's not all icky and mushy about it," Rainbow shrugged after turning back to Applejack and myself.

"So, are you gonna come with me and Applejack then Rainbow?" I asked the lightning fast mare. She cracked her neck and stretched out her arms some more before answering.

"Nah, I've gotta read up the last two Daring Do books before the next one comes out, and maybe take a little nap before my date with Soarin," she replied with a smirk.

"Yet you complained about being confined to a hospital bed for two days," I reminded her.

"Yeah, but naps happen when _I _decide, and plus my bed is comfier than a hospital bed," she said while sticking her tongue out.

"Whatever floats yer cloud Rainbow," Applejack chuckled. Rainbow crouched down like a Tiger stalking its prey and launched into the air like a freakin' space shuttle. She even left behind rainbow contrails.

"Okay, that was pretty cool," I admitted as Rainbow disappeared into the sky. Applejack and I soon found ourselves leaving the staring eyes of the towns ponies and walking along a dirt road.

"Yeah, Rainbow is cool, yet sometimes she can sometimes be a pain in the neck, but she's also a pretty good friend," Applejack replied to me, "she ain't the element o' loyalty fer no reason," she added.

"Elements? Are you all like heroes or something?" I asked, knowing that it was kind of unfair since I requested that no one else ask me any more questions. However, Applejack smiled and replied.

"You could say that, Ah mean we've all defeated several different villains in the past five years," Applejack explained. "Ah'm the element 'o honesty, which means I never lie and I can tell when someone is lyin'," she explained, "and despite you not wanting to tell us much, I can tell you ain't lyin' Cougar," she added. She adjusted her hat so it wouldn't slip down ever her eyes as we ascended a small hill in the dirt road and I was greeted with a beautiful sight. "Here we are, Sweet Apple Acres," Applejack raised her hoof and gestured to the view in front of us.

There were thousands upon thousands of tall apple trees with various colored apples growing on the branches. A large red barn sat in the middle of the farm with dozens of hay bales nestled inside. A chicken coop sat perched about twenty yards away from the barn and a nice two story house sat about forty yards to the left of the barn. Several animal pens were sitting a few hundred yards away from the chicken coop with sheep, cows and pigs living inside them. I saw a large red stallion with a dirty blonde mane and a large half green apple on his hindquarters hauling a cart full of farming equipment.

"Well, whut do ya think Cougar?" Applejack asked me after lightly pressing her hoof on my foot to get me out of my daydream.

"This place is beautiful," I replied and sniffed rather loudly, "and it smells delicious, like apples," I pointed out the obvious.

"Haha, Ah'm glad ya like it, now let's go meet mah family," Applejack chuckled. She led the way as continued down the dirt road. I didn't notice how warm it was until the shade from the apple trees covered our bodies.

"So, do you guys harvest these apples?" I asked.

"We sure do Cougar, every beginnin' o' Summer we buck these apples off the trees and make 'em into pies, cider, apple sauce, cobbler or we just sell 'em at the Ponyville market every Saturday, which just so happens to be today," Applejack told me.

"Oh, do you need any help getting the apples?" I offered, ready to work.

"I like yer enthusiasm, but no, harvest don't begin for another week," she replied, "looks like you got here just in time," she joked. I smirked at the joke and swapped my duffel bag strap to my other shoulder. "There's Big Mac, he's my big brother." I looked up at the big red Stallion who just disconnected himself from the cart and was taking a breather. "Hey, Big Macintosh!" Apple called to him. The stallion looked up at us and froze when he saw me.

"Hello there Big-" I started before Big Mac was immediately in front of us and was glaring at me. I wasn't much taller than him, I guess that's why his name was Big Mac, though Celestia was obviously taller.

"Big Mac, this here is Cougar, you wanna say hello?" Applejack asked her brother.

"Nnnope," Big Mac said slowly. Applejack sighed and shook her head. "What're ya and what're ya doin' with ma sister?" Big Mac demanded from me.

"My name is Cougar and I'm a human, I woke up here when my craft crash and I have no way to get home," I explained, giving him the abridged version.

"So, what're ya doin' here Cougar? If that is yer real name, ya don't look like a Cougar ta me," Big Mac growled. Applejack got in between us and glared at her brother.

"I decided that we'll take him in while he's here Big Mac. He didn't have any other place ta go so I volunteered to take him in, and you're gonna be fine with it right?" Applejack glared.

"But why sis? Aren't ya worried he could just be usin' us to plan an invasion for his species?" the large stallion asked.

"Now you listen right here Big Mac," Applejack stood on her hind legs to look straight into his eyes, "Cougar is mah guest and he's going to be staying here with us for the foreseeable future, yah got that?" She pointed her hoof in his chest.

"Eeyup," Big Mac grumbled and turned around to go inside the house. Applejack sighed and turned back to me.

"Sorry 'bout that Cougar, Big Mac can get a li'l stubborn sometimes," Applejack apologized.

"It's no big deal, I was actually ready for him to knock me on my ass," I reassured her. She led me inside the house where an older pony that was green and had an apple pie on her hindquarters was napping in a chair.

"That there is Granny Smith, she's a good pony and still a hard worker, even at her age," Applejack said as she nudged the old pony. "Granny Smith, wake up, Ah've got a surprise fer ya," Applejack whispered. The old pony suddenly sprang to life on her legs and started shouting random things.

"Hey, where's mah walker? What in tarnation happened to mah glass o' milk on the table?" Granny Smith shouted before shaking her head and turning to Applejack. "Oh hello dearie, and who's yer friend here? Don't reckon Ah've seen somethin' like him before," she got real close to my face and squinted.

"Uh Granny, this here is Cougar, he's gonna be our guest for awhile," Applejack replied.

"Oh and where'd ya find him at? Did ya meet in town at the restaurant?" Granny asked and nudged myself and Applejack whom blushed. I knew what that meant, and I quickly extinguished that idea.

"No Granny Smith, we're uh acquaintances, no romantic interests here," I shook my hands. "I'm actually surprised you're not afraid of me like nearly everyone else has been," I added. Granny Smith chuckled and placed her hoof on my shoulder, or tried to anyways.

"Ah don't believe in judgin' Celestia's creatures based on their outer appearance young feller, Ah believe in getting to know somepony before ya go off and judge them," she advised me.

"Well, thank you, and I'm also here to help your farm with harvesting apples and other chores," I explained.

"Can't have too many helpers that's fer sure, Ah think I'll fix up some lunch, ya hungry?" She asked us.

"Actually, I think I could eat," I replied.

"Me too," Applejack seconded and we all headed into the kitchen where I set my bag down on the floor near a chair and took off my hat after Applejack. Big Mac headed back outside after rinsing out a glass. I soon heard the pattering of tiny hooves on the wooden floor and a little yellow filly with big orange eyes, a red mane and a pink bow in her mane scampered into the kitchen.

"Applejack, how is Rainbow doin'? Why were ya gone fer two days-" She began until she saw me sitting at the end of the table.

"Hello," I said. The little filly froze and hid behind Applejack's chair, away from me.

"Applebloom!" Applejack scolded, "that's no way to treat our guest, you come out here and say hello young lady," Applejack ordered. Applebloom slowly stepped out from behind the chair, looking down at the floor. She looked up at me and then flinched away.

"He's not gonna hurt me is he?" Applebloom asked Applejack.

"'O course not Applebloom, he's very nice and just needed uh place to stay," Applejack replied, "now please come out and say hi, ya might like him," she added. I could hear Applebloom breath deeply and step out from behind the chair again.

"Hello, Ah'm Applebloom, what's your name?" The little filly asked me.

"Cougar," I replied, "and let me say, you have got to be the cutest thing I've ever seen!" I reached out and petted her head. She shook in fear slightly, but let me pet her head.

"Thanks, are you friends with mah sister?" Applebloom asked.

"More like acquaintances AB," Applejack replied. Applebloom pulled out a chair next to Applejack and waited patiently for lunch.

"Applejack, are there any rooms left for me in here?" I asked her.

"Right, no there ain't but we do have an old storage shed that's been empty fer about five or six years now, but it may need a little fixin' up," Applejack grimaced.

"Well, let's go see it while we're waiting for lunch," I offered.

* * *

**(Outside near the house)**

Myself, Applejack and Applebloom were standing outside the shed that Applejack talked about. Fixing up was an understatement. The walls were old and rotting away and the only window had a hole in it from what I could only guess was from a rock or a baseball. The roof seemed fine, but I would take a look at that. The frame looked to be in good shape as well, just the siding and the window needed a lot of attention. "Well, here it is," Applejack announced, "Ah know it ain't much, but it's somethin'," she apologized.

"No, it's fine. I've always dreamed of having my own place to fix up," I said and grabbed the door handle. I pulled on the door and the door came off the hinges and the rotted wood fell into a crumbled pile until all I was holding was a rusty handle. "Hmm, faulty door handle," I joked.

**End Chapter IV**

* * *

_Phew, this one took awhile. So, Cougar has been introduced to the Apple family, Ponyville chapter. I know some parts where Cougar met someone was rushed, but I didn't want to make it boring as hell where he'd always say the same thing. And now Cougar has a place to stay, he just needs to fix it up and that is where Applebloom will really come into the story because I want her and Cougar to be good friends. Who wouldn't want to be friends with an adorable little filly like Applebloom?_


	6. Chapter V: Cougar's New Den

**Fallen Eagle **

**Chapter V: Cougar's New Den**

* * *

_You guys, you guys are AWESOME! I've never had 16 favorites and 20 followers after only (technically) five chapters in a story. I'm really thankful that this many readers like my story that much. And to what Nomad King of Kyralia said, _"I wish I had your talent for writing." _That right there makes me so happy to hear. I honestly think I'm good, but not as great as some of the other authors on this site, but that compliment means a lot to me and it's stuff like that that keeps me coming back to tell stories._

_Anyway, in this chapter, Applejack and Applebloom help Cougar fix up the old storage shed behind the Apples' house due to his back and wanting to be good hosts, though Applebloom is still rationally timid of Cougar. And it will be built in this chapter, I don't think fixing up a shed to live in would be entertaining to read for three chapters lol._

_Also, just to let you guys know, I have now finally seen Equestria Girls, and it was alright. But this is important because the events of Equestria Girls and Rainbow Rocks never happened in my story's universe, just to keep up with the continuity that no pony knows what fingers are._

_As Monty Python said, "GET ON WITH IT!" So let's read Chapter V shall we?_

**(Normal POV)**

Applejack rubbed the back of her head and let out a nervous chuckle. "Heh, so, maybe a li'l paint and lacquer'll spiffy this place up nice!" She exclaimed and kicked a little bit of the rotted wood which crumbled up into even smaller pieces. Applebloom rolled her eyes and shook her head at the situation.

"First yer old clubhouse, and then yer old storage shed, what else 'o yers are ya givin' away that needs fixin'?" Applebloom muttered. Applejack growled at her sister whom shut right up and sat down on the ground. Cougar just smiled and tossed the rusted door handle on the ground.

"Well, do you have the materials here Applejack?" He questioned while studying the shed.

"Ah think so. We might have some sidin' left over from when we put up the new barn, but Ah'm not so sure if we have any more windas left," she thought for a second. Cougar stepped in through the now open door way and tried to flick on the light, but it didn't come on. He gradually reached up and unscrewed the lone lightbulb from the ceiling. Luckily, it was still bright out and light was coming in through the open doorway and broken window.

"Burnt out," he commented and set the lightbulb on the window sill, "the framing actually looks really good and sturdy," he felt around the inner wood, "but that ceiling could use some new shingles," he said. "Other than the door, siding and the window, I think I can make this thing work." Cougar's eyes drifted up to see a ladder connected to an upstairs loft that he assumed was once used to house various farming equipment. He set his foot on the bottom rung of the wooden ladder and pulled himself up. There was a _loud_ creak as he applied pressure onto the wooden rung. "Maybe a new ladder too," he added and stepped off before it crashed to the floor, "but it's just big enough for me. So, just tell me where the materials are and I'll get this puppy fixed right up," Cougar cracked his knuckles. He then looked down at his hands that were now caked with layers upon layers of dust. He shook off his hands and wiped them on his jeans. Applebloom held her mouth to keep from vomiting at having to witness Cougar cracking his knuckles.

"Ah don't think so Cougar," Applejack brought the human back out from the storage shed.

"And why not? I can do this myself," Cougar replied.

"Ah know you can Cougar, but remember whut Princess Celestia and them doctors said? Yer back is tweaked and ya need ta take it easy for at least two to three days," Applejack explained. Cougar rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Sorry Applejack, but I'll go crazy if I'm not doing anything productive," Cougar countered, "and I want to be able to fix up a place that'll be mine." The orange mare threw her right foreleg onto Cougar's back lightly and patted it. The motion soothed his back that was still slightly sore, but it only reminded him of how limited he was in working.

"And ya will Cougar, jest with me and Applebloom here helpin' ya. Ah don't want you ta hurt yer back anymore than it is," Applejack explained to Cougar. The human sighed and adjusted his ball cap. "Cheer up Cougar, Ah still appreciate yer work ethic," Applejack smiled, "now come on, Granny Smith should have lunch finished, then we can start rebuildin' yer new Cabin."

* * *

**(With Spike and Twilight)**

Spike sighed as he put away his broom and dustpan in the broom closet and shut the door. "Come on Twilight, are you really gonna study that Cougar guy?" Spike asked his best friend. The lavender alicorn failed to answer the purple dragon and kept leafing through a species book whilst using her magic to write with a quill. The dragon rolled his green eyes and picked up a book from the bottom shelf of one of the book cases and lightly let it hit the ground.

"AH!" Twilight squealed in surprise, "careful Spike, you don't want to damage the spines," Twilight warned as her quill fell onto her wooden desk. Owlowicious picked it up with his talon and inserted it back into one of Twilight's ink bottles.

"Sorry, I just wanted to talk for a bit," Spike said and sat down on top of Twilight's stack of books. Twilight smiled, marked the current page in her textbook and closed the cover. Twilight turned from her desk and faced Spike.

"So, what's on your mind Spike?" The alicorn questioned her dragon friend. Spike bit down on his lower lip and crossed his arms over his scaly chest. Twilight's face fell as she could tell what Spike was going to say. "Is this about Cougar?" She asked. Spike nodded, causing Twilight to roll her eyes and groan in frustration.

"Why are you studying him? I mean it's not like another one of him is gonna fall out of the sky again," Spike explained, "he doesn't even know how he got here, so what's the point?"

"You don't know that Spike. He may have accidentally found a portal to our world, and what if his friends in his Air Force come looking for him? And if this was a one-time freak accident, studying him can allow us to understand him better and then other ponies won't be so afraid of him; you saw how most of the town reacted to him just talking," Twilight pointed out. Spike rolled his green eyes and hopped off Twilight's stack of books, grabbing a few to put back on the shelves.

"Well, I think he's hiding something," Spike said while shoving books into their respective slots on the book shelves, "he didn't really tell us anything, and he keeps avoiding questions like what his world was like and he won't even tell us his _name_ for Celestia's sake!" Spike exclaimed and shoved a book into the book shelf. Twilight scoffed and levitated her journal into the air.

"Don't worry about that Spike, Cougar just wants a fresh start, maybe something happened to him back in his world that traumatized him, he was in his world's military after all. And you heard Luna, she said he sacrificed himself to save his friend Reaper," the purple Alicorn pointed out, "so, he can't be all bad."

"Yeah, maybe his friend is the Grim Reaper and he just wants to kill us all for his sick amusement," Spike retorted and grabbed a handful of gems from a basket sitting on the kitchen table. Twilight glared at her dragon friend and levitated the gems from his claws and put them back in the basket.

"Would it kill you to be positive about this Spike?" She angrily asked. Spike pouted at having his snack taken away and rubbed his temples.

"If he doesn't trust us Twilight, then why should I trust him? Do you even remember what happened when he first woke up? He tried to attack you and Rarity at the same time!" Spike rose his voice.

"Maybe if you were paying attention, he was scared out of his wits and just wanted to escape from this strange new world; he calmed right down and let us heal him," Twilight explained and put her journal up near her bed. "Now, I need to go out and get some more ink, if I'm going to learn a lot about Cougar, then I need to write everything down to send to Celestia, and start thinking more positive about Cougar, you might find him pretty cool," Twilight left the library. Spike grumbled and grabbed another handful of gems and put some in his mouth.

"He's gonna have to do something pretty amazing for me to trust him," Spike said to himself and began dusting Twilight's desk.

* * *

**(Back at Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)**

Lunch was, interesting to say the least. It wasn't that awkward, but the food was quite surprising to me. "Dig in!" Granny Smith announced proudly and set various plates with sandwiches on the table. Big Mac strolled in and took the seat across from mine, glancing up at me every so often. Being the eldest member of the Apple family, Granny Smith took the head of the table whilst I took the left side of the table with Applejack seated next to me and Applebloom at near the bottom of the table. I know earlier I said I wanted these ponies to earn my trust before I told them much more about me, but because of her young age, I felt like I could have a friend in Applebloom. She looked innocent enough to not throw my trust under the bus, yet she was intelligent for her age, mainly due to the fact she lived on a farm. Throughout my life, I always valued street smarts over book smarts, and this entire family ran off street smarts, or maybe I was just a sucker for just how adorable she was.

"So Cougar, do ya eat hay in yer world?!" Granny Smith sort of shouted at me. I guessed that her hearing was slowly and slowly getting worse with her age, which I understood completely. I looked down at the sandwich on my plate and took the top piece of bread off to reveal a small stack of hay and some mayonnaise on top of the hay.

"Well, ponies in my world do, but not my species," I replied, trying my best not to offend anypony at the table. Applejack swallowed her bite before replying to me.

"Okay then, that's fine, but whut does your species eat Cougar?" She asked politely and took a swig of water. I opened my mouth to respond, but a thought crossed my mind. Would they take it well if I told them I ate meat before? I didn't mind some veggies and fruit now and then, but I mainly ate meat my whole life. I didn't want to scare them or make them think I was some sort of cannibal, even though I've never even thought of eating my own kind.

"Oh, my species ate mainly fruits and vegetables, or pastas and breads. We loved ice cream too," I replied, not really lying, just not telling the whole truth. I heard a small belch and turned to see Applebloom wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"Who doesn't like ice cream? Even ponies who are lactose intolerant love ice cream!" She exclaimed. I chuckled at her response and politely shoved my plate towards the middle of the table so one of the others could eat it.

"What can I fix ya up then feller?" Granny Smith asked, starting to get up from her seat.

"Oh no, don't get up Granny, I'm very thankful for the sandwich, but I think I can find something to eat," I replied, not wanting her to make a big fuss over me. "Do you have peanut butter and jelly?" I questioned.

"Jelly's in thu fridge 'n peanut butter's in thu cupboard next to thu fridge," Applejack told me. I got the two jars out of their respective spots and spread them with a knife onto a piece of home made bread.

"Your bread is delicious," I commented after swallowing a bite of my sandwich.

"Why thank ya Cougar!" Granny Smith smacked me on my back, "yer manners sure are top notch," she added. Big Mac excused himself from the table and walked out of the kitchen while keeping an eye on me. I finally finished my sandwich and set the plate in the sink before turning back to the table. Applejack and Applebloom were patiently awaiting for me to start on fixing up the old shed.

"So, who wants to do some demolition?" I asked. Granny Smith had some errands to do in town and Big Mac went off to visit his Mare-friend, somepony by the name of Cheerilee or something, since his chores for the day were completed. Applejack and Applebloom raised their forelegs and got up from the table. I smirked at Applebloom as I turned my ball cap around and took out my black aviator sunglasses from my duffel bag. "Weren't you afraid of me like twelve minutes ago?" I asked the little filly. Applebloom pondered upon my question for a brief moment before answering.

"Ah figure that if mah sister and mah Granny think yer a good guy, then Ah'll believe 'em, and plus Ah don't like basin' ponies off 'o their outer appearances, Ah've been there," Applebloom explained to me. I looked up at Applejack with a smile.

"She's been raised good Applejack," I complimented. The orange mare grinned and put her cowgirl hat back on.

"Are we gonna keep jabberin' or we gonna fix ya up a place to live?" AJ teased me, "AB, don't forget the spare lightbulb in the utility closet," she reminded her little sister. Applebloom trotted over to a closet and pulled a lightbulb out of it and trotted back over.

"AB?" I asked.

"It's somethin' other ponies do to other ponies that have two names," Applejack said, "sometimes I call her AB, but most 'o the time I call her by her real name."

"Do you think I could give her a nickname?" I asked Applejack.

"Only if she's okay with whut ya call her," Applejack replied. All three of us headed outside to the shed, but not before grabbing some sledgehammers, framing hammers, tape measures, nails and carpenter pencils.

"Any ideas in mind Mr. Cougar?" Applebloom asked me.

"Nope not yet, but if I live her long enough, then maybe soon," was all I replied. "Do you have any power tools Applejack?" I asked.

"Sure do, we got a miter saw and a table saw stored in thu barn. We put them there because we can use the excess saw dust to cover the barn floor," she explained, "oh, and Ah also have a reciprocatin' saw in our other storage shed on thu other side 'o the house."

"Good, I've been using those kinds of saws since I was a kid," I replied, "and the reciprocating saw will come in handy," I added. We got back inside the shed which still had some sunlight shining through the cracked window. "Okay Applebloom," I said and curled my fingers around her torso, "don't be scared, I'm just lifting you up so you can put the lightbulb in the socket," I explained when she cringed at being felt by my fingers. Trust me, I'm no child molester, I even kicked a guy's ass once back in Anchorage when he tried to kidnap a kid from a playground. Slowly, Applebloom inserted the new lightbulb and instantly, the shed was bathed in a yellow glow. Even though I was 6'2"and had three foot arms, the shed was still about 10 feet tall, so I couldn't reach the light socket . The loft itself started at about the six foot mark, so I had about a good four foot space for head room, especially with the sloped ceiling.

"Okay, now we probably should brought the dusters," Applejack clicked her tongue now that the dust was much more visible.

"We should worry about that later, we got some rotten walls to bust down," I grinned while putting Applebloom down on the floor. I picked up a sledge hammer and Applejack picked up a smaller one with her mouth and Applebloom picked up a framing hammer. Instantly, we got to work, pounding away at the rotted siding. It came off easier than anticipated. Chunks of rotted and mossy wood flew off the 2x4 boards that served as the framing for the shed. We worked for about twenty minutes, and we already had one wall done.

"Wow, guess we haven't touched this shed in longer than Ah thought," Applejack scratched her head with her hoof. Applebloom set down her hammer and took a bit of a breather.

"Didn't work yourself too hard did you?" I joked.

"Nah, just need a breather," Applebloom replied. I set down my sledgehammer and thought for a minute.

"Applejack, should we just get the siding on now or should we demolish the rest of the walls first?" I asked.

"Ah think we should keep on demolishin'', Ah mean, this only took us twenty minutes to do one wall," she explained, "and we can cut the sidin' right quick, though ya might be without a door fer a night since puttin' up the sidin' might take awhile," she said.

"That's fine, just need some walls and plywood for the inner walls and insulation," I replied.

"Come on Cougar!" Applebloom exclaimed and started pounding away at the back wall of the shed, "this is the fun part!" She shouted and continued to demolish the rotted wood, taking notice to miss the 2x4 framing. Applejack and I looked at each other before resuming the demolishing.

* * *

**(1 hour later)**

All three of us breathed a sigh of relief as we sat down on the little porch hooked onto the front of the shed. It took an hour of demolition, but we finally had the all the rotted walls gone. Since the nails and rotted wood fell away without clinging to the framing and the studs, the saw reciprocating saw was useless. I heard a gasp when Applebloom started trotting around and, chasing her tail? "Hey Applebloom, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Maybe I got mah cutie mark in demolition or construction!" She exclaimed and kept twirling around. When she saw her hindquarters were still empty, Applebloom pouted and sat down like a puppy.

"A cutie mark? Is that those butt tattoos on everyone's butt?" I questioned. Applejack snickered slightly before wrapping her foreleg around Applebloom in a hug.

"Not exactly Cougar, a cutie mark is a special symbol that appears on a pony's flank when they discover their special talent," Applejack explained to me.

"Wait, no one gets to choose their own destiny? What if a pony doesn't like their cutie mark?" I asked. AJ put her hoof on her chin and rubbed it slightly.

"Don't recall any stories like that Cougar, but Ah know when Applebloom gets her own Cutie Mark, she'll be happy," Applejack replied as she released her sister. Applebloom's eyes grew big as she seemed to suppress a sob. I don't know what in the world came over me, but I bent down to Applebloom's level and wrapped my arms around her. Only less than a week here, and I'm already giving out hugs, but how could I just let a little kid cry?

"Cheer up Bloomin' Onion," I blurted out, "so what if this didn't get you a cutie mark, you're still helpful and smart and downright adorable, I'm sure you'll get it soon; maybe I can help you if you want," I kept blabbering on and on. She wiped her nose to stifle a sniffle.

"B-bloomin' onion?" she giggled at what I called her.

"Sorry if you don't like it that name, my mom made me that for a snack constantly when I was a kid.

"N-no, Ah like it! It's funny and it's uh, unique," she smiled.

"That's good, now let's keep working, you can still help if you want," I replied and ruffled her mane.

"Ah'll start gatherin' up the sidin' for you 'n AJ to cut!" She declared and trotted out to the barn. I smiled and got up from the ground and looked over at Applejack.

"That was sweet 'o you," Applejack smiled at me, "Ah didn't think ya liked mah sister that much," she said. I sighed and scratched behind my neck.

"Well, she's just a kid, I don't want to see her sad or give her the cold shoulder like I've been doing to you guys, there's just some things I'm not ready to relive in my life," I admitted.

"Ah understand completely, and Ah think Applebloom is really startin' to take a shine at ya, and that nickname is adorable," she tacked on at the end. "What do ya say we finish up yer house 'n then we can start to get all this Celestia forsaken dust outta here," she suggested.

"Good idea," I replied. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw what kind of siding the family had stored away. It was just like the siding my high school construction class used for the sheds we built instead of the horizontal siding my grandfather put up on his house. I took out a tape measure and measured out one piece of siding. "Alright, so the shed is ten feet long by ten feet wide and it's ten feet tall," I commented as I measured a piece. "And these are luckily ten feet tall and five feet long, so we only need two pieces on each side," I kept commenting as I scribbled down the mark where we needed to cut.

Soon, the sounds of power saws cutting into fresh pieces of wood filled the air around us. Mounds of sawdust covered the barn floor where we were cutting the wood. It didn't bother me one bit that we had to haul the pieces one at a time about 500 feet away, especially since I had help. We found ourselves pounding in nails to get the pieces of siding up without a hitch. I finally had Applejack check the time and we found out it was already 5:00 in the evening, but we were done. The shed now had new walls to keep me warm in the winter time and keep me safe. I still needed a new window, but I'm sure we could find one at a hardware store in town.

"Good work Bloomin' Onion," I complimented Applebloom for helping us. I was shocked she didn't earn her cutie mark since she was amazingly talented at construction and wood working.

"Thanks Cougar," she hugged my leg before letting go, "Ah gotta git ta mah crusaders meetin', Ah'll se ya'll later!" She called while galloping away.

"Ya best be home 'fore sundown ya hear!?" Applejack called out to her.

"Thanks to you too Applejack, I couldn't have done this without you," I thanked my technical boss.

"Aw shucks Cougar, yer mah guest and it wouldn't be very neighborly 'o me to leave you alone to do this, specially with yer back," she replied, "speakin' o' which, we should get ya checked out with the local doc at the hospital to be sure." I nodded, knowing she was right.

"I'll go get my duffel bag and then I'll come back and help sweep," I said with a grin.

"Ok, Ah'll jest be here sweepin' by myself!" I heard Applejack call back. I got my duffel bag and put my aviator sunglasses back inside and wiped the sweat forming on my forehead. I took a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water from the sink before downing the beverage in about five seconds. I looked outside to see Applejack talking to someone, but because of where the house was situated, I couldn't see who it was. Curiously, I put my bag on my shoulder and walked back outside to see Applejack casually sweeping up the porch. "Back so soon?" She asked.

"Yeah, who were you talking to?" I asked her.

"Ah wasn't talkin' to anypony Cougar," she chuckled. I was so sure she was, but maybe I was just seeing things. The light inside the shed was off, so either it already burnt out, or Applejack turned it off for me.

"I got the extra broom and dustpan," I said before turning on the light and getting the scare of my life.

**"SURPRISE!"** A loud and high pitched squeal entered my ears and about raped my ear drums. "Happy 'Shed warming' Party!" Pinkie Pie hopped up and down with a huge cake on her hoof. I clutched my chest and thankfully held my bladder together as I looked around to see Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight, Spike, Rainbow Dash and Soarin' all waiting inside.

"When the hell did you set this up?" I asked. There was also a record player, a table filled with sweets and punch and various streamers hanging off the ceiling.

"When there's a party to be planned, time has to make room for me!" Pinkie replied and shoved a piece of cake into my mouth. "So, how do you like Applejack's farm? I mean you must like it since you already fixed up a place to live?!" Pinkie asked me whilst talking a mile a minute.

"I liked what you've done with the place Cougar, but you really should invest in a book collection," Twilight offered me a wrapped book. I took it and unwrapped the wrapping paper to see what looked like an Indiana Jones type pony hanging from a rope on the cover.

"Daring Do and the quest for the Sapphire Statue?" I asked.

"Yep, the first book in the most awesomest amazing book series of all time!" Rainbow exclaimed before sipping on some punch.

"I do like adventure books, thanks Twilight," I said, "but I don't have a bookshelf and I don't like leaving books on the floor. Twilight smirked at that and gave Spike an I-told-you-so look. Rainbow and Soarin' both gave me a Wonderbolt's hat and T-Shirt, while Rarity simply gave me the time her business was open because she insisted that I have an entire wardrobe makeover. Fluttershy, though shy still, gave me a book on the various creatures in Equestria and how to be kind to them.

"Thanks guys, but it's not my birthday," I commented at looking at the gifts I'd received.

"Come on dude," Soarin' started, "it's the least we could do, you're new here and we wanna show you that we're nice, most of us anyway," he replied.

"Oh, well thanks again guys," I said again before having a green scaly faces with purple eyes thrust into my own face.

"Gummy wanted to say hi!" Pinkie Pike shouted as she crammed the little gator's face into mine. He opened his jaws and clamped them down onto my nose which tickled since he had no teeth and his eyes didn't blink at the same time.

"Uh hi?" I patted his head as Pinkie Pie took him away.

"Isn't he just the cutest thing you've ever seen? I mean besides me anyways," Pinkie Pie gushed and crammed her face against Gummy's. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Applejack standing behind me.

"This party was actually mah idea Cougar, I just wanted to give ya the warmest welcome to yer new home," she smiled at me. I smiled back and patted her head like a dog which she didn't seem to mind.

"Thank you Applejack," I replied.

"MUSIC TIME!" Pinkie shouted and started blaring music on the record player. It was sort of like techno pop, but I didn't say anything for fear of insulting her which could be the worst choice in my life if I did so. Somehow over the music, Twilight was able to talk to me.

"So, since you were in the Air Force in your world, was your country in many wars?" She asked me.

"Could we please leave that alone Twilight?" I replied politely.

"Oh sure, but at least tell me what your species was like. Were they like us, only looking like you?" She questioned. I simply sipped on some punch and ignored her, not being polite, but just avoiding her. She grumbling and trotted back over to talk with Fluttershy. I also heard Soarin' talking to Applejack about getting the cider and pie for his date with Rainbow Dash. I don't know why, but I felt rather comfortable with these ponies now, but both parties still had work to do for us to trust in each other. About an hour later, Soarin' and Rainbow left for their date and Twilight had some letter she had to send to Princess Celestia. Pinkie was sad, yet she claimed there will always be parties, always. Everyone packed up the remnants of the party and left, save for Applejack since she lived here too.

"That was the most fun I've had in a long time," I said to Applejack as I laid down on a cot I had discovered in the barn.

"Ah'm glad ya liked it Cougar, sorry 'bout Twilight drillin' ya fer questions again, she jest gets so worked up over studyin'," Applejack explained.

"Eh it's fine," I replied and pulled out the book Twilight gave me.

"Well, if ya need somethin', jest ask away," Applejack said before leaving the shed. I looked as her shadow slowly left my field of vision from where I was laying down before opening my new book. It was actually very well-written and very engaging. I read to about 3/4 of the book before realizing it was night time. That and Applebloom came home just before sundown to tell me goodnight.

"Sleep tight Bloomin' Onion," I said as she trotted back inside her house.

"See ya tomorrow Cougar!" She replied. I put my book on the window sill and rubbed my eyes, exhausted from the day's work. I fell asleep almost the instant my eyes shut tightly.

* * *

**(3rd Person Point of View)**

"Cougar, how was your first day at Sweet Apple Acres?" Cougar heard a voice calling from a distance. The Air Force pilot opened his blue eyes to see Princess Luna standing before him with a smile on her face.

"Luna, shouldn't you be in Canterlot?" Cougar asked.

"Remember Cougar, I am the Princess of the Night and can enter dreams, I just wanted to see how your first say faired," she replied with a knowing smile.

"Hey, you're talking more normally," Cougar pointed out. Luna smiled as Cougar sat up and looked around the dream world.

"I'm getting better, hopefully I can get to talking like my sister and her little ponies soon enough," Luna replied. Cougar was glad he had Luna to talk to since he had an interesting first day. He told her all about fixing up his own place to live and how they even threw a welcome to sweet apple acres party. "So, I take it thou enjoyed your first day?" Luna slipped back into her old ways.

"Actually yes I did, but I think I'm failing in my claim Luna," he replied.

"How so young Cougar?" Luna came to a dead stop.

"I didn't want to get too friendly with you guys so early on in case something happened, but these ponies are making me feel so, so," Cougar couldn't find the right word.

"Familial?" Luna inserted with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"You must remember that all of these ponies have been through a lot together in this half decade Cougar," Luna explained, "they value friendship over everything else and despite what you think, they are very trustworthy."

"I hate sounding like that," Cougar let his head droop, "but I learned at a young age to make people earn your trust because you don't want to wake up one day to find that you were friends with an enemy spy," Cougar said as an example.

"I understand Cougar, but please give these ponies a chance, I have even seen young Applebloom take quite the shine to your kindness," Luna gracefully lifted his chin up with her hoof.

"If that's what the Princess wants," Cougar bowed to Luna.

"Farewell Cougar, I must go and calm the nightmares of young Button Mash," Luna disappeared into a void.

And Cougar slept peacefully with a smile on his face for the first time in years.

**End Chapter V**

* * *

_Phew, that was a week in the making people! Sorry if it was boring, but I didn't want to rush anything. At least now Cougar will be more light-hearted with making more friends than besides Applebloom and Luna. Next chapter will take place in the morning after, but transition into about two weeks. And I hope you guys liked Applebloom's nickname that Cougar gave to her.! Please review_


	7. Chapter VI: On Display

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter VI: On Display**

_Get used to this saying guys, but you are so *BLEEP* awesome! I've worn that word out already, I need a new one. Anyway, it felt so good to obviously get more and more reviews, but I am really thrilled to have 18 favorites and 23 followers for this story. If this story gets more than 30+ of each, I will be so happy. And to the guest reviewer who asked "When you say Normal POV, you mean 3rd person right?" Yes I do mean that. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I just assumed everyone would know what that meant, my bad._

_Also, this chapter will mainly be flashbacks, so hope you all enjoy those._

_That's pretty much all I have to say folks, please enjoy chapter VI and don't forget to review, follow and favorite!_

**(The morning after, Cougar's POV)**

I was surprised that I got to sleep at all last night without hearing jet engines rumble and raising hell all night long. Nonetheless, I felt fully rested when I awoke the next morning. With a yawn and a stretch, I sat up from my cot and scratched my back. It was then I realized from looking outside my doorless door frame and cracked window that it was still nighttime outside, though the sky on the horizon was slowly getting brighter as Celestia and Luna performed their morning routines. "Well, no point in going back to sleep," I said to myself and stood up onto my feet and put my shoes back on. I grabbed my T-shirt which was hanging from a loose nail on the trim around the door frame as a makeshift coat hanger.

The floor beneath me squeaked rather loudly since it was extremely silent outside, not even crickets were chirping. The only noises I could hear was my own breath and the sound of snoring livestock. "Wish I had my watch," I muttered and stepped outside onto the ground, sucking in a deep breath through my nose and out my mouth. My nostrils were rewarded with the sweet and soothing smell of the country side, apples and grass. Hoping I wasn't waking anyone too early, I walked as quietly as I could towards the house, taking in how beautiful the farm looked in the early morning dawn. A small stream of light cascaded outside the windows of the Apple family's dining room and kitchen. From outside, I could see the dark silhouette of somepony wandering back and forth through the kitchen.

Squinting my eyes, I could tell that it was either Applejack or Granny Smith since Big Mac was definitely more noticeable and Applebloom wouldn't have been tall enough to be seen through the window. I still walked quietly to the kitchen door and softly knocked on the wooden door. The figure inside the kitchen turned around and walked over to the door and opened it to reveal the sweet, green and wise face of Granny Smith. "Well, good mornin' there Cougar!" She exclaimed and welcomed me inside. I thanked her and shut the door for her as I walked in. "So, did ya sleep good? What're ya doin' up so early?" She asked me with genuine curiosity. I took off my Drive to End Hunger hat and set it on the table to be polite.

"Yeah actually," I rubbed my eyes, "that cot is pretty comfortable," I added. I could smell the ever so enchanting aroma of eggs, oatmeal, coffee and biscuits with country gravy being cooked on the stove top.

"Ah'm glad yer first night here was comfortable," Granny replied, "are ya always up at 5:00?" She asked me again and stirred the scrambled eggs and oatmeal.

"Being in the military for seven years, I was always up this early," I said and stood up from the table, "here Mrs. Smith, let me help you," I offered and grabbed a big wooden spoon to stir the gravy and the oatmeal.

"Well, ain't you the sweetest thing?" She pinched my arm sweetly and went to check the coffee maker. I smiled at her and grabbed a silverware spoon from the drawer to taste the gravy. "'N you can call me Granny Smith, everypony calls me that and Ah never liked them fancy formalities anyway, 'cept when Ah was uh filly 'o course and called mah elders Mr. Ms. Miss or Mrs.," she explained.

"Alright then Granny Smith, I just wanted to be formal and polite to my boss," I replied. Granny poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.

"Ya don't have to worry 'bout that, jest mind yer manners and treat everypony how you wanna be treated 'n you'll fit in jest fine!" Granny sipped on her coffee. A timer went off and Granny sat up from the table and opened the oven.

"Those smell delicious," I commented after the smell of fresh home-made buttermilk biscuits wafted over my nose.

"Ole family recipe from when I was uh lil filly, haven't changed the recipe at all 'n Ah don't plan on changing it now," Granny set the baking sheet full of a dozen biscuits on top of the stove in front of the pots of gravy and oatmeal and the pan of scrambled eggs.

"So, what time does every_pony _else wake up Granny Smith?" I asked her, still getting used to saying pony instead of body. The elderly green pony looked out the window as Celesita's sun peaked over the horizon.

"Three, two, one," Granny counted down and pointed out towards the picket fence next to the chicken coop.

"COCKA-DOODLE-DOO!" The rooster crowed loudly. The food was done and Granny handed, or hoofed I should say, me a bowl with a ladle to pour the gravy in, a basket for the biscuits, a large plate for the eggs, and another bowl for the oatmeal. From downstairs, I could hear the sound of the three ponies upstairs waking up from their slumber. The sound of hoof steps clacking on the wooden floor easily alerted to me and Granny that Applejack, Applebloom and Big Mac were on their way down.

"'N that should jest about cover breakfast!" Granny declared after putting the coffee into several mugs and set them on the table. She sat down at the head of the table, awaiting her grandchildren to enter the dining room.

"Mornin' Granny Smith!" Applejack entered the room without her signature cowgirl hat atop her head, "oh, mornin' to ya too Cougar," she added with a warm grin and sat down next to me. Applebloom scurried into the dining room and hopped up onto the seat right across from me, looking as hungry as ever.

"Hey Cougar, how was yer shed last night?" She questioned.

"Morning Bloomin' Onion," I said, to which she giggled. "It was perfect, kept me nice and warm and the cot was actually pretty darn comfy," I replied. The adorable yellow filly licked her lips at the sight of the breakfast before her and awaited her big brother to finally come in.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac announced when he entered, he then lowered his eyebrows when he saw me and then sat down next to Applebloom.

"Cougar, did ya help Granny with breakfast?" Applejack asked me after looking at all the food and then at me as I had a few splotches of gravy on my fingers from the spoon.

"Yeah, I woke up earlier than I thought I would, so I came in to help Granny," I said.

"Well, ain't that jest the cat's meow?" Applejack commented with a chuckle, "ya really want ta prove yer worth here huh?" She asked me. I nodded in reply, but I didn't say anything.

"Are we gonna jest jabber-jaw to the cows come home?" Applebloom asked, "or we gonna chow down?"

"Whut? Them cows got out again?" Granny asked, "Ah gotta get a new lock fer their pens," she added, "anyhow, let's eat," she said and we all started digging in.

"So after breakfast, Ah'll show ya basically what yer gonna be doin' here on the farm Cougar," Applejack swallowed a bite of her eggs.

"Sounds good, but when do we start the harvesting?" I asked.

"Wednesday 'o next week if everythin' is on schedule," Applebloom took a sip of her milk.

"But I'm sure harvesting apples is not all you do around here, correct?" I took a bite of a buttermilk biscuit dipped in country gravy.

"Nope," Big Mac replied to me, not saying anything else while drinking his coffee. Applejack suppressed a belch with her hoof before responding.

"We also feed all our critters, plow the fields, sell our apples, repair farming equipment, plant new trees, we also got corn, potatoes, carrots, cabbage and all sorts o' vegetables to harvest aside from our main harvest o' apples," she explained.

"Sounds like fun," I shot back while motioning with my cup of coffee, "I am pretty good with fixing things," I added.

"Well, sum 'o our wagons do need regular fixin'," Granny Smith exclaimed. Breakfast went over pretty quickly. Since it was a Sunday, not that much work besides straightening up the house had to be done. Applejack took me around the farm and showed me everything they did and told me what my job would be.

"Alright Cougar, in the morning's after breakfast, we come out and feed the chickens in the chicken coop, milk the cows and feed them as well, feed the sheep and clean out their pens," she explained, "after that, we start bucking trees to git the apples off."

"My legs aren't anywhere as powerful as a ponies," I pointed out, "so how am I going to buck trees with you and Big Mac?" I questioned.

"Not to worry, you'll be responsible fer bringing those big wooden barrels out fer the apples to fall into and then we take 'em and store 'em in the cellar below the house and like Ah said before, we take five barrels o' apples to the Saturday market 'n we sell 'em. And then we also do routine maintenance on various equipment, chop firewood, mow the lawn etc. 'N if ya have any questions while yer workin', don't hesitate to ask," she smiled at me, "'n possibly I can make sure ya work with Applebloom often since she really likes ya."

"Wow, sounds like a dream," I commented, "I love fresh air and hard work that makes you sweat," I said.

"Ya came to the right place then, now, Ah don't want you to push yerself too hard until ya get to the doctor to get yer back checked on Tuesday, but tomorrow ya can help feed our livestock 'n mow the lawn," Applejack motioned.

"I can't wait to get started," I replied.

**(Two Weeks Later. Cougar's POV)**

It was a Friday evening and I laid down on my cot in my living quarters, head resting on my hands while listening to my iPad. The last two weeks have been intriguing to say the least. It pretty much started on Tuesday when I was scheduled to go back to Canterlot to have the royal physicians look me over. But, that's not all that happened. Despite Celestia giving an announcement to all of Canterlot, the ponies of the posh city still didn't take my arrival lightly. Luckily for me though, I had my six acquaintances plus Spike with me.

***FLASHBACK***

"You guys really didn't have to come with me and Applejack," I said to the five other ponies and dragon inside our train car, "it's just a routine doctor visit," I added. I was sitting closest to the window, watching the beautiful scenery pass by. Next to me was Applejack whom had snuck a few apples aboard and was quietly munching on one. Twilight and Spike sat nearest to the car's door, the former reading a book that I couldn't identify while the latter was reading a comic book with the title **Power Ponies** adorning the cover. I noticed that his reptilian eyes darted up from the colorful comic to Rarity whom sat across from him several times. And every time he did, his eyes would linger upon her for at least three to five seconds.

Rarity was seated next to and chatting with Fluttershy, something about visiting the spa again. Even back on Earth, I never understood why women loved the spa so much, but then again, I really didn't care. Rainbow Dash was snoring loudly and muttering something about Daring Do in her sleep and Pinkie Pie was seating directly across from me, eating cupcakes and kept babbling on and on about how much better my back might be and was beating around the bush that she might want a piggy back ride. I may never understand that particular pony.

"Don't mention it Cougar," Twilight looked up from her textbook, "we're all friends, for the most part anyway; I was also hoping to see Princess Celestia again about the Summer Sun Celebration," the purple alicorn went back to her textbook.

"Okay, but I don't want you guys to get bored or anything for just a check-up," I repeated. Rarity ceased her conversation with Fluttershy just to gasp.

"Perish the thought Cougar, Canterlot is the capital of sophistication and elegance," she described, "and I hopefully will get to meet up with Fancy Pants and Fleur-De-Lis again. It has been sometime since I've talked with them face to face," she tapped her chin with her hoof. Applejack tapped me on the shoulder and stuck her hoof into her mouth, making a gagging motion which made me chuckle.

The train lurched as it came to a stop at the Canterlot train station. The sudden motion jerked Rainbow awake from her nap. "Uh! 44?!" She exclaimed as if answering a surprise math problem in school. Her eyes darted around the room of the train car and looked outside to see various ponies awaiting to board the train from the platform. "Oh, here already?" She yawned and stretched. Twilight's magic opened the door and all eight of us exited the room where other ponies merged with our group to exit the train, though not all ignored me. Several ran right back into their rooms or ran as fast as they could to get out of the train. Some just cowered as they walked near me, scared of what I might do.

"Jest ignore 'em Coug," Applejack advised me, "Celestia said she would explain everythin' to the ponies 'o Canterlot 'n the news might still be unbelievable to 'em," she explained.

"To be honest, I really don't care Applejack," I replied, "I won't bother them if they won't bother me, simple rules for dealing with certain creatures in my world," I explained to her.

"Oh, um like what certain creatures?" Fluttershy spoke in her soft as cotton voice.

"Bees mainly, sometimes bears or moose," I retorted. The sun seemed to be shining brighter in Canterlot, or maybe I was just seeing things, but either way, I put on my aviator sunglasses and my vision was filled with much less glare. Thankfully, there was a path cleared for our group with Twilight leading the way. We had left the train depot and were on what I believed to be the main road to the castle.

"Is that that creature the princess spoke of?" I heard a posh voice ask. Great, just what got under my skin the most. Rich, stuck up people (or ponies in this instance) that believe just because they have money and speak in fake accents that they are better than everypony.

"It is absolutely hideous!" I heard another voice exclaim. I tuned them out by focusing on the walk ahead of me and thinking of working back on the farm, which worked. Rarity scared the crap out of all of us when she shrieked so loudly I worried that all the glass in Canterlot would shatter.

"FANCY PANTS!" She shrieked before regaining her 'normal' composure and briskly trotted up to a white unicorn that had a blue mane, a tiny blue mustache, a tuxedo and was adorning a monocle on his left eye.

"Ah, Ms. Rarity, a delight to see you again!" Fancy Pants exclaimed and wrapped a foreleg around her. A female unicorn with a very light pink and white mane and had light purple eye shadow on was, _hanging_ to Fancy Pants. Literally hanging onto him and leaning over his back. I leaned over to Fluttershy.

"Who is hanging onto Fancy Pants there?" I whispered.

"That's Fleur-De-Lis, she's Fancy Pants' wife," Fluttershy explained, "they help design fancy formal attire for Canterlot's most elite figures."

"Okay, I had a totally different idea of what she was from how she was hanging off of him," I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, and who and what is this creature over here?" Fancy Pants' magic cleaned off his monocle. He politely stuck out his hoof. This guy is off to a good start for me. He doesn't sound or act like those stuck up spoiled snobs I grew accustomed to on Earth. My sunglasses were removed before I talked with him.

"My name is Cougar; I'm a human from a world I called Earth," I shook his hoof.

"A human named Cougar you say?" He raised an eyebrow, "how did you ever get that name young sir?" he asked me.

"It's my call sign, I was in my country's Air Force before I somehow transported here," I explained.

"Well I suppose any friend of Rarity's is a friend of me and my wife," Fancy Pants smiled.

"We're not friends," Rarity and I both said at the same time. "More like acquaintances," Rarity finished.

"All the same to me, now I must be off, I hope to speak with you later Mr. Cougar, you seem like an interesting fellow," Fancy bowed and left with his wife whom was still clinging to him like a dog to a piece of ham.

"That was a great job socializing Cougar!" Twilight congratulated me.

"Thanks I guess. I do know how to politely socialize," I replied, putting my sunglasses back on, "as long the pony I'm talking too isn't being an asshole that is," I added. I suddenly felt my arm being yanked out of its socket by Pinkie and thrust into the face of another Canterlot pony.

"Try it again! You there, say hi to our friend Cougar!" Pinkie kept pushing me towards the unsuspecting pony.

"Please don't hurt me!" The pony galloped away.

"GET BACK HERE AND LOVE HIM!" Pinkie shouted at the cloud of dust the pony left behind.

"Come on guys, can we get to the castle already? These stuck up types really bore me," Rainbow commented.

"Ah couldn't agree more Rainbow," Applejack agreed. And with that, we headed off for the castle once again. We reached the main golden gates that had two guards with golden helmets and spears standing in front. One was a yellowish pegasus and the other was a white unicorn.

"Princess Twilight, here to see Princess Celestia and Luna I presume?" The pegasus guard asked.

"Of course Flash; I trust you like your new post here in Canterlot?" Twilight responded as the unicorn guard opened up the gates.

"Yeah, I liked my position at the Crystal Empire, but I like being away from the cold north," Flash replied. The eight of us entered and Twilight gave a more than friendly wave to the guard known as Flash.

"Anything going on between them?" I asked Rainbow.

"Like you wouldn't believe," the cyan pegasus replied as she floated above us, "but they deny it like their lives depended on it," she explained. The walk up to the main doors of the castle went by without a hitch. Applejack knocked on the door for us and two more guards opened said door.

"Twilight! Do come in!" I heard Luna's voice speak over the two guards. The doors opened wider, allowing us to pass through to see Luna in the foyer. "And young Cougar, how are thou doing?" She asked me with genuine curiosity.

"Other than not being able to work because of my back, I'm doing alright I guess," I replied after shaking her hoof.

"I take it thou are here for a physician check up?"

"Yeah, and hopefully I can get right to work when we get back to Sweet Apple Acres," I walked with the group to what I hoped was the royal infirmary wing.

"Princess Luna, where is Princess Celesita?" Twilight asked Luna.

"My sister is in the throne room, but-" Luna started before Pinkie rushed to the throne room doors and threw them open.

"Founder her, found her, found her!" She exclaimed while jumping up and down.

"Hmph!" Celestia squealed in surprise with cake in her mouth. My mouth dropped at the amount of cake in her throne room. Her muzzle was covered with crumbs and frosting and I swear some cakes were taller than me!

"Good God, did you rob a bakery? I've never seen this much cake in my life!" I commented. Celestia blushed and zapped the cake out of the throne room.

"Hello Cougar, are you enjoying your stay at Sweet Apple Acres?" Celestia swallowed her bite of cake.

"Yep, and I really can't complain your highness, some ponies in PonyVille are afraid of me, but I really don't care," I responded.

"Well, with time, I'm certain my little ponies will grow to befriend you; I see the goodness inside of you Cougar, don't let false accusations consume you," she advised.

"Not a problem at all your-" I started but was cut off with a scream of what I thought was a little girl.

"AHHHHHH! Aunties Celestia and Luna! What is that vile creature that you've brought into our castle!" I looked over to see a stallion unicorn cowering near the door. "Did you shave a pet monkey or something?" He questioned.

"Blueblood!" Luna scolded, "this here is young Cougar. He is a human that was somehow transported to our world with no way back to his own. He is our guest and my friend and you shall treat him the way you treat Celestia and myself, do you understand?" Luna tapped his chest with her hoof.

"Respect a primate? Do you hear how ridiculous you sound Aunty Luna?" Blueblood berated his aunt which made my blood boil. Obviously this brat never learned how to respect authority figures or his elders or even the female of species. "How could I respect something that has the IQ of a sunflower and cannot speak!?" He demanded.

"You back off there bub," I warned and approached him.

"The primate talks!?" Blueblood replied to me, "don't you dare touch me with those filthy things, I swear I'll have you thrown in the dungeon if you mess up my coat!" he threatened. I stood higher than I normally did, trying to intimidate this pathetic excuse of a stallion.

"I don't care what you think of me, but I will NOT have you berating your aunt, who is an authority figure and most importantly, a FEMALE. You will show her respect and Princess Celestia and you will apologize to both of them for your piss poor behavior, do I make myself clear?" I got close to his face.

"You DARE talk to a royal like that?" He pawed the ground with his hoof and tried to charge at me. Luckily, the Air Force trained me in more than just flying an F-15. I ducked low and let my legs fall out from underneath me. My hands gripped the floor and my legs swept out like a broom, tripping Blueblood and forcing him to roll into a vase near the wall. There was a deafening crash when he hit and his horn got stuck in said wall. His front hooves hit the wall as he tried to pull himself out to no avail.

"That, was, AWESOME!" Rainbow cheered me on and patted my back.

"Thank you for putting that wretched pain in the rump in his place," Rarity actually smiled at me.

"Well young Cougar, it appears you do have goodness in your heart, thank you for sticking up for me, though my punishment would've been far worse for him," Luna winked at me.

"I was raised to never insult or attack a female, and I won't have somepony like _him_ doing that; I'm more than sure you can handle him while I see the good doctors?" I replied.

"Of course Cougar," Celesita teleported some cake back to the throne room and watched as Blueblood attempted to escape the wall. He was screaming loudly, but the wall muffled him out.

"Pass some cake sister?" Luna conjured up some tea and a few chairs. Twilight stuck behind to talk to Celestia while the rest of us left.

"So, Ah'm taking Cougar to the doctors, what're yer plans?" Applejack asked her friends.

"I'm gonna go see if I can make some of the guards smile," Rainbow took off.

"I want to see the animals in the gardens, hopefully I can actually make some progress with them this time," Fluttershy trotted happily away.

"Well, I shall take a nice and quiet stroll about the castle and perhaps have some tea, Spike, care to come with me?" Rarity called out. Spike instantly was at her heel and she patted his head. Pinkie said something about going to sneak some goodies from the kitchen, but she talked too fast for me to hear correctly. This left myself and Applejack standing in the hallway.

"So, to the doctors?" I asked.

"Ah guess so. By the way, I can't thank ya enough for standing up fer Princess Luna," Applejack complimented, "that stuck up Prince gets away with so much 'n Ah couldn't stand how he was talkin' to a Princess, his _aunt_ no less, 'n after what he did to Rarity a few years back at the Gala, he jest makes me so mad," Applejack gritted her teeth.

"Like I said before Applejack, I can't stand how some males treat females. I was raised to treat females with the utmost respect and kindness and to defend them if necessary." We soon found ourselves in front of the Royal Infirmary. I opened the door to see Nurse Candy Striper taking care of what looked to be one of the guards.

"Oh hello Cougar," she said, "are you here for your follow up visit?" She asked me.

"Yes I am, and I really want to get back and work," I replied.

"That's good, I'll just page the doctor and he'll be in with you in a moment."

***End Flashback***

To sum that trip up, my back was no longer tweaked and I could get back to work. Although, I heard it took both Celestia and Luna to pry Blueblood out of the wall. I smirked, thinking that he got what he deserved and then some. And though she didn't have to, Applejack baked me an Apple pie to celebrate my good health. Suddenly, there was a knock on the new door of my living quarters. I paused my iPad and took off my headphones. "Cougar, can Ah talk to ya please? Ah'm really sorry 'bout what happened down at the lake," Applejack called through the door. I got up and trudged to the door and opened it to reveal Applejack holding her cowgirl hat in her hoof.

"I already said that it's fine Applejack; I just don't want to talk about that anymore," I went back to my cot. Applejack put her cowgirl hat back on and followed me in only to sit down next to my cot.

"Pinkie didn't know what would happen when she did that," Applejack explained.

"She also doesn't know what personal space is," I replied, thinking about what happened.

***New Flashback***

I had put in a good two weeks of hard work at the farm. Every morning since I had arrived, I had gotten up at exactly 4:30, helped Granny and Applejack with breakfast and got right to work. The lunch break I had refused to take at first. I insisted on just bringing lunch in a pail and snacking on it while working, but Applejack and Applebloom practically forced me to take lunch breaks. I can't express how much I loved to work. In fact, I worked so hard that on numerous occasions I lost track of the time and would work till seven 'o clock. "Cougar, I appreciate how much ya like ta work, but ya really need to back off a bit," Applejack had told me as she let me get off at 3:00 today.

"Applejack, I just like to work," was all I replied. Good lord was it hot today. Sweat was pouring off me like I was standing under a waterfall. And it sucked that I only had two shirts that now stunk with sweat. I took off my shirt and balled it up under my arm. "Hey, you alright there Applejack?" I asked her. She seemed to be staring off into space, forcing me to snap my fingers at her.

"Uh yeah, s-sorry," Applejack rubbed the back of her head, "look, jest take the rest 'o the day off alright? Maybe go into town 'n git a milkshake or see if Fluttershy needs sum help, ya gotta relax," she advised me.

"Fine, I will, just let me get my other shirt," I replied. Applejack galloped away back to the house to speak to Granny Smith, leaving me next to the picket fence surrounding the property. I froze when my skin tingled and I felt eyes looking at me. I turned to see little fillies about Applebloom's age staring at me. I immediately recognized two of them. More particularly the pink one with the tiara on her head.

"Look everypony," she said in her snobbish voice, "the Apples aren't just a bunch of inbred, uneducated hillbillies," the brat remarked, "they now house freaks!" She pointed with her hoof. The grey pony with glasses standing next to her howled with laughter and everyone in the group joined in. This was the fourth time this week and ninth time overall that some ponies would come by the farm just to stare at me while I worked. I felt like an animal on display at the zoo, and now I felt bad for those animals in the zoo after going through what they did.

"At least they work for a living instead of mooching off their rich daddy," I replied with a smirk. The pink one stopped laughing and glared at me.

"You DARE talk about my father like that, you ugly ape!?" She screeched, "you wouldn't be fit to shine his hooves you pet!" She added with a hoof shake. Suddenly, a fling of mud flew past me and hit the pony square in the face.

"Great shot Applebloom!" I heard Scootaloo compliment while Sweetie Belle was rolling on the ground laughing.

"Ah! My father will hear about how you stained my coat hillbilly!" The pony swore and left in a huff.

"Keep walking Diamond Tiara, or else we'll get Cougar to snap that little head piece in half!" Sweetie Belle swore back. I finally remembered her name, but I really couldn't care less. Scootaloo bumped my fist with her hoof and leaned against my leg. When Applebloom introduced me to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, the two reacted better than Anypony in town did. I guess since they trusted Applebloom, they met me with confidence.

"How'd you keep your cool like that Cougar?" Scootaloo asked me.

"Simple," I replied and started heading for my living quarters, "I've dealt with creatures like her in the past; I keep thinking that just because she has a rich daddy doesn't mean she's better than me or you," I explained, "plus her insults suck," I added.

"Well, Ah did like the mooching remark," Applebloom admitted.

"We totally need to hangout sometime," Scootaloo rapidly flapped her tiny wings.

"If I ever have time off from work," I replied with a smirk.

"Anyway, we've got some serious crusader business to deal with, bull fighting!" Scootaloo declared. The three fillies said their goodbyes and left me at my living quarters. Sighing and stretching, I opened the door only to have Pinkie thrusting her face in mine.

"HEY COUGAR!" She yelled. I freaked, only for a second and fell onto my back with Pinkie Pie standing over me. "So I was watching you work and thinking why doesn't Cougar ever ever take a break from working? Is he a workaholic or does he just not have a social life?" she blabbed on and on. "And anyway, I was hoping you'd join me and the girls at the lake so you can relax and cool off with some lemonade and cookies?" She touched my nose with her nose and put on puppy dog eyes.

"If I say yes, will you get outta my face?!" I asked loudly. She grinned widely and hopped off of me. I picked myself up and dusted myself off. Applejack rounded the corner of the house and discovered myself and Pinkie.

"Pinkie, did ya hide from Cougar again and scare him?" She asked.

"No, I just surprised him silly, BIG difference," Pinkie stretched her forelegs out. Applejack smiled and rolled her eyes.

"So, ya ready to go to thu lake Cougar? You've worked hard enough to earn a little break," she asked me. I took off my Drive to End Hunger cap and put my aviators back on.

"Actually a cool dip does sound nice," I remarked and tossed my shirt into my living quarters.

"Great, the others are waiting for us," Pinkie Pie hopped up and down as the three of us made our way to the PonyVille lake. When we arrived however, I realized that I didn't have swim trunks with me, at all. I guess you forget your swim trunks when you get transported to a different world.

"Hey guys, water's great!" Rainbow did a cannon ball dive using her speed and splashed us good. Twilight and Fluttershy were swimming around and relaxing while Rarity was sitting on a lawn chair with a tanning mirror. Spike was fanning her with a giant fan and drooling a little bit. I looked over to not see Pinkie anymore. Applejack took off her hat and jumped into the water.

"AHD," she cooed, "that does feel relaxin'. You comin' in Cougar?" She called out. All the ponies stopped what they were doing and waited for me to jump into the lake. Pinkie appeared from under the water wearing snorkeling gear.

"Yeah, thing is, I don't have swimming trunks," I rubbed the back of my neck.

"What are swimming trunks?" Rainbow asked me as she used her wings to stay afloat. I did not want to explain why I needed trunks, so I used the abridged version.

"It's a swim suit that human males wear and have to wear when they go swimming," I explained. Pinkie hopped out of the water and stopped right in front of me.

"Well, can't you just swim in your clothes then?" She asked.

"No, I don't want them to start smelling like fungi. That combined with sweat will knock a buzzard off a gut wagon," I shuddered. Then, the worst thing that's happened to me since I arrived, happened.

"Okay, then what do you need these clothes for? Off they go!" Pinkie grabbed the top of my cargo pants and yanked down at what seemed to be the speed of light. My brain couldn't compute what had happened so fast. I heard seven loud gasps when Pinkie yanked down. A small breeze made its presence known in between my knees. Looking down in horror, I saw Pinkie backing away and my pants were down at my ankles.

"Oh my," Rarity blushed and covered her eyes and Spike's. Fluttershy dove below the water, Twilight used her wings to shield her eyes, Applejack blushed like crazy and looked upwards at the sky, Rainbow zoomed across the lake and turned around and Pinkie looked down at the ground.

"Oh shit," I panicked and yanked my pants back up. Embarrassment turned to anger as I turned around quickly, "I'm going back to the farm!" I shouted.

"No, wait!" I heard Pinkie yell and appeared in front of me. "I'm so so sorry, I had no idea that it was always out!" She apologized over and over.

"I don't want to talk about it," I replied and ignored her as best as I could.

"Look if you're embarrassed about the size-" Pinkie started before I covered her muzzle with my hand.

"Just, stop, please," I said with gritted teeth and walked back to the farm.

***End Flashback***

"Well Cougar, Ah want to make it up to ya," Applejack said softly to me.

"And how are you going to do that? Do you have something that will make me forget that six female ponies and one male dragon saw my package?" I replied, "because that's not what I wanted to do when I said I'd go swimming."

"Uh no, but Applebloom wanted ta go campin' next Saturday after we git done sellin' apples 'n we were both wonderin' if ya wanted ta join us?" Applejack asked with hopeful eyes.

"Just us three?" I asked.

"No, Rainbow Dash 'n Scootaloo would come 'n so would Sweetie Belle 'n Rarity. It would be a whole weekend's trip if yer up fer it," Applejack explained. I put my iPad under my cot.

"I don't have a tent," I said.

"That's okay, Ah have a spare with me. You ever been campin' before?" Applejack asked me.

"Years and years ago, but I remember most of it," I responded.

"Alright then, next Saturday it is," Applejack patted my back. She was about to leave when I stopped her.

"Hey, could I go with you and Applebloom to sell apples? I kinda want to see what else PonyVille has to offer," I asked.

"'O course Cougar, yer gonna love it. Ya might even meet some new friends besides Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom," she replied before leaving. And with that, I put my headphones back on and resumed listening to my music.

**End Chapter VI**

_Here's a long chapter just for you guys! I hope this made up for the lack of events in the previous chapter. And yes, I despise Blueblood and Diamond Tiara. Will Cougar ever talk to Pinkie Pie after what she did? How will the camping trip go? Find out in a couple chapters!_


	8. Chapter VII: The Broken Headphones

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter VII: The Broken Headphones**

_I can't believe it folks. NEVER have I been blessed with 3000 views and 22 favorites and 26 followers only eight chapters in, and I just want to thank you guys so much for the support that Fallen Eagle has received and we still have a long road ahead. I haven't had this much fun writing a story in quite some time and It's only going to get better from here._

_And being a fan of Seinfeld, I'm just going to give the names of chapters to the plots of each chapter instead of trying to come up with clever titles which I believe haven't been all that good. Anyways, it's time for Chapter VII!_

_Just a quick warning though, this chapter contains borderline 'M' content, but doesn't cross over into 'M' territory._

* * *

**(Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)**

Ever since I had that match of wits with that spoiled as crap Diamond Tiara, those school aged kids stopped coming over to stare at me like a freak in a sideshow. Though, I didn't mind Bloomin' Onion, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle talking to me after or right before I got off work. The trio kind of reminded me of myself and Reaper growing up, so optimistic and full of energy. "So, what are your plans today Bloomin' Onion?" I asked Applebloom while repairing a few broken posts in the fence that I'm sure Diamond Tiara and her little friend broke in the middle of the night.

"We're runnin' outta ideas Cougar," Applebloom replied whilst softly pawing at the ground with her hoof.

"Cheer up Applebloom," Scootaloo patted the yellow filly's back, "we'll think of something," the orange filly's wings rapidly flapped with excitement, almost like a dog wagging its tail in excitement.

"Yeah, maybe we should start thinking outside the box," Sweetie Belle chimed in. I couldn't help but grin at the three filly's. I guess figuring out one's career is far more important here in Equestria than back on Earth. When I was kid, all I remembered thinking about doing as a career was flying a jet, playing Major League Baseball or racing in NASCAR, yet I could change my career at any moment. Here however, once that mark appeared on a pony's butt, game over, whether they wanted it or not.

"Oh, and Bull Fightin' wasn't outside the box?" Applebloom glared at her two friends.

"Hey, that totally would've worked out if we could've stayed balanced on each other's backs," Scootaloo defended. Suddenly, a few ideas came to my mind to help them. I took off my aviators and leaned against a new post to talk to the fillies.

"Scootaloo, you like action and intensity right?" I asked her.

"Y-yeah, why?" She replied.

"Well, Rainbow Dash told me about the Wonderbolt Derby races in Cloudsdale and Canterlot, why don't you try talking to the pegasus that announces the races? Maybe you could get your mark in announcing races?" I offered up. Scootaloo's purple eyes lit up until her pupils covered up all the whites of her eyes. Her muzzle started grinning almost like Pinkie Pie does on a daily basis.

"That's like, the BEST idea ever!" Scootaloo hopped off the ground and hovered for a brief second before touching back down. "I better talk to Rainbow Dash when she gets off from Wonderbolt Training today!" The orange filly exclaimed and bit her lower lip to contain her excitement.

"And Bloomin' Onion," I turned to the little yellow farmer, "don't you like mixing potions?" I asked her.

"Yeah, but I'm still just a beginner," she replied with dejection.

"Okay, but if you keep practicing, maybe you could be a doctor or a pharmacist working with medicine; you could save the lives of countless ponies!" I exclaimed. Applebloom's front hooves began to pound the ground quickly, her mouth trying to suppress a squeal. I patted her head and turned to Sweetie Belle.

"And you, Sweetie Belle," I started off, "_you_ need to start thinking about a career with singing," I exclaimed, "your sister is in a quintet; you have an amazing singing voice that I heard when you were in the clubhouse," I explained.

"NO!" the little white unicorn immediately replied and covered her face with her hooves.

"Why not?" I asked her and petted her mane.

"She has wicked stage fright," Scootaloo explained. I nodded, understanding right away.

"Well, have you talked to Rarity about it Sweetie Belle?" I asked her. Her hooves left her face and softly touched the ground. She shook her head left and right, not saying another word to me.

"Look, I think you should talk to her about it because she's your older sibling and she's a singer herself; she should have tons of advice for you," I remarked. Sweetie Belle's eyes looked up from the ground and back to me.

"Al-alright Cougar, I'll try, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna sing on stage the next day," she responded.

"Well that's a start," I replied while putting my sunglasses back on and picking up my hammer. "By the way, are you three excited to go camping tomorrow?" I asked them as I pounded a nail into the next fence post I was repairing.

"Heck yeah!" Applebloom replied, "we haven't been in almost two years," she explained.

"Why's that?" I pounded in a second nail and wiped the sweat from my brow.

"Our sisters just haven't found the time since," Sweetie Belle answered. _Pound, pound, pound._ A third nail was driven into the wooden post. '_Only a couple more to go,'_ I thought to myself.

"I haven't been camping since I was six years old, but I remember the gist of it," I explained to the trio. "As long as someone brings the marshmallows, we'll all be fine," I smirked at them.

"It wouldn't be camping without marshmallows Cougar," Scootaloo joked, "that's like peanut butter minus the jelly."

"French Fries without the ketchup," Applebloom added.

"Ice cream without chocolate syrup!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. I ceased working on the next fence post and lowered my aviators towards the unicorn.

"I don't even want to _think_ about that Sweetie Belle," I shivered. The other two fillies nodded in agreement with me, thinking of the horrors of ice cream without the chocolate syrup on top.

"Anyways Cougar," Sweetie Belle continued, "Rarity says that Pinkie Pie is exhausting herself trying to think of ways to apologize to you, what did she do to you? My sister wouldn't say," Rarity's little sister asked. The reminder of the event frustrated me so much that I pounded in a nail with a single thrust of my hammer, rightfully scaring the little fillies.

"I don't want to talk about it alright? And plus even if I told you, your sisters would mutilate me," I responded. Now their curiosity is going to get the best of me.

"But Applejack likes ya," Applebloom told me.

"Yeah, as a farmhand, but I can kiss this job good bye if I tell you what Pinkie Pie did to me," I said under my breath. Before Applebloom replied to me, Sweetie Belle butted in.

"Rarity did come home that night after spending the evening at the lake really flustered and red-faced," Sweetie Belle pondered.

"And Rainbow Dash wouldn't talk right the next day," Scootaloo added.

"Let's just drop it and start thinking about the camping trip tomorrow alright?" I suggested, "and maybe you all could get a head start on your new crusader ideas?" I tried to get them to leave me alone for the day now. I liked talking to the three, but I did not want to keep reliving the incident with Pinkie. The three gasped and galloped away, kicking up dust in my face. _'Better than them pestering me,'_ I thought and resumed repairing the fence. I reached into my pants pocket and pulled my phone which I recently remembered having before leaving for my mission near Key Largo.

"It's really hot today," I said as I poured a bottle of water over my back and plugged my headphones into my phone. It only took a matter of minutes before my shirt was completely dry from the water and sweat began to from on the chest and armpit areas. "Ah, nothing beats working and listenin' to Rock 'N Roll," I sighed happily and turned the volume up on _Armageddon It_. I worked until I looked up and saw a maroon mare with a light pink mane trotting happily to the front gate where I was working on the final post to fix.

"Oh hello there," the mare said rather happily.

"Hi, who are you miss?" I questioned and took off my hat as a sign of respect for females.

"I'm Ms. Cheerilee, I'm Applebloom's teacher and Big Mac's mare friend," she smiled.

"Ah yeah, Bloomin' Onion talks about you all the time," I grinned, "she loves ya to death, constantly talking about you being the greatest teacher of all time," I went on and on.

"Applebloom is a sweetheart, but I'm here to talk to Big Mac, is he around?" Cheerilee asked me, shuffling her front hooves together. Either she was nervous about talking to me, (who could blame her) or she was really excited to talk to Big Macintosh.

"Uh, here, I have one last nail to put in this post and I'll take you to the west side of the orchard, I think that's where he and Applejack are working," I explained.

"That would would be sweet of you," Cheerilee said and sat down next to the gate. "By the way, what is your name?" She asked me nicely. You'd think I would get sick of that question by now, but not really. Only like a dozen or so ponies know my name, the rest of the populous was either afraid of me or was disgusted by me.

"Name is Cougar, and that's all anypony here knows," I replied and struck the final blow into the fence post, "Haha, finally fixed!" I declared happily and looked at the twenty posts I had to repair today instead of helping out Applejack with apple bucking, though she requested politely that I fix the fence to get out of my normal routine, which I was happy to.

"Cougar? But Cougars are felines, and you look more like a primate," the school teacher studied me for a second. I chuckled and gathered up my tape measure, hammer and box of nails from the ground.

"It's not my real name Ms. Cheerilee," I replied, "It's my call sign from the Air Force branch of my country's military," I explained.

"Oh, and what's a call sign, like a nickname?" She asked me as we walked and trotted through the apple orchard, looking for my bosses. To be honest, the shade from the apple trees felt like heaven.

"Yeah, it's a nickname a squadron leader decides for several of his pilots for either a mistake they made, a play on their last name or just a play on their personality," I elucidated. Cheeriliee's curiosity piqued and she pulled ahead of me.

"That's interesting, what did you- oh hi Big Mac!" Cheerliee waved to Big Macintosh as we discovered he and Applejack bucking at Apple Trees. They both had baskets on their sides that were filled with apples.

"Howdy Cougar, Ms. Cheerilee," Applejack wiped the sweat from her forehead after taking off her cowgirl hat.

"Hello mah beautiful Mare Friend," Big Mac rubbed his nose against Ms. Cheerilee's. "How ya holdin' up over thu summer?" He asked her.

"Oh, it does get a little boring, but I did get a job helping out Bon Bon at her candy shop part time," the maroon mare replied.

"Go on 'n take off early big brother, Ah'm just 'bout done here," Applejack waved Big Mac away. The two turned tail and trotted away towards the farm. "'N don't forget to drop them apples off in thu cellar!" AJ called after her brother.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac's voice echoed from behind the trees. My left eyebrow was cocked upwards and my eyes were darting between Applejack and where Big Mac's voice came from. The orange mare put her cowgirl hat back on and turned to me.

"So, did ya git that fence fixed up Cougar?" she asked me and bucked another tree, causing numerous apples to plop down into new baskets. Her old baskets were sitting inside a cart full of other baskets.

"Yeah, didn't take too long," I replied and leaned against another tree, "those fillies sure like to talk," I added and plucked an apple from a branch and bit into it, savoring the delicious juices that cascaded over my tongue and down my chin. Applejack chuckled and loaded the now full baskets into the last empty spot on the cart.

"Yep, always goin on about getting their cutie marks. What crazy idea did they come up with this time?" She asked me. _Crunch. _Another bite taken from the juicy, succulent red apple.

"Well, they claimed to be running out of ideas, so I gave them a little push," I swallowed the bite.

"Oh really, like whut?" My boss inquired. "By the way, could ya help me hook up to this cart? One 'o thu straps keeps slippin'," AJ informed. I threw the apple core away (Applejack told me that it was fine to leave apple cores near the trees so we could feed them to their pigs) and helped her strap into the cart. "Thanks," she said and smiled at me. I smiled back and we both set off for the apple cellar.

"Okay, so I convinced Scootaloo to try and ask Rainbow Dash about becoming an announcer for Wonderbolt Derbies," I explained.

"Wow, that's a good one Cougar," Applejack complimented.

"Yeah, and then I told Sweetie Belle that she should definitely pursue a career in singing because I've heard her voice coming from their clubhouse while I've been working, and just wow," I continued.

"And let me guess," Applejack cut in, "she refused all the way?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, but I at least got her to promise to ask Rarity for advice since Rarity is in that quintet with Big Mac and Fluttershy," I mentioned.

"Dang Cougar, yer excellent at givin' advice! Were ya ever a counselor before?"

"No, that's just something I'm good at besides flying a jet at 1000 miles per hour," I joked.

"'N shut about Applebloom?" Applejack looked over at me.

"Bloomin' Onion? Well, I remember her telling me that she is interested in mixing potions and other chemistry stuff so I told her if she pursued that, she could become a doctor or a pharmacist creating healing medicines," I replied.

"DAMMIT!" Applejack shouted, forcing me to jump a little and bonk my head into a tree branch.

"What? Is it because her career wouldn't involve apples?" I asked her and rubbed the top of my head. My hat had fallen off to the ground and I picked it up and put back on my head.

"No, sorry fer mah outburst Cougar," AJ apologized, "the axle on this cart broke, that's the fourth time this week!" Applejack angrily stamped the ground.

"Why didn't you tell me? I said I can fix things," I asked her.

"Oh you were doin' such a good job at all yer other chores that Ah didn't wanna bother ya," Applejack explained and unhooked herself to survey the cart's rear axle. I nodded, but didn't understand. She wouldn't have bothered me if she asked me to help fix the axle, fixing things is one of my hobbies. "Well damn, this axle is done for good. Couldja run back to the barn 'N git a spare? There should be a few next to the miter saw," she told me, "oh 'N the washers 'N cotter pins are sittin' on the shelf above the saw!"

"Yeah sure, be right back," I hustled to the barn. Leaving the cooling shade of the apple trees was a little bit of a let down, but I couldn't disappoint Applejack, so I pushed all the thoughts of it being hot to the back of my mind to I could accomplish my final chore for the day. My headphones were bouncing up and down on my neck while the wire swayed back and forth. Barrels of sweat were pouring down my body, but I embraced the sweat that was the reward for hard work. I rounded the bend that would lead me to the barn and stopped at the large door to take a breather when a peculiar sound caught my attention.

'_Grunting? What in the hell?'_ I thought to myself. I caught my breath and ever so slowly, opened the door. The grunting seemed to be coming from the stall near the miter saw and spare axle parts. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what that grunting sound was. It sounded like a pig with a stomach ache, or a pig that was constipated. I crept closer, stepping around a bay of hale to get to where the miter saw was. If the sound was a sick pig, I'd tell Applejack right away, but something in my gut told me that it wasn't a sick pig.

"Oh Cheerilee," came a gruff voice that was extremely deep. My eyes widened at the sound of the voice. Having an idea of what was going on, I still tip-toed around the bay of hale and saw the miter saw and axle parts. Quietly, my hand reached out and grabbed one of the spare axle rods, two washers and two cotter pins.

"Bi-i-i-ig M-a-a-a-ac," came a feminine voice that sounded like it was on the verge of being able to shatter glass. I turned to hustle out, but knocked an unlit lantern off the shelf and it shattered against the ground loudly.

"COUGAR?!" Big Mac and Cheerilee exclaimed as the shattering made me jump and fall onto the stall wall, revealing all to me.

"GAH! OH GOD!" I screamed and turned to run out as fast as I could, trying to hold onto the tools I needed. Unfortunately, my foot caught the edge of the hay bale and I tripped, causing everything in my hands to go flying with a louder clatter. I fell to the ground with a hard _thud_. I also heard a loud crunch which I couldn't identify, nor care about.

"You peepin'!?" Big Mac shouted at me. Oh God, was he coming after me? Was he gonna trample me? I gathered up the tools and ran out of there as fast as my legs could carry me. I knew I would be scarred for life, the image of what I saw and the noises I heard weren't going to leave me any time soon. The run back to where Applejack was waiting for me was nothing but a blur.

"I'm never gonna be the same again," I exclaimed to myself and kept running and running and running. I stopped when Applejack waved me down.

"Oh good, ya found the parts- woah, whut in the hay happened to ya?" Applejack asked me and cocked her head.

"What do ya mean?" I asked, trying to cover up what I had seen.

"Well, yer paler than a baby cow! 'N yer eyes are shakin', whut happened?" She asked again. I gulped and wiped the sweat from my head with my hat.

"N-nothing Applejack, I just haven't had any water to drink lately," I lied. Applejack narrowed her emerald eyes at me and got into my face.

"Now Cougar, Ah can tell when somepony ain't tellin' thu truth, 'n yer lying 'bout as much as a 2x4," Applejack glared at me.

"Look, if I tell you, I'm dead, if I _don't_ tell you, I'm dead, I can't win this," I retorted. "Besides, what I saw will haunt me, probably until I've only got a couple marbles rolling around up inside my head," I said in a hollow manner and stared off into space. Applejack's expression softened, but she was still glaring at me.

"Cougar, Ah'm the element 'o Honesty, 'n yer my fri- uh acquaintance so please jest tell me thu truth," she asked. I collapsed near the trunk of one of the trees and my hands fell to my lap. At the time, I didn't notice her slip up by calling me a friend.

"Well, I went into the barn," I started, "and I heard strange noises coming from where the miter saw was, so I went to get the tools and when I rounded the corner I saw-" I paused, unable to continue.

"Then what? You can tell me Cougar," Applejack placed a hoof on my shoulder. I shuddered before resuming.

"Bi-Big M-Mac and Che-Cherilee were uh making baby foals," I said and covered my face. Silence. Nothing penetrated the airwaves, not even a gentle breeze rustling the leaves of the trees. I uncovered my eyes to see Applejack have the creepiest smile on her face. Her right eye twitched and her pupils were as small as peas. "AJ, are you alright?" I asked, scared to death.

"Yeah, Ah'm fine, why don't ya go into town 'N git yerself sum new headphones," she suggested. I looked down to see my headphones were broken in half and hanging from the internal wires, probably from when I fell down. "While Ah go have a little chat with mah dear big brother, we'll fix thu wagon in the mornin'," her eye twitched again. She stood up to let me get off the ground.

"Where do I go for new headphones?" I asked her.

"Oh, jest go ta town 'N stop by Vinyl Scratch's shop, it'll have a picture of a musical note hoverin' over a turntable," Applejack replied before slowly walking back to the barn. I shook my head several times and then jogged to the dirt road and slowed my pace down to a calm walk. I used the walk to my advantage to clear my head and forget the scene that I unfortunately stumbled upon. I know that I might sound like I'm overreacting, but witnessing anthropomorphic ponies doing something like _that_, it was uncomfortable seeing dogs perform that, ugh.

I kicked a little pebble out of my way, concentrating on only the ground. I passed the time this way a lot in my life. Just staring at the ground and walking. It was nice when I was rewarded with $20 bills, a wrapped candy bar or a full bottle of Pepsi Max, that's a good reason why I just stare at the ground when I walk outside. But the odds of finding any of those on the ground here in Pony World weren't in my favor. Horseshoe prints, that's pretty much what I was rewarded with.

To my left, I could hear the sounds of colts and fillies laughing and playing, enjoying their lives. I even saw one colt wearing a propeller hat and playing what looked like a Gameboy color. And how do they push buttons with no fingers? I chuckled at that thought. A good majority of these ponies pretty much had the freakin' force and could use magic, and here I am wondering how they push buttons, whatever. The clock tower rang six times, indicating it was six 'o clock in the evening and the sun was gradually falling closer and closer to the horizon.

My head looked up to my front and I could see various ponies getting ready to close down their business for the day. Yet, I didn't have a clue whether or not it was because it was really time to close, or because I had shown up. I was leaning towards the latter when three mares who appeared to be running a flower shop dashed into their store and put the closed sign in the window. "Didn't care for flowers anyway," I said sarcastically and smirked. Several whispering conversations were taking place at the same time as I strolled through town. Looking around, I saw a sign that had several pieces of candy falling from a bag into a bowl hanging above a building entrance. An aquamarine unicorn and a lightly tanned earth pony with a dark blue and pink mane were chatting up rather closely together.

"Hello young Cougar, what brings you to Ponyville?" a regal voice asked me. I stopped in my tracks and looked back ahead of me to see none other than the midnight blue coat of Princess Luna.

"Oh hey Princess," I waved and bowed a little to Luna.

"Rise Cougar, with your military status, it is I who should be bowing to you," she replied and made me stand up.

"You do that and we're gonna have some problems," I joked with her, "it's my honor to be a soldier," I added. She smiled and turned to walk forward with me. I could see several dozen ponies' mouths drop at their Princess of the Night and Dreams casually strolling through PonyVille with me. "I could ask you the same thing though Luna," I referred back to her original question.

"I felt rather bored, so I decided to come down to PonyVille to see how you are fairing," Luna explained.

"Ah, well I'm here because I need a new pair of headphones," I held up the demolished pair in my hands.

"Oh my, what happened to your music listener?" Luna asked me. I seethed a little and put the headphones back around my neck. Though, Luna couldn't tell that I didn't want to talk about what had happened.

"I tripped and fell on them," I lied, grateful that it wasn't Applejack I was talking to. I stuffed my hands in my pockets, feeling more casual than ever here now that Luna was walking along side me.

"I am sorry that happened Cougar, it's most unfortunate for one to lose their beloved music," the midnight alicorn apologized to me.

"Eh, it happens," I replied, "now I'm looking for Vinyl Scratch's music shop, do you know where it is?" Luna rubbed her chin with her hoof and looked around several times before spotting a white unicorn off near the bakery. She appeared to be cleaning the display window of her store.

"There is the pony you are seeking," Luna pointed her out to me. I looked to where the Princess was pointing and saw a white unicorn with an electric blue mane, purple sunglasses and a musical note on her flank. "Let us go shall we?" Luna offered.

"Oh you don't have to go with me if you don't want to Luna," I politely told her.

"Nonsense!" She exclaimed, "it'd be my pleasure, plus we would technically be 'hanging out' as some of these younger ponies say," Luna quoted with her hooves. Not seeing a valid reason to argue, we both set off for Vinyl Scratch's music studio. "So, what are your weekend plans?" The princess asked me while we trotted and jogged to our destination.

"Well, Applejack offered to take me camping with her, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and all their little sisters," I retorted.

"Oh, Scootaloo is not Rainbow Dash's sister, though they both act like it very much," Luna explained to me. I snapped my head to look at Luna while we walked. She had to be joking, I mean, Scootaloo practically worshiped Rainbow and Rainbow really seemed to take the orange pegasus filly under her wing, no pun intended. "A sad story young Scootaloo's is, but my sister and I have faith that Rainbow shall eventually adopt Scootaloo as her daughter or sister shortly," Luna said.

"Especially with how Rainbow and Soarin' are," I added. Luna chuckled a bit, though I was actually being serious.

"Anyways, a camping trip does sound a lot like a good time, I hope you and your friends have fun," Luna said. There was that word again, friends. How could I have made friends in only three weeks more or less? I had to push that thought to the back of my mind as we approached Vinyl Scratch's store and I braced for the usual response using the word monster, freak, weirdo or hideous.

"Oh hey Princess, and you're that new creature the three princesses brought here right?" Vinyl greeted us.

"Hello," Luna greeted.

"Uh, yeah I am actually," I replied in shock. Vinyl stuck out her hoof and shook my hand.

"Well, it's great to meet you, my name is Vinyl Scratch, but my stage name is DJ-Pon3," she explained.

"You're not scared of me?" I asked.

"No, just because you're different?" Vinyl laughed, "forget about it! I'm different, we're all different," Vinyl said. "So, what can I do for you two? Need to book me for a show? Need a new record or record player, or do you need a new pair of headphones?" Vinyl looked from behind her sunglasses at my broken pair of headphones.

"I'll take that last one, I can't live or work without my rock 'n roll," I tossed Vinyl my pair of headphones.

"That's the smartest thing I've heard in my entire life, what's your name?" Vinyl questioned.

"Cougar, and I leave it at that," I replied, "so do ya have some new headphones to sell me?" I asked her.

"Yeah, come on in Cougar and Princess," the music loving mare led us inside her workshop.

"Damn, you sure love turntables and keyboards huh? Any guitars?" I took off my aviators.

"In the back Cougar," Vinyl replied and grabbed a pair of DJ styled headphones off a rack, "here, will these do you good?" She asked me. I plugged them in my phone and turned it on. I couldn't believe it, I felt like I was right there listening to a Van Halen concert! The most crystal clear headphones I've ever listened to. If these existed in my world, Bose would piss themselves!

"Now those are the best headphones I've ever listened to," I said to her, "it's like I'm at a concert!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, I make my own headphones, music's my life," she gestured to her shop.

"And you perform your career so well from what I've heard," Princess Luna commented while spinning a recored on a turntable, fascinated by the contraption.

"So, that'll be 12 bits please, they aren't exactly cheap to make," Vinyl apologized for the price. I took out my wallet and then realized a large error on my part.

"I'm sure my money isn't worth piss in a boot here huh?" I questioned and tossed a $10 bill and a $5 bill on the counter. Both Vinyl and Luna chuckled at my response but were intrigued by my version of money.

"Who are these people of your species?" Luna asked me.

"The guy with the beard is Abraham Lincoln, he was a president of my country about 130 years before I was born, and the other guy was our first secretary of treasury," I explained.

"President?" Vinyl turned Abe Lincoln upside down and cocked her head from side to side.

"Our leader is called a President," I explained further.

"Wow, your world is so cool!" Vinyl declared, "but anyways yeah I can't accept this money, sorry bro," she began to hand it back to me.

"Keep it, you can stick it on your wall, I won't need it." Vinyl smiled and taped ole Abe onto the wall. I'm guessing she wanted something cool from my world. Luna produced about twelve gold coins and laid them on the counter.

"Here are the bits you require Ms. Scratch," Luna said in her regal voice. Before Vinyl could take the coins, I snatched them and placed them in Luna's hoof.

"Don't even think about it Luna, don't waste your bits on me," I told her.

"But I am your friend, and I believe friends buy other friends gifts from time to time?" The princess asked me.

"Yeah, but-" I started but Luna silenced me.

"No buts, I shall buy you the headphones," she playfully narrowed her eyes at me.

"Hold on, I have an idea," Vinyl grabbed a guitar from another room and tossed it to me. "I'll cut you a deal, if you can impress me with a guitar riff with music from your world, then I'll let you have the headphones," Vinyl offered. I pondered the offer for a minute before replying.

"I haven't played the guitar since I was 15, but let's see how much I remember," I winked at her. I thought of a guitar riff before remembering one of my all time favorite guitar solos from Van Halen. And with that, I hooked the guitar up to an amp and began to murder the strings with Eruption. My fingers danced and slid across the strings with ease at what seemed to be an impossible speed which only Eddie Van Halen himself could accomplish. At first Luna was dead impressed, but Vinyl looked stoical, but that was apart of my plan.

As I neared the bridge, the music got faster and faster and faster until I came to a stop.

"Is that all 'cause if not-" Vinyl started before my fingers EXPLODED. I started tapping the neck of the guitar with one hand and letting my other hand strum the guitar so fast that I could smell the friction coming off the strings. My hands gained minds of their own as the song just kept getting faster, but it didn't stop me. I kept going and going, making Eddie proud until I reached the end and let my fingers rest. Sure they would be a little sore tomorrow, but the look on the mare's faces before me was worth it. Vinyl's glasses fell off her face and hit the counter with her jaw dropped all the way to the floor. Luna on the other hand looked as if she had witnessed the birth of the universe.

"So, how was that?" I asked and breathed really hard to get oxygen back into my lungs. I handed Vinyl the guitar back which was sort of smoking.

"Dayum son!" Vinyl finally said and slapped my hand, "that was the sickest guitar work I've ever seen! We've _got to_ play some shows together!" She pretty much freaked.

"I've got plenty more songs where that came from," I said and took the headphones, "I'll see ya around. I normally get off work at six if you want to jam after that," I said to her.

"I'll keep that in mind bro!" Vinyl touched the strings of the guitar and yelped from the burning sensation of the friction as Luna and I departed the store.

"Hey Luna, what time do you have to raise the moon?" I asked the mare.

"Oh, not until ten o'clock in the summer time," she replied and looked up at the PonyVille clock tower which read 7:00.

"I'd like to see you raise the moon tonight Luna, I think it'd be cool to see you do it in person," I remarked. Luna smiled and wrapped her wing around me in a hug.

"I shall see you at 9:45 then, I do have some duties in Canterlot to attend, mainly seeing if Celestia hasn't eaten the kitchen out of cake, again," Luna said.

"See ya then," I patted her wing and we both went our separate ways. I grinned as I plugged in my headphones and relaxed as I walked back to Sweet Apple Acres.

* * *

**(At the Farm)**

"Hey there Cougar!" Applebloom greeted as I entered the house.

"Hey Bloomin' Onion, where's Applejack at?" I asked her.

"She's in the kitchen with Granny Smith cookin' up supper," Applebloom replied. I followed her as she happily trotted into said kitchen where the heavenly aromas of baked potatoes, apple pie, gravy, baked beans, cornbread and tomato soup attacked my nostrils.

"Well, if it ain't the resident workin' machine!" Granny Smith pinched my arm and patted it at the same time.

"Welcome back Cougar," Applejack wiped her hooves, "supper's jest 'bout done," she told me and noticed my headphones. "Ah see ya got yerself sum new headphones, how'd you get them?" She asked me, remembering I didn't have their kind of money.

"Well, Vinyl lost a bet to me involving a guitar," I explained and set my hat on a hat rack. I tucked my sunglasses into the collar of my Thunderbirds shirt and sat down at the table. Big Mac suddenly walked in and I had to suppress a laugh.

"Wow Big Macintosh, where'd you get that shiner?" I asked him. He ignored me and hid his face behind a newspaper dated two weeks ago. Applejack gave me a knowing look which was all I needed. "Anyways, I ran into Princess Luna in town and she went with me to Vinyl's shop," I drummed up a conversation.

"Really, whut was she doin' in PonyVille?" Applebloom asked me.

"She said she was bored and went to see how our town was doing and she saw me so she decided to hang out," I explained.

"So, Ah'm guessin' you two are friends?" Applejack asked me.

"I guess, she said she would show me how she raises the moon tonight," I smiled. Suddenly, Applejack sort of slammed down the tin of cornbread onto the table.

"Supper Time," she said through gritted teeth. Woah, where did that come from? I had to ask her what was up after supper. I kept my mouth shut throughout dinner in case I accidentally pissed off AJ more. Once supper was concluded, Granny sat in her rocker chair while Big Mac and Applebloom went to their bedrooms. I stayed behind and helped Applejack clear the table.

"Hey, are you okay Applejack?" I asked her while washing some of the dishes.

"Ah'm jest peachy," she remarked while sharpening a knife. _'Oh crap. Don't talk to a pissed off female who is holding a knife you idiot!'_ I scolded myself. "It's jest, Ah try to be a good friend from when you woke up in the infirmary, but you refused and told all mah friends you wanted us to earn your friendship, yet you go and get all buddy-buddy with Princess Luna all of a sudden! Ah was fine with you bein' friends already with the crusaders since they're just kids and you understood that, but Ah can't believe you have the audacity to make us earn your friendship but you let Luna in!" She ranted. _'Is she jealous?' I thought_

"I thought you and I were?" I asked Applejack whom put the knife down which made me feel much better.

"Whut are you talkin' about?" She remarked.

"Well, we talk just about everyday and you invited me to go camping tomorrow, I thought only friends did that," I asked. "And you helped me fix up the old shed so I could have a place to stay," I added. Applejack sighed and leaned against the counter.

"Boy I feel like an idiot," she said, "Granny Smith always taught me not to jump to conclusions, 'n here I go accusin' you 'o having double standards," Applejack scolded herself.

"You're far from an idiot AJ," I said, "I should've told you when you earned my friendship, I'm sorry for being selfish and keeping things to myself," I apologized. My friend turned to me with a smile.

"Guess we both done messed up sum huh?" She guessed.

"I'd say so," I checked the time. "Luna should be here any minute, wanna come with me to see her raise the moon?" I offered.

"Only if Ah can bring this," Applejack opened the fridge and produced a six pack of a beverage labeled "_Marewaukee Brew."_

"Is this, alcohol?" I asked.

"Best around, save for mah cider o' course," she winked.

"Alright then," I grabbed a can and cracked it open. "Wow, that's smooth," I commented after taking a sip. Suddenly, Princess Luna appeared in the kitchen with us.

"Ah, enjoying a more adult beverage I see," Luna remarked.

"Yeah, just ready to watch the moon be raised," I replied and held the can up. Luna transported all of us into the middle of the fields of Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack cracked open her own can and sipped it while Luna's horn glowed and the moon peaked over the horizon and the stars against the inky blue backdrop followed suit. The sun was gone, and a bright shining moon with twinkling stars lit up the night sky.

"Breathtakin'," Applejack said as she sipped her beer.

"That, was pretty sweet," I said.

"Thank you both," Luna bowed a thank you to the both of us.

"Would ya like a can Princess?" Applejack offered.

"AJ, she's royalty, I'm sure she wouldn't drink a beer when she probably has fancy wine back at the cast-" I started.

"BUUUUUUUURRRRRRP," A loud belch stopped me from talking. Applejack and I turned to see Luna exhaling after producing the loud burp and crushing the empty can against her forehead with her magic.

"Princess?" Applejack dropped her can on the ground.

"Holy Crap!" I commented, "I didn't know you liked beer so much," I was awestruck. The midnight blue alicorn simply laughed at our response to her belch and can crushing.

"So many ponies think they know everything about me," Luna bragged, "but truth be known, I am a mare who loves to party, or just relax with a few drinks," she grabbed a second can and downed it. "But I do show restraint and know my limits," she finished the second can, not going for a third. "All the politeness, regal talk and sophistication is all an act, for me anyway," she added.

"Well then, we need ta have a special party sometime in the future," Applejack remarked, "Ah do occasionally like a good party."

"If there's chips, dip and rock 'n roll, I'm there," I smirked.

"Or perhaps just spending time like this with friends," Luna referred to what the trio were doing at the moment.

"That does sound like fun too princess," AJ responded with a tip of her hat.

"Yeah, count me in for that," I threw in.

"Very well, I must go patrol the dreams of my little ponies tonight, farewell Cougar and Applejack and have fun on your camping trip!" Luna dematerialized into thin air, presumably into the dream world.

"I guess I'll see you in the morning," I said, "thanks for the beer," I waved my can at Applejack.

"Hold on there partner," Applejack tugged at my arm, "why don't we watch the stars tonight?" She offered.

"You star gaze?"

"Well, sometimes, but since all we're doin' tomorrow is sellin' apples, we don't have to be up too early," she explained.

"Alright then," I said and sat down on the ground next to Applejack. I couldn't get comfortable sitting, so I decided to lie down on my back. "Your grass is so comfy," I remarked.

"Granny uses special fertilizer that makes it nice 'n strong, but soft as a cloud," Applejack sipped the rest of her can and lied down about a foot away from me. Unfortunately, that's the last thing I remember before falling asleep

**End Chapter VII**

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_Next chapter, The Camping trip! Who knew Princess Luna loved to Party deep down? And now Cougar has Vinyl Scratch as a friend, where could that lead Cougar?_

_And the guitar solo Cougar performed was Eruption by Eddie Van Halen which I do NOT own._


	9. Chapter VIII: The Camping Trip

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter VIII: The Camping Trip**

_Hey guys! Sorry for not updating in so long! I've gotten a new job at my local Home Depot and I have to give up working at the movie theatre. I am very sad I have to say goodbye to my movie theatre, I loved working there and I will miss the memories of the movies that played there. Anyhoo, after the fun of hanging out with Princess Luna and Applejack, Cougar is ready to take a little breather (that he and Applejack rightfully deserve) and go camping. And thanks to this chapter, the rating has changed to 'M' for violence, language and frightening situations._

_And we've reached 31 followers, thank you guys SO much! I'm enjoying writing this story and I hope to never disappoint!_

_Let's get on with Chapter VIII shall_ we?

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**(The next morning. Cougar's POV)**

I didn't remember much of last night to be honest. The only thing I could remember was seeing Luna raise the moon and her dropping the regal masquerade and acting like a commoner without a care in the world, which was pretty damn cool. The first thing I felt in the morning was not the warm rays of Celestia's sunshine, but a few pairs of eyes piercing into my soul, that and a warm furriness cuddling me. I carefully and slowly opened one eye and looked over to see a confused Bloomin' Onion staring at me. "Mornin' Cougar," Applebloom greeted.

"Morning," I replied and went to rub my eyes but found my arm trapped. Looking down, I saw the easily recognizable orange fur of Applejack laying on my sleeping arm and cuddling up next to me.

"Did you 'n mah sister do somethin' last night?" Applebloom cocked her head sideways. Before I could answer, I heard an approaching voice heading our way, and my body froze when I found out who it belonged to.

"Applebloom!" Big Mac called, "did ya find Applejack 'N that Cougar feller?" The giant red stallion called. Panicking, I tried in vain to get my arm out from under Applejack's sleeping body, but all I did was yank too hard and flipped her on top of me. _'Well, I'm dead,'_ I thought to myself. I cringed when I also saw a few empty cans of Marewaukee Brew scattered about the ground, one was mine, two were Luna's and I'm guessing the other two were AJ's. "There ya are," Big Mac said to Applebloom who turned around, "did ya find-" the stallion started before laying his eyes on me.

"He-hey," I smiled and shifted Applejack's hatless head aside to where it was laying on my shoulder, "sleep well?" I asked Big Mac.

"Whut the _TARTARUS _am Ah lookin' at?!" The elder child of the Apple family bellowed, "WHUT are you doin' to mah sister?!" He demanded and stamped his way up to us. This finally awakened Applejack. She yawned and smacked her lips before realizing the compromising position myself and her were in.

"Woah there!" She scrambled up from me, kicking wildly and luckily missing my family jewels. "M-mornin' everypony, are ya ready to sell sum apples?" AJ asked and nervously put on her cowgirl hat. I stood up finally and shook my arm to get the blood back inside.

"Applejack, did he do anythin' to ya last night?" Big Mac eyed the empty beer cans on the grass. The orange mare shook her head wildly, having to hold onto her hat that threatened to fly off at any given moment.

"Whut could they have done Big Mac?" Applebloom asked her brother.

"Nothin'', yer too young to know 'bout that stuff, now go 'n git them apple carts loaded up," Big Mac growled at his little sister. Applebloom ignored Big Mac and stuck around for the end of the conversation. I adjusted my NASCAR cap and nervously rubbed the back of my head. Big Mac turned back to us and jabbed my chest with his hoof. "Answers, NOW," he demanded. I swear that steam was starting to escaped from both his nostrils and ears. I gulped, knowing that lying would be wrong, but I honestly didn't know.

"Maybe Applejack knows, because I can't remember anything very well from last night," I admitted, "but I didn't get drunk, sometimes I do forget what happens before I go to bed," I explained, "doesn't that happen to everypony sometimes?" I asked. Big Mac growled at me again and turned to his sister.

"Nothin'' big brother," Applejack replied, "all we did was have a few beers with Princess Luna and star gazed fer a bit. Ah guess after we fell asleep Ah rolled over into Cougar's body 'n we cuddled, but that's IT," Applejack explained. Big Mac grunted before turned around at both of us.

"Fine, but don't let me catch you two doin' anythin' yer not supposed to be doin'!" He yelled at us as he walked away.

"Fer yer information, Ah am 23 years old Big Mac; Ah can make whatever decisions Ah want to!" Applejack threatened. The red stallion ignored her and went about his saturday chores. I turned to Applejack who looked up at me.

"Sorry," was all I said to her. She slowly turned her head with a cocked eyebrow.

"Sorry fer whut Cougar? Ya didn't do anythin' wrong last night. Neither of us did," she told me. We both forgot that Bloomin' Onion was there, but her voice broke the awkward silence and arm/foreleg rubbing.

"Seriously, whut was Big Mac talkin' about?" The little yellow filly asked the both of us, "you two weren't kissin' were ya?" Applebloom asked us, not teasing, but seriously. I flailed my arms out and Applejack shook her head violently again.

"No, no no!" I exclaimed.

"Cougar 'n I aren't like that, we're just acquaintances!" Applejack went into defensive mode.

"Where'd you get an idea like that Bloomin' Onion?" I asked her. Of course I was nervous about this. I mean come on, a human and a pony? That's the kind of talk that'd get someone back on Earth thrown in the nut house! Applejack and I waited for Applebloom to give us an answer, which surprised us when she gave it out.

"Well, ta be honest, even though Big Mac can't be replaced, Ah think Cougar'd make a great brother, " the little yellow filly admitted. My hand went up to my ear and started scratching. Thankfully, Applejack stepped forward to speak with her little sister. I wouldn't have been able to find the words to respond to that statement.

"Look Applebloom, Ah know how great Cougar is, but we're jest friends, nothin' more. Besides, how d'you think everypony'd respond to that?" AJ questioned Applebloom. The read-maned filly sadly kicked the dirt below her. I almost felt bad for her.

"Well, a lot o' ponies support Spike tryin' to be with Rarity, 'n they're about as different 'o species as you can get," Applebloom sadly said. Now was the time for me to step in and fix this, but not ruin the friendship I had with the two.

"That's fine, but whose to say I can't be your surrogate brother? Applejack and I don't have to be a couple or get married, if you want to tell ponies I'm your surrogate brother, then that's fine with me; you're good little sister material," I ruffled her mane for her. A smile spread across her face which warmed up my heart. Applebloom started to hop around and prance.

"This is awesome! Ah gotta new big brother!" She started dancing around. Applejack breathed a sigh of relief and playfully rolled her eyes at her little sis.

"Ah guess that fixes that," she winked at me, "now, let's stop lolly gagging' 'n sell sum apples," she stated. Applebloom galloped away towards the cellar where the five barrels of apples were awaiting to be sold. AJ and I started to slowly walk in the same direction when the orange mare started talking to me. "You like Applebloom don't ya?" AJ asked. I put on my aviators and looked down at her.

"How could I not?" I replied and stuck my hands in my pockets. "She's adorable, smart, caring and funny, she's a great little sister," I explained, "that and I never had a little sibling," I admitted.

"Really? Well you would have made a fantastic older brother," Applejack told me.

"Eh, I liked kids. My cousin had a little boy that always wanted me to hold him, even if his parents were in the same room," I said, "and when I set him down with someone else to go to the bathroom, he'd start fussing, it was cute," I finished. Applejack chuckled and we continued our journey to the apple cart. "Now Cougar, don't be discouraged if sum ponies don't want to talk talk to ya when we're sellin' apples alright?" She asked me.

"I'm more worried about costing you and your family your hard earned money than ponies ignoring me," I replied. We had finally reached the cellar where Applebloom had begun loading the cart full of barrels. "Here, let me help Bloomin' Onion," I offered.

**(In Ponyville. Cougar's POV)**

"Hello there sir, care fer sum down home fresh apples?" Applejack gestured towards her apples to a pony. The three of us had been trying to sell apples for about two hours now, and we had managed to sell about half a barrel, which Applejack said was not that bad.

"I'll take a bundle of 20," the light brown pony with blue horseshoes on his flank replied. He produced ten bits and exchanged them for the apples before he went on his way.

"Thank ya kindly Caramel, you take care now ya here?!" Applejack waved to the pony. "He used to be a farmhand," Applejack explained and pocketed the coinage from her transaction.

"How come he still isn't one?" I asked while shining a few of the apples. Applebloom meanwhile had been trying to get ponies to come in and buy apples by doing tricks with a hula hoop, but she called it a loop-di-hoop, I think.

"Well, he's a nice pony, but he's jest too forgetful," Applejack explained, "oh, you wanna take this one Cougar?" Applejack continued. I turned around to see an aquamarine unicorn with what appeared to be a heart shaped harp on her flank, and boy she looked familiar. I took off my sunglasses and placed them on my hat.

"Hi, can we interest you in some fresh and delicious apples?" I offered and held up a few specimen. The unicorn didn't say or do anything at all. She just kept staring at me with her golden eyes, like she was checking me out, so I decided to have a little fun with her. "See something you like girl?" I played around and took off my hat to slick my hair back. Behind me, I could hear Applejack attempting to suppress a chuckle.

The pony STILL didn't say or do anything and I was starting to get both annoyed and bored. "Alright, look do you want apples or not, we're very busy here," I said to her. She cocked her head from side to side and scrunching her face up. "Why don't you paint yourself a picture, I'm sure it'll last longer," I finally said. Before Applejack or myself could say anything else, the earth pony with a dark blue and pink mane came trotting up.

"There you are Lyra," she scolded, "don't you know how rude it is to stare at somepony, even if they're not a pony?" The earth pony scolded.

"S-sorry Bon Bon, he's just so interesting," Lyra replied with a gulp. So, her name is Lyra huh?

"I'm terribly sorry Mr. uh," Bon Bon had turned to me.

"Cougar, you can call me Cougar, no Mr. please, I hate formalities," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest. Something was, off about these two. Bon Bon was scolding Lyra not like a friend or a sister, but something more.

"Sorry Cougar, Lyra can sometimes get lost for words and just stare at anypony," Bon Bon explained, "we'll buy the rest of that barrel of apples for your troubles," she produced fifty bits and handed them to me.

"Uh thanks," I said and placed the rest of the apples in Bon Bon's saddle bags.

"And you, come on we have more candy to sell," Bon Bon took Lyra away. That was a little weird for me. I pocketed the change into the front pouch of my apron and turned around to face a smiling Applejack.

"Well there cowboy, that was a nice job ya did," she patted me on the back, "Ah didn't know you were a looker fer sum ponies," she teased me.

"Oh please, she's obviously gay," I joked back, but didn't predict the response I got back. Applejack grinned at me and leaned against the cart.

"So? Lyra and Bon Bon are some of the nicest ponies around; sexual orientation shouldn't have to sway yer opinion," she explained and got off the cart. I turned to look back to where the pair had been standing only moments before and saw them arm in arm (so to speak), hugging on each other and laughing.

"I _was_ just joking Applejack," I held my hands up, "but that kind of stuff doesn't bother me at all. Just as long as somepony isn't a self centered asshole, I won't have a problem with them," I explained. The emerald eyed mare snickered at me and took a bite out of one of her personal apples. "And you were screwing with me huh?" I flicked my aviators back down over my blue eyes.

"So, I see you met Lyra and Bon Bon?" I heard a posh voice ask me. Turning around, I found Rarity along with Spike and Sweetie Belle standing on either side of the older pony. "Lyra does make some beautiful music with that harp of hers and Bon Bon makes some of the most delicious sweets in town. I know I've been there multiple times for some chocolates," Rarity explained. Sweetie Belle and Spike set down the large stacks of material in the arms onto the ground and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hello Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Spike," I waved to them, "interested in any apples?" I offered. Sweetie Belle and Rarity politely waved the idea off, yet Spike simply crossed his arms and shook his head, not even making eye contact with me.

"Now now Spikey-Wikey, no need to be rude to Cougar," Rarity ruffled his head. For a brief moment, I could see Spike's tongue trying to escape his mouth, kind of like a dog.

"Whut brings you guys over here?" Applejack finally asked the trio, "come fer sum apples or did ya come by to discuss the campin' trip later today?" Applejack questioned while putting up an _'ON BREAK'_ sign over the cart.

"Yes dearie," Rarity took Applejack aside. I could still hear them as they walked away from the cart for more privacy, "we just wanted to know what time we were going to meet up at the beginning of the trail," Rarity's voice faded over the noise of the street crowd.

"So, did you talk to Rarity at all yet Sweetie Belle?" I asked the little unicorn filly after taking a seat on an empty overturned barrel. By this time, Applebloom had put down her hula hoop and joined the party. Sweetie Belle looked down on the ground and pawed at it slowly, indicating a no.

"Sorry Cougar, it's really hard for me, I have stage fright," Sweetie Belle covered her eyes. I sighed and put my hand on her shoulder. She looked back up at me, trying to not cry.

"Okay, maybe I pushed you too hard; Rarity may not be the pony to talk to about this, but Fluttershy might be able to help you out," I said, "Applejack told me how she had, well still has, stage fright, but she's working her way up to larger and larger crowds. I think she can help you overcome stage fright Sweetie Belle," I explained. The little unicorn blinked away several tears before sighing sadly.

"I'm pathetic aren't I?" She asked quietly as a church mouse. I gasped at that statement. I slowly petted her mane down and scratched behind her ear.

"You are far from pathetic kid," I whispered, "I'll let you in on a little secret alright?" I asked. Sweetie Belle's ears perked up and she leaned in closer to hear me as she wiped her nose. "When I first joined the Air Force Academy and wanted to be a fighter pilot, the cadets had to fly a simulator of the jet of their choice, in front of _everyone_ in the room. Including other cadets, trained pilots, majors, captains etcetera. And I was terrified about flying a simulator in front of a large group of people."

"Well, how did you overcome it?"

"I sucked in a deep breath and climbed into the simulator. The major in charge of training us switched it on and I pushed the thought of everyone watching into the back of my mind. It even helped that I hummed my favorite song while doing the simulator. Soon enough, I forgot that I was being watched and focused 100% on performing my task, which I did with the highest score in Academy history," I smiled at her.

"But if I'm up onstage singing, how can I hum my favorite song without screwing up?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"That may not work for you, but here is what I can suggest, just close your eyes, and don't think about anything but the song. Forget that ponies are watching you, just focus on the song and nothing else." The unicorn wiped her nose again and wrapped her forelegs around me. "Hehe, you're welcome Sweetie Belle," I returned the hug and stood up.

"Thanks Cougar," Sweetie Belle smiled at me.

"Why don't you just mind your own business?" Spike cut in. I looked up and over at him to see him with a scowl decorating his face and his arms crossing his scaly chest. Applebloom was none too pleased with Spike and stamped onto his foot. "OUCH!" Spike screamed in pain and grabbed his throbbing foot.

"Whut's yer problem Spike? Cougar's been nice to everypony 'n has helped us out at thu farm," Applebloom interrogated.

"He's too secretive and he won't tell us anything! He's definitely got something to hide and I won't trust him until he tells us what it is!" Spike retorted angrily. I rolled my eyes at the little dragon and bent down towards him. But rather than trying to intimidate him or yell in his face, I decided to tease him.

"Won't Rarity hate it that you're judging somepony too fast?" I asked him. Spike froze and let go of his throbbing foot that was starting to swell a little.

"You leave Rarity outta this," Spike growled at me.

"Ah, I see, you've got it sooooo bad for Rarity," I teased and bopped my finger on his nose, "I can help you get her, if you want," I offered the little purple dragon. Spike glowered at me even more and bared his tiny fangs.

"I can do that on my own, _human_, and what would you know about getting a girl? No girl around here is going to want you, you're too different," Spike retorted back. By this time, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were moving their heads back and forth as if they were watching a tennis match at Wimbledon.

"And there's the double standard mares and gentle colts," I raised my index finger, "you're different from Rarity too Spike, so why can a dragon have a pony, but no female will want me, a human?" I asked him. His face and arms fell at my conclusion.

"You win this round human, but I'll find out what you're hiding, you'll see!" Spike threatened.

"Ah hope y'all are done talkin' 'cause we've got a campin' trip to start," Applejack cut into our conversation. All of us stood up and smiled, even Spike.

"Yep, just talking to the little ones," I exclaimed and gave Bloomin' Onion a noogie.

"Well, we must begin packing, Sweetie Belle, would you please assist me? And Spikey-Wikey, be a dear and carry my bags," Rarity pouted her lower lip.

"O-of course m'lady," Spike bowed and gathered up every single bag and material Rarity had with her.

"We'll meet you and Rainbow Dash at the head of the trail in 2 hours!" Rarity called as she, her sister and the lovestruck dragon headed off to her boutique. Applejack had begun to close up shop while I gathered up a few Apples that fell out of the barrels.

"Does Rainbow know when to meet us?" I asked Applejack.

"I SURE DO!" Rainbow Dash called from a cloud in the sky. She was on her back, leaning over the edge and looking upside down at myself, Applejack and Applebloom.

"Were you spyin' on us again RD?" Applejack called back.

"No, I just happened to be taking a nap on this cloud and I overheard you talking to Rarity!" Rainbow Dash replied. "I'll make sure Scootaloo gets to the trail head on time too, see ya later!" Rainbow zoomed out of the cloud and disappeared. I packed up the last of the barrels and helped Applejack hook up to the cart.

"So, are we packing when we get back, or are you already packed?" I asked Applejack. The orange mare adjusted her cowgirl hat before setting off back to Sweet Apple Acres with Applebloom hitching a ride on the top of the cart.

"Ah already got most of the supplies ready, but Ah need to get the tents all packed up, ya don't mind havin' yer own tent do ya?" Applejack asked me. I chuckled a bit and bit into an apple.

"Of course not, it's actually safer for everypony," I replied. AJ's eyebrow cocked up to her mane line.

"Whut do ya mean Cougar? You've never shown any violence to anypony around here," she pointed out. I licked my lips, trying to figure out the best way to word my phrasing.

"Well, if something abruptly wakes me up in the middle of the night, like a sudden noise or something hits me, I've been trained to respond by hitting the nearest thing in case it's an enemy," I explained. "So if you or Applebloom were to roll into me hard enough in the middle of the night, I might accidentally hit you, and I don't want that to happen," I added.

"Oh, well Ah guess that is good, but can you control it?" Applejack asked as we left the town and began our journey to the farm.

"Sometimes, but I once accidentally punched my friend Reaper in the gut when he woke me up. I've been trying to control it ever since," I explained. Applejack nodded.

"Well, ya didn't hit me last night," she said.

"That's a sign I'm getting it under control, though I don't want to lose it entirely," I responded. "By the way, are there any wild animals we need to watch out for in the woods?" I asked.

"Mainly the bears, but Fluttershy told us that they usually won't bother us if we don't surprise them ya know?" Applejack said. "Anyhow, let's get started on packing," Applejack exclaimed as we entered the farm.

**(2 Hours Later. Cougar's POV)**

We had met up with Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo at the trail head, just waiting on Rarity and Sweetie Belle to join us. I utilized my duffel bag to pack my extra set of clothes, (I had left my helmet back in my shed since I didn't need it) some water and food. Before we had set off for the trail head, I had sat on my cot, holding my .44 pistol, contemplating on whether or not to bring. I hadn't told anypony about it, not even Applejack or Luna. The sole reason was because I didn't want to frighten them with my advanced weapon. Applejack almost caught me with it when she knocked on the door and I thrust it into my duffel bag, sandwiched between my spare set of jeans and my spare shirt.

I had fully decided to bring it along, one reason because if I took it out, Applejack would've seen it and probably demanded what it was, and another reason was because I don't know if I'll need it, but I won't just whip the gun out at any random noise. If the situation requires me to use it, then I will and explain later, but hopefully that won't happen. "Come on," I whined, "what is taking them so long?" I complained and sat up from a rock I was sitting on.

"That's what," Rainbow pointed her hoof to a towering cart full of suitcases and bags. I had to crane my neck back to see the top of it that eclipsed the tops of the trees surrounding us.

"Sorry we're late everypony!" Rarity called as she reached the top of the hill. "I just couldn't decide what would go with the color of the leaves and if I needed to bring my mane spray," she explained. I noticed that she trotted happily along with no cart behind her. Sweetie Belle reached the top of the hill with the cart behind her and collapsed from exhaustion.

"We..made...it," she breathed out and caught her breath.

"Jesus, did you pack a whole fucking hotel?" I asked Rarity whom had sunglasses and a sun hat adorning her head.

"Now now, no reason to reduce to vulgarity Cougar," Rarity sort of scolded me, "besides won't you look the fool when you won't have a comb to tame that unruly head of hair on your head?" She made fun of me. I took off my hat and slicked my hair back to it's original form. "Oh mock me all you want," Rarity stuck her nose in the air and joined up with the rest of the group.

"So, if we're all done yapping, we got some hiking to do!" Rainbow declared and hovered in the air. Scootaloo pulled out her scooter and put on her own helmet.

"Alright y'all! Jest follow me 'n Applebloom, we're goin' to thu same campsite we were at last time," Applejack announced. All seven of us began to set off until I realized Sweetie Belle was worn out from hauling the giant cart of miscellaneous shit Rarity packed. I stopped and unhooked her from the harness.

"Come on Sweetie Belle, you've hauled enough, why don't you rest on my shoulder?" I offered and placed her forelegs onto my right shoulder so she could hang on. I quickly hooked the straps around my waist and began to pull. The cart actually wasn't that heavy for me, but for a little filly like Sweetie Belle, it must've been like hauling Mt. McKinley.

"Thanks...Cougar," Sweetie Belle thanked me and clung tightly around my neck without strangling me.

"I'm getting a good workout at least," I managed to make her smile as I caught up with the rest of the group. I had to set my duffel bag on the cart since I couldn't haul it with a little unicorn clinging to me. "So Applejack, you said you went camping in this spot two years ago?" I asked the pony leading the expedition.

"Yep, it's not too far fer sum ponies who enjoy the outdoors," Applejack poked fun at Rarity who at the moment was filing one of her hooves as she walked.

"Anything interesting happen last time?" I asked further, enjoying talking to make the walk seem shorter.

"Interesting how?" Rainbow cut in. She had been floating above us, probably getting impatient at how slowly we were walking.

"Like did a wild animal attack you guys or something?" I asked them. All six ponies laughed at my question, making me look like a fool for asking such a question.

"Naw Cougar," Applejack finished chuckling, "the only wild animals anypony regularly fears 'round these parts are Timberwolves, though they mainly stay in the Everfree Forest," she explained, "in fact, Ah can't even recall any stories 'o them ever bein' spotted outside the Everfree forest," Applejack pondered momentarily. Before anyone else could say anything, we had come to a fork in the trail. "Aw dammit," Applejack swore, forgetting that Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were with the group, "Ah forgot mah map!" Applejack swatted at the ground.

"Now hold on, which way were we heading?" I asked the orange mare.

"We're supposed to be heading north, that leads us to the campsite we were at last time," Applejack replied. My eyes scanned the trees that bordered the trail around us. Off in the distance, I could hear the mighty roar of a river, hopefully teeming with trout or salmon.

"Head to the fork on the left," I pointed out. Rainbow and Applejack looked from me to the direction I had pointed in. The cyan pegasus crossed her forelegs across her chest and shook her head.

"And how could you possibly know that?" She demanded.

"Easy, when I was in the Boy Scouts, we learned that moss always grows on the north side of a tree, I'm hoping the same thing happens here," I explained. AJ smacked her head with her hoof in frustration.

"Now how could Ah have forgotten that? Thanks Cougar," Applejack thanked me. My eyes drifted upwards towards the blue sky above us, and noticed that the sun was starting to get lower and lower in the sky.

"We better hurry, it's going to be dark soon and I don't have my night vision visor on me," I exclaimed.

"Why the rush Mr. Military, afraid of the dark?" Rainbow teased me and hoof-bumped Scootaloo.

"As a matter of fact, yes," I bravely admitted. Bad experiences in the dark when I was a child made me fearful, but I hadn't faced the dark in a number of years, so my fear had been growing and growing for a number years. "Anyways," I continued as the journey had resumed, "why are ponies so afraid of the Everfree Forest?" I questioned, "did somepony disappear in there a long time ago and was never seen again?"

"Oh it's more than that," Rarity replied to me, her voice shaking. "Animals can care for themselves, without any assistance from anypony," she said fearfully.

"Not to mention, the clouds don't need pegasi to move them," Rainbow continued for Rarity, a slight drop in her voice indicated that she was a tad freaked out.

"And like Ah said, that's were the Timberwolves are. We only go in there to visit our zebra friend, Zecora, or to help fix up the Castle of the Two sisters," Applejack concluded with a gulp. I sneered at the mares and laughed at them.

"That's just like my world almost!" I blurted out, not realizing I had just revealed information I wanted to keep hidden. Applejack stopped abruptly, forcing me to stop so I would run into her.

"So, animals can tend for themselves without assistance from your kind?" Rarity asked me, "interesting," she added. Rainbow continued on upwards, more than likely trying to see if she could spot the campsite in the distance. I took this as a golden opportunity to keep them from asking about me.

"Anypony know any good songs to sing to make the trip shorter?" I asked. Sweetie Belle released her forelegs from my neck and sped to the front of the group as Rainbow Dash landed next to Applejack.

"I do, I do!" She declared and cleared her throat.

"Nice going Cougar," Scootaloo groaned along with everypony besides Sweetie Belle.

"NINETY-NINE BUCKETS OF OATS ON THE WALL..."

**(At the Campsite, Cougar's POV)**

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"ZERO BUCKETS OF OATS ON THE WAAAAAAAAALLLLL!" Sweetie Belle finished before silencing herself and breathing in deeply. It wasn't the worst song I've ever heard, but at least it made the trip go by faster. Applejack finally declared it when we found our campsite. Thankfully, a stream leading into a river was literally five feet from the site, so I could possibly use the water to cool off. Hauling that massive fucking cart of Rarity's shit really made my sweat work overtime. Before we even started unpacking, Applejack started to give out orders.

"Alright, Rainbow 'n Scootaloo, you two are in charge 'o firewood," Applejack ordered. Rainbow and Scootaloo saluted AJ and headed off into the woods to find firewood. Applejack turned back to myself, Applebloom, Rarity and Sweetie Belle.

"Cougar, you 'n Rarity start unpacking everythin'," Applejack instructed. I nodded my head and started helping Rarity unpack everything from the cart and our bags. While working, I heard Applejack give out the last of the instructions to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.

"'N you two will help me with settin' up the tents, got it?" The orange mare asked.

"Sure thing sis!" Applebloom drug all the tent bags out and laid them out evenly. Sweetie Belle's little horn began glowing as the tents began to unravel themselves from the bags.

"Hold on, I do have my tent as well!" Rarity threw what appeared to be an inflatable raft on the ground and pulled the cord. Instantly, a TWO-STORY rubber tent had begun to inflate itself and rose to about fifteen feet high. "Ah, home sweet home," Rarity walked to the upstairs part of the tent and stood on the balcony. I turned to Applejack and shook my head.

"She can't be serious," I whispered. Applejack rolled her eyes and replied, "I still can't believe it either." Even though I knew Rarity wasn't really getting the camping experience, (a VASE for her tent?) I pushed that out of my mind and continued to unpack the cart of water, food, sleeping bags and lanterns. Soon enough, the cart was unpacked and I laid down on my sleeping bag.

"We're back!" Rainbow announced. She dropped several good sized logs on the ground and dropped about twelve rocks around the edge for the campfire ring. Scootaloo appeared from behind Rainbow on her scooter and skidded to a stop with a few other logs to be used as benches. By this time, the sky went from a calm baby blue to a brilliant pink and orange with only about twenty minutes of daylight left until Luna's moon would retake the sky. Applejack started up a fire with her sticks and string and Sweetie Belle came up with the marshmallows.

"Does everypony know their sleeping' arrangements?" AJ questioned us.

"Actually, whose Cougar gonna sleep with tonight?" Rainbow retorted.

"By myself, it seems appropriate," I replied quickly while getting up from my sleeping back and chucking it in my tent that AJ had lent me. I quickly regretted phrasing my explanation in that matter. Rainbow got a devilish grin on her face and rubbed her hooves together.

"Appropriate huh? Were you planning on getting 'closer' with one of us tonight?" She teased me and air quoted using her hooves. "Admit it, you want one of us don't you?" She tickled under my chin with one of her hooves. The crusaders gagged at the way Rainbow was teasing me, but Applejack was using her hooves to suppress a laugh while Rarity was giggling. I rolled my eyes and shoved Rainbow out of the way.

"In your dreams Dash," I tossed my hat into my tent, "besides, it seems like you're the one putting the moves on me, and how would Soarin' react if I told him you wanted me?" I folded my arms across my chest. The pegasus admitted defeat and sat back down with Scootaloo. Applejack began snickering which turned into a full out laugh fest at me and Rainbow.

"Yeah, that's a good one Rainbow, 'ol Cougar and one 'o us gettin' together, that's a good one!" She wiped a tear from her emerald eye. Applebloom growled in frustration and produced a bag of marshmallows and three sticks.

"If y'all are gonna keep jabberin' about mushy crap, then we're gonna have marshmallows ourselves!" She motioned towards Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. AJ set her cowgirl hat onto the log she was sitting on and patted her little sister's head.

"Alright there AB, we're done," Applejack said and grabbed herself a stick. Sweetie Belle roasted a marshmallow for Rarity and hoofed it to her. The littler unicorn then trotted inside Rarity's hotel tent and came back out with a cup of tea on a saucer.

"Oh come on!" I exclaimed, "can you forget about your fancy teas and fashions for one day and enjoy the great outdoors by roughing it like everypony else?" I complained to the pearl white unicorn. She pursed her lips in embarrassment and set the tea cup and saucer down on her stomach, darting her eyes around.

"I am not a savage Cougar, I do enjoy my cleanliness and hygiene; nature is just not my cup of tea," she added a punch line and sipped her beverage. I gave up and started roasting my marshmallow, getting it to a nice golden-brown before eating it. All seven of us sat in silence near the campfire, eating our marshmallows and just enjoying the quiet of the outdoors. And as Luna's moon once again conquered the night sky, an owl hooted in the distance, the roar of the river seemed to have quieted down some, allowing the nocturnal animals to have some peace as they awakened and ventured out for food. The fire crackled and popped as it devoured the wooden logs chosen for elimination.

Orange flames danced inside the ring of rocks as the light cast long shadows of the logs and all of our figures out to the tree line where they danced in different shapes. The embers of the fire drifted upwards towards the inky black and blue sky, never to be seen again. I recall from Native Alaskans that believed the embers represented souls that have passed on as they traveled to their next destination in the after-life. I unscrewed a water bottle and downed the cool and clear liquid, washing the sweetness of the marshmallow treats down my throat. Rainbow finally broke the silence with a belch.

"So, anypony know any good scary stories? I kinda want somepony else to take reigns tonight," she exclaimed and scratched her belly. Rarity's hoof went up into the air, though not wildly.

"I have one that'll scare anypony with any good fashion sense," she offered.

"If it's one where a pony forgets her makeup bag before a job interview, that's pathetic," I butted in. Rarity blushed in embarrassment and sipped the rest of her tea in silence. Rainbow chuckled and clapped her hooves together.

"Well, what about you Cougar? I'm sure you've heard plenty of scary stories from your world," Scootaloo asked me. I cracked my knuckles and looked upwards at the twinkling stars in the sky, thinking about the scariest story I've ever heard. An evil smile crept on my face as I thought about one of my favorite horror movie villains. Yet, before I could begin, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I turned, trying to use the light of the campfire to scan the tree line.

"Somethin' the matter Cougar?" Applejack curiously asked me. I squinted, but nothing came across my line of vision.

"No, I just thought, something was spying on us, probably just a squirrel in a tree or something," I brushed it off, "anyways, do you guys have Halloween here?" I asked the group. All six ponies looked at each other before looking back at me.

"What the Tartarus is Halloween?" Rainbow asked me.

"It's a holiday where kids dress up in costumes and get free candy," I explained.

"That's Nightmare Night!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, "do you guys celebrate it to offer the candy so an evil ghost doesn't eat you?" She wondered aloud. My face scrunched in that of confusion.

"No, we EAT the free candy, that's how I always enjoyed Halloween before I joined the Air Force, then I used it to watch scary movies and buy candy at a discount."

"Well, anyway, get on with yer story," Bloomin' Onion crawled over to me and sat on my lap. I cleared my throat, hoping that this story would scare them.

"Listen up ponies, and I'll tell you the story of how Halloween is known as the scariest holiday of all-time," I began.

"Is this story true in any way Cougar?" Rarity questioned.

"Yes, and don't interrupt unless you're screaming," I warned. "Anyway, this all happened about 35 years before I was even born in a little town called Haddonfield, Illinois..."

***One Story Later***

"And Dr. Loomis grabbed his own knife from the downstairs kitchen, knowing that the evil Michael Myers was upstairs. He quickly, yet silently crept up the stairs only to find the teenage girl being strangled by the evil man," I picked up a sharpened rock and held it like a knife. The little fillies were cowering with each other against their respective sisters. Rarity was covering her eyes while Applejack nervously ate marshmallows. Rainbow's pupils shrank to a tiny size and darted around her eyes. "Risking his own life, the good Dr. Loomis ran up and stabbed the evil shape in the neck, drawing blood, and making the man growl in pain. Dr. Loomis then rammed the knife into Myers' chest and pushed him as hard as he could over the outside balcony railing where the man fell onto the ground with a loud thud, the knife still sticking into his chest with blood dripping out, " I dropped the rock to symbolize the body hitting the ground.

"Th-then w-w-whut happened?" Bloomin' Onion chewed on her hoof.

"Oh Dr. Loomis took a good look at Michael's body before going to check on Laurie. She asked him '_Was that the boogeyman?'_ To which Dr. Loomis replied, '_As a matter of fact, yes.'_ He then went back to check on the body as police sirens began to grow louder and louder, but when he looked over the railing, the body was, _GONE!"_ I yelled, scaring the shit out of all the ponies there.

"AHHHHHH!" They all screamed.

"What happened to Michael after that?" Scootaloo peered from behind Rainbow.

"Oh, eye witnesses report seeing him living his old abandoned child hood home, while others say he did get up from the ground, but he died in the woods somewhere. I think he's still out there, waiting for the right time to kill Laurie," I explained.

"Don't worry Sweetie Belle, I won't let anything happen to you," Rarity patted Sweetie Belle's head.

"Ah think it's time fer sum shut eye," Applejack yawned and pried Applebloom from the log. Rainbow, still visibly shaking, flapped her wings and held onto Scootaloo.

"We'll just uh turn in okay?" She said and zoomed into her tent.

"I'll take care of the fire," I volunteered and kicked dirt onto the fire, knowing that smothering it was safer than pouring water on it.

"Good night Cougar," Applejack called as she entered her tent, leaving me alone near the fire ring. I let out a good yawn before heading for my tent. But, that feeling of being watched still lingered on the back of my neck. I checked out the tree line one more time before turning in for the night. Before I went to sleep, I opened up my duffel bag and set my combat knife and pistol on top of the pile of clothes, just in case. I prayed that Luna would keep a close eye on us tonight, unless her royal nightly duties prevented her from watching over us.

I was sleeping soundly in my tent when something happened. My eyes shot open as the most wretched, disgusting, foul and pungent odor I've ever smelled in my entire life raped my nostrils. I sat up and covered my nose, attempting to keep my dinner down. "What the fuck is that smell?" I whispered to myself. I wished an animal would crawl into my tent and die just to mask the odor. Slowly, I kept pinching my nose shut and unzipped the front flap of my tent. My heart froze when in the light of Luna's moon, I saw the silhouette of a wolf. With my breathing in check, I spied on the wolf as it scrounged around the perimeter of the campsite, evidently looking for food. Suddenly, the wolf ceased movement and started to head for Rarity's hotel tent!

"Oh fuck, she'll never be able to fight that wolf," I whispered to myself and picked up a nearby rock, chucking it off to the side of the camp. Thankfully, the wolf turned tail and ran after the noise. Wasting zero time, I quickly burst from my tent and tried to get Applejack's attention from her tent. "Psst, AJ, wake up, now!" I whispered loudly. When I got no answer, I had no choice but to unzip the flap and pour water on her.

"GAH! WHUT IN TARNATION!" Applejack yelled as Applebloom squealed from the coldness of the water.

"SHH, SHH, SHH!" I shushed while the two southern farm girls, the two athletic pegasi and two fancy unicorns emerged from their tents. Rainbow yawned and stretched her forelegs.

"What's going on? It's like two in the morning," she yawned again and tried to stay awake.

"Cougar, this had better be good, or yer gonna be sleepin' with mah horseshoe up yer ass," AJ growled at me.

"Guys, we've gotta get outta here, now," I replied, "I saw a wolf scrounging around the camp, and it smelled awful," I explained. From the silvery light of the moon, I saw the color drain from all the faces of the ponies.

"What?!" Rarity exclaimed, "but Applejack, I thought you said Timberwolves don't leave the Everfree Forest!" She exclaimed in a frightened tone.

"Ah never said that, Ah said that no pony has ever seen one outside of the Forest, but that's not important, if Cougar saw one, then we need to quickly pack up and leave!" Applejack ordered. Without missing a beat, all of us packed up the tents and our bags as fast as possible, all while not saying anything.

"Alright, is that everything?" Rainbow asked.

"Should be," I replied, "now, let's just stay quiet, Applejack, you and me will head the group, Rarity will stay in the middle and Rainbow you cover the back while the little ones stay in between us," I ordered and pulled out my combat knife. Everypony did as I said and grouped up. We headed off back down the trail from where we came from. I had all of my senses on high alert, knowing how dangerous and unpredictable an Alaskan timber-wolf could be. We didn't get far when, it happened. A loud howl from somewhere in the trees made us all stop dead. "There's that smell again, what is that?" I demanded.

"Their breath," Applejack said quietly.

"ROAR!" A Wolf leapt from the shadows and charged at our group.

"HIT THE DIRT!" I shouted and yanked down Applejack and Applebloom down with me. Rarity transported herself and Sweetie Belle out of the way while Rainbow yanked Scootaloo into the air. The timber-wolf crouched down and stared all of us down. It's green eyes glowed brightly as a lantern as it licked its wooden chops. Drool dripped from its fangs like water from a stalactite in a cave. It raised its paw and tried to swipe down at Applebloom, but Applejack bucked its paw out of the way.

"RARITY, GET THU FILLIES 'N YERSELF OUTTA HERE NOW!" Applejack exclaimed as the Wolf tried to swipe down at her, but my knife cut into the wood on its paw. The wolf howled in pain and it dropped to the ground. Without second guessing, Rarity gathered up Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom and prepared to teleport out when a second wolf appeared. It roared just as loudly as the first wolf and attempted to attack us. Rainbow utilized her speed and smashed into the side of the wolf, knocking it to the ground.

"Come on you overgrown shrubs!" Rainbow dared. The two wolves stood up and leapt at all of us. I tried to shove Rainbow out of the way, but I didn't make it. The first wolf swiped at the Cyan pegasus, making contact with her right side wing. "AHHH!" Rainbow cried in pain as her wing bent out of shape and started leaking blood.

"Rarity, take Rainbow with you!" I ordered her while I jumped on top of the wolf and slammed my knife onto its back. The wooden animal screeched in pain and attempted to throw me off its back. Rarity charged up her magic and transported herself, the fillies and Rainbow Dash out of the woods and back home. I jumped off the back of the wolf and met back up with Applejack. "How do we kill these fuckers?" I asked, "they keep repairing themselves," I mentioned.

"Ah don't really know how, we just smash up 'till they take forever to fix themselves 'n then we run," Applejack frantically explained. The deep gash I put into the back of the wolf sealed back up and the animal glared angrily at me with its green eyes. The second wolf had fixed the dent Rainbow had put in it and joined up with the other wolf. I gritted my teeth and raised my combat knife once again.

The wolves started to slowly stalk Applejack and myself, forcing us to back up. Unfortunately, the stream next to the campsite was growing closer and closer. "Stay behind me Applejack," I told my friend. I used my left arm to shield Applejack should I need to. Suddenly, the wolves made their attack. They split and tried to come at us from the sides. I kept Applejack behind me as I sliced as fast as I could with my knife, cutting up splinters from their bodies. I found myself overpowered while I shoved Applejack away. One wolf knocked my knife out of my hand and pinned me to the dirt, it's mouth dripping as it eyed me for a midnight snack.

"COUGAR!" Applejack exclaimed and leapt between me and the wolf pinning me down. "GET OFF MAH FRIEND YOU BRUTE!" She screamed and bucked as hard as she could on the wolf's lower jaw, dislocating it from the head.

"Watch out!" I shouted as the second wolf reappeared and bit hard into Applejack's right rear leg. I could see blood being drawn from the wound on her leg. I hoped that the wound wouldn't be long lasting, she was a vital part of Sweet Apple Acres. "NO!" I reached for my knife and stabbed the wolf that bit Applejack straight in the head, drawing what appeared to be tree sap from inside. The wolf howled in pain and let go of my friend whom slumped to the ground from the pain. I dropped my knife and reached up with my hands and started to strangle the wolf's neck. It's forelegs began to flail around, trying to gain oxygen into it's lungs. Using this opportunity, I kicked with my legs as hard as I could into its stomach, forcing it off me and onto its back. I scooped up Applejack and ran for my duffel bag as the wolves gathered themselves back up.

"What-what're you doin'?" AJ asked me as I reached into the bag and pulled out my .44 revolver.

"This may come in handy," I responded and took cover in the trees near the banks of the river. The wolves were pissed off now as they growled and nipped at each other, appearing to place blame on one another. While I had the time, I set Applejack down and ripped off my shirt.

"Whut now?" Applejack weakly said. Great, that wound is worse than I thought. Who knows if it's already infected? I used my knife to cut my shirt into a smaller section and wrapped it tightly around her leg. She seethed in pain and clenched her teeth as I knotted the fabric.

"We're gonna get out of this," I promised Applejack and picked up my pistol again. Just then, the wolves burst into the brush and roared at us. Acting on instinct, I pointed my pistol forward and fired at one of the wolves' faces. A large hole appeared in between its eyes where I shot it. Gallons of tree sap began to pour from the wound and the wolf collapsed to the ground. The other wolf roared for its fallen comrade.

"Ah think ya made it madder," Applejack fearfully said. Stomping wooden paws started coming towards us. I raised my pistol again, but the wolf swatted it away rather quickly.

"NO!" I shouted as my gun fell downwards into the raging river from the force of the slap. "HANG ON!" I declared and held onto Applejack as I fell backward to get away from the dangerous animal. The next thing I knew, I was freezing cold and unable to breath. I gasped for air when I floated back to the surface of the white water rapids. I thrust Applejack's head above the water so she could get air to her lungs. "You okay?" I asked her over the roar of the river.

"Jest freezin' is all," she replied. I tried to hold her above me so she wouldn't be rammed into any rocks that the river was raging towards.

"I think we're safe, at least until we make it to dry land and find some help," I commented, trying to catch my breath. I was freezing as well, the water was dropping my body temperature at an alarming rate, but I had to stay alive to keep my friend safe.

"COUGAR, BEHIND US!" Applejack screamed over the river. I turned around to see the last timber-wolf clawing its way through the water trying to get to us. Placing AJ on my back, I started to try to paddle as fast as I could to get away from the ravenous wolf. However, I had no clue whether or not it was still hungry, or trying to avenge the other wolf. I began to use the sharp rocks to my advantage as cover while the wolf was in hot pursuit. Unfortunately, the wolf was able to maneuver around the rocks as fast as I could. "GIT BACK YOU MOTHER-BUCKER!" Applejack shouted and tried to use her good rear leg to kick at the wolf's face.

"Oh sweet Jesus," I said as we rounded a bend. My energy was starting to drain as the blood in my body began to slowly leave my limbs to protect my vital organs. With the speed of the river, I had no clue how far we had traveled, but we were nearing PonyVille by the sights of the lights. "OH THANK GOD!" I exclaimed as I saw a low hanging branch crossing the river up ahead. It was connected to an oak tree that was sitting about on the edge of the river bank, but I could also see the tops of a house behind the tree. "Applejack, do not let go!" I ordered her. I felt her forelegs tighten around my torso as I brought out my knife again and stabbed the branch of the tree. I hung onto it as the river tried to sweep us further downstream.

"ROAR!" The wolf seized the opportunity and clawed at my legs. I screamed in pain as I felt the frigid water enter the cuts on my leg. With the last of my strength, I started to use the knife as a pick to latch onto the brach and pull myself and Applejack up the branch. Ever so slowly, I crawled up the branch towards the river bank with the wolf clinging to the branch as well. Suddenly, I heard the branch creaking from the excess weight.

"Hurry up!" Applejack tried to get me to move faster as the wolf approached. I started crawling faster and faster, eventually losing my knife when I missed the branch and it fell into the water, joining my pistol. We were SO close, but I wasn't giving up soon. Looking behind me, I saw the paw of the timber-wolf coming straight at us. I picked Applejack off my back and tossed her up onto the bank. "JUMP!" She shouted at me as the Wolf hit me in the side of the head, opening up a wound on my forehead and cutting my lip. With the last of my energy, I leapt off the branch and grabbed ahold of Applejack's hoof. She yanked me onto the river bank as the wolf leapt at us.

"RUN!" I told Applejack as the Wolf landed on the bank, baring it's fangs and drool at us.

"Ah'm not leavin' ya ta die!" Applejack retorted. The wolf charged at us, but I charged at it. We met together and began to fight. I started trying to jab it in the eyes with my fingers while it bit into my exposed shoulder. I groaned as the bite hurt more than anything in my life. Using my fingers, I jabbed my index finger into it's left eye socket, pushing in as hard as I could. The bright green liquid beneath the surface of the eye began to gush out as I popped the eye like a paint ball. I bared my own teeth and dug around it's eye socket. The wolf released my shoulder and howled in agony. I wiped the bright green goo on my pants leg and screamed at it. Picking up a rock near the bank, I smashed into its other eye, blinding it fully.

With another breath, I used the rock to jam into it's chest where tree sap poured out like a waterfall, cascading its stickiness onto my hand. Dropping the rock, I grabbed the Wolf's heart and ripped it from it's chest cavity. Clenching my teeth, I squeezed the tree sap heart until it burst like a fruit gusher. The now dead wolf fell back and into the river, breaking apart from the rocks.

My labored breathing ceased, leaving me in silence. Applejack cautiously approached me, unsure of what to think of me. But, before she could say anything, I reached deep down and found my inner predator, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I bellowed out like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator, declaring my victory with a barbaric war cry. Finally, my knees gave out as I stopped my cry that echoed all throughout Equestria. The adrenaline from the fight began to wear off and the pain from my wounds started to come forward.

"Cougar, are ya okay?" Applejack asked me with worry.

"I-I think so," I wheezed out. "Is shelter close by? Neither of us can make it very far," I exclaimed.

"Ah know, we're in the Everfree forest now thanks to that river; we'd better hurry 'cause more wolves'll show up, but luckily the Castle 'o the two sisters is close by," Applejack helped me up. I picked her up like a puppy and carried her with my leg limping and my shoulder throbbing. My face felt warm with all the blood trickling down it. I don't know how far I had walked, but Applejack told me stop at an old abandoned castle. "There it is, jest walk in, thu door ain't locked up," she informed me. Despite the burning pain, I forged on and got inside the castle. A large foyer with tapestries and a huge fireplace met my gaze. I briskly walked to the fireplace and set Applejack down on the rug.

"I don't have any matches or a lighter," I said after patting myself.

"Use them logs in the fire place," Applejack told me. I'd only used sticks, not logs, to start a fire, but beggars can't be choosers in this case. I picked up one log and started to rub it as fast as I could until a tiny spark leapt out and engulfed the fire place. The soothing warmth of the flames felt good against my goose bump and blood covered skin. I pulled a stone block up to my back and sat against it as the fire in the fireplace roared on. I looked over to see Applejack curled up by herself on the other side of the rug.

"Hey, come here," I patted the floor next to me. The orange mare's ear pricked up and she turned her head over to me. "We better share body heat with the fire to get our temperatures back up," I explained. Weakly and with her bad leg, she limped her way over and collapsed next to me. She snuggled up to my leg and placed her head in my lap, like my dog used to do.

"Thanks fer savin' mah life Cougar," she thanked me and went to sleep rather quickly. Her soft breathing made me feel better, knowing that she was safe. Acting on instinct, my hand laid across her head and softly stroked her golden blonde mane. I had just realized that she lost her hat in the chase, but I chuckled, knowing that was the least of her problems. I also realized that we wouldn't have the strength to look for help until morning, so I forced myself to stay awake all night long, making sure nothing would attack me or my friend.

**End Chapter VIII**

* * *

_Holy crap guys, holy crap. This is a milestone for me, I've NEVER written a chapter or even a one shot story this long in my entire FanFiction career. So, now that they've been through this ordeal, will Cougar and Applejack remain friends, or do you guys think a spark has occurred? Tune in next Chapter where help arrives and Cougar meets another friend of the group who loves to have fun at other's expense._


	10. Chapter IX: The Painful Truth

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter IX: The Painful Truth**

_Hey guys. Thank you all SO much for beating my personal goal of at least 30 followers and favorites. And I'm really glad everyone liked the suspense of the fight in Chapter VIII between Cougar, AJ and the Timberwolves. Just saying that originally Rainbow wasn't going to be injured; she'd follow AJ and Cougar to the castle of the two sisters, but I wanted Cougar and Applejack to have a special moment together so Rainbow had to get her wing injured._

_I'd also like to say I am really happy that some readers didn't question why Luna didn't show up to help. Well, as I was writing Chapter VIII, I was watching 'Sleepless in Ponyville' and Luna didn't rescue Scootaloo from the waterfall, and that was never explained as to why, so there's no reason Luna didn't save Cougar and Applejack. Also, this is where the whole premise of the story picks up, the ball is rolling, the pedal is to the metal. And to a reviewer whom suggested that Cougar get to meet Cadence and Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire, that WILL happen, just not yet._

_The plot for this chapter is Cougar and AJ are discovered in the castle and are rushed to the Royal Infirmary. However, one of the secrets Cougar wanted to never reveal is about to be exposed to Equestria. How will the ponies react? Find out…_

* * *

**(The same night, Third Person POV with Rarity and Rainbow Dash)**

A brilliant flash of light briefly illuminated the night as Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle appeared in front of the new Golden Oaks castle in Ponyville. "Is everypony alright?" Rarity briskly questioned her friends and little sister. The three little fillies nodded as nothing had injured them, but they were still frightened from the ordeal.

"Oh sure, we're alright, but my bucking wing is broken! I'm just dandy!" Rainbow cursed the fashionista pony.

"Watch your language in front of my sister Rainbow Dash," Rarity glared at her friend, "I know you are injured and scared, but that's no reason to reduce yourself to common vulgarity to get your sarcastic point across," she scolded.

"Well, why did you take us to Twilight's?!" Rainbow demanded, "why not take us to, oh I don't know, a HOSPITAL for Celesita's sake!?" The cyan pegasus mocked. The white unicorn ignored her friend and panically knocked on the main door to the Golden Oaks Castle. Without missing a beat, the door opened to reveal Spike with frazzled scales and a comic book rolled up in his right claw. He rubbed his green eye and gave out a great yawn.

"Rarity, Rainbow Dash, shouldn't you guys be camping right now?" A groggy little dragon asked. Before Spike knew it, he was knocked flat on his back as all five ponies burst through the door and into the castle, shouting for Twilight.

"TWILIGHT, COME QUICK!" Rarity shouted in her damsel in distress voice. Her cry for help resonated throughout the castle.

"Ow," Spike groaned, "what happened to you guys; where's Applejack and that Cougar guy anyway?" Spike questioned. Unfortunately for the little dragon, he didn't get an answer as a certain lavender alicorn princess of Friendship appeared in a zap of lavender light.

"What's the matter?!" Twilight reacted quickly to Rarity's pleas for help, "and what happened to your wing Rainbow?" She asked worriedly.

"Our campsite was attacked by a pair of Timberwolves!" Applebloom exclaimed in a horrifying manner. The purple dragon and lavender alicorn both gasped at the same time, knowing how serious this issue was.

"Where are Cougar and Applejack?" Twilight questioned as her wings unfurled from her sides to show her fear. By now, the entire group of seven had gathered in a circle to better communicate.

"Well, we were woken up by Cougar and then we started to pack up our campsite after he scared one off, but then two attacked us as we were hiking back down the trail," Scootaloo explained.

"Yeah, but Rainbow hit one in the side to buy us time to hide, but the other timber-wolf swatted at her wing and broke it," Sweetie Belle took over. "Then Cougar ordered Rarity to zap us and Rainbow Dash out of the woods while he and Applejack tried to fight them off," she concluded. Twilight's face fell once again as the information soaked into her nerdy brain.

"They're still out there?!" She demanded, "we've gotta find them! There's no telling what's going to happen, especially Cougar! He's never faced something like this before," The princess frantically exclaimed while flailing her hooves around.

"Then let us head off for the campsite darling!" Rarity declared and opened the castle door with her magic, but was cut off by Twilight. The alicorn Princess launched from the ground and landed in front of the white unicorn.

"Firstly, Spike you stay here and watch the Crusaders, secondly, let me get in contact with Princess Luna, she can manipulate the moon enough to give us more light to look and we can have her bat pony guards protect us if we need it," she explained.

"Aw, but we want to help you find mah sister!" Applebloom argued.

"Yeah, we want to kick some Timber-wolf butt for attacking us!" Scootaloo continued. Rainbow put her hoof up to Scootaloo's face and took in a deep breath to suffer the pain in her wing.

"No way, this is WAY too dangerous for you three," Rainbow said sternly, "you three just stay here and try to not burn the castle down," she ordered. The three fillies' heads dropped low and they solemnly sulked over to Spike and stood behind him.

"Rainbow, you've got to get your wing treated too," Twilight added. Rainbow's face contorted into that of sadness and frustration at the sentence.

"Come on!" She whined, "I'm not going back to the hospital AGAIN! Can't you just cast a healing spell or something?" She begged. Twilight shook her head and pointed out the door with her own wing.

"I'll get you checked in to the royal infirmary and get your wing looked at Rainbow, I know this sucks for you, but I'm sure a broken wing can be mended in a few hours with the royal doctors," Twilight explained. The alicorn kneeled down on her forelegs and shut her eyes tightly as she began to contact Princess Luna via mental link. Suddenly, her eyes shot open in a bright white and blue hue as Princess Luna appeared in the middle of the castle.

"Princess Twilight, what is thy need?" The Princess of the Night asked.

"Luna, Cougar and Applejack have been attacked by Timberwolves near Winsome Falls!" Rarity explained, "we've only gotten back moments before, but they're still in grave danger!" Luna's face drained of color and her eyes widened.

"We need your help to save them before something bad happens!" Twilight continued for her friend. Before anything else happened, Luna's horn shot off a huge blue lightning bolt into the air of the Library and two of her midnight pony guards appeared.

"Midnight Guards, we are to head to Winsome Falls to find our friends Cougar and Applejack, does thou understand?" The princess asked. Her bat pony guards nodded and drew up a chariot for Luna, Twilight and Rarity to ride in to their destination. "Oh and young Rainbow Dash, my condolences about your wing," Luna shot a beam of magic at Rainbow Dash whom vanished into thin air.

"Spike, NO ice cream or other sweets this late, understand?" Twilight ordered as the chariot rose from the ground. Spike's eyes darted back and forth as an evil smirk spread across his face.

"Sure thing Twilight, you can count on me, your number one assistant," Spike bowed to hide his smirk. Once the chariot had left, Spike turned around to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, rubbing his hands together, "now then, how about cookie dough ice cream or chocolate fudge?" Spike licked his snake tongue.

***At the Campsite***

The chariot landed, and all five ponies (including the bat pony guards) began to search and call out for their comrades. "Cougar, Applejack!?" Twilight called out against the faint trickle of the stream next to the campsite. Luna manipulated the moon enough to shine more light upon the area they were searching to better see clues.

"Well, I can certainly see the struggle," one of the bat pony guards commented as he sniffed at the dirt kicked up in the scuffle. There were deep impressions with claw marks decorating the edges of said impressions of the dirt.

"I think I found some blood," Rarity gagged and looked away from a small puddle of something liquid on the ground. The rest of the group galloped towards her and inspected the liquid she had discovered. Luna bent down and sniffed at the substance before checking out the marks on the ground.

"No, this is tree sap," she explained, "it appears as though Applejack and Cougar put up a valiant fight against the Timberwolves over here," she pointed out the claw marks, human shoe prints and horseshoe prints near the trail head. "The footprints seem to head near the creek where this tree sap puddle sits," she continued. Her eyes scanned the area before Twilight shrieked loudly.

"Princess, is this blood on the ground?" The lavender alicorn worriedly asked. The other bat pony guard bent down and sniffed at the ground where Twilight was pointing. He froze when he stood up from the ground.

"This is blood, equine blood to be exact," he shuddered. "But look here, it looks like a Timber-wolf fell to the ground near the blood," he examined the large indent in the dirt, "so maybe Applejack kicked one and the other scratched her somewhere," he pondered. Twilight couldn't look at the blood, but she followed the stream near to where the stream joined up with the river. Not looking where she was going, Twilight tripped over a branch and fell down to the ground.

"Princess!" One of the guards exclaimed and helped her to her feet.

"Thank you," Twilight thanked and got back on her hooves. "What did I trip on?" Princess Luna utilized her magic and removed several of the bushes behind Twilight. The bushes fell to the ground as the magic ceased and revealed what was behind the bush. The dead body of a Timber-wolf lay in front of the group near the head of the river. All five of the ponies could not believe what they were seeing. Seeing a dead Timber-wolf was a rare spectacle that not many had seen before.

"How, how did they do this?" Rarity questioned as she looked upon the rotting wood that once was a live Timber-wolf. Princess Luna dispatched her bat ponies to inspect the body while she searched for more clues. "Eww, more blood!" Rarity whined as she tip toed around the droplets on the ground. Luna inspected the blood and found out that it was again, Applejack's.

"Is this, Cougar's shirt?" Twilight asked as her magic held up torn up fabric. Rarity eyed the fabric until reaching a conclusion.

"Yes, indeed it is Twilight," the fashion pony gulped in dread.

"But, there's no blood on it," Twilight replied as she looked over the torn shirt several times. Princess Luna looked at the torn fabric as well and her head dropped low.

"Perhaps a Timber-wolf tore it off of him," the Night Princess said sadly. Rarity and Twilight took note of the Princess' sadness and put the shirt down. Luna trudged over to the side of the river and laid down in a saddened state.

"Princess Luna, are you alright?" Rarity asked.

"No," was all Luna said, "I am the Princess of the Night, but I failed to protect my friends from these monsters," she pointed to the decaying corpse of the Timber-wolf only a few feet away, "what kind of princess am I that fails to protect her friends? I could've and should've been able to save them," Luna covered her eyes with her silver hooves, letting a few tears fall down her cheeks.

"Luna, please don't blame yourself," Twilight consoled her fellow Princess.

"Yes, it was a freak attack, but you had your other nightly duties to tend to, who could have foreseen the events that transpired her tonight?" Rarity added, "and besides, they could still be alive, maybe the fell into the river after killing the Timber-wolf," Rarity too attempted to calm down the princess. The brief moment between the trio was cut short when one of the bat ponies cleared his throat.

"Ahem, your highness, we scrounged the area looking for whatever could kill a Timber-wolf and all we found, was this," the guard held out a metallic looking cylinder in his hoof. Luna levitated it out of the hoof with her magic and brought it close to her face.

"I have never seen anything like this before Guards," Luna said whilst studying the strange object.

"Well, can you see into Cougar and Applejack's minds to see where they are?" Twilight questioned as Luna tossed the metallic object behind herself.

"Yes, but only if one of them is asleep, the only time I could do it when they were awake is if they were day dreaming," Luna explained while trying to get inside either being's mind. "Aha, success!" Luna declared after a few minutes of meditation, "Applejack and Cougar are in Celestia and mine's old castle, but we must hurry," Luna excitedly sprang up into her personal chariot. "I must lower the moon first so we can utilized my sister's sunlight."

**(Morning. Cougar's POV)**

* * *

All night long, that's how long I had stayed awake, listening to the crackle of the fire in the fireplace. Sure I was exhausted and aching from my injuries, but I didn't want to run the risk of anything potentially attacking myself or Applejack if I were to fall asleep. The mare in question, was still sleeping soundly with her head resting upon my lap and her orange fur nestled against my right leg. The piece of my shirt that was tied to her leg was still soaked with some blood and dirt, but the bleeding had stopped long ago, though I feared that the wound was infected. My hand never stopped stroking her mane throughout the night, even when the rest of my body froze at the slightest noise, my hand never stopped trying to calm her sleeping form.

"I hope we can find civilization soon," I mentioned in a raspy voice to myself. Celestia's sun poured through the various windows and cracked walls of the castle, allowing me to know that a new day had started for the rest of Equestria, but not for me or Applejack. I had to keep myself from looking down at my left shoulder as it was covered with wooden teeth marks, splinters and other scratches. It hurt like a motherfucker to move it, so I kept that to a minimum. Thankfully with my Air Force training, losing sleep wasn't that bothersome, but I had exerted a ton of energy last night and lost some blood, both of those are a recipe for bad consequences. While stroking Applejack's mane, I heard her snort instead of snore, indicating that she was ready to leave her slumber. I lightly brushed some hairs out of her eyes while she blinked several times and yawned.

"Mornin' Cougar," she said tiredly and stretched her body until she yelped from the pain in her leg.

"Just take it easy, you got bit pretty bad last night," I comforted her. Ever so carefully, Applejack stood up on all fours and popped her neck a few times.

"'N you didn't?" She finally asked me, leaning against the stone block for support, "yer lucky that Timber-wolf didn't take yer whole leg off or bite yer arm into little pieces last night," she exclaimed. She had a point there, but I really didn't care. The wolf was dead, and we were safe, for the most part anyways. Bracing my right arm on the stone block, I boosted myself off the ground and laid against the block as huge vibrations of pain shot through my left shoulder and right leg. Applejack gasped as she stared at my shoulder in the full light of the morning sun. "C-Cougar, yer-yer collar bone is broken!" She screeched. I looked down at my shoulder and indeed saw a huge bulge of my collar bone threatening to burst from my skin like Joe Theismann's leg bone. Gathering up the courage, I felt the jutting bone with my right hand, seeing if it was truly broken.

"No, it's just out of socket," I replied and started putting pressure on the bone. "GAH!" I screamed in pain and collapsed on top of the block. My breathing was coming out in rapid spurts like a three burst machine gun. The pain was unbearable; I wished that I had lost my arm instead of having a collar bone out of place.

"Careful!" Applejack warned as she patted my back. Sweat began to protrude from my forehead as my body reacted to the pain, "yer not a doctor; don't go tryin' ta fix yer broken bones!" The orange mare lectured me.

"Fine," I held up my right hand, "just let me try to think about how we can get back to Ponyville in our conditions; we still need medical attention," I added. Applejack begrudgingly rolled her eyes and laid her head next to mine on the stone slab.

"You're fairly warm by the way Cougar," she said out of nowhere, causing me to halt my thinking if only for a brief moment.

"Thank you," I replied, trying to hide my confusion so I wouldn't offend her. "Sorry if I scared you last night from my war cry, I don't know why; it just came over me," I explained.

"Eh, that's fine, Ah've jest never seen anypony take out a Timber-wolf like that before, let alone TWO 'o them!" The mare exclaimed. I said nothing in reply, feeling like crap more and more as I went on without receiving medical attention.

"Sorry about your hat," I pointed out, trying to not relieve what I had done the night before. Her emerald eyes drifted upwards to her empty head before she chuckled.

"Ah don't give a damn Cougar, Ah've got dozens 'o them back at home," she chuckled. "Sorry 'bout you losin' yer shirt and yer other shirt and the rest 'o yer clothes in yer duffel bag," she apologized.

"As long as I have my pants, I'll be fine," I replied with a smirk.

"Maybe Rarity can make ya sum new shirts," AJ said. I was about to reply when the Castle doors burst open to reveal ponies with bat ears and bat wings?

"Your highness, they're in the foyer!" One of the bat-like ponies announced. All at once, I saw Rarity, Luna and Twilight appear in a light of blue magic in front of myself and Applejack.

"Applejack!" Rarity exclaimed and hugged her friend.

"Cougar, are you okay?" Luna tried to hug me, but I yelped and grimace in pain. "I'm sorry for hurting you Cougar," she instantly apologized.

"No, it's okay," I seethed through the pain and held my right arm around Luna's torso. Both of Luna's guards picked up AJ and supported her on their backs as they escorted us back to Luna's silver and blue chariot.

"Oh my Celestia Applejack, what happened to your leg?" Twilight asked as she spotted my ripped up shirt tied around Applejack's rear leg. The guards eased Applejack into the back seat of the chariot as Luna levitated myself to sit down next to the Orange Mare.

"A Timber-wolf done bit mah leg pretty darn hard last night. Cougar here tore off his shirt to tie around the wound," Applejack explained. Twilight sat next to me as Rarity and Luna took the front seat and the guards hooked up to the front of the chariot.

"What happened to your shoulder?" Rarity asked me and attempted to suppress a gag at the protrusion of my collar bone. Twilight's magic held me down as the chariot lurched forward.

"Timber-wolf bit into my shoulder, though I didn't realize my collar bone was busted until this morning," I replied and laid back against the seat. We were finally airborne and heading back to the royal infirmary at Canterlot Castle.

"So, how did you manage to kill a Timber-wolf?" Twilight finally asked me, "nopony has ever actually killed one, they've only managed to demolish it and run," she explained. My head laid back against the top of my seat, hanging upside down with my eyes staring up at the blue sky above. I gulped, fearing that I would eventually have to explain that I used my pistol; then I realized that even though I lost my gun in the river, somepony could find it and potentially hurt themselves!

"Well, I uh tried to use my combat knife to stab them, but I dropped it in the river," I began, "so after Applejack and I climbed from the frigid water, I picked up a rock and bashed it against the chest of one of them and ripped its heart out," I explained. Everypony except the guards pulling the chariot and Applejack sat still inside the chariot, only breathing and contemplating what I had just informed them of.

"Seems a bit excessive don't you think Cougar?" Luna asked me as she turned around in her seat. Before I could say anything else, Applejack spoke up in my defense.

"That buckin' varmint would've killed the both 'o us if Cougar hadn't done that," she defended me, "after losin' his knife, he didn't have much of a choice," she added.

"Okay, but that's just one Timber-wolf, how did you kill the other one? We didn't find anything except a small cylindrical metal shell thing," Twilight chimed in. My eyes widened at the description of the bullet casing that they had found. _'You're Screwed Now'_ I thought to myself. Even AJ was looking at me funny, awaiting my answer.

"Yeah," Applejack cut in, "what was that loud weapon ya used last night?" The mare asked me. I was afraid to bring myself to explain what my gun was. Slowly lifting my head up from the head rest, I was met with eight piercing eyes boring into me. The sound of the bat pegasi wings flapping agains the air seemed to make the situation more uncomfortable.

"Cougar, just please tell us," Luna asked me kindly. Looking around, everypony had a reassuring look in their eyes, even Rarity had a friendly and understanding look. Sighing in defeat, I tried to sit up from my slouching position, but that only caused pain to vibrate throughout my leg and shoulder. I suddenly felt a warmth spread through my body as a dark blue aura flashed around me from Luna's horn. Instantly I felt the pain soothe and go away, almost like I was just injected with a five gallon bucket of novocaine. "It's only temporary, so take it easy," the alicorn of the moon warned.

"Thanks," I breathed out as I felt much better, though my injuries still remained. "Do you guys have cannons here?" I asked them.

"Yeah, they're all around the perimeter of Canterlot Caste as a means of defense, why do you ask?" Twilight asked me. Placing my hand on her shoulder, I finally revealed what my gun was.

"That's what I used last night to kill the Timber-wolf. It's sort of like a miniature version of a cannon that is handheld and much more portable," I explained, "it's great for self defense in the right hands, or hooves."

"Okay, but how come Ah never saw this 'gun' before?" Applejack air quoted with her hooves, "why were ya hidin' it from us?" She questioned me.

"Because I was afraid how you guys would react to me having a dangerous and deadly weapon with me," I explained, "I had to have it in my survival pack in case I was shot down over enemy lines as a means of defense." Twilight and Rarity said nothing as their faces contemplated the sound of a portable cannon.

"That sounds really dangerous Cougar, why would your species invent a way to make the cannon even deadlier? Was crime that rampant in your world?" The purple alicorn asked me. I was extremely thankful that the chariot lurched to a stop as we had landed at the castle.

"Your highness, we have arrived," one of the guards informed his princess. Almost immediately, the novocaine spell wore off and Applejack and I found ourselves being lowered onto stretchers.

* * *

**(In the Hospital. Cougar's POV)**

"Ah, back again are we Cougar?" Nurse Candy Striper joked with me as Applejack and I were wheeled into the same room as Rainbow Dash. "Oh my, what on Celestia's good name happened to you?" the nurse asked me as she checked myself and AJ over.

"Yeah, you looked like shit Cougar," Rainbow chimed in, noting my swollen lip, blackened eye, deep gashed leg and protruding collar bone.

"Let me offer you a wing and a prayer," I flicked her the bird with the middle finger on my right hand. The cyan pegasus' face scowled at me as she flipped onto her side with her back facing myself and Applejack. Before either of us knew it, Celestia appeared in a flash of white and gold light, her face showing worry for the both of us.

"Oh my, are you two okay?" The Celestia being asked Applejack while Doctor Needle hooked the mare up to an IV machine and took the makeshift bandage off her hind leg. The doctor threw my piece of shirt away into a bio-hazard safe trash bin and started to rinse out Applejack's wound with water, but thankfully I couldn't see any puss or any sign of an infection.

"Other than getting mauled by evil tree branches, I'm doing fine," I said while Doctor Scope checked my eyes and heart rate. He then trotted over to get a rag and wash some of the dirt off my forehead so he could clean the gash left over from the claws.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you two; how did you escape a Timber-wolf attack of this magnitude?" The princess asked me.

"Cougar saved the day," Applejack cut in, "he did what he had to do and saved me," she gave a weak smile as the the exhaustion from the previous day was still high. Celestia placed a Gentle hoof on my good shoulder and pecked my now clean forehead with her lips. I froze, not moving from the shock of getting a kiss from Princess Celesita.

"Thank you Cougar for showing bravery in a time of uncertainty and for putting your friend's life before yours, you truly are a good _man_," Celesita said to me and gave me some space.

"I-It's my honor to do the right thing," I replied and reeled back from the forehead kiss. Suddenly, the door burst open to reveal Luna, Rarity, Twilight, Soarin', Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

"Rainbow!" Soarin' exclaimed in fear and rushed to his mare friend's side.

"Hey guys!" Applejack tried to exclaim, but the the IV fluid was making her sleepy.

"Ohmygosh!" Pinkie Pie hopped up and down, "Twilight and Rarity told us that you and Cougar were attacked by a pair of Timberwolves and Fluttershy and I were all Nuh-Uh! And Twilight and Rarity were all Totally!" The party pony talked a million miles a minute. "Did you wear a mustache to disguise yourselves?" She asked me.

"No, what the fuck would a mustache have done?" I replied in shock.

"Well duh, a mustache will make the Timber-wolf think you're not you so he'd leave you alone! Basic trickery 101 Cougar!" Pinkie Pie bragged. I rolled my eyes and looked at Fluttershy and remembered that she loves animals.

"I can't believe you survived an attack like this," Fluttershy said in her meek voice.

"Look Fluttershy, I'm sorry I had to-" I began before the butter colored pegasus put her hoof to my mouth. I braced for a slap or a punch or something from her, but I didn't predict her to forgive me.

"It's fine Cougar, the Timber-wolf is one animal that even I can't fully train. And while I normally berate somepony for even harming an innocent animal, I understand the situation you were in called for drastic measures; I don't blame you," Fluttershy said with a weak smile and patted my head. Our friendly moment was interrupted by the doctor peering into my eyes for a second time.

"Your eyes are completely blood shot, have you been getting sleep lately?" Doctor Scope put away his mini flashlight.

"Yeah, but I just had to stay up all night to make sure nothing else attacked myself or Applejack," I explained.

"Well, you're suffering from exhaustion right now, but that's completely normal considering you did lose a fair amount of blood, but not enough to raise alarm," he assured me, "you just need to get some sleep for now and we'll fix up your wounds for you," the doctor said.

"Is Applejack going to be okay?" I asked.

"Oh of course!" Doctor Needle replied from Applejack's bed, "she just got a cut on her leg that'll heal soon enough, but you my good friend have a bit of a recovery night. We can put your collar bone back into place, but we need to keep you under over night observation," he explained, "but other than your collar bone, everything can be fixed in a jiffy." I rested my head on my pillow and stared up at the white ceiling above me. I looked over at Applejack whom gave a wave to me.

"Ah'd do what the doctor says Cougar," she told me, "you've done worked yourself hard the past few weeks, rest yerself," AJ said.

"I shall watch over your dreams Cougar, now sleep," Luna's horn touched my forehead and that's the last thing I remember until I woke up.

* * *

**(Hospital Room, 3rd Person POV)**

"Alright then, now we can get to work," Doctor Scope announced as Cougar drifted off thanks to Princess Luna. Using his magic, Doctor Scope levitated a syringe of novocaine over to Cougar's shoulder and injected the numbing agent. "Anypony with a weak stomach, look away," He forewarned. Rarity and Fluttershy disappeared from the room while Celestia decided to have a chat with Twilight. Applejack, Soarin, Rainbow and Pinkie Pie all peered over to see what Doctors Needle and Scope were about to do.

"Careful now," Doctor Needle warned as the two doctors held Cougar's sleeping body down and shoved his collar bone back into socket.

"NEAT!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as Soarin, Rainbow and Applejack grimaced, but held down their stomachs. There was sort of a popping noise as the doctors kept moving around the bone until it settled back into place. The two doctors then took put a small tube of ointment and rubbed it over the human's eye to get the swelling down.

"Well, his gashes on his leg aren't as bad as I thought, but they still require some stitches," Doctor Scope commented as he brought out the needle and stitches.

"Right, I'll check out his throat, normal procedure," Dr. Needle replied as he cleaned off his glasses and peered into Cougar's mouth with a flashlight. "Uh-oh," he said and dropped the flashlight on Cougar's chest.

"What's up doc?" Soarin' questioned. The light blue pegasus and Pinkie Pie approached Dr. Needle to see what the problem was.

"I was just checking up on his throat to check for any soreness or redness, but I discovered something peculiar about his teeth," the doctor explained.

"Is there somethin'' wrong Doctor?" Applejack tried to see what he was talking about. Dr. Needle breathed in and flicked his flashlight back on to show the other ponies what he found.

"See, our teeth are more flat and rounded for eating fruits and vegetables," he began to explain.

"And Candy!" Pinkie Pie munched on a chocolate bar.

"But here, his teeth are more pointed and narrow, but in the back they are wider and more dense, these are called canine teeth, they are specifically made for one thing: ripping and tearing flesh," he announced. Everypony in the room froze at the statement. Princess Celesita walked over to see what the Doctor was referring to.

"So, he eats meat in other words?" The princess asked cautiously.

"I'm afraid so your highness, this man is a carnivore or an omnivore if he's been eating vegetables and fruits," Dr. Scope cut in for Dr. Needle.

"Yeah, he's been eatin' those, but he never done told me 'bout eatin' meat," Applejack narrowed her eyes at Cougar. Twilight gasped at the thought of somepony lying to Applejack.

"You mean, he said his species doesn't eat meat?" Twilight asked.

"Granny Smith asked him whut he eats 'n he said fruits, vegetables 'n bread," Applejack replied, "Ah can't believe he lied to me and Ah couldn't sense thu lie," AJ looked down upon herself. Pinkie Pie gasped and grabbed Applejack's head.

"If you couldn't sense a lie, then that must mean you're not Applejack at ALL!" She screeched and started to try to pull Applejack's 'mask' off her head. "Reveal yourself you body snatcher! Or maybe you're a changeling!" Pinkie started to shake AJ's body.

"GET OFF ME!" Applejack used her good leg to kick Pinkie Pie away.

"Yep, that's Applejack alright," Pinkie groaned in pain. Dr. Scope concluded sewing up Cougar's gashes and set his lab coat on the coat rack.

"Well, all he needs now is to keep resting and he should be fine, other than-" He cut himself off and left the room.

"I must say I am disappointed that Cougar didn't tell the truth about his species' eating habits, although I think that can be overlooked, he should know that lying is wrong," Princess Celestia announced.

"Well Princess, Ah'm gonna let him know that lyin' is wrong when he wakes up, you can count on that!" Applejack promised.

* * *

**(Four hours Later. Cougar's POV)**

I groaned as I woke up, feeling so much better after my nap. "Nice," I commented as I could finally move my arm around again, though I couldn't feel it, perhaps it was from novocaine or something.

"Mornin' Mr. Liar," Applejack cut in as I groggily wiped my eyes.

"What?" I asked her, "did I do something wrong?" Her emerald eyes glared at me as she sat up from her bed, an IV tube to longer attached as her gash was sewn up.

"How could you lie ta me Cougar? You said your kind doesn't eat meat, but the doctor done said yer teeth were specifically designed fer rippin' 'n tearin' meat apart," she growled at me. '_Oh fuck,' _I thought to myself as Applejack towered above me.

"Like before, I didn't want to scare you and your family by telling you I eat meat, how would Big Mac or Granny Smith have reacted? What about Applebloom? She wouldn't be my friend would she?" I asked.

"We would've been shocked at first Cougar, but with how you respectful you've been with us, we would've ignored that fact and accepted you fer who you are," AJ exclaimed.

"I'm sure you wouldn't have been so accepting had I told you I eat cows knowing that they talk to me when I milk them, would you have kept that secret from them?" I retorted. "I'm sorry, I like meat, it's in my nature, but I was willing to eat only what you ponies eat as vegetables just to keep you guys from being more afraid of me," I explained.

"Be that as it may Cougar, thu fact is that you still lied ta me, a fact that's hard fer me to swallow considerin' how close you are to me 'n mah family now, that you started the relationship with Granny Smith based on a lie," Applejack turned away from me.

"Look Applejack, I'm sorry I lied, but I just didn't want you guys to be scared of me."

"Ah know yer sorry, but Ah'm not ready to accept yer apology yet Cougar, Ah'll see ya around once yer out of the hospital," Applejack limped out of the room. I sighed sadly and laid my head down on my pillow.

"Rough Dude," Soarin' said out of the blue, "so you don't eat meat anymore?" He asked.

"No, I haven't eaten meat since I got here, besides, where would I have gotten meat to eat around here?" I questioned. He nodded, accepting my point as he stared down at Rainbow's sleeping form as her wing healed.

"Soarin' I don't suppose you'd be willing to get Princess Luna would you?" I asked him. The pegasus looked up from his mare friend and nodded at me.

"Sure thing; even though I know you eat meat now, I know you won't eat us," he said.

"Trust me, that was illegal where I came from," I proved his point as he left me with a sleeping Rainbow in an otherwise empty room. Feeling thirsty, I reached down and grabbed a glass of water and brought it up to my mouth when a new voice startled me.

"We haven't even been properly introduced and you're already wanting to kiss me?" A male and teasing voice asked me. I looked around the room, checking for wherever the voice could be coming from. "Down here," the voice said again. I looked down to see a pair of yellow eyes in the water glass looking back at me.

"AHH!" I screamed and chucked the glass against the wall. The water sopped onto the floor with the yellow eyes floating in the liquid. The water suddenly turned brown and the eyes stopped floating as the water materialized into what looked like the spawn of Satan himself.

"Now, now, isn't chucking a new friend against the wall kind of mean," the goateed creature asked me. He had what appeared to be a deer antler and gazelle or antelope horn, a lion's paw, an eagle talon, a bat wing and falcon wing with a pony leg and dragon leg and dragon tail.

"What the fuck are you?" I demanded.

"Oh excuse me where are my manners? Probably where you left yours when you threw me at the wall," the creature teased. "I am a draconequus, and my name is Discord, hence why I look the way I do," he explained.

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow, "you look like something Ozzy Osbourne smoked and shat out," I replied.

"Now that is a little rude wouldn't you say?" Discord put on a sad face and pouted his lips while twirling his tail in his hands. I almost felt bad before he snapped his fingers and I found myself floating upside down above my bed. "Now, I've heard so little about you 'Cougar'," he air quoted, "so tell me a little about yourself," he snapped his fingers again and had on a school girl's outfit and laid down on his own bed with he legs crossed and his head propped up by his fists.

"I'm a human that was in the Air Force, that's all I'm telling you," I crossed my arms as he lowered me back onto my bed.

"Aww pish posh, that can't be all! I heard you killed not one, not three, but TWO Timberwolves!" He disappeared in a puff of smoke only to reappear holding a spear and dressed as Muldoon from Jurassic Park, "you must teach me how to hunt like that," he threw the spear at Rainbow, but said spear turned into silly string and covered the sleeping Pegasus.

"I had no choice, they would've killed me and Applejack; I acted in self defense," I replied. Suddenly, Discord appeared in small form on the bridge of my nose back without any costuming.

"Ah yes, you and little Applejack, I must say you two make more of an interesting and weird couple than Rarity and Twilight's little dinosaur friend," the draconequus teased and got up right in front of my eye.

"Forget that! We're just friends alright? We don't have any 'feelings' for each other and she's pretty pissed off at me," I said solemnly. Discord turned to his regular size again and leaned his arm against my head.

"Right, the whole lying is wrong thing really hurt the element of honest, there's a shock," Discord hit my forehead with a joy buzzer and shocked me.

"Fucking bitch!" I screeched and rubbed my head.

"Hey, do I look like a girl dog to you?" He asked as he appeared as Lassie. "Anyway," Discord changed back to his regular form yet again, "being the spirit of chaos is fun of course, but even I know that lying is wrong because the little white lie can grow and grow until it comes back and splats all over your face," a cream pie suddenly hit my face. I wiped it off and clenched my teeth as I wanted to murder this guy. "Though you technically didn't lie from what I heard," he said.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Discord groaned as he transformed into a Sherlock Holmes draconequus complete with a pipe and started smoking it.

"You never really lied to Applejack, you just kept the whole truth from her, and although it's a pretty bad thing to do, you never truly lied to her," he explained and then gobbled up the pipe. I contemplated his words, and soon discovered he was actually right.

"Well, how am I going to convince Applejack to forgive me?" I asked Discord.

"That shouldn't be too hard now should it?" The hodgepodge creature asked me, "just promise her that you won't lie to her ever again and case closed," He violently shut a brief case closed.

"But everypony has to lie eventually," I pointed out, "I don't want to lie to her about lying!"

"If you're so bent up about being 'honorable' and 'doing the right thing' then I suggest-" he started before a digital tone went off, "oh would you look at the time, I'm late for a tea party at Fluttershy's cottage, ta-ta now Cougar!" Discord tipped a top hat and walked out of the room, leaving me to think about how re-gain Applejack's trust.

**End Chapter IX**

* * *

_Okay, writing Discord is a ton of fun! I hope I can use him again sometime in future chapters! Please review everypony! Next Chapter, the Summer Sun Celebration!_


	11. Chapter X: The Journey Home

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter X: The Journey Home**

* * *

**(Hospital Room. Cougar's POV)**

Despite being hung upside down for a mere few seconds was the worst thing Discord did to me, I still felt uncomfortable after our little meeting. What was next? A surprise musical number from Pinkie? Scratch that, I'll take Discord's treatment over Pinkie Pie's. And thanks to that hodgepodge that Mother Nature spat out, I was still thirsty and had nothing to drink, just great. My head smacked onto my pillow as I grumpily laid back down on my hospital bed, secretly wishing that Rainbow wasn't sleeping. Then, there was a soft knock on the door that garnered my attention. Slowly the door opened to reveal Soarin' and Luna trotting inside the room.

"Found her for ya Coug," Soarin exclaimed and sat down on his stool next to Rainbow Dash, "wasn't too hard," he added, "she was just in the kitchen grabbing a small bite to eat," he explained. Luna floated a bag of what looked like ordinary corn chips up to me.

"Would you like some Cougar?" She offered while two chips floated out of the plastic bag and one floated towards me and the other into Luna's awaiting muzzle. She used her magic to shake the bag a few times, tempting me to take a chip or two.

"No thanks, I'm more thirsty than hungry," I politely shoved the bag of chips back towards the midnight blue alicorn. Luna shrugged and then poured the rest of the chips down her muzzle and tossed the empty bag like a basket ball into the nearest trash bin. After wiping her muzzle of crumbs, she produced a six pack of _Marwaukee Brew_ and levitated it in front of my face.

"Then how about a drink if you are indeed that thirsty?" She winked at me. How could I resist that offer? Even though I'm not an alcoholic, who wouldn't pass up a cold one after what I went through?

"Sure, why not?" I joked and grabbed a cold can from her magic aura and popped the top. "Soarin' you want one?" I offered up and took a second can from the six pack rings. The Wonderbolt rested his stool on all four legs and leaned forward with his right hoof.

"Buck yeah, toss one over Cougar!" He exclaimed excitedly. I smirked and tossed over the second can which Soarin' caught in his mouth and popped the top off to start drinking it. Luna then let out a much softer belch than her one the other night and wiped her mouth from the foam.

"Much better," Luna began, "now, what did you need to talk to me about Cougar? Is it about your lie to Applejack?" She asked me. My eyes widened and I ceased drinking the beer. Save for the beeping of the hospital machines, things became silent. Even Soarin' stopped sipping his beer that I gave him.

"Woah Luna, how did you find out? I never said anything about it," The Wonderbolt Captain said, flabbergasted. The alicorn in question simply rolled her eyes and chucked her empty can into the rubbish bin across the room.

"Even though I watch over dreams as I did with you Cougar," she pointed her hoof towards me, "I can still sense conversations in the real world, hence how I knew Sweetie Belle was going to save Rarity's hat from falling apart not too long ago," she explained and used her magic to pull up her own chair. She cracked open a second beer and sipped it but grimaced slightly as the liquid flowed into her muzzle. "Hmm, not cold enough," she stated and the can was suddenly surrounded in her whitish aura. The can now looked as if it had been in an ice chest for a day or two and cold steam slowly swirled out of the aluminum can. "Ahh, that hits the spot," she wiped her mouth. "Now, back to the matter at hand, what is on your mind?" Luna crossed her legs and rested her head on here foreleg.

"Well, it's actually two things Luna," I sighed in defeat and set my can on the nightstand adjacent to my bed, though I didn't say anything else for a minute. "First thing is yes I did sort of lie to Applejack, though Discord of all, whatever the fuck he is, told me that all I did was hide the whole the truth instead of lying."

"Which can be just as bad Coug," Soarin' took a slow sip of his beer, "I mean, I've been given the shit end of the stick a ton in the Wonerbolts," he added.

"Yes, I've witnessed several of those events Soarin', but you've proven yourself to be a fantastic Captain," Luna replied to the Wonderbolt. The pegasus set his beer can down on the floor and tilted his stool back.

"And what happened to you if you're the Captain? I mean, you didn't throw the ponies that hid the truth from you into the stockade or the pit for lying?" I asked.

"No, no, I've only been the Captain for a month, but before then I was the co-captain and the other captain hid the truth and lied to me several times for half a decade until her most recent ploy got her ass thrown in the dungeon," Soarin' explained. The anger inside me rose; I couldn't bear the thought of a Captain or my own CO lying to myself or the rest of my squadron for his own personal gain.

"I'd love to get my hands on that bastard and ring his neck," I commented and angrily sipped my beer.

"Spitfire was a girl," Soarin replied as he finished his beer. I was set to reply when Luna cut off our conversation.

"IF we can get back to the matter at hoof," she said in a louder voice, "Cougar, I think what you did was both bad and good. Yes, you kept the whole truth locked away in the dark from your friends, but at the same time, you were trying to keep them from becoming frightened of you and fearing for their own lives, I would say you are definitely, uh," Luna tried to come up with a good euphemism for me.

"Up shit creek without a paddle," I said for her.

"I was going to say stuck between a rock and a pickle, but yours works too," she sipped her beer again. Soarin' and I exchanged quick and confused glances at Luna's accidental mashup of two euphemisms. "Anyway, I do believe that once you apologize, she'll forgive you since you saved her life and have been a good friend to her for a month now," Luna attempted to cheer up my demeanor.

"Except for the fact that my relationship with her family was started off a lie basically," I countered and took another drink of my beer, the can now becoming lighter and lighter. Soarin' set his stool down on the tiled floor and crossed his forelegs together.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Coug, like you said, you just wanted to keep them from getting scared of you, I'd say that's pretty friendly," he reassured me.

"Okay, let's say I go right after this hospital visit to talk to Applejack about it, she already knows I'm sorry and she won't accept my apology yet. I don't want to be that one guy who begs for his friend to forgive him and be all cliched by saying I'll do anything for her to forgive me, and plus that'd make me sound like I'm trying to get a girlfriend back," I threw in.

"So, how are you going to get her trust and forgiveness back Cougar?" Luna curiously placed her elbows on her knees and chin on her hooves. Boy being original is harder than I thought.

"I don't know; I've gotta come up with something by tomorrow at least so she can know I'm really sorry and not putting on a show," I explained. The Wonerbolt and the Princess both nodded their heads at me, yet said nothing for a good while.

"And there was a second thing you wanted to talk to me about Cougar?" Luna asked me.

"Oh right. Well, I lost my gun that I used to kill one of the Timberwolves and it fell into the river. I'm afraid that somepony could find it and accidentally hurt themselves or somepony around them," I said. Luna stood up from her chair and tucked the remaining two cans of _Marewaukee Brew_ into her mane.

"I shall have the Elements and several royal guards stationed near water ports to be on the look out for a miniature looking cannon and if we find it, it shall be returned to you Cougar, you have my word," Luna bowed. Her magic aura surround the door knob and opened the door, yet she stopped halfway out of the door. "Oh and one more thing Cougar, you may want to talk to Rarity about making you some new duds since you lost a good majority of yours," the Princess of the Night bid farewell and trotted outside of the hospital room.

"Oh man, did the Timberwolves rip all your clothes up Cougar?" Soarin' asked me.

"Something like that," I replied, pissed that I only had my cargo pants and my flight suit left as reasonable clothing, though in this heat, my flight suit would be out of the question.

"At least it's not Wintertime," The pegasus cheerfully said, "I'm sure nopony will mind if you don't wear a shirt; most ponies don't wear clothes at all unless they're at a huge event like the Grand Galloping Gala," he explained to me.

"The fuck is that, a masquerade party?" I replied.

"Not really, it's for Canterlot's most elite and sophisticated ponies to gather with Princess Celestia and Luna in the Fall. The Wonderbolts get invited every year and it's always a blast, for most of us anyway," he said. "And this is the first year Dashie is invited as a Wonderbolt, this is gonna be the best Gala ever!" He declared. My eyes went to automatic roll at his nickname for Rainbow, though I gotta admit, they are perfect for one another. Suddenly, Rainbow let out a mighty yawn and sat up in her bed, scratching her back.

"I think butt is making its own imprint on this bed, I gotta get outta here!" Rainbow complained and stretched out her wings, but she didn't wince or cry out in pain. "Yes! I can get back in the air in no time-" she started celebrating, but stopped when she saw Soarin's crumpled up beer can in the trash bin. "Did you guys have beer?" She asked us.

"Yeah, Luna brought some by for us and we shot the breeze," I replied while scratching my ear.

"Well, is there any left?" Rainbow asked hopefully.

"No, Princess Luna took the last two cans back with her," Soarin' explained. Rainbow's face scowled at Soarin' and myself and she crossed her forelegs in front of her chest and laid back down with a pout.

"And nopony bothered to wake me up to give me one?"

"Sorry Dashie, you were asleep," Soarin' apologized. Before Rainbow could retort, the door to the room opened up and the whole gang minus Luna, Celestia and Fluttershy trotted inside.

"Rainbow, you're awake!" Pinkie Pie hopped up and down, blew a noisemaker and quickly tied a Rainbow colored balloon to Rainbow's foreleg.

"Is your wing feeling better Darling?" Rarity's fake accent asked. Rainbow's demeanor brightened as her friends surrounded her hospital bed. I was actually glad more of our friends came in the room, things were starting to feel a little gloomy in here.

"My wings feeling awesome! If the doc'll let me go soon you can count on a Sonic Rainboom as we leave Canterlot!" The adrenaline junkie announced. Twilight rolled her eyes like me and patted Rainbow's back.

"At least your spirit isn't damaged," Twilight joked. I took notice of the fact that Applejack didn't even glance my way, though I completely understood why. At least Pinkie came by after a few minutes of chatting with Rainbow.

"So, how's the hero patient doing?" She grinned widely and handed me a cupcake, "You deserve the best tasting cupcake in all of Equestria for saving Applejack's, Rainbow's and Rarity's lives Cougar!" She patted my head like an owner to a cat or a dog. "And Gummy is even proud of you too!" The baby alligator was laid onto my stomach where he proceeded to try and bite me.

"Wow, this is pretty delicious Pinkie Pie," I said after eating the whole cupcake and petting her alligator.

"I made it using the Cakes' special ingredient that makes them oh so special!" She whispered loudly in my ear.

"Well, thanks Pinkie," I replied and scratched behind her ear as a thank you which she enjoyed, a lot.

"Ooooh right there, that hits the spot!" Her rear leg started to kick up and down on the floor. Smirking, I stopped scratching her ear and handed her pet back to her.

"Hey Pinkie, I noticed you've stopped trying to beg my forgiveness for the incident at the lake, any reason why?" I asked her. I was actually wondering why she stopped; she didn't seem like the kind of pony to just up and quit something.

"Oh, well I was planning on slipping you a cupcake with sleeping pills, throw you in a burlap sack and bring you to Sugar Cube Corner to throw you an 'I'm Sorry Party'," she began before I cut her off.

"Wait, you were going to drug me and kidnap me!?" I asked in a fearful tone.

"Details, details," Pinkie Pie shrugged, "anyway, then I began to think, what if me asking you over and over again would just drive you away from our friendship since it was brand new? Heck, I would've pressed on if I did that to one of my other friends and wanted their forgiveness, so I decided to do something different, I just let you be and I continued doing what I do best, being Pinkie Pie!" She threw a foreleg around my neck and hugged me. A lightbulb went off over my head as I processed exactly what Pinkie Pie had told me.

"Pinkie, you're a genius," I whispered to her.

"Why does everypony keep saying that? I'm just a party pony and sometimes a chicken," the pink mare questioned, yet looked towards the wall. She then frowned at the wall and shook her head.

"Whatever Pinkie Pie," I said as she hopped her way back to Rainbow's bed, "hey Rarity, can I have a little chat with you please?" I called to the pearly white Unicorn with three diamonds on her flanks. Rarity adjusted her purple mane, turned around and trotted over to me. My fingers pressed down on the adjustment button for my bed so I could sit up more to be more polite to Rarity.

"What can I do for you Cougar for saving my life?" The sophisticated pony asked me.

"How'd you know I wanted a favor?" I replied curiously. Rarity playfully rolled her eyes and flicked up her mane.

"Oh Cougar, I know the face of many a pony who want a favor done by me, and your face is no exception, what with the furrowed eyebrows and darting eyes," she explained to me. Damn she's good at this.

"Alright, yes I do need a favor Rarity," I admitted, "could you please make me some new clothes? Thanks to those Timberwolves, I'm only down to my Cargo shorts and my Drive to End Hunger hat," I asked her politely. She raised her foreleg to tap her chin as she considered the proposal. "Hmm, I don't know Cougar, I don't even have a mannequin that looks like you, and I don't have your ahem, measurements," she explained.

"Look, for the summer, I may not mind not having a shirt with all the work I'm doing at Sweet Apple Acres, but come winter time, I will need some more protection, and from what I hear you're the best pony for the job," I asked, but did not beg her. "Come on, it's only maybe a few T-shirts and new jeans, that's all I'll need until the snow starts to fall."

"I-I don't know Cougar, this would be something extremely new and challenging for me," she paced around the foot of my bed, studying my figure. "I mean I've created costumes for other creatures, but none quite like you. It would be a complete and total experiment." Great, now I'm going to have to persuade her.

"Think of it like that then Rarity. You'll be the first and ONLY pony to ever design for a human." Her eyes lit up at that statement. "Your designs for me will go down in history as some of the most important pieces of fashion memorabilia of all time. Think of all the jealousy from rival designers and all the notoriety you'll gain," I did my best to persuade her. She bit down on her bottom lip to contain her excitement as she began to tremble at the endless possibilities this could take her career into.

"Meet me at my boutique at 2:00 'o clock sharp tomorrow Cougar! We'll take the fashion world by storm!" She rubbed her hooves together and trotted merrily back to the rest of the group.

"What, have I created?" I softly rubbed my temples.

* * *

**(Train Ride. Several Hours later. Cougar's POV)**

After finally getting the clearance from the doctors, Rainbow and I literally ran out of the Royal Infirmary. "Oh it feels good to stretch!" Rainbow stretched out and popped her cyan wings above me. "I swear I am NOT going back into a hospital bed unless my wings are cut off!" She swore and did a few loops in the air.

"How do you keep up with that?" I whispered to Soarin' and nudged his shoulder as we boarded our Train. The pegasus smirked at me and nudged me back.

"I got may ways, but I'd do anything for my Dashie," Soarin' replied with a warming smile as Rainbow landed in front of us and took the first empty compartment she saw. Not trying to make fun of Fluttershy, but since she had already left earlier to tend for her animals and have a tea party with Discord, the compartment was a little roomier than the last time we all rode the train.

"Window seat, I call window seat!" Pinkie Pie shoved Twilight out of the window seat. The alicorn grumbled in frustration but took her seat next to the compartment door. I took the seat next to Soarin' who was sitting next to Rainbow's door seat, but Applejack sat across from me, rather than next to me like last time. Rarity sat next to me instead, which I was fine with. Luna's moon was just starting to peak over the horizon as the engineer blew the rain whistle and the train lurched forward. I let out a little yawn as I stretched my back again and leaned back against the wall of the compartment.

"Twi," Applejack began, "are we gonna be ready for thu Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow? Ah'm sure sum 'o the ponies back home started on decoratin', but there may still be sum things ta take care of," the southern mare asked the Princess.

"Well luckily for us, I've already begun a preparations check list," she bragged and brought up a large check list for us to read, "and a checklist for that checklist," she boasted once more and used her magic to show us the second check-list. I raised my hand in front of her like a student, to which she actually called on me. "Yes Cougar?"

"Yeah, is there a check box for us giving a crap about your second check list?" I asked in a smart-ass tone. Rainbow and Soarin' held their hooves to their mouths to stifle their laughter while Pinkie Pie giggled and held her belly, and Rarity just smirked. Twilight and Applejack on the other hand weren't so enthralled by my joke. Twilight zapped my face with her magic and I found my mouth zipped up with a zipper, but at least I could still breathe through my nose.

"Ya don't have ta be so damn rude Cougar," Applejack spat out and looked out the window. After a little struggle, I managed to unzip my mouth zipper and got it off my lips without ripping off any skin in the process.

"Sorry, I just think having a special check-list for another check list is a little redundant," I explained and tossed the mouth zipper onto the ground. Twilight huffed and flared her nostrils at me.

"You were in the military weren't you Cougar? I'm sure they made you guys double and triple check everything!" She pointed out. She got me there, I recalled being busted once in my rookie days for not double checking over the operating systems of my F-15, luckily nothing happened; the base commander berated me severely on the importance of double checking things.

"Yeah, but when we double and triple checked everything, we didn't make out new check lists for them, we put the double check check box on the same check list, it saves paper and our sanity," I retorted. "But I'm sorry for making fun of you," I extended out my hand. The Princess glared daggers at me, but she reached out with her hoof and shook my hand.

"Apology accepted Cougar," she said with a forced smile. "By the way," she added, "did you have to submit any reports after flights or anything?" She asked me.

"_Yeeeeesssss,_" I said slowly with a raised eyebrow.

"Like reports for accidents or if one of your fellow pilots had to make an emergency landing or if they were shot down?" She asked me. I suddenly had a Flashback of Reaper's F-16 Falcon engulfed in flames right before I blacked out and woke up in Equestria. "REAPER!" I heard Twilight's voice as a far away echo and I felt my body shaking violently.

"What!?" I replied with a shout and blinked several times to find myself still in the train compartment.

"You just froze there and were saying Reaper and No several times, is everything alright? Reaper was your best friend right?"

"No more questions," I glared down at the floor.

"Come now Twilight, the poor dear has been through enough the past 24 hours, I think he could use a little breathing room," Rarity cut in and patted my head.

"Thank you Rarity," I said quietly, trying again to repress the memory. But then, as if by a saving grace, a mare's voice called out in the hallway of the train.

"Anything from the snack kart? Anything from the snack kart?" The voice called out. My stomach rumbled slightly and I reached into my pants pocket to produce about five bits.

"Anypony want something to snack on?" I asked.

"Naw, I'm all set," Pinkie Pie grinned like the Joker again and held up half a dozen cupcakes.

"Actually, I could go for a soda and some cookies," Rainbow's mouth drooled.

"I second that!" Soarin' smiled.

"Not at the moment, but thank you for the offer Cougar," Rarity replied and opened up a fashion magazine.

"I wouldn't mind a fruit cup," Twilight licked her lips.

"Can do," I smiled and opened the compartment door. Unfortunately, the mare that was running the snack kart had a negative reaction to my presence. I tapped her on the shoulder and showed her that I have the money for snacks, but instead was replied with.

"What the buck is a hairless ape wandering around the train for, did you escape the zoo?" She asked.

"Excuse me?" I asked her, hoping that the clacking of the wheels on the tracks drowned out what she actually said.

"A hairless ape that talks? What kind of freak are you? DON'T TOUCH ME!" She scolded, "did that monster Luna give you the ability to talk so she could have some company?" Oh fuck no, she did not just say that.

"Don't you DARE, talk about my friend like that lady," I jabbed a finger in her chest. This bitch would've been the perfect mate for Blueblood.

"I'll say what I want, it's a free country."

"You have a monarchy dumbass," I replied. Now the compartment full of my friends heard the debate going on and poked their heads outside the doorway.

"What would you know two-legger? I don't serve freaks like you, now get out of my way so I can serve four-leggers," she hit me with her hoof across the jaw. Now, I know some folks might think I lost my temper and hit her back, but I didn't. Instead, Rainbow flew out of the compartment at full speed and knocked the mare onto her back.

"You say one more bucking racist thing to my friend here," she began.

"Or hit him," Pinkie Pie warned while Applejack pounded her right hoof into her left hoof and Twilight flared her wings.

"And we'll pound you into cream bucking corn!" Rainbow held the mare by her shoulders and shouted in her face.

"Oh the elements of Harmony and Princes Twilight!" The pony gushed, "this is your friend? I didn't know he was your friend, what can I serve you?" She asked as Rainbow let her off the ground.

"We don't want anything from you anymore madame," Rarity replied, "you are by far one of the most despicable and rude ponies I've ever met," she huffed and turned tail back into the compartment.

"What is your name?" Twilight asked the pony.

"Ladybug," she replied with a fake smile.

"Well then, I'm sure Princess Celestia and Luna will love to hear about how you not only assaulted my friend Cougar and acted like a racist towards him, but you also insulted Princess Luna and called her a monster," Twilight warned. Ladybug's eyes shrank and she cowered to the floor.

"N-no, p-please. I'm going to college and this was the only job I could get on the weekends!" She begged. Twilight smirked and stamped her hoof to make Ladybug stand up.

"Then I suggest you apologize to my friend here, take your little snack kart and zip up your bucking mouth, got it?" Twilight gritted her teeth. Woah, I've never taken Twilight to be a pony that swears, but I guess this just got under her skin enough.

"Y-yes Princess," Ladybug turned to me, "I'm sorry for acting racist towards you and hitting you," she apologized.

"Just get out of here," I replied. The pony grabbed ahold of her kart and quickly trotted to the next compartment.

"Cougar, are ya alright there?" Applejack asked me, "that was a mean right hook she gave ya across the jaw," she took a close look at where I was hit. "Twi, his jaw is startin' ta turn purple, do ya know any healin' magic?" Applejack questioned while we all sat back down in our seats.

"Hmm, there's one that I know of," Twilight replied and touched her horn to my jaw which was starting to turn sore. I seethed as she touched it a little too hard, but I didn't stop her. My jaw began to vibrate as her lavender aura surrounded my head and softly dissipated into the air and my jaw felt fine. I put my fingers on the spot where I was punched and applied pressure, only to find nothing.

"Thanks Twilight," I moved my lower jaw around. "I'm lucky I didn't lose any teeth; that was a pretty hard hit she gave me," I joked.

"We've still got another hour before we arrive in Ponyville, why don't we get some rest?" Rarity suggested as Luna's moon was now high in the sky.

"What? No, let's have a midnight train riding party!" Pinkie declared before slumping down and resting her head on the wall of the compartment, letting out small snores. Rarity's aura engulfed the light switch and flipped it down, killing the light of the compartment except for the glow of the moon. She too fell asleep, resting her head on her forelegs while Soarin' and Rainbow snuggled against each other. Twilight yawned and wrapped herself in her wings for a blanket.

"You tired Applejack?" I asked the southern mare.

"Sense we were in the hospital all day long, Ah ain't tired that much yet. Ah can wait till we git back home," she replied, staring out the window at the silhouetted landscape. "What about you Cougar?"

"Please, I was asleep practically all day; I think I can stay up for a little bit longer," I grinned. We both sat in silence for a good fifteen minutes, listening to the clacking of the train wheels and the whistle of the train itself before I opened my mouth again. "Applejack, can we talk for a bit?" I asked her.

"Depends on what that is Cougar," she turned to me. Thanks to the shadows of the night, only the lower half of her body was shown, her top half was hidden from the shadows, but I could still make out her emerald eyes in the darkness.

"I really just wanted to say I'm sorry again for lying to you," I said. Applejack sighed and trotted over to me and sat down next to me with her head hung low.

"Cougar, thu fact that you lied to me isn't what Ah'm upset about. Ah'm upset because ya lied to mah family. Especially little Apple Bloom, she's goin' through a tough time right now tryin' ta git her cutie mark; Ah don't think she'd appreciate thu fact that ya lied to her when ya first met," Applejack explained to me. I opened my mouth to reply, but Applejack had more to say, "'N then there's Big Mac, he already doesn't like ya very much 'N now he might even try ta run ya off our farm! 'N Granny Smith, she puts her trust in only a select few ponies, Ah don't know how she'll react, but Ah think she won't be very happy," Applejack scolded me.

"I wasn't proud of myself for that," I replied quietly. "It's just, every time I get friends, no matter what I do, I lose them," I felt my eyes begin to water and I wiped them with my thumb, but they would just get wetter every time I wiped them. It was strange, I could literally feel Applejack's disappointment vanish and comfort set in. Her hoof began to rub my bare back.

"What are you talkin' about Cougar?" She asked me softly. I sniffled and wiped my nose. I wasn't bawling, but manly tears were slipping out of my eyes.

"I swear, I have a curse or an omen set on me. _Every time_ new friends enter my lives, they somehow find themselves out of my friendship. Like, when I was six, I had Reaper of course, but I also had another friend named Richard. The three of us were inseparable; a year later, he got Leukemia and had to leave for another town to get his treatment where died five months later. Then in eighth grade, I met a new friend name Greg who liked to hang out with me and Reaper, but his abusive Dad killed him in a drunken rage only a month after we met. And then Grizz, Tex and Boa, I only knew them for several years before-," I couldn't say anything more; more and more tears began to fall out of my eyes and I covered them with my hands. I choked a few times before saying one final thing, "th-that's why I l-lied to you and you-your family. I-I didn't want to lose a ft-friendship before it st-started," I clenched my eyes shut to keep more tears from falling. Applejack's hoof left my back, but I instantly felt the warmth of her orange fur against my torso as she hugged me.

"It's okay Cougar, Ah'm here fer ya," Applejack whispered and hugged me tighter. "Ah didn't mean ta snap at ya earlier."

"I'm just a b-bad fr-friend, you should just forget I ever existed Applejack, only bad things happen to my friends," I was able to speak without a sob interrupting.

"Now you stop that thinkin' right this instant Cougar," Applejack pushed me away and glared at me, "Ah ain't that shallow or selfish; Ah treasure our friendship, especially after you selflessly saved mah life and mah friends' lives and mah sister's. None of those bad incidents were yer fault, they were just unfortunate accidents," Applejack hugged me again.

"I still have a big apology to give," I wiped my wet eyes.

"Ya won't have ta give it alone, Ah'll give it with ya in case Big Mac has a negative reaction," she gave me the warmest smile I had ever seen in my life, even warmer than Celestia's or my mom's.

"Thank you," I hugged her in return.

"What're friends fer?" She asked me. I chuckled a bit as we sat close to each other. "What's so funny?" She questioned.

"This morning, you said I was pretty warm, but you're the one warming me up tonight," I smiled.

"Well, ya don't have a shirt anymore to cover ya, what time did ya say Rarity was gonna meet with ya tomorrow?" She asked me.

"She said around 2:00 in the Afternoon after everypony helps with the Summer Sun Celebration decorating," I replied, "by the way, will you still be able to buck apples with your leg?" I asked curiously. AJ looked down at her right rear leg with all its stitching and wiggled it around.

"Ah still can, Ah jest have ta watch how many trees Ah buck in a day," she explained.

"So, what is the Summer Sun Celebration?" I asked her after not realizing what exactly the holiday was.

"It's to celebrate the longest day of the year fer us. Luna lowers the moon really early in the morning 'n Celestia raises the sun really early too. Everypony gathers 'round early in the mornin' jest to see it happen. After that, we have a big get together to celebrate both the moon 'n the sun 'cause the days start ta get shorter till the winter months," AJ explained to me.

"Sounds like fun to me," I grinned. "Do you want to come with me to Rarity's?" I offered up.

"No thanks, Ah've gotta get baked goods ready fer the celebration while everypony is decoratin'." she replied.

"Alright, how bad could getting a new set of clothes be?" I asked.

* * *

**(After the train ride. 3rd Person POV)**

"It's good to be home," Applejack trotted happily away front the train station and took a deep breath in of Ponyville air.

"I must agree, our simple little town may not be fancy like Canterlot, but the charm it has is second to none," Rarity adored how the town looked in the white light of the moon. Cougar adjusted his hat and wiped his hair down.

"Hey Rainbow, before you go, I lost my aviators back at the campsite, do you know where I can get a spare pair?" he asked the Wonderbolt. Rainbow thought for a minute until she realized she was in the Wonderbolt's for Celestia's sake!

"Yeah, I think Soarin' can scrounge you up a pair of official Wonderbolt Shades, right Soar?" Rainbow asked her boyfriend. Cougar turned to the pale blue pegasus with a raised eyebrow, the guy code for asking.

"Sure thing, I'll see if I can find a new pair for ya Coug," Soarin' told the Air Force pilot, "anyways, we've got training early tomorrow," Soarin' took a quick look at the local clock tower, "what do ya say we get back to the academy and catch some zees?" he asked Rainbow.

"I'm all for that Soarin'! I'll catch you guys tomorrow night for the celebration!" the dare devil called as she and Soarin' took off together into the dark blue night. Pinkie Pie also had to get up early and begin making snacks, so she headed back to Sugar Cube Corner. Rarity, Twilight, Applejack and Cougar stood at the Train Station for a few moments before heading off towards the Golden Oaks Castle so Rarity, AJ and Cougar could collect their respective fillies and catch some shut eye.

"Do you think our sisters are already asleep Twilight? Sweetie Belle does tend to get restless, especially since she has been here for whole night and day without us," Rarity asked the Princess of Friendship.

"Ah think they should be dozin' off by now," Applejack replied, "'N we shouldn't be worried. Spike may be jest a few years older than our sisters, but Ah know he'll do a good job takin' care 'o them, 'member how he took good care of our pets?" She pointed out.

"Oh I'm not worried about how Spikey-Wikey took care of them, I'm just worried that Sweetie Belle will want to play a game or something when I take her home; I am not in the mood to stay up any longer than I have. I need my beauty sleep and my 100% total focus on making Cougar some new clothing," Rarity explained. The quartet turned a corner and found the castle looming in front of them.

"Well, here we are, I think I'll skip my book reading session tonight," Twilight chuckled and the door knob glowed with her lavender magic. The door swung open and Twilight gasped. "SPIIIIIIIIIIKE!" Her voice shouted into the castle.

"Kid's in some deep shit," Cougar said as Twilight marched over to Spike's sleeping body. His belly was distended and he had dried melted chocolate ice cream all over his face, belly and the floor surrounding him.

"Sweetie Belle! Did you eat like a little piggy!?" Rarity nudged her little sister who was surrounded by what Cougar believed to be vanilla ice cream.

"Applebloom, ya git up right now young missy," Applejack rolled Applebloom over onto her back. The yellow filly had both chocolate and vanilla ice cream splattered all over her face. The little purple dragon burped fire in shock and accidentally singed Twilight's eye lashes off her face.

"T-Twilight! What're you doing back so soon?" Spike fearfully asked whilst trying to hide the ice cream.

"We've been gone for a day! And I see you've helped yourself to all the ice cream in the castle after I _specifically_ told you to leave all the ice cream alone mister!" The alicorn glared at the little dragon.

"What's gonna happen Twilight?" Spike gulped in fear.

"You're in BIG trouble mister," Twilight's magic cleaned up all the ice cream and yanked the dragon by his ear, "upstairs, bed, NOW! No comic books for a month!" Twilight scolded Spike and tossed him into his bed. Rarity, Applejack and Cougar gathered up Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo from the ground and hauled them outside.

"See you tomorrow Twilight!" Rarity called cheerfully as the six shut the door to the library.

"Wait a minute, who gets to scold Scootaloo?" Cougar asked, referencing the little pegasus that was still sleeping.

"Jest bring her to thu Farm Cougar, she can stay in Applebloom's room," AJ replied.

"Haven't I taught you better than to eat like a little piggy Sweetie Belle? Imagine the look on mother's face if she saw you scarfing down sweets like that!" Rarity berated her little sister. "We'll see you all tomorrow, especially you Cougar, my ticket to Fashion history!" Rarity waved her hoof. Cougar slung the sleeping Scootaloo over his right shoulder as Applejack and Applebloom began to walk back to their farm.

"So, did ya have fun at Twilight's Applebloom?" AJ asked her sister. Applebloom looked down at the ground in shame, tears threatening to escape her eyes.

"Ah'm sorry Applejack," she replied.

"Don't be tellin' me yer sorry, ya best apologize to Twilight fer deliberately disobeyin' her instructions," the older mare said to her sister in a tone that wasn't angered, but held a tone of disappointment. "Yer grounded missy, Ah hope ya know that," Applejack added.

"F-from what Applejack?" Applebloom asked with fear.

"Ya can't do any Crusadin' business fer two weeks, understand?" The orange mare instructed.

"WHAT?! B-but how am Ah gonna earn mah Cutie Mark Applejack?" The little filly asked in desperation.

"It'll still come naturally little sis, but ya can't go and hang out with Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo startin' tomorrow afternoon, got it?" Applejack scolded.

"Cougar, ya gotta back me up, isn't that a little harsh?" Applebloom pouted her lips and begged to the Air Force pilot. With his arm still cradling Scootaloo over his shoulder, Cougar looked down at his little friend's begging face.

"Sorry Applebloom; this is a family matter and Applejack gets the final say, I can't say anything to swing her decision," Cougar apologized. Applebloom let out a choked sob and ran away quicker to the house, crying. "That hurts," Cougar said after Applebloom ran off.

"Don't worry about it Cougar, she'll be alright. Thanks fer carryin' Scootaloo all the way out here," Applejack said.

"It's no trouble, she's light," Cougar bounced Scootaloo on his shoulder. The two didn't say anything else after that. Cougar and Applejack walked into the house and gently laid Scootaloo onto Applebloom's bed where the yellow Earth Pony was silently sobbing. Cougar leaned down and ruffled her hair before turning around with Applejack and exiting the room. The two stood outside in the hallway, not saying much of anything.

"Well, good night Ah guess Cougar," Applejack placed her hoof onto Cougar's chest with a warm smile.

"Good night Applejack," Cougar replied and softly stroked her blonde mane. "Hope you sleep well," he added as the two let each other go and parted ways.

"Same to ya," Applejack responded and entered her room, softly shutting her door. Cougar then found himself lying down on his cot inside his house, staring up at the wooden ceiling, hands behind his head, thinking. His talk with Applejack on the train sparked old memories that he wished he could erase permanently. He reached in his back pocket of his pants that were lying next to his cot on the floor and pulled out his phone. The battery was at 14%, but Cougar knew he could probably have Twilight or Luna charge it with their magic.

Sighing, the pilot clicked his thumb on the pictures app on his phone and scrolled down to a file marked _Ghostrider Squadron Inaugural Flight_. He then clicked on the first picture he saw of himself, Reaper, Grizz, Tex and Boa all standing in front of their respective planes, though Grizz hadn't yet received his F-22 at the time. All five were arm in arm, smiling with their flight suits and freshly painted helmets with their call signs on. A small smile appeared on Cougar's face as he started to shake and cry. More tears started to streak down his face as he scrolled through pictures of he and his friends celebrating their goals that they had reached. He stopped scrolling when he came to a picture of himself and Reaper sitting on the ladders connecting their two jets in a hanger, both of them arm in arm, wearing their respective purple and red helmets and giving the thumbs up to whomever took the picture. He looked at the date the picture was taken: **June 21, 2018.**

"I'm sorry," Cougar whispered softly as his thumb stroked some tears off his phone screen. Cougar lost all feeling in his right hand as he let his phone drop from his grasp and fall onto the floor. He turned onto his side and rested his wet eyes onto his arm as he cried himself to sleep. Even though his sobs were quiet, Cougar didn't realized he was heard. Up above his little shack, Applejack was leaning out her window, laying her head on her foreleg as her heart broke for her friend.

* * *

**End Chapter X**

_I know I said this chapter would contain the Summer Sun Celebration, but I think this was a great place to stop. Next chapter I PROMISE we will have the Summer Sun Celebration. Also, we delve into how crazy Rarity will get in creating a new wardrobe for Cougar._


	12. Chapter XI: A Royal Propostion

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter XI: A Royal Proposition**

_Thank you guy so much. I'm not going flip out like a fanboy like before, but I am SO grateful that so many people enjoy my story so much. 52 followers? I've never even given that number a thought before, and I thought thirty was a big number. I really hope you guys love what I have planned, and I apologize for Chapter X taking a while to come out, I kept rewriting a few key scenes and taking a while to decide whether or not to end the chapter with what I ended it with or continuing. _

**OBSERVER01:** _Yeah it was. I like to go for emotional endings or situations between characters. Cougar looking at a past picture of his friends was an homage to Maverick looking at an old picture from 20 years prior in Top Gun. _

**_ninjagofangirlrb:_**_ I'm both sorry and glad that it made you cry. I don't like cheap emotional jabs at the audience, I like to dig deeper and make an impact worthwhile. And thank you for the compliment :)_

**adhdLuke: **_Thank you, and sorry it took me awhile to get it out._

**Furi Poi:** _Thank you, but I'm a little confused by your question. Cougar is an OC of mine, he just happens to have the same Callsign as Cougar from Top Gun (1986)._

**Brony At War:** _I know what you mean. Just __because she's a Princess doesn't mean she has to act all regal and proper 24/7. Plus, I think we can all understand swearing in that situation. _

**Dixie Darlin:** _Well Discord is still kinda new at this friendship thing. And Luna is Cougar's closest friend next to Applejack, so a good friend should have good advice. And I wanted a scene were a pony was acting Racist towards Cougar at one point and this seemed like a good point for it to take place. _

**PRR Gangsta: **_Wow, two times already? I don't know what I'm doing that you like so much, but thanks for that compliment. I hope you'll keep reading when it's over._

**AndJrew76:** _I'm both sorry and happy you cried. When I write an emotional scene, I feel bad when people don't cry._

_I hope there are some ZZ Top Fans in the audience..._

* * *

**(Rarity's Boutique. 2:00 PM. Cougar's POV)**

I stood in front of Rarity's business, nervous about going in. Applejack said that Rarity called it "Carousel Boutique," and I can see why. But the name and the appearance weren't the reasons why I was nervous about entering the dress maker's shop. I don't particularly like people, or ponies for the matter, being _that_ close to me, with the exception of medical doctors. Plus, I don't like the idea that she's never measured a human before, and I didn't want to get stabbed with that fucking needle, especially in _that_ tender area.

As I reached out and touched the door handle, the image of coming clean earlier that morning came back to mind.

***FlashBack***

I had actually slept in until seven that morning, though Applejack didn't seem to mind. I had awoken to a hoof resting on my shoulder and gently shaking me awake. "C'mon Cougar, time ta get up now," Applejack's voice soothed. I snapped my head up and looked up at the emerald eyes of the working pony staring down at me. "Did ya sleep good there Cowboy?" she nudged me to get up and out of bed.

"Y-yeah, I did," I replied and stretched as I sat up on my cot. The orange mare stepped back and gave me room as I stood up and dropped the blanket off of me and neatly made my cot in no time. Thankfully, Celestia's sun was nice and warm even this early in the morning, so my shirtless torso wasn't too chilly.

"Oh, Ah'll uh, give ya a sec," Applejack turned around and looked outside the door, leaving me momentarily confused, until I looked down. I quickly bent down and yanked my cargo pants off the floor and I heard my phone clatter onto the wooden floor.

"Sorry about that," I apologized as I pulled my pants over my boxers and buttoned them up. When the zipper went up, Applejack turned back around with a shy smile painted on her face. "So, breakfast and then explaining what we've been through?" I suggested and patted her head. She chuckled as we both jogged/trotted our way over to the house where the delicious aromas of Granny Smith's breakfast were wafting over the farm.

"Sounds good Cougar, now don't be nervous 'bout Big Mac alright?" She reassured me whilst opening the kitchen door, "Ah'll make sure he don't turn yer brains into mush," she joked, at least I was hoping. "Here, mah cousin Braeburn left one 'o his vests here awhile back, maybe it'll fit ya," she offered me from the coat rack.

"Thanks," I said as I put on the vest. It was a little snug, but it covered up most of my scars near my collarbone and neck, " Though I'm more worried about Bloomin' Onion not talking to me anymore to be honest," I replied just as I sat down at the table. Applejack trotted into the living room, opened up a closet and pulled out a brand new hat and placed it on her head. I heard her sigh happily before trotting back into the kitchen.

"Soups on!" Granny Smith declared and set the breakfast of Buttermilk Biscuits with country gravy, coffee, pancakes and eggs on the table. "So, how was yer campin' trip? Did ya have a hip swingin' time?" The elderly pony asked us. I was about to answer when Applejack cut in for me.

"Ah'd like ta explain when everypony is here Granny," Applejack explained to her Grandmother as Big Mac trotted happily down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Explain what AJ?" The big red stallion sat down and dumped about three biscuits onto his plate. That was when his eyes drifted down to AJ's right rear leg and saw the stitches over her scar. "WHAT IN CELESTIA'S NAME DIDJA DO TO MAH SISTER!?" He bellowed out at me and slammed his hooves onto the table, almost breaking it in half. Some of the dishes clattered as they shook violently from Big Mac's slam. I could see the steam emitting from Big Mac's nose as he snorted at me.

"What are ya on about Big Mac?" Granny Smith asked. Big Mac raised a hoof and pointed towards Applejack's leg. The elderly pony got off her chair and strolled her way over to check out what her Grandson was on about while the red stallion kept his eyes glued on me.

"Now, we were in a bit of an accident Granny," Applejack started to explain.

"Good Gravy, looks like somethin'' tried to bite yer leg off!" Granny exclaimed as she prodded the stitching. She looked up at her eldest Granddaughter, "what kinda trouble did y'all run into up at them falls Applejack?" Right when Applejack was going to finish her explanation when Applebloom walked into the room, albeit with a pissed off expression on her face.

"What's goin' on everypony?" She asked as she poured herself a cup of milk and studied the situation. She looked down to see AJ's injury and gasped, "oh my gosh! Applejack, is that what that Timber-wolf did to ya?!" She exclaimed in fear for her sister.

"Timber-wolf!? I thought you said you were gonna hike up to Winsome Falls?" Big Mac questioned and got his hooves off the table, allowing me to breath when his gaze turned from me to AJ.

"Well, now that everypony is here, we can explain," Applejack's hoof gestured towards me, "everythin' was goin' fine with thu trip. Unfortunately, after we told sum scary stories, a pair 'o Timberwolves appeared in our site." This statement generated gasps from Big Mac and Granny Smith, though Applebloom still didn't know exactly went down after Rarity teleported her out of there.

"My first priority was to get the kids out of there, so AJ and I had Rarity teleport them back to Ponyville where it was safe. Rainbow got her wing injured and had to be evacuated out too, but Applejack and I stayed behind to lure the wolves away from the rest of the group."

"So, you just hid while mah sister let herself git injured, is that it!?" Big Mac shot at me. Applejack lifted her hoof and smacked Big Mac away from me just when I thought he was going to pound me.

"He fought his ass off to make sure Ah was safe Big Mac," Applejack clenched her jaw, "Ah tried to kick one in the jaw after it scratched up Cougar's shoulder, but the second one bit mah leg," she explained and removed part of the vest covering my shoulder.

"That's gross," Applebloom held her mouth shut.

"You fought two Timberwolves, well how in the wide, wide world of Equestria did ya git away?" Granny Smith asked me.

"I killed them, one with my gun, the other by, more gruesome means," I replied and put my vest back on. "I'd go into detail, but I don't want you guys to lose your breakfasts," I apologized. Granny Smith gently touched my shoulder and spun me around on my chair.

"Let me git this straight Cougar, you sacrificed yerself, just to save mah Granddaughter?" I replied with a simple nod, but that was enough to have Granny throw her forelegs around my neck and hugged me tightly. "Yer a blessin' from somethin' far greater than Celestia herself Cougar," the elder mare smiled at me.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me," I smiled back.

"Luckily though," Applejack continued the rest of the story, "we bunkered down in the 'ol abandoned castle fer the night 'n were picked up by Luna the next mornin'. We spent all 'o yesterday in the Royal Infirmary gettin' all patched up," she playfully slapped my back.

"Them doctors are gettin' used to ya Cougar," Bloomin' Onion joked, forgetting for a brief second she was mad at myself and AJ.

"Yeah, let's hope it'll be years before I have to see another doctor," I replied. We all sat back down at the table to eat, but Applejack cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows at me. "Right, Granny, Applebloom and Big Mac, I have something else I need to tell you guys."

"Ah'm listenin'," Big Mac replied while keeping a stern eye on me. My mouth refused to open, no matter how hard I tried, my lips stayed tightly sealed. I cleared my throat and took a swig of coffee, but no words could escape. Applejack laced one of her orange hooves over my hand and lightly rubbed circles around the top and smiled warmly at me. Even though she didn't speak either, her eyes said, _'I'm with ya.'_

"I don't eat just fruits, veggies and dairy," I blurted out, "I also eat, uh, meat," I exclaimed and looked down at my plate. A pair of silver forks clattered onto the plates of the table loudly, jolting myself out of my seat. Six eyes stared at me as I attempted to gather my composure to explain. "I'm an omnivore, I can eat just about anything edible, but I haven't been tempted to eat any meat since I've been here."

"Why didn't ya tell us this from the beginnin' Cougar?" Big Mac asked me, but not in a threatening tone.

"He was scared, 'n rightfully so," Applejack replied for me, "at first, Ah was madder than a hornet that he kept the truth in the dark, but the more Ah thought about it, 'n after explainin' more to me, Ah understand why he was scared, especially with how you jump to conclusions Mac," she pointed her hoof towards her big bro.

"Me?" The red stallion replied.

"Yes you Big Brother," AJ said, "ever since Cougar first came here, ya never did like him, 'n you always think the worst 'o him without even gettin' ta know him. He's kind 'n he cares fer the betterment 'o everypony.

"Ah'm jest tryin' to look out fer mah family," Big Mac said as he stuffed a biscuit in his mouth.

"We appreciate that Grandson," Granny Smith patted his dirty blonde mane, "but we Apples can take care 'o ourselves. Now Cougar, do ya NEED to eat meat, or is it optional fer yer species?" I couldn't believe how well they were taking it. Then again, these folks took me in when no one else could, and I have been pretty helpful to them, so maybe they were willing to cut me some slack on this.

"I've gone for about a month without meat and I feel fine, I guess your home cooking does wonders for the body," I chuckled.

"That's what Ah like ta hear Cougar. Now then, let's quit jibber-jabberin' 'n chow down, we got a festival to start preparin' fer!" She declared and started to wolf down her breakfast. Applejack leaned over to my ear and whispered inside.

"That wasn't so bad was it now?" She teased me.

"Guess not, now I only have to help you guys prepare for the Celebration and then get some new clothes made up for me," I shuddered. Her hoof patted my back again and she teased me even more.

"Have fun parter."

***End Flashback***

After all that, the rest of the morning was pretty uneventful, just baking and setting out decorations for the Summer Sun Celebration. Thankfully, Applejack allowed me to keep the vest on so I wouldn't attract any unwanted attention to my scarring and stitches on my shoulder. But now I found myself standing outside of Rarity's place of business, nervous about going in.

"Oh, hey Cougar," I heard a sweet sounding young voice call to me. Turning my head, I found the pale green eyes and multi-colored mane of Sweetie Belle, "are you here for your new clothes?" She asked me. Rarity must've sent her to get a few things from the market. She had a saddle bag on filled with supplies.

"Yeah I am, is she home right now?" I replied, releasing my hand from the door handle.

"She should be, she was up _super_ early preparing for the Summer Sun Celebration and for designing your clothes," her magic aura opened up the door for the both of us. I felt out of place almost immediately. Fashion magazines and numerous pictures and drawings of different dresses and tuxedos adorned the walls and tables of what I assumed to be the waiting area. And of course, the aroma in here was of fancy smelling perfumes and something that would make Febreze jealous. I spotted a tray of tea and crumpets on the counter of the kitchen area. The only time I have ever eaten tea and crumpets was when I was stationed in the UK for about a month with the Royal Air Force during a joint operation.

"This place is too fancy for me," I uncomfortably scratched my neck. And everything was so, shiny. I liked to have a clean barrack to live in, but this was too much.

"You'll be fine, Spike loves to come in here all the time," Sweetie Belle put her saddlebag on the kitchen counter and motioned for me to follow her up the stairs. "Rarity! You have a guest!" She called to her older sister.

"Oh, do come up Cougar! I've been waiting all morning for this," the fashion insane pony enveloped me in her magic and thrust me inside her room, which was a giant mess. Now this room was more like my speed, not too fancy, but manageable. "I do hope you're ready Cougar, I have so many visions for you, my little project," she produced a measuring tape and measured me all over. After taking the measurements, she put on a pair of red glasses and a whole shit load of things began to hover above her.

"Do you really need all of that?" I gulped as I stood on top of a stool. A pen started to scribble something onto a piece of parchment while some pieces of fabric floated over to me and laced themselves onto my torso.

"Quiet, I am in the zone," Rarity shushed me and showed me the picture she drew. "Now, this is what you called a 'T-Shirt' correct?" She asked me. I nodded which made her giggle, "Simple enough Cougar." Suddenly, the fabric around my torso tightened and a pair of scissors flew towards me. My eyes clenched shut as I prepared for the worst, but the scissors jumped over my head and cut the fabric into two large pieces.

"For the pants, please just use my cargo pants as a reference," I begged, not wanting sharp scissors to come anywhere close to, there.

"Of course, though that will require you to take them off," she warned me, "luckily I have a privacy screen over there." I looked up to see the two dark blue pieces of fabric cut into two sides of a T-Shirt! Then came the sewing part. Unfortunately for me, the pieces of fabric had to be hovering over my torso so the measurements would hold up. The invisible hands holding the needles and threads quickly went to work and sewed up a plain dark blue T-Shirt for me. "There, how is that? Too snug, too loose? I need to know darling," Rarity begged me to let her know.

"It's perfect Rarity," I admired myself in the mirror, "I've never had a T-Shirt fit so well right away, usually I have to break them in," I explained.

"Well, you haven't worn any of my designs Cougar," Rarity bragged.

"So, is that it? You can just use those measurements as a reference right?" I asked as I tried to walk out of the room. But, Rarity had other plans as her magic yanked me back to the stool.

"Ah, you're not going anywhere, we're just getting started," she grinned evilly and raised her fabrics, threads, needles and parchments. "I told you Cougar, you would be my ticket to fashion history, and one piece of clothing won't get me there," she narrowed her eyes. I have never been so scared in my life.

"Have fun Cougar," Sweetie Belle left the room.

"Beginning?" I gulped

_Clean shirt, new shoes_  
_And I don't know where I am goin' to._

After a little bit of planning and scrapping other ideas, Rarity made me a new outfit and had me stand in front of a mirror. "So, what do you think Cougar? I think you pull off the Greaser look nicely."

She had me with slicked back hair, blue jeans, a white T-Shirt and a black leather jacket. Before I could say anything, she stuck a cigarette in my mouth and stepped back. I coughed as I smoked the cancer stick, "I like the jacket, but I'm not a big fan of the Greaser look," I explained. She snapped a quick picture before tearing the outfit away.

"Fine, Mr. Picky Pants, we'll try it again," She ripped the jacket from me, "and no, you cannot keep the jacket!" She shouted. That hurt a bit.

_Silk suit, black tie,_  
_I don't need a reason why._

Again, Rarity spent a while thinking of a new look for me and remeasuring me while sewing up the new outfit. This was painful for me; I can't stand in one spot for too long, and plus this was both boring and terrifying. "While I don't condone this type of business, I think the Pimp look is quite dapper for you," she batted her eyelashes at me and stood me in front of her mirror.

"Gah!" I exclaimed. She put a zebra patterned hat on my head with a purple feather, a fur coat with no shirt and skin tight leopard print pants on me. "Get this off me now!" The white unicorn huffed and had me take off the clothes, but not before snapping another picture. "How about just a windbreaker and some blue jeans?" I offered.

"Much too simple Cougar, I know!" She gasped.

_They come runnin' just as fast as they can_  
_'Cause every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man._

_Gold watch, diamond ring,_  
_I ain't missin' not a single thing._

"I think, we have our championship look sweetie," Rarity held my shoulders in front of the mirror. "I don't appreciate the 'Death Metal' music genre, but I do like how bold some of the musicians are with their outfits." Staring back at me, was an exact duplicate of Gene Simmons, but without the long tongue. Even the makeup was pretty damn close. Rarity snapped another picture before grinning like an insane person, "What do you think?" She asked me.

"I don't like death metal, and I like the look, but I'm not going to be wearing this, any time soon," I took all the heavy metal gear off.

_And cuff links, stick pin,_  
_When I step out I'm gonna do you in._

_They come runnin' just as fast as they can_  
_'Cause every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man._

"Now, anything wrong with this look?" Rarity asked me as sweat was forming on her forehead. In the mirror, I saw the reflection of, me. I had on a nice plain shirt with boots, a brown belt and blue jeans.

"I love it, this is my look," I flexed my muscles in the mirror. "You're a genius Rarity," I complimented. Rarity snapped another picture, but she wasn't too pleased with the outfit. "I have an idea," I chimed in.

_Top coat, top hat,_  
_I don't worry 'cause my wallet's fat._  
_Black shades, white gloves,_  
_Lookin' sharp and lookin' for love._

"There, now this is perfect," I said. I had Rarity make me a dark brown leather jacket with some stuffing on the collar of said jacket. And I even showed her some pictures of my patches that I wanted sewn onto the jacket. Grumbling, Rarity made the jacket, but she herself was pleased with the outcome.

"Oh my, that jacket does indeed fit your physique and personality," Rarity studied my look. "IDEEEEA!" She sang and snapped numerous pictures of me. "I shall call this, 'The Military Fashion Squad,' Cougar. Oh, Military enthusiasts will love this look, especially Wonderbolt fans," she grinned.

_They come runnin' just as fast as they can_  
_'Cause every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man._

"Glad I could help," I shook my head as my vision cleared up from the flashes.

"Now, these will take some time to develop, but you may wear that out of the shop," Rarity explained.

"Thanks, how much do I owe you?" I asked.

"It's on the house darling, this will take me to newer levels and I can't thank you enough for the opportunity," she thanked me. "Now then, it's almost time for the celebration to start," she looked at her clock which read 8:00. It wasn't even that dark out, but then again, it was the longest day of the year.

"You're too kind, how much?" I repeated the question.

"Cougar dear, if you don't put that money away, I'll find a nice snug little place for it," she smiled. I quickly stuffed the money back into my new pockets and began to head out the door to help Applejack. "Oh before you go, I have a treat for you," Rarity called out to me just as I pushed open the door.

"What is it?" I questioned, fearing that it was a makeup kit or something.

"I remembered your predicament at the lake so I whipped these up while you were in the bathroom," She tossed me a bag. Wondering the fuck she meant, I reached down and pulled out a pair of swimming trunks.

"But, how did you-" I began.

"They're made of the same material that I use for my swim suits for the summer swim suit competition in Las Pegasus, and I used your measurements, easy peasy."

"Swim suit competition?" I wanted to know, but she shoved me out the door.

"Sorry about this, but I still have work to do before the celebration starts!" She shouted and slammed the door, leaving me outside holding the bags of my new clothes.

I thought I would look a little strange carrying bags of clothes with me through town, but I realized practically everypony had bags of clothes or food with them. The town square did look nice I have to admit. Pegasi were flying up and tying golden colored streamers to the lamp posts surrounding the town hall and connecting them to the top of Town Hall. "Perfect My Little Ponies, keep up the good work!" Mayor Mare called to the working Pegasi. I looked up to see if I could spot Rainbow or Soarin, but they were probably still at their Academy training. That reminded me that hopefully the duo would bring me a pair of new sunglasses; the sun was blinding.

"HEADS UP!" I heard a voice shout. Looking back up at the baby blue sky, I saw a grey missile heading straight for me. Clutching my bags close, I leapt out of the way and landed on top of a bush just as the missile hit the ground. The resulting shockwaves knocked one of the lamp posts over and tore one of the streamers clean off the roof of Town Hall, which in turn ripped an entire row of shingles off the roof.

"Holy shit, are you okay?" I asked as I dropped my bags under the bush and rushed towards the missile pony. She had a dirty blonde main, grey fur and a couple bubbles on her flank. And her eyes were crossed too.

"Yeah, I'm fine," the mare pegasus replied and brushed off her wing that was covered in dirt and dust. "I just don't know what went wrong," she added and hopped back onto her feet. I know saw the mailbag hooked around her neck and the mailman hat atop her head.

"You took a nasty fall, are you sure you're alright there Miss?" I asked the mare.

"Oh sure, I've taken harder falls from higher heights. By the way, my name is Ditzy Doo, or Derpy for short," she saluted me. "Say, you look like a Military Pony, but you're that one Cougar Monkey guy right?!" She exclaimed in excitement and stared at me, at least I thought she was staring at me.

"If you say you're alright," I replied. "But yes, I'm Cougar, nice to meet you uh Derpy," I stuck out my hand to shake her hoof, but she waved her hoof around trying to find my hand. I eventually held her hoof with my other hand and shook it, finally getting the awkward meeting out of the way.

"So, how'd you get the name Cougar anyway?" She asked me.

"It's kind of a long story Derpy, and it looks like you have mail to deliver?" I asked.

"Nope, just finished the last letter of the day; now I get to go home and see my daughter Dinky and eat muffins before the Summer Sun Celebration!" She said excitedly and clapped her hooves together.

"Well, take care Derpy, please," I silently begged her. She sprouted her grey wings and took off, only to have another streamer catch on her left rear leg and be yanked off the roof again, ripping off more tiles.

"SORRY MADAME MARE!" Derpy shouted while flying away. I adjusted my Drive To End Hunger Cap and picked up my bags from under the bush. As I walked through town and back home, I waved hello to all the ponies I had met so far, even ones I would call my friends. Apparently Vinyl Scratch had been hired to play some music during the celebration, and she was stoked about it. Along with Applejack and Pinkie Pie bringing baked goods, Bon Bon was going to bring some of her famous chocolate candies to the celebration, and that was big honor that Princess Celestia chose her candy shoppe to bring candy, though I was positive Celestia had other plans, all involving eating Pinkie's cake.

Eventually, I had made it back to Sweet Apple Acres where the smells of Apple Pie, Apple Cobbler, Apple Fritter, Apple Brown Betty and cider greeted me. "Now tasting is something I can help with," I wiped my mouth with my jacket sleeve as I knocked on the front door. Bloomin' Onion opened the door for me and let me inside as she admired my new jacket and pants.

"Wow, cool jacket Cougar!" she exclaimed and starting dancing circles around me to get a good look.

"I had Rarity make it. She made it look exactly like my old Air Force jacket back home," I explained and set the bags of clothes near the door to pick up later. "So, how goes the dessert making Bloomin' Onion?" I asked the little Filly.

"We got enough desserts to last until Hearth's Warming Eve!" Applebloom showed me all the different desserts the Apple Family cooked up while I was away. I looked around to make sure no one else besides Applebloom was watching. After determining the coast was clear, I leaned forward to take a tiny piece of Apple cobbler for a quick snack when suddenly a wooden spoon smacked down on my hand. I groaned in pain and bit my finger to keep me from screaming.

"Not until later Cougar, nopony is gonna eat mah desserts till Ah say so!" Granny Smith shook her wooden spoon at me.

"Y-yes ma'am," I replied and shook my throbbing hand. The elderly mare smiled at me and continued to pack up the desserts into tins and pans. Applebloom snickered at my injury and went back to mixing up some apple butter. I took off my jacket and put it on the coat rack along with Braeburn's old vest. I then put on one of my newest T-Shirts and turned back to Bloomin' Onion and Granny.

"So, where's Applejack at?" I asked.

"She's jest feedin' the chickens since she can't buck Apples fer a while," Applebloom replied.

"If you need any help, just ask me," I opened the kitchen door and left to head towards the chicken coop. The dirt made my boots give off a thumping sound as I trudged my way over to the orange mare that was throwing chicken feed around near the chicken coop.

"Alright, come 'n git it li'l chicks, nice 'n fresh food fer ya!" Applejack called. Several chickens walked out of the chicken coop and began to peck at their food on the ground. I smiled at how Applejack patted the heads of every single chicken, letting them know they were loved and an important part of the farm.

"Which one's the pet of the family?" I joked, causing AJ to slightly jolt at the sudden surprise. She turned around and adjusted her cowgirl hat atop her head and trotted over to the part of the fence I was leaning against.

"What brings you out here Cowboy?" Applejack leaned up close to me, "did Rarity drive you nuts, or did she lose her mind 'n give up?" AJ opened and shut the gate to the chicken coop and we both started to walk along the farm.

"She drove me nuts, but she let me go, after eight hours of my life I'll never get back," I stared off into an Abyss of nothingness. Applejack chuckled and slapped her hoof on my back.

"Yeah, but she means well, Ah do like them new boots she made ya," AJ pointed out to me, "'n that shirt fits ya real good," she added. "Ah remember fer the first Grand Galloping Gala thu six 'o us plus Spike went to, Rarity designed six new dresses fer us."

"How'd that turn out? Were you guys okay with how they turned out?"

"Nah, the rest 'o us were foolish into thinkin' we knew what we wanted in a dress when Rarity knew all along 'n we took advantage 'o her. Not this cowgirl's finest hour Ah'll admit; then we learned jest how much Rarity cared 'bout someone when she spends hours 'n hours on end jest to make a new outfit fer them," Applejack explained.

"I guess that makes sense," I sat down on the front porch of the house, "so, what do we do at the Summer Sun Celebration anyway Applejack? Do we just watch Luna lower the moon and Celestia raise the sun or what?" I questioned for like the millionth time. I was still in a strange world; I wanted to minimize the risk of upsetting anypony, especially Luna and Celesita should I make a mistake. Applejack popped a piece of wheat stalk into her mouth and started chewing on it, reminding me of so many Western movies I saw as a kid.

"Well, we wait around thu town square, jest drinkin' cider, eatin' food, have a good time 'till Luna lowers thu moon 'N Celestia raises thu sun," the wheat stalk bobbed up and down as AJ spoke, "then we usually swim or jest party to welcome in thu longest day 'o the year," she finished explaining.

"Sounds like fun AJ, we don't have to dress up though, do we?" I replied and readjusted my hat to wipe the sweat from my brow. Even though it was late at night, I still had a sweat working up from my hat being on all day.

"Pfft, no 'o course not Cougar, jest wear that getup that yer wearin', it suits ya," the wheat stalk bobbed up and down again. Finally, Luna's moon overtook the good night sky, but I knew it would be gone in just a matter of a few hours rather than eight or nine. "We best be goin' soon Cougar," Applejack patted my leg and we both stood up.

"So, what do you want me to do to help you guys?" I asked her. AJ turned around to face me and leaned close to me, even though she was about three heads shorter than myself. She placed her hooves on my chest and stood up, looking into my eyes.

"Ya can go take a shower, please, ya stink," she said and fell back onto her four legs and walked back inside. Feeling surprised, I bent my head down and sniffed my arm, only to be met with the foul stench of sweat. I grimaced and went back inside to grab another shirt to wear after my shower. After grabbing my shirt, I went up to the hall closet and grabbed a white cotton towel from the closet and swung it around my neck before walking back downstairs. The entire Apple family trio was standing in the kitchen, putting on last minute preparations for their food.

"Can we help ya Cougar?" Granny Smith asked me while wrapping up a pan of apple fritters in tin foil.

"I'm just letting you guys know I'll be in the shower if you need me, I shouldn't be long," I let them know.

"We should be good to go for the celebration Cougar," Applebloom replied to while balancing a plate of apple crisp cookies on her head. I waved to the family before departing for the bathroom.

* * *

**(At the Celebration Several Hours Later. Cougar's POV)**

This was a pretty magical celebration as many ponies I talked to claimed. Vinyl was playing some pop/dubstep music on her turntables while many ponies were swaying to the music and drinking Applejack's famous cider and eating Pinkie's pastries. The streamers had fortunately been repaired from Derpy's crash landing and golden lights were wrapped around them, giving off a heavenly golden glow and atmosphere surrounding the celebration.

"Oh my, this music is certainly giving me a pounding headache," I heard Rarity whine while drinking some of Applejack's cider. "Couldn't they have gotten he string quartet that plays during the Gala? Some classical music would surely give more sophistication to this celebration." On cue, me and everypony that heard the outcry rolled their eyes, save for one certain purple dragon.

"An aspirin pill for you most beautiful?" Spike so cheesily offered to Rarity. The unicorn smiled and popped the white pill into her mouth.

"Always the thoughtful one my little Spikey-Wikey," Rarity cooed and rubbed his head like one who loved their dog, "if only more ponies shared our enthusiasm for music that makes one think." Twilight rolled her eyes and levitated Spike away from Rarity as she had begun to speak to another pony about an outfit for the fall Gala.

"Dude, why are you acting like a puppy dog to her?" I asked Spike.

"Pfft, what do you know about love Cougar? Have you ever had a girlfriend?" Spike replied with crossed arms. I didn't speak for a moment; the memories of always being the single guy at school or at base came flooding back to me, but I shrugged them off.

"Firstly, no I haven't Spike, but come on, if you keep acting like this, Rarity will only think of you like a little brother. Just say that you're happy to help or it's not a problem. With the way you're speaking, she's pretty much got you wrapped around her hoof," I explained.

"If you haven't had a girlfriend before, then I don't have to listen to you, human. Now why don't you stay out of my business, I'm doing just fine," Spike turned around and flicked his tail at me. I flicked my hands up and turned around to.

"Fine, be that way you ungrateful lizard," I said under my breath.

"Cougar, you shouldn't just give up on the little guy," a meek voice cut into the air. I almost couldn't hear it under the penetrating beats of Vinyl's music. Looking behind me, I saw the creme colored fur and pink mane of Fluttershy. Her little rabbit Angel was perched atop her head, munching on a carrot.

"Look, I don't mean to be a jerk Fluttershy, but if he doesn't want any advice on how to win Rarity's attention, then why should I help him?"

"I have something else to explain, you know, if you still want to hear it Cougar? But if-if you don't want to, I understand," she whispered softly. I nodded my head, wanting to get this conversation over with. A small smile spread across the mare's face as she was given the permission to speak, "Spike has had a crush on Rarity ever since he arrived in Ponyville, and he hasn't really wanted any help in winning Rarity's heart, his dragon code won't allow help with finding a mate, or as he calls it, 'His beautiful Princess.' It gets really serious with him, so we just keep letting him flirt with her," she explained.

"That's interesting Fluttershy, but listen to me. He's setting himself up for heartbreak. If he thinks she likes him the way he likes her with her cute compliments, it's gonna hurt him even more than if he actually asks her out and she says no. He could wind up walking into her boutique to see her accepting a dinner invite with another stallion; that's gonna kill him," I retorted. Before Fluttershy could reply, Twilight cut in.

"He's getting more mature everyday Cougar; he's going to have to learn things like love the hard way," Twilight looked at her dragon assistant with motherly eyes. I was in complete shock. These ponies _knew_ that Spike was going about his crush for Rarity the wrong way, yet they were going to let his heart break just to force him to live the harsh realities? I understand, most sentient beings will have to live harsh realities, but their friends and family can help them take steps so they won't have their hearts broken as hard.

"Fluttershy, you're the nicest pony or person I've ever met, you have to admit that what you're allowing Spike to go through is wrong?" I exclaimed to the shy pegasus. Said pegasus drug her hoof through the ground and looked down, apparently hating being put on the spot.

"Uh, well, uh I think that Spike, oh would you look at that, a poor beaver needs help getting his uh tail out of a log," Fluttershy pointed to a happy beaver waving towards her. Suddenly, Fluttershy was gone in a flash and the ground was sort of smoking where she once stood. I shook my head in shame and turned around to see none other than Luna standing before us.

"Hello Cougar, I hear you are fearing for Spike's heart?" she questioned me. I looked around to see the rest of the gang just standing around while Luna approached me.

"Yeah, but let's just push that aside for now, this is a party right?" I asked with a grin and handed Luna a cup of cider. The midnight blue alicorn happily accepted her cup and took a nice long sip from the plastic device.

"So, how are things holding up with your injuries? I fear your collar bone may be hurting severely from the extents of the injury," she asked me with concern.

"Oh, it's feeling fine. I haven't really pushed it too far yet," I took a sip of my cider.

"Good to hear. Now then, I was wondering Cougar, with your military experience and the way you handled those Timberwolves, have you given any consideration on becoming a royal guard for Canterlot?" Luna asked me. I lowered the cup from my mouth and let it rest next to my side.

"Cougar, a royal guard?" Rainbow looked back and forth from myself to Luna.

"Are you sure he can handle that?" Twilight questioned.

"An Earth Pony has NEVER been a royal guard yer highness," Applejack said, "'N Cougar is about thu same, he don't have wings or magic."

"Yes, but he has brute strength and cunning smarts when it comes to combat," Luna responded, "I have a feeling he could become even a royal body guard, or maybe Captain with his past military experience." I quickly refilled my cider from a punch bowl and took a quick but large sip.

"Luna, I may have hand to hand and weapons combat training, but I'm more qualified to fly jets, more specifically an F-15. And since mine is permanently out of commission and you guys are not even close to that technology, I'm afraid I may not be able to help you," I delineated. Luna raised an eyebrow and sipped her cider until the cup was empty.

"You should think about it Cougar. A man of your honor and military training could prove quite useful as a guard, or even help training some new guards in hoof to hoof combat. Some of the new recruits rely far too much on either their magic or their wings, and with Shining Armor now the Prince of the Crystal Empire, we have nopony good enough to train our recruits." I pondered on the idea of training the recruits for guards for a brief moment. This was an interesting idea albeit an out of the blue proposition. Would my training even help pegasi and unicorns? Would they even listen to me?

"I'll give it some thought, but I think Sweet Apple Acres needs me a little bit more right now Princess," I replied and patted Luna's shoulder.

"Keep thinking Cougar, and if you change your mind, well you should know what to do by now," she winked at me.

"I will Luna," I shook her hoof and then saw a flash of white light as Princess Celestia appeared on stage, "oh and I'm sorry you have to lower the moon early tonight," I quickly apologized while everypony went silent.

"Welcome one and all to the 1005th annual Summer Sun Celebration!" Celestia announced. Everypony in the audience started to stamp their hooves on the ground, sort of their own version of applause. "Thank you thank you all, but remember, this is also a celebration for my sister Luna!" Celestia cast a golden light over Luna, "for now she gets to bless us with her beautiful night earlier and earlier as the year goes on!" The sun princess announced. More stomping followed her statement. I started applauding with my hands so I wouldn't disrespect anyone.

"If I may, fair sister?" Luna questioned as she teleported onto the stage next to her elder sister. Applebloom was starting to jump up and down as she tried to see Celestia and Luna perform their duties. I bent down, grasped her forelegs and plopped her on top of my 6'2" shoulders.

"Enjoying the view?" I smirked. Applebloom hugged around my head and then placed her fore hooves on top of my head. Suddenly, both Celestia's and Luna's horns spurt out (like the Death Star laser) their respective colors into the night sky. The moon soon started to lower under the brim line of the horizon while the sun followed suit, except staying in the sky. The loudest stomping occurred and I joined in with my clapping as the duo ended their spell and took a bow on top of the stage. The warm rays of the sun beat down on my skin as the moon completely disappeared from view.

"Now, enjoy the day my little ponies!" Celestia announced as she trotted off stage and approached Twilight. I took Applebloom off my shoulders and placed her on Applejack's back.

"That was awesome Cougar! Thanks!" The little filly thanked me as she hopped off her sister's back.

"Boy that little filly jest loves thu Summer Sun Celebration," Applejack smiled.

"I can tell, she must get it from her sister."

"We do both enjoy plannin' our Family Reunions," Applejack pointed out, "Ah guess it jest rubs off on other celebrations. Speakin' 'o which, when is yer birthday? Ah'd be happy to git Pinkie Pie ta throw you a party," she offered. Before I could answer, I saw Big Mac talking with Cheerilee near the back of the audience.

"Hold that thought Applejack," I said and jogged over to the red stallion. "Excuse me Cheerilee, can I borrow your Stallion-friend for a minute?" I asked her.

"Oh, uh, of course Cougar," she allowed me and Big Mac some space and went to grab a snack.

"What do you want, Cougar?" Big Mac asked me, clearly in an upset tone. I'd be to if someone I didn't care for that much interrupted me and my girlfriend.

"Look, I just wanted to talk, man to stallion alright?" I asked. The red stallion's eyes looked me over, but he gave me a contented sigh and bowed his head down.

"Eeyup," he replied.

"I care for your family Big Mac. You guys took me in and allowed me to stay in your home and work at your home, but why don't you like me? I've lived with you and your family for damned near a month now, but you're the only one that doesn't like or trust me, what's up?" I asked him.

"We've had ponies give us the same fancy song 'n dance before about bein' hard workers and they won't hurt us. But several times, we've hired ponies that are lazy as buck or some that have stolen from us. Applejack has nearly been raped before too in the barn," Big Mac explained, "'N since our Mom and Dad are gone, Ah've been the Stallion 'o the house to keep mah family safe. Ah jest didn't want to trust anypony anymore, we can get by on our own Cougar, 'N I want mah sisters 'N mah grandma to be safe from freeloaders 'N sickos that won't take no fer an answer. Especially Applejack, she's taken a real shine to ya as a friend 'N I don't want her to be hurt again." I stood in shock in front of Big Mac. It wasn't because I wasn't a pony, Big Mac just didn't want his family to be hurt, which was understandable, but to think Applejack had almost been raped? That made me sick to my stomach and pissed off at the same time.

"That gives me a lot to think about Big Mac," I replied.

"Ah'm sorry I jumped to conclusions this mornin' though," Big Mac apologized.

"I get it, your baby sister was injured and the guy you trust the least was with her when it happened," I explained for him. "Big Mac, I'm sorry if I placed a lot of stress on you or made you think you weren't being a good brother."

"Ah'm sorry fer being an ass," he apologized a second time. I stuck out my hand and shook his hoof.

"Look, let's just start over. We don't have to be friends, we can just not verbally attack each other, how does that sound?" I asked.

"Good 'nuff fer me Cougar," Big Mac actually smiled at me.

"Now get out of here, I'm sure your Mare-friend is missing ya," I smacked his side.

"Jest don't let me catch ya peepin' again. Applejack has a mean right hook," Big Mac replied while trotting back to Cheerilee. I leaned against a tree and looked over to see my friends enjoying the new day. I was thinking just how far Big Mac and I got in the span of about five minutes, though I'm sure Applejack helped my case by talking to him before.

"Cougar, come on!" I heard Applejack call, "we're 'bout to start the pie eatin' contest!" I smiled again and got off the tree and started walking back to my friends.

* * *

**End Chapter XI**

_So, Cougar has new clothes and enjoyed a night partying with his friends. And will Cougar take the proposition Luna gave him? Anyway, the next chapter, prepare to have your heart strings tugged._

_Also I do NOT Own Sharp Dressed Man by ZZ Top_


	13. Chapter XII: A Bruised Apple

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter XII: A Bruised Apple**

_Hey guys, I really can't thank you all enough for the positive response this story has gotten. Just reading how much you readers love this story warms my heart every time I __sit down to write a new chapter. And SIXTY followers?! SIXTY!? Holy crap guys, I just don't know what to say. Never in a million years did I think any of my stories could get that many followers, or 43 favorites. I know that's not a lot considering how many stories have 100+ favorites and followers, but I feel blessed :). Thank you guys. BTW, I would have gotten this chapter out sooner, but a funny thing happened to me on the 20th, I turned 20! And before I forget, let's reply to some reviews._

**Ljungberg:** _The thought never crossed my mind to have Discord invade Cougar's mind. I've got other plans for Discord._

**Dixie Darlin:** _It was time for Big Mac and Cougar to wipe the slate clean and start over. That much tension from Big Mac couldn't be healthy for very long, especially since both his sisters and Grandmother like Cougar._

**OBSERVER01:** _Thank you._

**ninjangofangirlb:** _Well then, I hope you like this one!_

**Guest:** _PM me if you really want to know._

**SquirtlePWN:**_Out of literally 13K+ MLP stories, THIS is the first one you've enjoyed reading? Wow, that's actually a very kind compliment. I don't know what I'm doing that makes you like it so much, but I'll keep it up! BTW, Squirtle was my third favorite Pokemon when I was a kid. Right behind Charzard and Pikachu._

**Silence is Gold3n: **_I understand that capitalizing timber wolf is a grammatical error, but since it played the part of a villain and is referred to only by that name, I decided to bend the rules slightly. But thank you for caring enough to tell me! And I'm glad you enjoyed the musical montage!_

_Also, if there are any fimfiction authors reading this story, please PM me with information on the fimfiction website. I've gotten recommendations on joining it and adding this story to the site, but I am just curious at this point. Like, what makes it better than this website? Any information will be helpful._

_Alright guys, a fair warning: _**If you cry so much your eyes dry up and you go blind, I am not responsible,**_ please enjoy Chapter XII!_

* * *

**(Three Weeks Later. Sweet Apple Acres, Cougar's POV)**

I had woken up at the same time I had been for over two months now, but Applejack called me in to the kitchen before I could even start on my daily chores. Granny Smith already had breakfast all set up and Big Mac and AJ were waiting for me. "So, what's going on here?" I pulled a chair out, grabbed a buttermilk biscuit and mug of coffee and sat down.

"Well first, we gotta wait fer Applebloom Cougar," Big Mac replied as he began to stuff oatmeal in his face and downing the food with coffee. As if on cue, the cute little filly bounded down the stairs and happily hopped into a chair next to me. I just remembered that today was the day that her two week punishment was officially over. Applebloom happily sipped down on her cup of milk while waiting for the announcement from the rest of the family.

"Alright then, Cougar, Applebloom," Granny Smith began. Everyone at the table fell silent, "today, Ah have ta go 'N help out yer Aunt Apple Brown Betty with her illness. She's been feelin' under thu weather lately and wrote to me askin' fer help, so Ah'll be gone all day today, but Ah'll be back later tonight," Granny Smith explained. I quietly continued to sip my coffee as I tried to remember as many relatives as I could from when Applejack told me. Unfortunately, Babs Seed, Braeburn and her Aunt Apple Brown Betty were the only three I could remember.

"'N we've got pie deliveries ta make ya two," Applejack cut whilst setting down a map for herself and a map for Big Mac, "it's a day long trip fer the both 'o us," the orange mare looked at me. I was finally putting the pieces together: Applebloom and I were going to be left alone at the farm for a whole day, did that mean I was going to be in charge of the _entire _farm for the day, or would Bloomin' Onion be the one in charge? The latter made more sense to me, seeing as how she's lived on the farm her whole life while I've barely scraped by on almost two months. "Cougar? Did ya hear me?" I heard AJ's voice cut into my thinking, causing me to jump slightly in my seat.

"I'm sorry what did you say Applejack? Is Bloomin' Onion going to be in charge for the day?" I asked her. This brought hearty chuckles from the three eldest members of the Apple clan sitting in the room.

"If she was the only one here, then yeah," Big Mac chuckled as he shoveled more food into his mouth.

"But since yer the oldest one here after Applejack," Granny Smith continued.

"_Yer_ goin' ta be in charge 'o Applebloom today!" Applejack enthusiastically explained, for some reason. I started to sip nothing but air from the mug in my hand, so I set the mug down on the table softly. Applebloom had the same idea as me to ask why, getting to the point faster than myself.

"But why?" She asked not in a whining voice, but a curious and concerned voice, "Ah wouldn't mind spendin' the day with Cougar, but Ah can take care 'o myself if I need ta!" She countered.

"We know that lil sis," Applejack replied and wrapped an arm around Bloomin' Onion's neck in a hug, "but Ah figured if you'd stick around the farm the whole day with Cougar, he'd be in charge 'o ya, but ya can still go into town and hang out with Scootaloo 'N Sweetie Belle if ya want while Cougar watches over the farm," AJ explained to her little sis.

"Wait a minute, you just want me to watch over the farm?" I asked in shock, "no chores for me to do? Nothing to fix or errands to run?"

"Nope, jest relax fer the day Cougar, you've earned it with how hard ya worked the last two weeks, even after yer little escapade with them timberwolves," Granny Smith explained to me. No, this couldn't work for me at all. I can't be stuck with nothing to do; I get bored extremely easily and I feel like I'm lazy if I don't do anything all day long. Nonetheless, Big Mac, Granny Smith and Applejack left the dining room and began to prepare for their daily trips. Applebloom and I cleared the table together, though it was mostly silent, so I decided to try and strike up a conversation with the filly.

"So, do you want to do anything today Bloomin' Onion? We could go for ice cream or a milkshake, or we could watch movies on my iPad together and eat popcorn?" I offered to her. The yellow filly gave a mighty sigh as she stacked the dirty dishes from the morning's breakfast into the sink and she wiped her brow with her hoof.

"That sounds good; maybe Scootaloo 'N Sweetie Belle will meet us at Sugar Cube Corner," Applebloom tapped her chin with her hoof and ran water over the dirty dishes.

"Maybe I can hang out with Vinyl today to, and then probably come back and organize the barn a little."

"Ah said yer gonna take a break today and that means yer gonna take a break there youngin'," Granny Smith sternly slapped my back with her hoof.

"Yes ma'am," I replied and rubbed my back which I'm sure was red with a horseshoe print glowing. Granny had a duffel bag with a medical plus sign adorning the side and a sun hat on top of her grayish mane. Applejack and Big Mac appeared wearing saddle bags on their backs, presumably hosting water and food for their long treks.

"AJ, is your leg healed enough for you to go on this long of a trip?" I questioned. The mare in question narrowed her emerald eyes at me and trotted her way over to me, turned sideways and raised her rear leg only to rest her hoof on my knee cap.

"Ah can show ya that it's healed enough partner, or you can take mah word fer it," she threatened. I quickly and softly patted her leg until she lowered down onto the floor. "Good boy," she winked at me, "now Ah guess that's it, wanna help us hook up to our wagons?" Applejack asked me and Applebloom. The two of us then found ourselves outside with the two large pie wagons, ready to be hitched up.

Applebloom helped hitch up her sister while I helped hitch up Big Mac. Having hitched up Applejack before, hitching up Big Mac wasn't too hard. I tightened up the leather strap around the harness and patted his back. "That's it big guy, not too tight is it?" I asked. The red stallion rolled his back around a little and shook his head.

"Nnope, it's perfect Cougar," Big Mac replied to me, "you'll take good care 'o mah sister right? She can take care 'o herself, but I want ta know that if anythin' does happen to her, you can watch out for her," he explained to me. The statement caught me off guard, I could take care of Applebloom no problem, but I had no clue what could happen to her. Scraped knee? Twisted hoof? A cold?

"Yeah, of course Big Mac, she'll be just as you guys left her," I patted his shoulder.

"Good ta hear, we best be off!" Big Mac called to Applejack whom as hugging Bloomin' Onion tightly.

"Be good fer Cougar now Applebloom!" The older sister called as she and Big Mac set off for their pie delivers. I couldn't fathom just why her saddle bag had a whip and a chair poking out, or why she was wearing black leather leggings, but I decided not to dwell on it. The primitive technology of this planet was already giving me a headache.

"Ah will!" Applebloom called back, "bye Granny Smith!" Applebloom shouted while Granny casually walked her way to the train station and vanished behind the steam of a locomotive. And finally, Big Mac and Applejack disappeared behind the hill behind Sweet Apple Acres, leaving myself, Applebloom and of course, Winona. The little pup whined that Applejack left but Applebloom scratched behind her ear. "Don't fret now Winona, she'll be back in no time!" The filly comforted the dog.

"So, let's go back and finish up the dishes and then we can go for ice cream, my treat!" I ruffled Applebloom's red mane. The yellow filly jumped in the air and clapped her hooves before trotting inside. "Come on Winona, I'll give you some leftovers," I patted her belly. She barked in response and jogged with me back inside to the kitchen. Luckily, there weren't that many dishes left, so cleanup was a breeze. The rest of the eggs in the pan went straight into Winona's food bowl, which she happily gobbled up.

"Do you have a favorite ice cream flavor Cougar?" Applebloom asked me as she dried dishes to put back in the cupboards.

"Chocolate Fudge Brownie," I replied quickly, "even in the winter time, I could never get enough of it as a kid."

"Ah like strawberry ice cream myself," Applebloom explained to me, "Ah especially like the little chunks of strawberries in the ice cream itself." She dried the final dish and set it in the cupboard. I dried off my hands and set the brush I was using behind the sink.

"Alright then, how about some ice cream?" I asked with the cheesiest green I could muster. Applebloom giggled and rushed over to the front door of the house. "Winona, you're in charge until Applebloom and I get back okay?" I asked the dog that was stretching out and chasing her tail around in the living room. I chuckled and followed Applebloom out the door and we took a little time on getting to town as we enjoyed the beautiful day, though pegasi moving the clouds around still creeped the hell out of me.

* * *

**(In Town. Cougar's POV)**

"Hey Pinkie Pie, how're you doing today?" I asked the pink mare as the little bell rang inside Sugar Cube Corner. The mare in question turned around from frosting and sprinkling doughnuts and a huge smile spread across her face.

"Hello Cougar, was your sugar sense tingling this morning?" Pinkie Pie questioned and thrust a box of chocolate chip cookies into my and Applebloom's face. I politely shoved the box down onto the counter and rested my elbow on said counter.

"You could say that; Applebloom and I just wanted some ice cream if you can handle ice cream of course," I teased Pinkie Pie. The mare gasped in shock and narrowed her eyes at me.

"I can handle any sweet, any time bub, you don't know who you're messing with here," she jabbed her hoof in my chest with a serious growl, though that really didn't faze me at all.

"Then I'll take a chocolate fudge brownie in a large waffle bowl," I growled right back. In no time flat, Pinkie Pie thrust a large waffle bowl full of my ice cream into my face. Impressed with her scooping skills, I took a bite of the ice cream and I froze. "Ah, ah, damned brain freeze," I rubbed my temples.

"Ha, Pinkie Pie 1, Cougar 0!" Pinkie did a little victory dance behind the counter. I rolled my eyes as best as I could with my brain freezing faster than Han Solo. Applebloom hopped on upwards towards the counter and pondered on what she wanted.

"Hmm, Ah'll take a medium strawberry shake please Pinkie," Applebloom politely asked. Pinkie ceased her victory dance over me and quickly made up Applebloom's requested milkshake.

"There ya go, that'll be six bits please," Pinkie stated to the yellow filly. Thankfully, by this point my brain freeze had gone away and I could think once again. Digging into my pants pocket, I produced the six gold coins and let them clatter onto the counter.

"Keep the change Pinkie; don't spend it all on one thing," I winked with a smart ass demeanor. Pinkie pouted her lower lip and lowered her eyebrows at me, but took the money and placed it into the cash register.

"Hope you're feeling better!" She called as Applebloom and I sat down at a table near the window and began to eat and drink our sweets. We both sat in silence for a few moments, just admiring the view outside the window and listening to the cheerful chatter the cafe held. Suddenly, a yellow stallion wearing an apron and a paper hat trotted up to the table and took off said hat.

"Hello, you're Cougar correct?" The stallion asked me politely and stuck out his hoof. I grasped it and shook it like normal.

"That's right, and you are?" I replied with a question.

"I am Mr. Cake, my wife and I own Sugar Cube Corner," the stallion replied as his wife approached the table, "Pinkie told us how you risked your life to save your friends, we're grateful to have you in our humble store," Mr. Cake bowed his head at me. I snapped my fingers at him, causing him to jolt his head back up to eye level with me.

"I was just doing what a friend and a soldier would do Mr. Cake, I'm nothing special," I added as I took a bite of my ice cream.

"Nonsense, Pinkie is lucky to have a friend like you," Mrs. Cake patted my head with her hoof. Pinkie then randomly jumped out from under the table with napkins for myself and Applebloom.

"Yep, we could always use a nice big strong set of muscles for security!" The pink mare hopped up and down. Mr. Cake produced a newspaper article from his apron pocket and stapled it upon the wall next to our table. I had become too familiar with the article. The Ponyville Gazette had done a front page article on how I had saved three of the elements of harmony and their sisters while putting my life on the line to do so. It was a tad embarrassing to be honest. I didn't want to be praised and showboated around like certain celebrities of Earth. Just a simple thank you would've been fine; lucky for me the Apple's respected that and didn't hang up the newspaper article like a trophy.

"Well, if there's anything we could do for ya, just let us know," Mr. Cake said as the trio left to make more sweets. Applebloom must've noticed how uncomfortable I was; she stopped sipping on her milkshake and looked my way.

"You alright there Cougar? Ah know ya don't like the praise ya get from ponies, but ya could at least enjoy a bit 'o bein' a hero," she asked me. Sighing, I set my near empty waffle bowl onto the table and wiped my mouth of the chocolate.

"Like I've explained before Bloomin' Onion, I didn't join the military just to bask in glory, or to be hero celebrity, I joined because of the honor I thought I could give my country and my species, and to do the right thing. I don't mind a thanks now and again, I just don't want to be put on a pedestal and glorified like a God."

"Ah get that, but ya don't have ta be shy 'bout it," the filly countered, "Applejack 'N Big Mac don't like ta be glorified either, but they deal with it until it dies down; it honestly ain't that bad either," she sipped on her milkshake once more.

"Yeah, but I don't like that. The only ones in my opinion who deserve praise like that are doctors, scientists and firefighters." I took the last bite out of my ice cream and started to munch on the waffle bowl.

"Soldiers too," Applebloom quickly added. Before I could retort, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo burst from the door and bounded up towards our table with huge grins on their faces.

"Applebloom, isn't today the day your punishment was lifted?" Scootaloo's wings vibrated and flapped constantly.

"Yep, sure is, so what plans do y'all have today?" Bloomin' Onion grinned back and scooted over on her bench to let her friends sit down. I wiped my mouth again as I finished my waffle bowl and Applebloom finished her milkshake.

"What happened to the ideas I gave you?" I asked the little orange pegasus. Her ears and wings drooped in embarrassment and a pink glow appeared on her cheeks.

"Well, Rainbow Dash _did_ get me an opportunity to be a race announcer in Cloudsdale, but I apparently showed "too much favoritism," whatever that means," she rolled her eyes.

"I still haven't talked to Fluttershy yet," Sweetie Belle looked down at the table in shame. I didn't look at Applebloom; I already knew she hadn't done any cutie mark crusading for a fortnight.

"Well, whatever, you guys still have plenty of time to come up with new ideas," I chuckled, "anyway, can I get you two some ice cream or cookies?" I asked the unicorn and pegasus.

"No, we're cool Cougar, right Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo asked. The little unicorn nodded in response.

"Alright then, Applebloom, are you going to go hang with your friends then?" I questioned. The three little fillies hopped up from their bench and opened the door, the little bell ringing in the process.

"Yep, Ah'll be home around 5:00 since mah family'll be home 'round seven," she replied and trotted out the door with her friends. I sat back in my chair and rested my head against the wall.

"Can I get you anything else Cougar?" Pinkie Pie asked me, "coffee? Soda? Cookies? Hot towel? The rest of the script?"

"The rest of the what?" I asked, but Pinkie bounded away to take somepony else's order. I shrugged it off as one of her "Pinkie-isms" and left to go see what Vinyl Scratch was up to.

* * *

**(4:30. Cougar's POV at Sweet Apple Acres.)**

"Boy Winona, Vinyl sure likes my kind of music," I poured some kibble into the pup's food bowl and patted her head. The dog wasted no time in gobbling up the food like a rabid wolverine. I set the bag of kibble into the pantry and wiped the remaining sweat off my forehead from the jam session I had with Vinyl. She couldn't get enough of the music from my world; my phone was set to replay numerous times.

"Bark!" Winona replied to me.

"You're welcome," I smiled and poured water into her water bowl. I probably would've gotten bored out of my mind if Vinyl was too busy to hang out, there was nothing else to do at the farm today anyways. I wouldn't having a beer with Big Mac now that we've started over, though he was still gone and wouldn't be back for several more hours. My train of thought was disrupted with the front door bursting open and the sound of little hoof steps galloping through the house and up the stairs. "Applebloom, is that you?" I called out as I jogged over to the bottom of the stairs. When I didn't get an answer, I quickly hustled up the wooden stairs as the steps squeaked and creaked with my heavy footsteps.

Her door slammed shut just as I got halfway up the stairs, forcing me to stop momentarily. Fearing the worst, I hustled even faster upstairs and began to softly knock on her door. "Applebloom, is everything okay?" I asked her and leaned my ear against the door, only to hear muffled crying and wailing emitting from the room. "I'm coming in, okay?" I asked her. I reached for the golden door handle and turned it, slowly opening the door until I walked into the room. The yellow filly had her face buried in her pillow, crying hard.

"_G-go, aw-away,"_ she cried as I sat down on her bed.

"What happened Applebloom? Did you and your friends get into a fight?" I rubbed the back of her head softly. Her crying ceased, but the sniffling didn't.

_"I d-don't want to talk about it,"_ Applebloom quietly replied.

"Please, just tell me what's wrong Applebloom," I said, my voice cracking just a bit. It pained me so much to see Applebloom crying like this, it hurt knowing that she was so happy-go-lucky most of the time, yet here she was, crying her eyes out into her pillow. Instead of replying, Applebloom lifted her head off her pillow and turned to me. My hand shot up to my mouth and covered up a gasp. Her right eye was completely blackened and swollen like a baseball. I instantly wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her tightly.

"I hate her, I HATE her so much!" Applebloom wailed and buried her head into my stomach. She tried to choke back her sobs, but I couldn't let her bottle up her pain for very long, knowing how dangerous that was.

"Shh, just let it out, let it out Bloomin' Onion," I shushed her and rested my head atop hers as my own tears began to stream from my eyes. "Please tell me what's wrong," I whispered as I rubbed her back as tenderly and softly as I could as she continued to cry. When she couldn't respond, I just said, "It's okay, Cougar's here for you," I cooed like a big brother comforting his sister. My body froze as it realized what I had just said. _'Where is this coming from?'_ I thought to myself, but brushed it off.

We both sat on her bed for about thirty minutes before her crying finally stopped. "I hate her Cougar," she said for a third time and wiped her nose. I turned around and grabbed a box of kleenex off her nightstand and handed them to her. I wiped my own eyes so she wouldn't see I had been crying with her.

"Let me guess, Diamond Tiara?" I asked her as I sucked in a breath through my nose. Applebloom blew her nose and nodded, throwing the used tissue into the rubbish bin.

"Sh-she and Silver Spoon wouldn't leave us alone while we were tryin' ta earn our cutie marks," she explained, "'N she kept badgerin' us 'n badgerin' us until Ah said she was nothin' more than a spoiled little brat who has her daddy do everything for her." I mentally smiled; that was a good comeback for the little rich bitch.

"So, she hit you in response?" I asked.

"No, she called me out on my parents," Applebloom whispered as more tears threatened to make a comeback. Oh, fuck, no. That's the LOWEST someone can go. Mocking someone for their dead parents? "She shoved me as she said it, so Ah shoved her back. Silver Spoon, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle tried ta git us ta stop, but Diamond Tiara punched me right in thu eye and shoved me down onto thu ground 'N said, "You'll always be a useless piece of trash to society Blank Flank, ponies like you should be used as safety testing dummies, if we lose you, it wouldn't matter." Applebloom couldn't hold it back anymore and buried her face into my stomach and wailed again. I wrapped my arms around her again and kissed the top of her head.

"She's jealous of you Applebloom," I replied.

"W-what?" The filly wiped her eyes.

"Look at her. She's a spoiled rich girl who has everything handed to her and her cutie mark is a tiara. What the hell kind of cutie mark is that? I'll tell you: It means she's next to useless. All she'll EVER be is a rich girl. She's jealous that you're more independent and have a better opportunity to have a cutie mark that will make you better than her, she's afraid of you and she insults you to make herself feel better," I explained.

"D-do you really think that?" She asked me.

"I do Applebloom. You're a special pony. You're smart, funny, independent, witty and sweet, and you'll do great things one day and Diamond Tiara will be _begging_ you to be her friend," I smiled. The filly wrapped her forelegs around my belly and snuggled close.

"Thanks Cougar," she whispered.

"And you'll make a lucky colt really happy too," I teased.

"Eww! No, I don't like boys like that!" She blushed.

"Ha, gotcha!" I ruffled her mane and laid her down on her pillow, "I'll be right back," I jogged downstairs and into my little house, grabbed my iPad from my bed and jogged back upstairs.

"What do you have yer iPad thingy fer?" She curiously asked me as I turned it on. I flicked the screen over to the movies app and clicked on it.

"I just need to take care of something really quick, just watch this and I'll come right back to watch it with you," I explained and clicked on a movie before hustling out the door.

"Hmm, Wreck-It Ralph?" I heard Bloomin' Onion say before I left.

"Hey, Lyra," I called to the aquamarine unicorn, "do you know where Filthy Rich's house is? I have a delivery slip I need him to sign," I lied to the unicorn. She gave me the directions I needed and I wasted no time in running on over there with the same expression Steve Rogers had in Captain America when his doctor friend was shot. "Here you are," I said as I found the address. From the street, I saw Filthy Rich sitting at the dinner table with Diamond Tiara and a light pink mare (lighter than Pinkie Pie) with a vanilla colored mane and an open book on her flank. Instead of ringing the doorbell like a gentleman, I banged on the door like a madman.

"Yes, can I-" the mare said as she opened the door for me.

"Hello, I am Cougar, and you are?" I asked politely, knowing this mare had no fire in this battle.

"I am Pennyblossom, what can I do for you Cougar?" She asked, "you're the human right?" she added.

"Yes, but I would love to speak with your husband and daughter," I said politely. She opened the door further to let me in and she trotted into the dining room.

"Rich, Tiara, there is that Cougar fellow here to see you," the mare said. I heard the distinct sound of chairs sliding across the hardwood floor and the two ponies in question appeared in front of me.

"I was wondering when one of you heathens would come by and apologize for Applebloom's behavior," Filthy Rich said to me.

"Excuse me?" I said and raised my eyebrows.

"My little girl told me all about how those pathetic crusaders wouldn't leave my angel and her friend alone and shoved them to the ground and spat on them! You're lucky I don't have Applebloom arrested for assault!" He jabbed his hoof in my chest. I lost it. I grabbed his collar with my hands and rammed him into the nearest wall, knocking a painting off and onto the floor.

"I've got a good mind to take your ass to a glue factory buddy," I gritted my teeth. "You know that's all a fucking lie," I added.

"Let go of my husband!" Pennyblossom shrieked. I ignored her and rammed Filthy back into the wall.

"You know your little spoiled brat started it and Applebloom just defended herself. ANSWER ME!" I shook him violently.

"Put my father down you brute!" Diamond Tiara tried to bite my leg.

"Now, you listen here human, if you don't put me down in five seconds, I WILL call the authorities and have you locked away in the zoo and the Apples will lose their biggest customer, me. They'll go out of business and it will be your fault," the stallion smiled evilly at me. I slowly caught my breath and let go of the stallion where he fell to the ground and dusted himself off. "Good human, and if you ever make false accusations of my perfect little girl, I can see to it personally that Applebloom's education ceases, understand?" He gave me a shit eating grin and got into my face.

"Let me see if YOU understand," I growled at him, "if Applebloom EVER comes back home and she has a similar injury like the one Diamond Twat gave her," I started and the trio gasped at my foul language, "I'm going to come back here with Big Mac and we'll beat the shit out of you," I threatened.

"What did you say?" Filthy Rich put on his macho pony act.

"We're gonna knock your dick in the dirt, your money can't protect you forever. Now be a stallion and raise your daughter right. If you want to come over and apologize for your daughter's behavior, you know where to find us," I got out of his face and slammed the door shut as I walked back outside. Sucking in a deep breath, I whistled a merry tune and walked back to Sweet Apple Acres. "Thanks Lyra, I was never here," I walked past her and Bon Bon.

"Applebloom, I'm back!" I called out when I got back home and walked up to her room with an icepack. Applebloom was giggling as she watched a movie on my iPad. "Hey, you enjoying your movie?" I asked and sat down next to her.

"This movie is awesome!" She replied as Wreck-It Ralph chased Vanellope through Sugar Rush covered in green goop. "But, where'd you go?" Applebloom paused the movie and looked up at me. I gulped, not wanting to tell anypony what really happened between myself and Filthy Rich.

"I just made sure Diamond Tiara won't bother you or your friends ever again," I replied and she cuddled up next to me.

"Really, how'd ya do that?" She looked at me dumbfounded.

"Military trick of persuasion," I didn't really lie. "Trust me, she won't bother you ever again, I give you my word," I assured her and hit play on my iPad. The last thing I remembered was shutting off my iPad as we both fell asleep several hours later.

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. 7:00)**

Granny Smith, Big Mac and Applejack all arrived back at the farm at relatively the same time, though Granny's train was a tad early. "So, did ya git them pies delivered?" Granny asked her eldest grandchildren.

"Sure did."

"Eeyup," the two replied as they produced their bags of money to Granny Smith.

"Ah'm proud 'o you two, how 'bout we relax now with a nice cup 'o cocoa?" the green pony offered. Big Mac and Applejack unhitched themselves from their wagons and stretched their backs from the long journey they had just completed.

"How do you think Applebloom and Cougar faired today?" Applejack questioned.

"Nothin' ta worry 'bout Applejack, Ah'm certain Cougar did a fine job watchin' her today," Granny opened the front door of the house, allowing Big Mac and AJ to walk inside.

"Cougar, AB, we're home!" Big Mac shouted. When he got no reply, he and Applejack headed upstairs to see if at least Applebloom was asleep. "Psst, yer not asleep are ya-" Big Mac began before he stopped mid sentence. "Applejack, git over her," Big Mac ordered.

"What's goin' on brother?" Applejack replied as she peered into her little sister's room. "Aww, isn't that the cutest thing?" Applejack held her hoof over her chest as she saw Cougar laying down asleep with Applebloom snuggled into his right arm. Soft snores emitted from both of them as the sand pony kept them in slumberland.

"It is cute, but why is he cuddlin' with our little sister?" Big Mac asked, concerned.

"Big Mac, ya worry too much," AJ poked Cougar in the chest.

"Ah, I'm up sir!" Cougar's eyes snapped open as he tried to salute, but only shifted Applebloom off his arm. "Oh geez, what time is it?" he stretched his back and arms.

"It's a little past seven," Applejack replied, "so, you 'N Applebloom were a cuddlin' huh?" her emerald eyes stared directly into Cougar's baby blues.

"Yeah," he sheepishly replied, "if that's okay, I know it's weird with the age difference," he explained.

"Ah shucks Cougar, it's alright, unless she says ya did sometin' to her," Applejack narrowed her eyes.

"Woah, I'm not like that," Cougar defended.

"We're only jokin'," Applejack stuck her tongue out, "wanna join us fer some cocoa?" Applejack offered. Cougar nodded and silently shut Applebloom's door before heading downstairs.

"Guys, there is something I need to tell you," Cougar admitted after he sat down at the table.

"What's wrong boy? Did somethin' happen while we were away?" Granny Smith set down a mug for the human. Cougar sipped the warm chocolate milk before explaining the situation.

"Well, Diamond Tiara gave Applebloom one of the worst black eyes I've ever seen today," he explained. Big Mac stopped sipping his cocoa and let the liquid dribble down his red coat.

"She did WHAT to mah sister!?" Applejack flared her nostrils.

"Applebloom came home after we both did our own separate things and she had a black eye the size of a baseball. She told me that Diamond Tiara punched her and gave her the injury."

"So, what'd you do?" Granny Smith questioned and calmly sipped her drink.

"I comforted her and then went over to talk to her father," Cougar said, "and now I know I'm not a family member and I understand if you guys are mad at me for that, but I couldn't just let this slide by, so I went over to Filthy Rich and told him that if Applebloom came home with a similar injury again, then he would pay for it with dire consequences." The trio of Apples pulled up chairs around the table and stared at the human.

"You're tellin' us, you handled the situation and comforted Applebloom?" Applejack asked me.

"Yeah, and I'm sorry for doing your guys' job, but you were all out raising money for the farm, I'm sorry," Cougar apologized.

"Why in Celestia's world are ya sorry boy?" Granny Smith asked.

"Ya did the right thing, 'N what's this talk 'bout you not bein' 'o family member? Ya live her don't ya? Ya work as hard as us don't ya? Ah don't care if yer a pony or not Cougar, we're proud to have you in our family," Granny Smith patted Cougar's shoulder.

"So, you're not mad?" Cougar asked, flabbergasted.

"Ya took care of mah sister and comforted her when she needed it, there's absolutely no reason fer us ta be steamin' at ya," Big Mac explained.

"Yeah, Ah'm glad we have you around Cougar, Ah wish more ponies could be like ya," Applejack hugged him. Still dumbfounded, Cougar returned the hug and patted AJ's back.

"Well, it's getting late, I'm turning in for the night, I'll see you all in the morning," Cougar said as he stood up from his chair.

"G'night Cougar, we'll see ya later!" Granny Smith replied. Cougar walked outside and back into his little house where he collapsed onto his cot and rubbed his eyes. If only he knew, what the late August held for him.

**End Chapter XII**

* * *

_Okay, so to make up for the sad, yet touching chapter, next chapter will be the host to many jokes to get your spirits up when Cougar is forced to spend a weekend with Spike! Why do you ask? Well, just find out next time. _

_And I am going to start another story here shortly. I recently watched Rainbow Rocks on Netflix and although I enjoyed the film, I really wish there was more 'Rocking' in the movie instead of pop music. So, I'm going to do an alternative version __of the movie, soon. _

_Also, I want to wish all my friends, favorites, and followers a very merry Christmas as this is the last chapter I will write before December 25th._


	14. Chapter XIII: Weekend Escape Part I

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter XIII: Weekend Escape Part I**

_I hope everypony had a wonderful Christmas! I had a great Christmas posting another MLP story, though you guys don't have to read it if you don't want to. I just wanted to experiment with doing more than one story at once. Anyhoo, in this Chapter, the story REALLY earns its 'M' rating, well, that depends on everyone's opinion. I'll leave it at that and hope you find it as funny as I do. In this chapter, Spike and Cougar are rounded up by the Royal Sisters and are forced to stay in Canterlot Castle for a whole weekend. Why you ask? Just read the chapter._

**OBSERVER01: **_Thank you my good friend._

**Guest (1): **_Thank you. I originally was going to have them watch The Lion King, but I really wanted to put a little bit of the kid inside me in the chapter. _

**ninjagofangirlb: **_Why yes, Feliz Navidad is spanish for Merry Christmas. It's actually one of my favorite Christmas songs, right next to Jingle Bell rock and Josh Groban's Drummer Boy._

**killer43penguin: **_I've been planning on that one since I introduced Cougar to Applebloom._

**Guest (2): **_Hmm, a coincidence perhaps?_

**_bubbahCakes: _**_Thank you sir! I waited long to put Discord in the story because I wanted to make sure I wrote him correctly, and I am glad I did! As for the realism, I wanted to have the story to be somewhat grounded in reality rather than have cartoony things happen, save for Pinkie Pie. I hope you like the rest of the story I've got planned. _

* * *

**(Late August. Canterlot. With Luna. 3rd Person POV)**

It was that time of morning when Luna would be forced to retire the moon and for Celestia to raise the sun and give birth to another beautiful day in Equestria. Though for the midnight blue Alicorn of the night, something kept pecking at her mind, and she could not figure out what it was or why it kept bothering her. Luna kept pacing and milling around her own personal chambers after a stressful showing at her Night Court. Concentrating on her work was near impossible with her mind up in the air. Letting out a frustrated groan, Luna raised her silver horseshoe covered hoof and slammed it down onto one of her mini desks, smashing it to pieces. "Gah!" She exclaimed and rubbed her temples. She then heard the sound of galloping hooves clacking loudly on the marble flooring of the hallway outside her chambers.

"Lulu, are you alright?" Celestia worriedly called out.

"Guardians of the night, let her in," Luna sighed and continued to rub her temples with her hooves. Outside her chambers, her personal guards slinked away from the door and allowed Princess Celestia herself into the room. The pearly white Alicorn trotted quickly into the room and immediately stopped at the side of her little sister.

"Sister, you've been troubled all night," Celestia started as Luna looked her in the eye, "ever since your Night Court began, I have sensed something has been bothering you, and now you're smashing desks, please tell me what is on your mind sister," Celestia begged Luna. The smaller Alicorn shook her head and began to pace around her room once again, stopping in front of the fireplace.

"Blast this infernal mind slip!" She exclaimed and put a crack into the stone structure of the fireplace. A wide eyed Celestia approached Luna with caution; she knew to keep a safe distance when Luna was in a troubled mood.

"Perhaps a pot of tea will help calm your nerves?" The sun Alicorn suggested and conjured up a tea kettle inside of Luna's fireplace and a pair of cups and saucers on the coffee table. Neither of the two sisters said another word as the pot of tea boiled. Luna sat on her haunches and stared at her moon while Celestia darted her eyes back and forth from her sister to the tea pot.

"I am sorry for my behavior sister," Luna finally said just as the tea pot whistled.

"Oh, it's quite alright Luna," Celestia replied as she poured herself a cup of tea and one for Luna, "we all lose our tempers at one point or another. It's only what makes us ponies," she smiled and patted Luna's back with her wing. A white aura engulfed Luna's teacup as it tipped backwards to release the tea into her muzzle. "So, what's got you in such a dour mood sister?"

"All day and night long, there has been something on my mind and it involves Cougar," Luna explained.

"Do you still fear for your friend's safety Luna?" Celestia replied and took a small, regal bite of coffee cake. "From what Twilight and her friends have told me, his injuries are healing fairly quickly," she added with a swallow.

"No, at least I don't think so," Luna roughly set her cup back on its saucer. "It was something of the _utmost_ importance that I had to tell him, buck it!" Luna shrieked and threw the tea cup at the wall of her room. "If only I could remember what it was!" Even though Celestia was worried for her sister, she remained calm and collected while Luna held her head in her hooves.

"Lulu, how about we switch the subject?" The Princess of the day suggested, "perhaps that will help jog your memory." Celestia warmly smiled. Luna took several deep breaths through her nose and nodded. "Alright then," Celestia set her tea cup and saucer down on the table, "are you prepared for the Grand Galloping Gala yet? It's only a few short weeks away."

"Yes, I am sister, though I do hope Princess Twilight and her friends bring along their hijinks, or else I wouldn't be able to stand the Gala," Luna replied with a smirk.

"I couldn't agree more Luna, but luckily I already sent out seven invitations for the elements and Spike," Celestia responded. Luna pondered the response whilst enjoying the crackle of the fire close to her.

"Did you send one out for Cougar as well? Perhaps he would like to go with his new friends?" Luna suggested. A small blush forced its way onto Celestia's pearly white cheeks as she looked away in embarrassment.

"No, I didn't believe this would be Cougar's cup of tea Luna, so I just didn't send him one," Celestia nervously bit her lower lip.

"I'll ask him if he would like to attend the Gala the next time I see him sister, are we still set to go to the running of the leaves next week?" The midnight blue Alicorn questioned. Princess Celestia nodded in reply and took another bite of cake. "Good, I hope he enjoys the race; he appears to have a soft spot for this 'NASCAR,' racing, thing," Luna air quoted.

"I think Cougar will enjoy it Luna, especially if he gets to sit in our personal private box seats," Celestia exclaimed, "Oh and I heard the Earth racing pony, Checkered Flag, is going to be an honorary guest at the Running of the Leaves," she added. Luna's face lit up as she jumped up from her seat excitedly.

"Checkered Flag is going to be there?!" Luna rose her voice excitedly. Celestia raised her eyebrow and smirked at her sister.

"My my Luna, you're acting like quite the filly, do you have, feelings for Checkered Flag?" Celestia teased her sister. A massive pink blush crept across Luna's cheeks as she sat back down and rubbed her face a few times.

"N-no of course not Sister!" Luna rejected the idea, "I am the Princess of the Night and have _no_ time for romance or a stallion-friend! Especially not one as handsome, caring and charitable as Checkered Flag," Luna held her head in her hooves as she let her crush slip, "how did you find out anyways?" She questioned.

"Oh, Cadance has noticed before when the four of us were in the Crystal Empire for the charity bowl and you were thinking how perfect of a Stallion Checkered Flag was, especially for matching the winning percentage of his own money for charity," Celestia wiped her mouth. "Perhaps if you'd like, I can extend an invitation to him as well when we are at the Running of the Leaves for him to join us at the Gala?" Before Luna could answer however, there was a knock on her door.

"You may enter!" Luna called to one of her Bat Pony Guards.

"Sorry for the disturbance your highnesses," the guard apologized, "but it is time for you two to lower the moon and raise the sun," the guard explained.

"Thank you Bat Fang, you may take a break for awhile," Luna smiled at her favorite guard.

"Oh thank you Princess Luna, I shall," Bat Fang replied and bowed to the two sisters and turned to leave. "Oh, I almost forgot Princesses, I needed to tell you that all the married guards departed earlier to be with their wives for the Fall Estrus weekend, along with guards and maids in a committed relationship, it starts today, so I thought I'd remind you in case the regular guards are gone," Bat Fang reminded and shut the door.

"Ah yes, I do recall Flash Sentry asking permission to be with Twilight for the weekend," Celestia got up and stretched, "I also wrote a letter to Spike explaining that he must be at the castle for safety reasons, per the usual every Fall and Spring Estrus season," she added. Suddenly, the couch that Luna and Celestia were sitting on was destroyed with a deafening crash.

"OH DEAR YOU!" Luna shrieked at Celestia.

"What is the matter Luna?!" Celestia demanded and utilized her magic to clean up the mess.

"I must get to Ponyville immediately; Cougar is in great danger!" Luna disappeared in a brilliant flash of white light. Celestia rolled her eyes and lowered the moon and raised the sun.

* * *

**(At Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)**

"Oh, Scarlett, we barely know each other," I said in a haughty voice. There was a deep and sensual feeling rising up between my knees as I watched Scarlett Johansson's hand snake down my six pack stomach and into my most tender of areas. She didn't reply with her voice, but her hand eventually reached its destination. Softly and slowly, her hand began to rub my tender area passionately, eliciting a moan from my mouth.

"You do know how to please a man Ms. Johansson," I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment as my member throbbed hard. Suddenly, the rubbing ceased and I whined a little.

"Ya want me ta continue Loverboy? Ya sounded like you were enjoyin' my treat," a southern voice replied to me. My eyes snapped open to reveal a certain cowgirl hatted orange mare with her hoof resting on my 'pitched tent.' "Don't pretend ya didn't like it," Applejack said in a rather breathless voice.

"AJ! WHAT THE FUCK!?" I shouted and smacked her hoof away and stuffed my blanket against my groin.

"Playin' hard ta get eh? Momma likes herself a challenge," AJ licked her lips and slowly stalked towards my member. Using my military training, I threw the blanket in her face and rolled off the cot to get away. I noticed that her emerald eyes were _much_ smaller than usual, as if she were brainwashed. "C'mon Cougar, I jest wanna thank ya fer savin' mah life," she licked her lips and tossed the blanket away from the cot.

"What's gotten into you Applejack?!" I demanded and quickly threw on my pants. Drool was emitting from her mouth as she slowly stalked her way over to where I was. Luckily, I threw the cot down in between us and we started to encircle each other.

"Jest relax," Applejack tried to soothe me, "'N Applejack'll make ya feel _real_ good parter," she took her red hair bands out of her pony tail and her hair fell all the way out, but she kept her cowgirl hat on for some reason. I realized that she had only looked me in the eye once, the rest of the times her emerald corneas were glued to my crotch area. Then, she started to get impatient, I mean _really_ impatient. She leapt over the cot and tackled me to the ground, straddling my groin. "Ah'm hungry Loverboy, Ah ain't had any in a _looooong _time, 'N speakin' 'o long," she purred and reached for my zipper with her muzzle. Even with all my strength, I failed to pry Applejack away from me.

"Please let this be a nightmare," I begged. I was literally terrified, despite a part of my anatomy enjoying itself. Applejack was the pony I trusted the most besides Luna here, and she _never_ tried this before, nor did she show any rapist qualities about her. My hands clenched the floor as a bead of sweat rolled down my forehead. I heard and felt the familiarity of my zipper sliding down the front of my pants.

"Oh yea Sugarcube, keepin' it nice 'n clean fer Momma, good boy," AJ purred again as she unbuttoned my boxers. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light inside my little house as Luna appeared, flaring her midnight blue wings.

"Uh-uh Princess Luna!" Applejack looked up from her task of unzipping Cougar Junior and glared at the Princess, "he's _mine! _'N Ah ain't sharin' with nopony!" She growled in anger and lust. Then, she froze in place, a cold glare plastered on her face.

"Cougar, we must get you out of here now!" Luna exclaimed and levitated Applejack away from me. With what seemed to rival the speed of the Millennium Falcon, I buttoned up my boxers, zipped my pants up, grabbed a shirt and threw it on. "Bring your duffel bag with you for the weekend," Luna stood guard as I packed what she specified.

"Luna, what the hell is happening?! Applejack is going crazy!" I exclaimed, worried for my friend. The Alicorn in question leered outside of my house, checking to see if it was safe.

"Okay, we're in the clear, we cannot have the possibility of bringing another horny mare with us," Luna explained.

"_Another_ horny mare?" I asked in disbelief. Luna turned to me and placed her hooves on my shoulders.

"Cougar, the Fall Estrus has begun in Equestria; every mare that has gone through puberty and that has not reached Marenopause is in extreme heat, and they will stop at _nothing_ to get what they lust for the most," she explained. I gagged after realizing what she was talking about.

"In heat? Oh Christ, but why would they want me? I'm a fucking _human_ for your sister's sake," I pointed out.

"It doesn't matter Cougar, a mare in heat will seek out a sentient male to mate with for the weekend."

"I didn't have to deal with this shit back home," I replied and checked behind my back.

"The female of your species doesn't go into heat?" Luna curiously asked.

"No, if my species was in the mood, we'd fuck or have a private moment alone in the bathroom," I replied, "now can we stop talking about this and get out of here!?" I begged. Luna nodded and held onto me with her wings in a bear tight hug as my eyes were blinded. We landed with a thud and I fluttered my eyes open to see us in the throne room of the castle.

"Ah Cougar, I trust you made it out of there okay?" Celestia politely asked me.

"Define okay Celestia," I breathed a sigh of relief and released Luna, "thanks for saving me Luna," I added.

"It's no problem at all Cougar, you're lucky I remembered in time," she folded her wings back onto her sides, "and don't worry about Applejack; she'll unfreeze in a few moments." I nodded and sat down on the floor, trying to recollect myself after what just happened.

"Your highnesses," I heard a guard's voice call out. Celestia, Luna and myself turned to the main doors of the throne room just as they opened to reveal Spike carrying a hobo stick behind him, "Spike the Dragon," the guard announced. The little dragon jogged his way in and set his hobo pack onto the floor.

"What're you doing here Cougar?" Spike questioned, but it wasn't in his usual distrusting tone of me. He held an actual sense of genuine curiosity in his voice.

"The very same reason you are here Spike," Luna replied, "and I got him out of Ponyville just in time," she added. I gulped and shook my head from side to side to get myself to think more clearly. I stood up and looked at both Princesses in front of me.

"So, we have to be here for the whole weekend?" I asked.

"That is correct Cougar. We cannot have Spike and yourself be subjugated and be put in harms way during the Fall Estrus since the two of you are not married to a mare and are not in a committed relationship with one."

"And do not think that you are stuck here, you may do as you wish here. The castle has many activities for you two to do," Luna explained.

"I can show him around, unless he wants to be nosy and search out every inch of the castle," Spike volunteered.

"I'm not nosy kid, and I was just trying to help your Rarity situation," I replied with crossed arms. The dragon rolled his eyes, untied his hobo sack and stuck a gem in his mouth. "Wait a second," I realized, "what about the nurses or the castle maids?" I asked.

"They have been sent home Cougar. You have absolutely nothing to worry about while you're here," Celestia reassured me. I narrowed my eyes at the two sisters and put my hands on my hips.

"Do we have to be worried about you two?" I double-checked. Luna and Celestia gave hearty chuckles at my question. I dropped my hands from my hips and let them rest on my sides.

"Alicorns only go into heat once every five years Cougar," Luna began.

"And for us, it won't happen again until next year," Celestia finished. "Now then, it's just about breakfast time and the cooks have finished preparing food, are either of you two hungry?" The sun Alicorn questioned us. Spike picked his hobo stick back up and I slid my duffel bag strap into my hand as we followed the two Princesses into the dining room. Despite the bad air between us, Spike actually wanted to talk to me! Perhaps it was because we were both in the same boat so to speak, or maybe I was just the only thing to keep him entertained.

"So, what'd you bring for fun?" The purple reptile questioned. I unzipped the bag and shifted through its contents, searching for what I had brought. Seeing as how Princess Luna evacuated me as if a hurricane, a tornado and a volcanic eruption were going to happen all at once, I couldn't remember exactly what I had packed.

"Just my iPad, headphones and my Daring Do book which I've read three times already, and that's it for entertainment," I replied and re-zipped my bag. "Oh and my phone, but the battery has been dead for three days, and I have no way of charging it," I added as two royal guards opened the dining room doors to reveal a large table with various food on top.

"Breakfast is served, your highnesses and prestigious guests," the head chef bowed as we all took our respective seats.

"Cougar, may I see your phone device please?" Luna asked me. I stopped plating some hash browns and pulled my phone out my pocket and tossed it over to the midnight blue Alicorn. "So, how do we charge it?" She asked again.

"Well, I have the cord, but you guys don't really have the same electrical outlets as my society did," I replied, "but if you can get electricity into the hole on the bottom, that'll charge it," I explained and slid an omelet next to my hash browns. Spike on the other hand cut open an omelet and stuffed it full of gems and began to eat. Luna studied my phone before floating it up to her horn and inserting the tip into the charging port.

"Let's see if this works," Luna said as little bolts of white lightning were sent up into my phone. After a few seconds, she ceased the lightning and tossed my phone back to me. I clicked the on button and was shocked to see the battery had 400% power! I dropped my fork to the floor where one of the butlers picked it up and handed me a new one.

"Th-thank you Luna," I said in a dumbfounded tone.

"You're quite welcome Cougar," she replied with a smile and started to eat a salad. "Oh and before I forget Cougar," she swallowed, "the yearly Grand Galloping Gala is approaching, would you like to attend?" I shoveled some omelet into my mouth and took a minute to enjoy the peppers and cheese flowing through my tastebuds.

"What is that? Like a charity auction or something?" I questioned and sipped on a cup of milk.

"No, it is a formal gathering of all Canterlot's most sophisticated and important ponies. The importance behind the Gala is to get them all together and swap different ideas and is a Canterlot tradition," Celestia explained.

"Nope, sorry, doesn't sound like my kind of thing," I replied and continued to cut into my omelet and hash browns. I kept on eating until I realized it had been quiet for some time, so I looked up to see Luna and Celestia with disappointed faces. "What? Did I say something wrong?" I asked.

"Well, why wouldn't you want to go Cougar? It is actually a fairly enjoyable evening," Luna protested.

"Sorry, I don't do phosistication things," I replied in a joking manner. That's when the doors flew open once again and my old friend Bluebutt strolled in.

"Ugh! YOU again?! Let me guess, you were rejected by every Mare during the Estrus?" He rudely guessed and sat down with a huff, "doesn't surprise me, you couldn't lay a mare in the dungeon with the keys in your disgusting digits," Blueblood began to cut into a salad with his magic.

"BLUEBLOOD!" Luna shrieked in her booming voice. I held onto my plate to keep the vibrations from forcing it off the table. Spike was hit directly with the voice and his chair fell backwards onto the floor, his face covered with soggy eggs and bits of gemstones. "You will leave Cougar alone!" She sneered at Blueblood, "he was nearly raped by-" I stopped her right there.

"Some mares tried to jump me when I went to town for some errands," I tried to not paint Applejack in an unflattering manner, to which Luna thankfully understood.

"I find that extremely hard to believe," Blueblood ignored Luna's warning and continued to eat. It then dawned on me that Blueblood was here eating, and not in his room, or a hotel room somewhere in the city.

"So, where's your mare then Bluebutt?" I asked casually and continued to eat.

"What did you just call me?" He demanded and snapped his fork in half with his magic.

"You were just mocking me for being here and not with a mare, so why are you here instead of entertaining a mare somewhere?" I questioned smugly and took a long sip of milk. Bluebutt glared at me and mumbled when he munched on his food.

"I would if my aunties weren't such cock blockers," he mumbled.

"THAT'S IT!" Luna screamed, flew up from her chair, grabbed Blueblood by his horn with her magic and drug him away, "I shall return momentarily, after I punish our nephew sister," Luna informed Celestia and left the dining room.

"I apologize for Blueblood's behavior boys," Celestia apologized to myself and Spike.

"I'm used to it Princess, but thank you for the breakfast," I replied and set my fork down on my now empty plate.

"Princess, I still can't believe you allow him to stay here," Spike piped up after picking himself up from the floor and licking the rest of his food off his face, "especially after how he treated Rarity," Spike seethed in anger.

"Well, I'm well aware of my nephew's poor manners, but besides Cadance, myself and Luna are his only family members, his mother abandoned him when he was just a baby and we never knew who is father was; we've been trying to teach him manners and how to be a responsible and selfless member of royalty for nearly thirty years, and no results," Celestia explained.

"Oh, but that still doesn't excuse how big of a jerk he is," Spike retorted and set his empty plate down.

"Have you tried military school or hiring a CO to privately tutor him?" I asked.

"Luna proposed that idea several years ago, but I thought that to be much too severe for him," the Princess replied.

"Look Celestia, you've tried and you were too easy for too long, I think the next time he does something terrible, like how he greeted me when I first arrived, then send his ass to Military school and straighten him up," I explained. The princess rested her chin on her golden covered hooves and pondered the idea momentarily.

"I shall discuss this with Luna Cougar, but we must think of this. In the mean time, Wadsworth, please show Cougar and Spike to their rooms," Celestia requested, "Spike, you'll stay in the guest room next to me and Cougar, Luna requested that you sleep in the guest bedroom next to her chambers," she got up from the table, "and don't forget to enjoy your weekend boys," she bowed before leaving.

"Pardon me sirs, but it is time to show you to your rooms," a butler pony exclaimed. Spike and I got up from the table as the various cooks from the kitchen cleared the dirty dishes. "Follow me Cougar, Mr. the Dragon, you know where your room is," Wadsworth explained. Spike jogged away with his hobo stick in hand while I walked with Wadsworth to my temporary room.

"So, what is there to do in the castle Wadsworth?" I asked politely.

"Ah, the castle does house a fencing arena, a natural lake for swimming, a gymnasium, an archery range and a library filled magical books, I do enjoy a good read on my time off," Wadsworth replied, "though you must have permission from one of the royal sisters to enter parts of the library," he added.

"What else is there for fun?" I asked.

"Well, we do have the royal jester, but unfortunately he had to be with his wife for the estrus," Wadsworth explained as we rounded a corner. "And I know at first the guards may be intimidating, but as long as you do not threaten to harm anypony or steal anything, they will leave you alone," he informed.

"Ha, what guards?" I asked as I only spotted one in the hallway.

"Well, the majority have left for mating season, leaving but a handful of guards left, ah here we are Mr. Cougar," Wadsworth utilized his magic and opened the door for me. I thanked him and dropped my bag beside the King Sized bed.

"I may not enjoy fancy things a lot, but I can live with this Wadsworth," I laid down on the bed and stretched. The room had a nice silver chandelier suspended from the ceiling, a fireplace on the far corner, a personal bathroom on the other corner and a nice balcony outside.

"Well, if there is anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask," Wadsworth turned to leave.

"Hold on there," I said and produced ten bits from my pockets, "thanks for showing my my room," I grinned.

"Thank you sir," Wadsworth bowed his head and left the room. I took one more look around my room before exiting and going to find Spike to see if he wanted to do anything. I stuffed my hands in my pockets as I strolled down the hallway. _'Maybe we could go for a swim, or run some laps in the gym,'_ I thought to myself. The hallway I was in had the large bay windows, allowing Celestia's sun to stream in seamlessly.

"Ah there you are Cougar, enjoy your room?" I heard Luna ask. I turned around to see the Alicorn trotting her way up to me.

"Yes I do Luna, thanks for letting me stay next to you," I replied and stopped so she could catch up.

"It's no trouble Cougar, but do you have any plans for today at the castle?"

"I was just going to see what Spike wanted to do today, see if we can clear the bad air between us," I explained.

"That sounds like fun Cougar, let me transport you to Spike's room if you would like that," she offered. I nodded my head and suddenly found myself outside a golden door. "Now, I must retire for the day, but I'll see you tonight before you go off to bed," Luna disappeared in a flash of white light. I gathered my thoughts together, (my mind still wasn't used to this teleportation concept and left my head spinning) and knocked on the door.

"Yeah? Oh, hey," Spike said dejectedly as he saw it was me.

"Hey Spike, want to hang out and do something together?" I asked. The little dragon froze in spot and turned around, a look of disbelief painted on his face.

"Why do you want to hang out with me Cougar?" He asked curiously.

"Well Spike, we're both basically stuck here, and I thought we could pass the time together you know? Maybe go for a swim, or run a few laps in the gym, or go to the library?" I offered. Spike's hand slid off the golden door in exasperation.

"Please, I work in a library with Twilight all day every day, do you really think I'd want to hang out in a library all day doing nothing?" He replied.

"Right, sorry," I looked around, trying to get rid of the awkward air.

"But really, why do you want to hang out with me? You know how we don't trust each other," he pointed out.

"I just thought we could at least be nice to each other, you know, for our friends' sakes?" I explained. "We don't have to be friends, just not be assholes to each other." Spike looked down at his feet and back up to me.

"Well, a swim does sound nice."

* * *

**(1 hour Later. Cougar's POV)**

We both decided to wait an hour before we went for a swim so we wouldn't cramp up. But, while I was changing into the swimsuit Rarity made for me, I had a flashback back to this morning. I braced myself against the wall as I shook my head, attempting to get rid of the memory. "No, I can't be getting afraid of Applejack," I said to myself. Despite my understanding that it was normal and in her nature, it was still a frightening experience for me. "Maybe I need to see her again once this shit is over," I said out loud, "that could help."

"Cougar, are you ready?" Spike knocked on my silver door. I snapped myself out of my thoughts and opened the door to see Spike, in nothing as usual. "Hey, nice outfit, did Rarity make it?" He asked me.

"Yeah, she made them special after, Pinkie," I replied.

"Yep, only Rarity could make something so simple so fantastic," he gushed. I rolled my eyes and patted his head, motioning for him to follow me. "So, are you still not going to the Gala? Applejack is coming," Spike asked me. We had begun our trek outside to the lake, luckily there was a guard in the hallway to tell us where the lake was.

"No, and why would that sway my decision?" I asked.

"Well, because you guys are good friends and you really bonded from the timber wolf attack," he exclaimed.

"Spike, she's a pony, I'm a human, we're friends, end of story," I shut that book.

"Well so? I thought maybe if you went with her, you wouldn't mind the snooty ponies attending?" Spike questioned.

"Nope, it's not my kind of thing Spike, I really don't think anything will change my mind," I said.

"Fine, but you're really gonna miss out," Spike teased as we opened a door to reveal a path to the lake. "Come on Cougar!" Spike burst into a sprint and dove into the lake. I dropped my duffel bag with my towel on the shore and dove in after the dragon. The cool water felt amazing on my skin from Celestia's sun bearing down on me.

"Oh yeah, this is nice!" I exclaimed as I rose from the water. Spike popped from behind me and spat water at the back of my head. He chuckled and dove below the surface as I tried to splash him.

"Missed me!" He teased and popped up somewhere else. I yanked on his tail and held him upside down just above the surface.

"Gotcha punk," I dunked him under the surface.

"Let me go Cougar!" He laughed at me. I reared my hand back and tossed him about ten feet away. He made a huge splash as he made contact with the water. "You'll pay for that!" He threatened when he re-surfaced with soggy spikes and scales.

"Come and get some kid!" I called out to him and gave him the 'Bring it On' hand motion.

"Oh, it's so on Cougar," Spike playfully growled. Diving below the water, Spike shot towards me and yanked myself under the water with his tail wrapped around my ankle. I held my breath as he drug me under the water, but as he did, I had another flashback.

Suddenly, I couldn't breathe and I started to panic. I thrashed my arms around and let out an underwater scream. Spike's tail let me go, but I couldn't get back up to the surface right away. Luckily, he grasped my hand in his claws and he pulled me back up onto the shore. "COUGAR!" Spike slapped my face a few times, "are you okay?" He worriedly asked.

"I think so," I choked out.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to let that happen," he apologized. I held my hand up as I caught my breath.

"No, I just had a flashback of the timber wolf attack, it's not your fault," I lied to him, thanking God that I wasn't talking to Applejack or Luna.

"Well, we can go back inside or we can wait a minute for you to catch your breath," Spike assured me.

"No, just let me catch my breath and we'll go back to swimming," I patted his back. Finally, my heart rate went back down and my breathing returned to normal. I made the first move and jumped back into the water, Spike following closely. Unfortunately, as we both surfaced, something appeared to be following us in the water. "Spike, do any lakes have sharks in Equestria?"

"Sharks? No they're only in the oceans, why?" He asked me.

"Then what the fuck is that?!" I yelled. He turned to where I was pointing and his irises shrank. Closing in on us was a curved fin, traveling at us quickly.

"SHAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRK!" We both yelled and tried to get out of the water, but we both felt something grab our legs and yank us under water...

**End Chapter XIII**

* * *

_Please excuse the shortness, or else this chapter would be 12K+ words. What's gonna happen to Cougar and Spike? Will they be safe, or are they going to be breakfast? Will Cougar ever be able to face Applejack again despite the fact she had no control over what she was doing? And will Cougar accept the invitation to the Gala? Read Part II next time to find out!_


	15. Chapter XIV: Weekend Escape Part II

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter XIV: Weekend Escape Part II**

_Guys, before I reply to any reviews, I just want to sit down and thank you all SO much. When I got the notifications that I now have 74 authors following this story and 54 who have favorited this story, I was blown away. When I started out Fallen Eagle, I was still very new to this amazing fandom/community, and I didn't know how people would react. I figured it would probably have maybe four favorites and twelve followers, but to hear how much people love the story and how much they love my OC, Cougar, it just brings so much happiness to my heart and I'm glad to use that happiness to fuel my desire to keep writing._

**Mallory Shadowielder: **_Yes, yes I did. I was hoping someone would get that reference lol_

**OBSERVER01: **_I know. That's a lot to go through._

**deltafrost:** _They're really close friends. Luna was the first pony to sit down and talk to him in a non-interrogating setting, hence why he trusts her as much as he does with AJ._

**Guest: **_Lol, if Cougar were to die now, the story would end way too soon! We still have a LONG way to go. _

**chipmunkfanatic: **_Well, Jaws wouldn't really make sense. And Celestia is too busy with her day __court to pull any pranks. _

**AK74FU2:** _Woah, be cool man, we're all friends here. Here's Chapter XIV._

**Fear-Less 1300:** _You laughed at that? Aw, I wanted it to be surprising yet horrifying at the same time since he's basically about to raped._

**SquirtlePWN:**_ Thank you so much! And remember that it is the Fall Estrus Weekend, Pinkie is a little busy with Cheese Sandwich, if ya know what I mean._

**guestperson:** _Excellent theory, though seeing as how Luna is asleep and Celestia is dealing with her day court, I can't see how they're able to pull of a prank._

**Ljunberg:** _No cookie for me :( But I know how much people despise Cliffhangers, but that keeps bringing them back. _

**Dixie Darlin: **_It can be on an unsuspecting human._

**brony at war:**_ Checkered Flag doesn't appear for another few chapters. Though in case you're wondering how he is handling the Estrus, he masks his scent and hides away in an emergency bunker. _

**killersqueenalpha:** _That means a lot to me. Though I really hope you mean when AJ got close to his face and told him to take a shower. But it is way too early for them to be doing anything romantic. I want it to progress naturally, though as the pairings __in the story summary confirms, it WILL happen, I just won't say when._

* * *

**Lake behind Canterlot Castle. Cougar's POV)**

To say I was terrified of whatever was following myself and Spike to the shore of the lake would've been an understatement. The shark fin-like object seemed to be gaining speed traveling at us. On instinct, I got behind Spike and pushed him through the water faster, making sure he'd escape the lake first since he was just a kid. "Cougar, come on!" Spike paddled faster and faster as I picked him up and lifted his body out of the water with my legs still kicking as fast as I could. "What're you-" he started before I chucked him onto the shore. His body landed with a thump onto the sand, yet he wasn't fazed as he got up and motioned for me to hurry.

"Kid, get away from the water!" I ordered him. Turning my head, I saw the shark fin getting closer and closer, so I paddled faster and faster than ever.

"GUARDS!" Spike started to shout at the top of his lungs back towards the castle, "HELP!" he added. Suddenly, I felt something wrap around my leg and yank me hard, but I never fell below the surface.

"Ah!" I exclaimed as I missed a breath and coughed into the surface of the water. Spike's shouting had ceased and he stood on the shore, glaring behind me. It was then I had realized that whatever had chased me, stopped and even the water had calmed itself.

"Oh come now, you two invite yourselves up to the castle for the weekend and you don't even bother to invite your dear Uncle Discord?" I heard Discord mockingly ask. Rolling my body over onto my back (I was close enough to the shore now that I could sit on the bottom under the surface) and placed my hand in front of my eyes to shield Celestia's sun from blinding me.

"Haha, good work Discord," the sun princess in question giggled and floated down from a cloud. "Oh, you two are indeed fun to be around," she gave another polite giggle. Her cloud vanished into thin air and she extended her legs onto the sandy shore of the beach.

"Princess Celestia, what's wrong with you!?" Spike exclaimed angrily, clenching his fists.

"Live a little Spike, you were never in any danger," Discord rolled his eyes which turned into two giant beach balls and knocked against my head and Spike's head before deflating and appearing in Discord's head which was now lying flush with the ground.

"What did you use as a shark fin then?" I finally croaked out after catching my breath again. I slumped down onto some soft grass and leaned up against a bush, allowing Celesita's sun to start drying me off. The creature that was a result of mother nature dropping too much acid reached up with his eagle talons and yanked his large crooked tooth out of his mouth.

"This tooth comes in handy more often than you'd think Cougar," the tooth vibrated a few times before flying onto Discord's back and grew larger to the size and color of a shark fin. He snapped his lion paw and the tooth reappeared into his mouth. I rolled my eyes and leaned over to grab my duffel bag that housed a towel. I wiped my face over and over again before rolling up said towel and lacing it around my neck.

"So, I take it you had to leave Ponyville as well?" I questioned and stood up with my duffel bag.

"That would explain his sudden appearance, somewhat," Spike replied as he shook his body a few times to get the remaining water droplets off his scales.

"Well yes, unfortunately being the lord of chaos, I sometimes forget important events on the schedule when planning to spread harmless chaos for my entertainment," Discord replied as he put on reading glasses, stuck a bubble pipe in his mouth and pulled up a daily planner. "So, when I entered a seemingly deserted Ponyville and headed to Fluttershy's cottage to kill some time," he tossed a spear at a clock and blew it up, "I happened upon Fluttershy yanking poor Caramel into her cottage as her animals were standing outside, shivering with fear."

"Oh God," I muttered at the thought of innocent little Fluttershy, well, you get the picture.

"And anyways, I was just strolling around my own personal Canterlot when I thought to myself, '_I wonder what Celestia is up to?'_ and I appeared in her day court room."

"Which was actually a nice surprise since I had only two guards to keep me company. The Fall and Spring Estrus seasons really make crime rates go down for the weekends, but that leaves nothing for my day court, so I've been putting off paperwork to keep me sane," Celestia explained.

"Well, have you tried scheduling court dates for the Estrus weekend princess?" Spike questioned and hopped onto her back, which I was surprised that she allowed him to do.

"Luna suggested that about a month before the Fall Estrus a few years ago, _never_ again," she shuddered.

"Why not? Didn't it keep you busy?" I asked as I threw on my shirt.

"Yes, but keeping that many males in one place for that long, did _not_ end well, those poor guards," Celestia shook her head. Finally I had begun a trek back to the castle, forcing the rest of the group to follow.

"Hang on a sec, Discord, how did you walk through Ponyville without getting mauled by a group of horny mares?" I paused halfway up the hill.

"I didn't walk through Ponyville, I teleported after realizing the place was emptier than, well the Canterlot bakery on Celestia's birthday," Discord responded as Celestia embarrassingly blushed, "and even then, I put a magic spell around me that masks the scent mares in heat go after," he explained.

"Cougar, I hope our prank didn't upset you in any way, I thought you could use a good laugh," Celestia said to me in her motherly voice. Yeah, I was kinda pissed since I don't think pretending to drown someone is funny, but at least I knew they were trying to cheer me up.

"It's okay, but I just hope I don't get anymore surprises this weekend. I just want to ride it out until we get the all clear to get back to Ponyville," I replied. Just as we reached the top of the hill, two guards came rushing out of the door, spears in hand.

"Did somepony call for assistance?" One of the guards asked.

"Yeah, like five minutes ago guys! What if Celestia was in trouble?" Spike angrily hopped to his feet on the sun goddess' back. The two guards rubbed their necks and blushed in embarrassment for their shitty reaction time.

"Now, now Spike," Celestia calmly spoke up, "these two are rarely on the main guard line, plus they're one of the few handful of guards left in this wing of the castle," she politely explained.

"And I had to make sure I had backup in case something went wrong," the second guard added, "we're always trained to have backup when heading into an emergency," he explained.

"Exactly, we can't stay in one spot like most pairs of guards, we have to constantly move around during this weekend," the first guard piped up.

"Okay, alright we get it," I held my hand up, "you did your best, and that's fine, now let's get out of here before Discord rearranges my internal organs," I shot a quick look at the conniving draconequus.

"What else do you wanna do Cougar?" Spike asked me, leaning against the back of Celestia's neck as the two unicorn guards escorted us back to the castle. Slinging my duffel bag strap over my shoulder, I took a quick whiff of my arm and grimaced.

"First thing is I'm gonna take a shower," I replied, "I was gonna take one earlier today, but I wanted to see what there was to do around the castle." The two guards opened the doors for myself, Celestia and Discord before locking the doors behind them and standing guard in front of them.

"Eh, I'll probably take a bath," Spike whiffed himself and jumped off Celestia's back.

"And don't you change our water to custard or barbecue sauce or something Discord!" I exclaimed, pointing my finger back at the creature in question.

"What? Moi? Perish the thought!" Discord kicked two 55 gallon drums of custard and barbecue sauce behind a post. As the four of us rounded a corner to get back to the hallway that housed Luna's private quarters and my temporary quarters, Celestia stopped us.

"Well, if you want to find something else to do, you can always ask me Cougar; I'm still trying to keep myself occupied today," Celestia let out a sad sigh. Then, Discord appeared next to her, leaning against her shoulder.

"I can think of a few fun things to do Celestia," Discord winked and earned himself a punch to the nose. "OW!" Discord held his nose, "I didn't mean _that!" _He whined and conjured up an ice pack. Spike and I chuckled as Celestia shined up her golden hoof plate against her furry chest.

"Next time don't say it like that then Discord," Celestia trotted away. Discord picked himself up off the floor and held his bloody nose in his eagle talons. I turned back to Spike and chucked my towel and duffel bag into my room.

"Alright, I guess I'll see you in a little bit Spike, we can hang out in your room and watch movies on my iPad if you want," I offered.

"Yeah, I got tons of comic books I'll let you read if you promise not to get them dirty or ruin them," he threatened.

"I won't ruin your precious comic books Spike," I rolled my eyes, patted his head and shut the door to my room.

* * *

**(One hour later. Cougar's POV)**

After getting used to taking a shower in a bathtub meant for ponies at least half a foot shorter than me, I dried myself off, tossed my iPad into my duffel bag and headed out of my temporary room. It was hard, practically having to stand on my knees just to be able to turn the knobs and keep my head under the water stream. The body wash was alright I guess, coconut creme. "Good day Mr. Cougar, I trust your morning has gone well?" Wadsworth asked me in his British accent.

"Yeah, Spike and I had a little surprise waiting for us in the lake, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle," I turned to the butler Earth Pony.

"Well, is there anything I can get Mr. Cougar?" He politely held up his right foreleg with a handkerchief (or would it be a hoofkerchief?) strewn about. I held up my hands and shook my head at the butler.

"Nah, I'm good, just going to kill some time with Spike," I replied. "Look, I know I'm not in charge of you or anything Wadsworth," I stopped walking for a brief moment, "but why don't you go get yourself a cup of coffee or a veggie sandwich?" I suggested.

"Hmm," the butler pondered for a second, "I think I shall, but please do not let either of the princesses know I'm slacking off," he pleaded and put unbuttoned the top of his suit.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied with a wink. Wadsworth smiled and trotted away, shoving his white cloth into one of his many pockets before disappearing around a corner, probably heading to his butler quarters or a break room for guards, maids and butlers. Adjusting my Drive to End Hunger hat, I kept on walking through the halls of the castle, occasionally pausing to look at busts of pony rulers of the past, statues, paintings and glass stained windows.

"Cougar, can I help you?" A voice calmly called out. Thank God no one else was there, or else the secret of me screaming like a little girl would be about as concealed as the rumor of Carl Edwards joining Joe Gibbs Racing.

"AHH!" I yelled and grasped a lighting fixture to hold my body up.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Celestia apologized and rubbed my shoulder with her right wing. I nodded my head and got my wits about me before politely shoving her wing off my shoulder.

"And I didn't mean to wander, where am I exactly?" I attempted to dissect my exact whereabouts.

"You're just about to enter the royal bathhouse," she replied. I'm an idiot; I didn't notice until now that her horn had a towel wrapped around it. The doors shut by themselves, revealing the two guards standing behind them.

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry Princess, I wasn't trying to peek or anything," I apologized and turned away from her. Celestia chuckled before tossing the towel into my face and walking along with me.

"Don't worry about that Cougar; I was just washing my mane," Celestia explained. "So, where are you heading now?" She asked me.

"I was just going to see Spike and watch a few movies on my iPad, or maybe just talk you know," I replied, patting my duffel bag that had a spare set of clothes and my iPad. Celestia sighed and lowered her head. "Is everything okay Princess?" I asked, stopping in the hallway. The huge bay windows allowed light from her sun to pour through; I had to squint and lower the brim of my hat over my eyes.

"It's nice that you and Spike are trying to keep the peace between you if only for the weekend, I just wish sometimes Luna wasn't nocturnal or that our duties and work didn't get in the way so much," she confessed, "I missed her so much for the 1000 years I was forced to banish her to the moon," her horn lit up and projected the image of a black Alicorn as large as Celestia herself onto the nearest window. The image showed rays from Celestia's horn shooting at the black Alicorn and forcing it into the moon. "And even though she's been back for five years, we still don't get to spend that much time together." The image disappeared and the window went back to normal. "I wish we could go back to the days of our fillyhood and spend a whole day together, no villains or paperwork to go through," she added. I clicked my tongue several times, looking down the hall and back to the saddened Princess before me.

"Look Celestia, you said you practically had nothing to do today right?" I asked. She nodded and looked back up at me. "Well, if you really want to and really have nothing else to do today, would you like to hang out with me and Spike?" I questioned.

"You wouldn't mind having me spend time with you and Spike?" She replied, a hint of happiness riding on the edge of her voice.

"Nah, in fact it might be good for us to have someone of a regal status to keep us guys from acting stupid," I replied with a smirk. Celestia perked her head back up and smiled largely.

"Ahem, well then, shall I escort you to Spike's room then?" She offered her hoof to me. I took the gold plated hoof and we whisked away to the door next to Celestia's private chambers. "Ah, Glock, my faithful guard, you may take a break, I'm sure we'll be fine with Spike," Celestia granted the guard some time off.

"A-are you sure your majesty?" Glock stammered, "I wouldn't want to shirk my duties," he said in complete shock.

"Yes of course, I'm perfectly capable of handling myself, especially with the dragon who saved the Crystal Empire and the human with a military background and who killed two Timberwolves bare uh," Celestia's mind went blank as she forgot what my hands were called.

"Handed," I said for her, nudging her shoulder.

"Yes that's right, and if something horrible happens, which I doubt it will, I believe we'll manage, and you deserve a day off Glock," she touched her horn to his head, removing his golden helmet to reveal a blue mane on his white body.

"If only I had a mare to share it with," he said gloomily. The guard drug his spear along the ground, walking away from the one thing today that made him feel important. I felt bad for the guy, so I spoke up.

"Hey Glock, you know, there's this nurse in the Royal Infirmary that's really nice, maybe once this weekend is over you could invite her to dinner or something, her name is Candystriper," I called out. The pegasus guard ceased and turned around to face me.

"I'll, keep that in mind, thanks," he gave me small smile and walked away.

"Well Cougar, that was very kind of you," Celestia complimented and opened the door to Spike's room, "and how did you know Nurse Candystriper was single? She closed the door as I walked in.

"She just seemed a little alone when she was helping myself, Rainbow and Applejack a few weeks ago," I replied, "hey Spike, what are you reading?" I asked as Spike hadn't noticed either of us enter the room.

"Aw, come on Humdrum," Spike rolled his eyes, "you had _one_ job! Watch the door!" The dragon scolded his comic book.

"Does this happen often Princess?" I questioned Celestia while the oblivious reptile continued to read his comic book titled _Power Ponies._

"I've seen this before when Twilight was a student of mine and Spike brought these comic books along while Twilight studied and practiced magic with me," Celestia responded, "however, I have been shown a method or two to snap him out of his funk," she added and trotted over to Spike, "Spike, oh Spike," she said in a teasing voice, "Rarity is here with a plate of gems; she wants to share them with you over dinner," she whispered. Instantly, the dragon sprang from his chair, the comic book flying out of his hands and landing perfectly on top of the stack of comic books next to his chair.

"Where is she? Oh, how do my spikes look?" Spike glossed over his green spikes with his right hand. Then, he realized Celestia was joking and his ears and spikes drooped down, "Come on guys, that's not funny," he hopped back onto his chair.

"Well, you were lost in the fantasy world of super ponies wearing tights, how else were we gonna get you back to reality?" I asked and ruffled his green spikes.

"So? You don't mess with a guy's feelings like that," Spike picked up his comic book and went to reopen it, but Celestia wrestled it from his grip with her magic; Spike crossed his arms and glared at the Sun Princess.

"I am sorry Spike, but Cougar has some movies he wants to watch with us," she explained and sat down next to the small dragon. Taking my cue, I set down my duffel bag and opened up the zipper.

"Alright, since you like superheroes so much kid," I flicked my thumb across the dozens of movies on my iPad until I rested on one of my favorite superhero movies of all time, "how about one about one of the greatest superhero teams ever?" I questioned.

"How did your dimension know about the Power Ponies!?" Spike exclaimed excitedly.

"Power Ponies? Yeah, right," I showed both Celestia and Spike the iPad screen. The screen showed a picture of a group of superheroes standing in a demolished city. One was wearing red and gold plated armor with lasers shooting out of his right hand. Another had a red, white and blue costume on with a blue helmet that had a big silver 'A' on the front and he was throwing a circular red white and blue shield. A third superhero had a large maroon cape, silver armor and a huge hammer being held in his right hand. A fourth one was a large and green angry looking behemoth. The fifth and sixth ones had black leather costumes on.

"The Avengers? Please, I bet the Power Ponies could whip them without losing their breath," Spike rolled his eyes.

"Oh really? Ya wanna find out?" I replied and clicked play, "Princess, you don't mind a superhero film do you?" I asked. Instantly, the Princess conjured up three large buckets of popcorn that levitated in front of all of us.

"Why don't we make things a little bigger?" She took a smile bite of popcorn as her golden aura surrounded my iPad. The screen began to stretch and deform as it suddenly grew to the size of a 32 inch TV screen and floated in mid-air. Then, the curtains in the room closed and the fire died down, making the screen appear clearer.

_"Director Fury, what do we do now?"_ Agent Coulson questioned to his superior over the walkie-talkie. The screen changed to show a badass looking black male with an eye patch. He lowered his walkie-talkie before looking up into the distance. Suddenly, the screen went dark as the words _THE AVENGERS_ appeared in big bold letters.

"Interesting so far," Spike said nonchalantly and threw some popcorn in his mouth.

* * *

**(A little while into the film)**

"Cougar, who is this man?" Celestia asked while taking a sip of water and munching on popcorn. The man on the screen was viciously punching a punching bag inside a 1940's styled gymnasium as he had flashbacks to his prior life. The movie showed the man in his superhero costume, running through a winterized forest with explosions and bullets covering the area.

_"Peggy, it's too dangerous, I gotta put her in the water!" _The man exclaimed. The screen showed him deflecting some sort of laser blast with his shield pounding another man's face in.

_"You won't be alone,"_ a woman's voice said softly as it showed a large machine crashing into ice.

"_My God, this guy's still alive!"_ A second man shouted as the man in his costume was shown frozen in a block of ice.

Suddenly, the screen went back to real time as the man in the gym punched the punching bag so hard it exploded, sending mountains of sand everywhere and flying the remains of the punching bag across the room.

"That, is Captain America Celestia," I smirked and popped some snacks into my mouth.

"Oh my, he's certainly a strong human," Celestia stopped munching on her food to stare in awe at how strong Captain America was. Spike chuckled when Cap grabbed a second punching bag, hooked it to the ceiling and began to punch at it.

"Let me guess, this guy was some sort of soldier and he fell into a vat of toxic waste or was struck by lightning or whatever?" Spike played with is tail.

"Nope, he was experimented on," I replied and sipped on a cola. Just as Director Nick Fury was about to hand Cap his mission briefing, there was a knock on the door. "I got it, don't get up guys," I allowed the movie to keep playing since I've seen it dozens and dozens of times. "Yeah?" I opened the door only to discover an empty hallway. "Celestia, is this another one of yours?" I asked and held the golden door wide open.

"What are you talking about Cougar? I didn't do anything," a confused and puzzled Celestia replied to me.

"Eh nothing, I must be hearing things," I said and shut the door. I sat back down in my chair which suddenly turned to a huge mound of popcorn, as did Celestia's and Spike's.

"Hey, what's going on!" Spike's muffled voice came from underneath his popcorn. Celestia's head poked out the top of her popcorn chair with some butter dripping off her horn.

"_Discord,"_ Celestia seethed as the chaos raving maniac appeared from thin air wearing blue and red 3D glasses.

"What, I thought you could all use a refill," he flicked some of the buttery goodness into his mouth and swallowed it. He then snapped his lion paw and a jumbo cup of soda appeared in front of him. However, instead of putting the red straw up to his lips, he inserted it into his ear. "Ah, refreshing," he sighed happily until he groaned in pain, "AH! BRAIN FREEZE!" He shouted and grabbed his head. I finally crawled from my mound of popcorn with bits of the snack sticking to me thanks to the butter.

"Did you want to watch the movie with us?" I asked, beginning to lose my patience with this guy.

"Oh goody, I thought you'd never ask!" Discord clapped his paw and talons together. He conjured up a lawn chair for himself to sit in and laid back, still drinking his soda pop.

"You could've just asked Discord," Spike crawled from his trap and coughed up some food.

"Where's the fun in that kiddo?" Discord teased. Celestia's horn flashed a bright golden light as the chairs returned to normal and all three of us were cleaned up of the butter and popcorn.

* * *

**(Cougar's POV. 7:00 PM)**

After finishing up the Avengers, the four of us took a break before returning to watch some more movies on my now gigantic iPad. When we were done with the Avengers, it was about 2:00, so we watched a comedy because Discord claimed he wanted a good laugh. So, I chose one of my favorite all time comedies: Dumb and Dumber.

_"One half tea-spoon, for fast effective relief,"_ Jim Carrey's character laughed evilly as he poured half a bottle of Turbo lax into Jeff Daniels' character's coffee mug.

"Oh ho, ho, ho!" Discord guffawed, spilling some popcorn into Celestia's wavy rainbow mane. "I LOVE this Jim Carrey fellow, I simply must see more of his works," Discord slapped his knee. Suddenly, there was another knock on the door, so I paused the movie. Celestia, Spike and myself turned our heads upwards to Discord. "Oh sure, blame the guy who pulled the last prank, how typical." Instead of one of us opening the door, the knocker in question appeared in the room herself.

"Luna!" I exclaimed and stood up to shake her hoof. "I take it you slept well?" I questioned the princess of the night.

"Oh most definitely," Luna stretched out her neck, "though I have been awake since 5:00," she winked, "and I see you've spent some time with my sister, little Spike and, Discord?" She questioned when the draconequus was spotted.

"Yeah, he wanted to tag along so we let him," I explained.

"Tia, did you get any of your work done today?" Luna asked her sister.

"Yes, though there was not much to do considering what weekend it is," Celestia got up from her chair.

"Hmm yes, this weekend does limit what we can do sister, though I do have one case in my Night Court tonight," Luna grumbled. "But anyways, the head chef has alerted me that dinner is ready if you're all ready?"

"Well, I am kind of sick of popcorn," Spike tossed his empty bucket into the garbage can. I turned off my now gigantic iPad and held the golden door open for everyone as we all exited the room to head for the dining hall.

"So Luna, what's on the menu for tonight?" I questioned, hoping for some barbecue corn on the cob or some mashed potatoes with country gravy and possibly cornbread, though I'm sure none of it would be as good as Granny Smith's recipes.

"The normal routine for us," Luna led all five of us down the hallway as Celestia joined us up front and Spike hopped onto Celestia's back for the second time, "a regular vegetable salad, fruit salad, pasta and baked jalapeño cheese bread for the side," the Princess of the Night explained, "and of course gems for Spike," she patted Spike's head. "Is something the matter Cougar?" She asked when she saw my crestfallen face.

"No, of course not," I replied, trying not to offend her, "it's just, I'm so used to the Apple family's cooking and I haven't really had any other food than theirs since I've been here," I delineated.

"Ah, that does make sense Cougar," Celestia chimed in, "although, after you and Spike left to go swimming this morning, I requested that the head chef make you a meal that they would normally make for the Griffon King and his guards when they arrive," she told me.

"Griffons?" I asked in disbelief, "well I shouldn't be too surprised," I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, and although we do not ourselves eat meat, King Gryffindor showed us an alternative to meat called Seitan," Luna piped up as the main dining hall doors flew open. "Ah Bat Fang, there you are."

"And Glock too, I trust you all had an interesting day?" Celestia and Luna greeted their personal guards. I had never ever tried Tofu before; fake meat sounded nasty and cheap to me back on Earth, but the princesses and the chefs went to the trouble just for me, I might as well try it. Discord, Luna and Celestia's noses crinkled at the smell coming from the kitchen, but my nose was loving it, Spike however, was indifferent.

"That smells really good," I wiped my lips of saliva as I smelled beef, most likely a steak or ribs. We all sat down at the huge round table as the few remaining servers set down glasses of water and milk.

"Speak for yourself Cougar," Luna wiped her nose. I chuckled and sipped on my water while Glock and Bat Fang stood around the table.

"And dinner, is served," one of the servants announced. Six plates, one for each of us, (and Bluebutt I'm guessing) were brought into the room and set down before us. The servers uncovered the plates and we began to eat. My dinner was Seitan beef tips, which I was still hesitant to try at first, but I slowly stabbed on cube with my fork and stuffed it into my mouth.

"Well Cougar, do you enjoy your food?" Celestia questioned while swallowing her salad.

"This is pretty damned good," I stuffed another cube of Seitan beef into my mouth and swallowed it. I then buttered a piece of bread and ate that as well. Discord on the other hand, was being Discord of course. He used his magic to turn his dinner plate and utensils into pieces of salad and his actual salad into broken pieces of dinner plate.

"Mmm," his teeth crunched the dinner plate, "my compliments," he belched. Then, the doors flew open to reveal, a very different Blueblood. He was shaking all over and his mane was a complete mess, kind of like Sarah Connor's hair in Terminator 2.

"Nephew, so glad you could join us," Luna smiled evilly and quietly stuck some vegetables into her muzzle, chewing slowly. Blueblood's hooves clacked against the marble flooring several times, almost as if he were trying to crack the floor itself.

"S-s-so m-m-much d-d-darkness," he shivered and sat down, the chair vibrating violently.

"What the fuck did you do to him?" I whispered to Luna.

"Ha, an old friend of mine taught him a valuable lesson about treating others with respect," Luna politely sipped her water.

"_Lulu,"_ Celestia glared down at Luna. I was confused as hell, but Spike and Discord continued to eat their dinner as if everything was okay. Blueblood was breathing shakily while trying to pick up his fork with his magic. The silver utensil was vibrating to and fro, like it was having its own seizure during an earthquake. The fork clanged against Blueblood's dinner plate loudly, picking up some salad that flung off as he couldn't stop from shaking.

"He'll be fine Tia," Luna said, "besides, you don't mind it when I transform during Nightmare Night," the midnight blue Alicorn countered.

"Yes, but that's just for fun; using _her_ to purposefully scare somepony into acting the way you want them to is wrong," Celestia scolded her eyes and chewed menacingly at her younger sister. My head darted back and forth as they retorted to each other, like I was watching the championship tennis match at Wimbledon. Spike chuckled when Bluebutt was finally able to take a bite of food without shaking it off his fork.

"What exactly are you two talking about?" I wiped my mouth.

"Oh, nothing Cougar, Luna just didn't think straight when punishing our nephew," Celestia looked back and forth from Luna to Blueblood.

"What the hell did she do to him exactly?" I asked again.

"I showed him what would become of him if he continued to treat his fellow creatures like garbage," Luna explained before polishing off her pasta.

"S-s-so d-d-d-dark," the white unicorn in question spilled his water onto the table. One of the servants quickly wiped up the water from the table.

"Anything else going on?" I changed the subject so there wouldn't be any bad air between Celestia and Luna considering how much Celestia missed spending quality time with her sister.

"Well, besides the Gala which you seem determined to miss," Luna started, "the annual Running of the Leaves in Ponyville will be occurring towards the end of next month, about a week and a half before the Gala," Luna explained.

"It's a race where any species of pony can run, and it's all for fun, an exhibition really," Celestia doused some of her salad in ranch dressing.

"A race huh?" Now they had my full attention.

"Yes, and we were curious to see if that would peak your interest," Luna downed the last of her water before a servant refilled the glass.

"And it's called the running of the leaves because it's in fall?" I asked, finishing up my Seitan beef tips.

"Something along those lines Cougar," Celestia swallowed her food, "mainly what the event is for is to make the gusts of wind generated by the running ponies to lift the dead leaves off the trees to make way for winter," the sun pony finished explaining. Boy, I hadn't been to a race since I was a teenager; this sounds like it could be fun.

"Do any of my friends compete?" I asked and started to pick apart my loaf of bread.

"Oh yeah, Rainbow Dash and Applejack run every year," Spike chimed in, crunching on a huge green gem, "Twilight did one year, but she really ran to just take in the scenery, not to compete," he explained. "Oh, and Pinkie Pie and I do the commentary every year!" he added with a sparkly grin.

"This sounds like fun, did you want to have me compete? I'm in shape, but not into running unless it's for my life," I said.

"No Cougar, we wanted to invite up to our private viewing booth at the top of the grandstands for a spectacular view of the race below," Luna cut in.

"Will there be nachos and soda? That's all I'll need to say yes."

"Of course, it wouldn't be a sporting event without nachos and soda would it?" Celestia replied, "or without cake," she added as quietly as possible, but we all saw right through it.

"Ah yes, the Running of the Leaves," Discord belched out some dust from the plate he feasted upon, "I was hoping to make things more, interesting at this year's run," he drank his cup of water.

"Discord, no," Celestia put her hooves upon the table, glaring at the draconequus.

"Whatever do you mean Princess?" Discord pouted like an innocent puppy dog.

"No greasing the path with axle grease," Celestia ordered.

"Or digging pits for the racers to fall in," Luna added.

"Ah, or trip wire across the path to trip the racers," Celestia pointed her golden hoof at Discord. His parchment marked _'Dastardly Plans'_ disappeared in a ball of fire, leaving him in an unhappy state.

"Fine, fine, we'll have it the old boring way if you want, but don't whine to me if it _is_ boring!" Discord shook his lion paw. He suddenly yawned, covering his mouth with his eagle talon; snapped his lion paw and appeared in a slumber outfit, complete with Teddy Bear and night cap. "Well, I'm off to bed," he announced.

"At a quarter to 8:00?" Spike raised an eyebrow.

"Oh what, do I have to stick to the sleeping schedule your mommy gave you?" Discord bopped Spike on the nose, "I'm over a thousand years old; I'm old enough to make my own bedtime and I'm tired now!" Discord whined, "so, where will I be sleeping Celestia?" He appeared in Celestia's forelegs, sucking his thumb and cuddling his Teddy Bear.

"Well certainly not with me!" The Sun Princess dumped him into a bowl of pudding that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Luna, myself, Spike and even Bluebutt snickered as Discord shed himself of the chocolate pudding.

"Aw come on Celestia, I can sleep on one of the chairs in your room, you won't even know I'm there!" He begged.

"No means no Discord, I'm afraid you'll have to sleep in the guard quarters tonight," Celestia crossed her forelegs across her chest.

"OH PLEASE NO!" Glock dropped to his knees in a begging motion, "for the love of the monarchy your highness, anything but that! I don't want him to mess anything up and put the toilets on the ceilings or something," Glock begged. The Princess of the Day looked from Glock to Discord and sighed in defeat.

"Fine, you may sleep on the little couch in my room next to the fireplace, _but," she sneered, "_if a single picture is so much as a_ centimeter_ off normal, you're gone and sleeping in the gardens, understand?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Oh but of course, and thank you Celestia!" Discord kissed her hoof, making her blush slightly, "I'm off to bed now, I'll make sure nopony disturbs your room!" He saluted and disappeared in thin air. The servers then took our dirty silverware and plates and brought in a huge covered tray on a cart.

"And your dessert for the evening ladies, gentle colts, gentledrake and gentleman?" The main server questioned. I nodded with a smirk. Two other servers took the lid off of the plate, but where flabbergasted to find nothing, nary a crumb on the silver-plate! "But how can this be?! I just checked the dessert cart before we left the kitchen!" The server pony checked everywhere for the dessert.

"I wouldn't know," Celestia looked back and forth after wiping her foreleg across her mouth.

"Tia, honestly," Luna shook her head. Celestia gave a small and cute little belch.

"Oops, excuse me," she blushed.

"Well, today was fun, but I'm gonna go lay down until I fall asleep, I'll see ya tomorrow kid," I rubbed Spike's head. The dragon stretched and yawned before hopping off his chair and scratching his back.

"Okay, well have a good night you two!" Celestia called.

"I shall see you in your dreams!" Luna added. I wish she had thought about that before saying it out loud.

* * *

**(Midnight. Cougar's POV)**

I had lay down in bed for four hours now, but the Sandman never seemed to check in for his scheduled appointment with closing my eyes. The only light in the room was the silvery glow from Luna's moon pouring through the balcony doors and the small reddish glow of the fire in the silver and black fireplace. I wasn't too warm or too cold, I just couldn't sleep.

It wasn't because of my rude awakening with Applejack, nor was it because of nearly drowning earlier that day. Maybe I was too tired to sleep? No that's stupid. Was it because I missed the sounds of jet engines landing and taking off? No, I've been able to sleep for three months without them now. Was it because I didn't belong in a castle like this? And bingo, that was it. A castle was just too of an unfamiliar territory for me, so I couldn't bring myself to close my eyes and fall asleep, even trying a second shower for the day and listening to my phone. Whether it was the large rooms, the sophisticated atmosphere, or the fact that it was a rather large building that was nearly empty thanks to the Estrus Weekend, something just didn't sit right with me. Suddenly, there was a soft knock on my door and Luna poked her head in.

"Cougar, are you alright? I couldn't find you in the dream realm," she asked with curiosity.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, sitting up and propping my back against the headboard of the bed.

"Oh, well then what is troubling you?" she sat on the edge of my bed.

"Nothing really, I just can't sleep," I stretched my arms around, "and I don't even feel tired really," I added. Being too bored to sleep was certainly a possibility as well. Luna tapped her chin with her silver hoof plate.

"Have you tried warm milk?" She asked.

"Nah, and to be honest, I don't really care if I do sleep or not," I admitted. "Is there anything I can do at night that won't disturb anypony?" I questioned, getting off the bed and grabbing my navy blue T-shirt off the top of my duffel bag.

"None that I can think of at the moment Cougar," Luna said as the clock in my room chimed 12:15 AM.

"Besides watching over dreams, what else are you doing Luna?" I asked her, leaning against the wall of the room.

"Unless you count my night court, then nothing Cougar, and I have but one case tonight; it shouldn't take too long to do anyways, so I'm trying to get it out of the way at half past midnight." Her eyes lit up as she mentioned her night court and she too sprang from my bed, "how would you like to join me? It would certainly pass some time for you if that's your main goal for the night," Luna asked me.

"Join you in your court? Like just sit in the court room and watch as you sentence a pony or let him free?" I questioned.

"Not exactly, for you see, Bat Fang is my only guard left until Monday and I would rather have two guards in the court room should something go wrong, even though I can handle myself mind you," Luna raised an eyebrow at me.

"You want me to be a guard?" I asked another question.

"A temporary guard for the night to be exact, if you want to of course, I'm not forcing you if you don't want to Cougar; I just think it may lead to something like my offer I made to you a few months ago." I breathed out, contemplating Luna's offer for a brief moment. What the hell was I going to do for the rest of the night?

"Sure, at least it'll kill some time, but what about a guard uniform or armor?" I asked.

"My, my, you are the curious one tonight," Luna teased before I was engulfed with her white aura and found myself wearing dark blue, black and silver armor, complete with a black helmet with the blue furry thing that Marvin the Martian wore, dark blue body armor with black and silver trimmings and a big white crescent moon on the chest area, black and silver shoulder pads and finally, black leg armor with white and dark blue flames going up the legs. "Well, what do you think Cougar? I think you look very stylish," she checked me over.

"Wow Luna," I whistled, "you sure know how to give your guards some kick ass looking armor," I admired my reflection in a mirror, "although, I do have one complaint," I said nervously. Luna's face froze and she gave a stoical look at me.

"And what might that be?" She asked. I took off the helmet, set it gently on the bed, unzipped my duffel bag and inserted my head into my old and familiar purple and yellow Air Force helmet.

"I'm more comfortable with this helmet," I buckled the strap onto my chin. Luna smiled and playfully smacked my shoulder.

"I do like that helmet," she peered into piercing yellow eyes above the white letters that read COUGAR below the left eye of the helmet, "especially the bloody claw marks down the sides," she added. "Now, for your weapon," a spear appeared in my left hand. "Now, you are ready to be a guard Cougar," Luna exclaimed.

"Thanks, let me get that for you," I opened the door for her. I found out that although my armor was actually fairly thick and heavy, it was still easy to maneuver around in.

"Oh, where we're going, we don't need doors," Luna winked and we were whisked away to the courtroom where there was a giant clock above the judge's bench. with only one had that pointed to Luna's cutie mark on the bottom. I'm guessing it pointed to whoever had the court as judge determined by the day or night.

"There you are princess," Bat Fang bowed, "and Cougar, that armor suits you pretty well; nice helmet," he complimented me.

"Thanks Bat Fang," I replied, setting my spear to the side as I stretched around a bit. "So, where's the accused or whatever you guys call them?" I asked.

"Oh, he's chained up right outside here, shall I get him your majesty?" Bat Fang asked Luna as she flew up and perched herself atop the judge's bench.

"Yes you may Bat Fang, bring forth the accused!" She boomed in her royal Canterlot voice, surprising the hell out of me. Bat Fang bowed to his princess, flew back to the doors in the back of the courtroom and opened them up. Right away, Luna and I were met with a loud, cursing voice.

"LET ME OUT OF THESE BUCKING CHAINS YOU BAT FREAK!" a burly stallion's voice shouted.

"Calm down sir, don't make it any worse than it is!" Bat Fang struggled to keep the stallion in his grip. As they entered, I saw that there was a large set of silverly chains locked with a dark blue key lock on the front of the guy's chest all around the tan stallion's legs. He had a black mane that was ruffled up and he had a stench of alcohol that was so powerful that even Luna had to hold her nose. The tan stallion had a heart as black as ink on his flank with a bloody knife stabbing it in the center.

"I'M INNOCENT CELESTIA DAMMIT! LET ME GO BEFORE I KICK YOUR ASS! AND WHAT THE BUCK IS THAT THING DOING HERE!?" The stallion kept shouting and noticed me standing in front of Luna's bench. Bat Fang kept pushing the stallion until he was stopped right where there was a sign that read '_Accused'_ painted on the floor where he now stood. Looking up, Luna looked pretty fucking intimidating from up where she was perched, but that was probably the point, though I couldn't imagine Celestia looking that intimidating.

"Welcome to the Royal Canterlot Night Court, the honorable Princess of the Night Luna presiding," I cleared my throat.

"Thank you Cougar," Luna cleared her throat as well and read off several sheets of parchment. "So, you are the stallion known as Darkheart correct?" Luna politely asked.

"Yeah, and you're that bitch Nightmare Moon that tried to bring nighttime forever five years ago, yet you're not in jail are you?" Darkheart spat at Luna.

"SHOW YOUR PRINCESS RESPECT MAGGOT!" Bat Fang yanked his chains down hard, bringing Darkheart's head down.

"I've heard worse Bat Fang," Luna nonchalantly sipped on a mug of cocoa. "Now, you stand accused of Drunk and Disorderly, assault and battery on another stallion, and stalking your ex mare friend, how do you plead?" She asked.

"Not guilty your whoreship," Darkheart grinned evilly and spat some spit in Luna's direction.

"Hey asshole!" I exclaimed.

"What the buck do you want you bucking monkey freak!?" Darkheart exclaimed at me. "Look at you, you're more of a freak of nature than Discord, you should've been dissected the moment this bitch and her whore of a sister found you," he growled.

**_"THOU SHALT NOT TALK THAT WAY ABOUT MY SISTER! _**Luna's Royal Canterlot voice bellowed out, breaking a few windows in the court room.

"You're treading deadlier waters by the minute fucker," I jabbed the blunt end of my spear into his knee cap.

"One more bad word outta you and you're out of here, buck the trial," Bat Fang agreed with me. Unfortunately, this drunk piece of shit didn't know the meaning of shut the fuck up.

"And what's with this Cougar bullshit? You ain't no cougar," he hiccuped drunkly, "what's your real name? Only bucking cowards hide their real names, like a scared little bitch! I bet that's all you are! A scared little bitch, letting others around you fall while you run with your tail between your legs," he spat on me, the loogie trailing down my leg. I then had a flashback of back to when Reaper and I received our call signs.

"SILENCE YOUR BUCKING MOUTH!" Bat Fang jabbed his hoof into the rear leg of Darkheart.

"**THIS MAN SAVED SIX PONIES FROM TWO TIMBERWOLVES! HE HAS MORE HONOR IN HIS EYES THAN YOU DO IN YOUR BODY!" **Luna shouted again. That snapped me back to reality. I shook my head and continued to point my spear at him. "Now then, with the written testimonies of witnesses and the owner of the bar who's window you broke, and the fact that this is your fourth offense, you are to serve 5 years in the dungeon, no parole! And we'll tack on another six months for threatening the lives of my two guards, dismissed!" Luna banged her gavel.

"You bucking BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU AND YOU'RE BUCKING COWARD GUARDS!" The Earth Pony began to thrash around. Bat Fang and I stabbed him in the sides with our spears, but not enough to kill him, just immobilize him. However, he kicked his legs out so hard that he tripped Bat Fang's legs, causing him to fall down and the tip of his spear to break the lock off Darkheart's chains.

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE MOTHER FUCKER!" I stabbed his rear leg with the tip of my spear as the chains released their grip on his legs. He kicked out with his legs, hitting my gut in the process. "Oof!" I groaned and buckled down, but grabbed onto his tail. "No you don't," I yanked him back and held onto his head in a headlock. "Luna, we need some help!" I shouted. But before she could help, Darkheart reared up with his fore hoof and sucker punched me across the face, breaking my nose. "AH FUCK!" I shouted as blood gushed out my nostrils.

"See ya in Tartarus assholes!" Darkheart bolted out of the courtroom and into the hallways of the castle.

"Cougar, are you alright?!" Luna exclaimed and magically healed my nose.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but we gotta catch that guy before he escapes! With the Estrus still going on, no one is gonna see where he goes!" I shouted as the three of us dashed out of the Courtroom.

**End Chapter XIV**

* * *

_The hunt is on for Darkheart who just made his sentencing even worse! Will Cougar, Bat Fang and Luna catch him, or will Darkheart escape the castle and into the night? Find out in Chapter XV: A unexpected find_

_BTW, I'm glad everypony was patient for this chapter. I know it took awhile longer than most, but I do have my other story I'm working on, so I'm churning out chapters as well written and as quickly as possible. Please __review!_

_Also, did you guys like Discord's return?_

_I do NOT own The Avengers, Captain America or Dumb and Dumber_


	16. Chapter XV: An Unexpected Find

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter XV: An Unexpected Find**

_Okay guys, I'm going to cut you all a deal. I've been looking up Fimfiction a lot more and I've come to a decision on Fallen Eagle's fate. IF I can get at least 85 followers, 65 favorites and 150 reviews by Chapter XX (Chapter 21 in reality) then I will create a Fimfiction account and publish this there, but don't worry, I won't delete it off here, though I am nervous about how this story will be received on the other site._

**Dixie Darlin: **_If anypony in MLP world would like Jim Carrey, Discord would love the randomness Carrey brings to every character. _

**Mallory Shadowielder:** _Well, I wouldn't say that since he really didn't ask her out, that'd be weird. But more like she kicked him to the curb. _

**adhadluke:** _I wanted to get the chapter out and I just thought of a name on the spot, had a feeling it was used somewhere else, but had no clue exactly where._

**ninjagofangirlb: **_They have Tartarus, but I get what you're saying. Maybe Cerberus can use him as a chew toy?_

**King Rocket:** _Thank you for the compliment and thank you for pointing out my mistake about the faux beef. _

**OBSERVER01:** _I really have no clue what you mean by that, sorry. _

**Youtubepoopfan:** _Nope, just came up with the name on the spot. I had a feeling it was used before, but no idea WHERE exactly. _

**PRR Gangsta:** _Thank you, hope you like this next one. _

**Guest:** _I'm glad you liked both, __though Tia has been used numerous times for Celestia and it fit in this particular chapter so I used it. _

**Fear Less-1300:** _Well with Discord, I combine randomness with taking metaphorical phrases literally. For instance, if he wanted to see time fly rather than kill it, he would've shot the clock out of a cannon. _

_Okay guys, so this chapter will follow Bat Fang, Cougar and Luna chasing Darkheart through the castle, alerting other guards in the process in case the drunkard passes by them. Also, Cougar makes an unexpected yet amazing discovery; this chapter is going to deal with the end of the Estrus as well. It will also get a bit emotional in some parts, I don't expect anybody to cry, but it will get emotional for some. Just so you guys don't get confused and question whether or not I left some good chunks of the story out of place._

* * *

**(Canterlot Castle, Cougar's POV)**

Surprisingly, the armor shielding my body didn't slow me down, at all. I was still able to run as fast as I could while being able to maneuver around. "BUCK!" Bat Fang exclaimed as all three of us rounded the corner after leaving the court room, only to find an empty hallway. "There's a million bucking hallways he could've hidden in!" He cursed again, punching the marble wall.

"Calm down Bat Fang," Luna said in a comforting manner, "we will find Darkheart and bring him to justice. But for now, we must alert the remaking guards of the castle to keep a close eye on the doors so he does not escape," she added. Bat Fang and I nodded in response, allowing Luna to take the lead for the time being as we covered her six.

"So, do we need to wake up Celestia and-" I began before Luna spun around, knocking Bat Fang and I to the ground with a crash.

**_"NO!"_** Luna bellowed in her loud stadium-like voice, "Sister needs her sleep! Waking her up unless there is a threat against Canterlot is one of the worst things anypony can do!" Luna warned, "Tartarus hath no fury like a tired Celestia." I got to my feet and helped the bat pony to his hooves as Luna turned back forward and began to patrol the hallway.

"Okay then, asking Celestia for help is out of the question," I adjusted the strap on my helmet. We began to walk and trot briskly through the castle hallway. The torches lining the walls in between the large bay windows were barley lit so as not to disturb any nighttime wanderers in the castle, but Luna's moon cast a silvery sea of light, filling in the role of the torches. All of a sudden, we heard the distinct sound of hooves clopping against the marble flooring of the hallway.

_Clop, clop, clop._

"Hold on your majesty," Bat Fang stopped us as we came across another corner. "There's somepony coming," he whispered and pointed his spear forward. The shadow of a pony was slowly creeping up on the marble wall in front of us. Bat Fang motioned for Luna to get behind us and for me to strafe the wall to surprise the guest. I set my spear down, knowing it would just get in my way and crept up with my back flush against the wall, crawling along the surface with the palms of my hands. The shadow on the wall was growing bigger and bigger as the pony trotted their way closer to us.

_Clop, clop, clop._ The hoof steps were growing closer, evidenced by their sound growing louder.

_"Get over here,"_ I whispered to the bat pony guard who silently as he could tip-hoofed his way next to me. The hoof steps coming towards us were getting louder and louder until we knew the pony was right on top of us.

"GRAB HIM!" Bat Fang shouted as he took off into the air and dive bombed the pony that just stuck his head around the corner. Bat Fang tackled him to the ground and I joined into the fray on top. Holding down his legs, I waited for the bat pony to wrap his forelegs around the mystery pony's neck. The pony began to put up a damned good fight. He thrashed his legs around violently, throwing me off and back into the marble wall. The pony raised his fore hoof and struck Bat Fang across the jaw, sending him flying back.

"Stop! Stop immediately!" Luna's voice shouted just below her booming stadium voice just as Bat Fang and I were about to jump the pony again. The midnight blue Alicorn lit up a few of the torches on the walls to reveal a pissed off and shocked Glock. He was slightly dazed and his mane was a mess, though I couldn't decipher if that was from bed head or the fact we jumped him. "Glock, what are you doing out and about in the middle of my night?" Luna demanded, "I thought Sister allowed you to retire for the night several hours ago?" She helped Glock to his hooves. Celestia's personal guard cracked his neck a few times and sighed in relief.

"What the _buck _was that for Bat Fang?!" Glock hissed at the bat pony and punched him in the shoulder. "And you Cougar!" Glock turned to me and punched my shoulder where the armor didn't cover, "why are you wearing this armor?" He demanded.

"Do we really have time to explain this right now?" I asked Luna, "we've gotta make sure Darkheart doesn't escape!" Glock looked back and forth from all three of us, confused as hell. Luna grumbled in frustration and took the stage for the time being from myself and Bat Fang.

"We three are tracking a criminal that escaped my Night Court," she explained to Glock, "and I needed one extra guard and asked Cougar if he would like to fill the role for night, why are you up?" Luna questioned the guard.

"I was just getting a drink of water and a small bite of some hay from the guards' break room when I heard you shout, so I was heading over here to see if I could be of assistance," Glock replied.

"Yes, you can be Glock," Luna quickly responded, "we must alert the rest of the night guards to keep their eyes peeled to the doors so Darkheart cannot escape!" She declared and retook the lead of the group.

"I'll run back and grab my armor and spear from the break room," Glock galloped ahead and around the corner. Luna dimmed the flames of the torches back to their nighttime settings and followed Glock to the guard break room. As we entered the room, I set my spear against the wall and scanned my eyes around the room. On the back wall where Glock was slipping on his golden armor, I saw a shelf which contained about a dozen or so flashlights, backups most likely.

"Hey Bat Fang, are those flashlights for backups only?" I questioned. The bat pony looked up and over to the supply shelf and shook his head.

"No, we just have that many flashlights at the castle," he replied and quickly snatched up three of them. I was about to question why he didn't grab one for Luna while handing one to me and Glock while keeping one for himself when I realized Luna could probably see in the dark.

"Are you quite ready Glock, time is of the essence!" Luna impatiently tapped her hoof on the floor.

"I'm ready to roll your highness," Glock bowed quickly and took his position next to Bat Fang and myself in our little formation. Bat Fang and Glock stuck their respective flashlights into their mouths and clicked them to the on position. I looked down at the handle of my flashlight and grimaced, but pushed the thought into the deep recesses of my mind; there were more pressing issues at hand. Switching the torch on, I pointed the yellow stream of light forward, illuminating the wall at the end of the long hallway.

Meanwhile, a bright ball of silver light appeared at the tip of Luna's horn, emitting a brilliant beam shooting down the hallway as well. "So, shall we split up to cover more ground?" Luna suggested, pointing her personal beam of light down an adjacent hallway.

"Sounds good to me your majesty," Bat Fang replied, looking back behind us.

"I'll go down this hallway," Glock said as he started to turn away from the group. My hand shot out and grabbed his tail, yanking hard as I could. A pained yelp shot out of Glock's muzzle, followed by an angry stare in my direction.

"Sorry Glock," I apologized, "but obviously you guys haven't watched enough horror movies," I stated.

"What are you talking about Cougar?" Glock snatched his tail away from my grasp.

"It's too dangerous and too cliche, we've got to stick together; Darkheart couldn't possibly handle all four of us," I explained. The three ponies all exchanged glances before looking back at me with raised eyebrows.

"Fine Cougar, but this will take longer," Luna complained, once again taking the lead.

"There should be a pair of night guards stationed at the next pair of doors," Glock exclaimed, "unless they're moving around," he added. Up ahead, there was indeed a pair of nighttime unicorn guards, standing still as statues on either side of a large set of golden doors.

"Good evening Princess," one of the guards greeted when we reached them. "And Glock? I thought you retired several hours ago soldier?" The guard asked.

"Look Remington, we don't have much time to waste, but there's an escaped felon running around the castle, you haven't seen anything have you?" Glock asked. Remington and the other guard shook their heads.

"No, but we'll be sure to relay a message to you Princess Luna if we do see anything," the second guard replied.

"Thank you Spear Head, just be sure to stay here at this door, do not move unless we ask for your assistance, is that clear?" she questioned. Both Remington and Spear Head stood at attention, spears clenched tightly against their bodies as they nodded. "Good, we'll be on our way then." We all froze suddenly as Bat Fang sprouted his bat wings. He opened his muzzle to reveal his literal bat fangs and furrowed his eyebrows.

"I think he's down here," Bat Fang pointed his flashlight down an empty hallway that housed several doors but no guards. We couldn't see anything, even with our flashlights, so Luna's silver light emitting from her horn glowed even brighter, fully illuminating the long hallway.

"AHA!" She exclaimed as we saw the familiar tan fur of Darkheart as he was sneaking his way down the hallway.

"SHIT!" He shouted and began to try and run away; the marble flooring holding him place for the time being. I turned around and ordered Remington and Spear Head to stay put in case Darkheart somehow got past us. Bat Fang and Glock dropped their flashlights onto the floor where they clattered loudly and the glass casings over the bulbs shattered. The two sprouted their wings and launched down the hallway.

"Climb aboard Cougar!" Luna ordered me. I hopped onto her back, surprised that she was able to hold me with all my armor on, but that wasn't important. Remington and Spear Head conjured up a magic shield to prevent Darkheart from escaping the end of the hallway. Luna's large wings sprouted and we took off for the criminal. With the air whipping past us, the three ponies and myself barreled down the hallway. Looking behind him, Darkheart had his flank against the magic wall that had him trapped.

"Stay right where you are!" Bat Fang ordered as we neared the creep.

"Your ass is under arrest," Glock growled. Darkheart then lunged at one of the doors nearest to him, hoof on the door handle, desperately trying to escape. However, the door was locked for him, leaving him up shit creek. Standing up on Luna's back, I jumped off and skidded down the flooring, grabbing ahold of one of the stone columns to stop myself from skidding in to the magical wall.

Just as we were about to catch him and Luna was about to cast a spell to lock him back in chains, Darkheart kicked the door with so much force that the hinges broke off, and he entered the room. "No you don't!" I shouted while I skidded to a stop on a column and swung myself into the room, pointing the flashlight inside. The room was a supply closet with various carts, tools, cleaners and books, but no pony. "What the fuck?" I asked myself.

"Oh no, this supply closet leads to the library," Bat Fang cursed and pointed to the closed door that was partially hidden by some shelving.

"But I thought you locked the library at night?" I asked in response.

"Only the highly advanced and dark magic sections," Luna explained, "the rest of the library is closed, but unlocked; he can still get out and hide from us," she punched a wall with her hoof. Glock and I backed away from the night Princess' fury, though Bat Fang seemed pretty nonchalant about her rage. She ripped open the door leading to the library and turned to all three of us, "Well, what are you all waiting for?" She shoved us into the library and lit the torches up slightly brighter, but not by much.

"Okay, there's no place he can run now," Glock commented and made sure to lock the door he was closest to. Taking his cue, Bat Fang and I locked the rest of the doors surrounding the library, trapping Darkheart inside. "Good, it's just him and us now," Glock took to the second floor of the library with Bat Fang, leaving me and Luna to cover the bottom floor. Luna's horn once again cast the silvery glow to light up the aisles in between the tall book cases. Thankfully, I didn't drop my flashlight like Glock and Bat Fang, so I could help her shed some light.

"Have you ever had a court appearance end like that Luna?" I questioned, casting the yellow glow of my flashlight onto floor in front of us. I never knew how creepy a library could be at nighttime, especially with all the pony statues at the end of every aisle.

"Never Cougar. Though I've had my fair share of delinquents and fighters, my court has never had somepony escape. I've had fights break out and the average pony swearing death to myself and my guards, but a runner?" Luna shook her head back and forth.

"I guess that's my fault Luna," I solemnly said and pointed my flashlight at a few book titles on the shelf on the wall. Luna turned her head to face me and accidentally blinded me temporarily with the bright light from her horn. Shielding my eyes, Luna extinguished her horn light and her jaw dropped.

"How could you say such a thing Cougar? It's not your doing and I nor Bat Fang blame you!" She exclaimed. We kept on walking while continuing the conversation, "what in Equestria could make you think I'd cast fault onto you?" My armor clanked against itself as I raised my hand and rubbed the back of my neck.

"Well, I was the last one who had Darkheart contained and I let him go," I said, "there was more I could've done to keep him held down while Bat Fang locked him back in chains," I explained. The Alicorn stopped us right at the end of an aisle of bookshelves, right next to a statue of what looked to me like a pony version of Merlin the Magician. She placed a hoof on my shoulder and her eyes glowed white. My whole world then flashed white and I felt myself being pulled away. "LUNA!" Came a scared shout from my mouth. "Oof!" I exclaimed when my body slammed into the ground.

"Stand up Cougar," Luna's soft and tender voice spoke. Her silver hoof grasped under my arm and she gently pulled me to my feet. I still couldn't see a thing; stars still clouded my vision. Shaking my head, my vision became clearer and I found myself and Luna back inside her court room, though we were transparent. "I shall prove that it is not your fault Cougar." I wanted to slap myself a good few times when I saw another me holding Darkheart down on the ground.

_"Stay where you are mother fucker!"_ The other me shouted. Darkheart then raised his back leg and slammed it into my exposed gut. My doppelgänger released Darkheart and clutched his stomach in pain, rolling on the ground.

_"See you in Tartarus Assholes!"_ Darkheart shouted and ran out of the room. I turned to the present time Luna whom had her eyebrow raised, looking from my clone back to me. Her wings then flared out and we were blown back to the present time, but this time I landed on my feet.

"So you see Cougar, you did everything you were supposed to; Darkheart was just a slippery bucker. If you hadn't had been there, I fear for what could've happened to Bat Fang," the princess patted my back.

"But now he's gone and can still hurt somepony, especially if he gets out of the castle," I replied.

"Yes, but we will bring him back to justice Cougar, and I have faith you will not let me down," she smiled and relit her horn. My mouth opened to say something else, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw the giant statue behind Luna shift in the dim glow of the torches.

"MOVE!" I lunged into Luna's body and tackled her out of the way just as the statue of the Merlin pony crashed to the ground.

"Princess Luna!" I heard Bat Fang exclaim from the top floor.

"Shit, you're quick on your feet monkey," Darkheart teased from behind the bookcase, "let's see how you like some 'light reading,'" he then pushed against the bookcase as hard as he could. I grabbed Luna by her forelegs and yanked her out of the way just in time again as hundreds of hard covered books smashed into the ground along with the bookcase.

"GET AWAY FROM OUR PRINCESS!" Glock drew his spear and aimed it at Darkheart. I got up and off of Luna's body, helped her to her hooves and got her out of the way of harm, but she insisted she stay to help, which I wouldn't argue against.

"You're gonna pay for attempting to murder our Princess," Bat Fang bared his fangs and also drew his spear. The two ponies backed Darkheart into a bookcase, trapping him. "Come on, you're done maggot," the bat pony sneered.

"I'd rather _die_ than go to the dungeons based on this bitch's order," Darkheart growled in reply.

"Come with us, or we'll use force," Glock threatened, "and we've been itching for some excitement this weekend," he added.

"Excitement? I'll give you something to get excited ABOUT!" Darkheart shouted and drew a letter opener from behind his back. It happened so fast that Bat Fang and Glock didn't have time to react. The criminal pony slashed the sharp device so fast he cut nice gash into Bat Fang's muzzle, drawing blood from the end.

"RAHHHH!" Bat Fang screamed in pain and grasped his bloodied nose, trying to stop the bleeding from escalating.

"Bat Fang!" Glock shrieked and tackled Darkheart, slamming him into the bookcase. Numerous texts from Equestrian History fell around them with loud thumps. I turned to Luna and grabbed ahold of her shoulder.

"Get Bat Fang away; I'm gonna help Glock," I gripped the top of the flashlight, prepared to use it like a police baton. Luna teleported over to Bat Fang and transported him to the second floor of the library to help him heal. Meanwhile, Glock had Darkheart pinned to the ground, the letter opener still in Darkheart's right fore hoof, Glock was still trying to get it away from the criminal.

"I'm gonna stab you and gut you, you white faggot," Darkheart clenched his teeth and shook his body as he fought against the royal guard pinning him down. He kept trying to raised his hoof to slice or stab Glock, but the guard was too strong.

"You're lucky I don't just stomp your throat in," Glock grunted as he utilized every sweat of strength in his body. I ran up and kicked the letter opener out of Darkheart's hoof, rendering him weaponless. However, this distracted Glock enough to where Darkheart used his rear foreleg and kicked Glock in his nether region, sending him onto his back in pain.

"NO!" I shouted and pinned Darkheart to the ground as he grasped Glock's spear and chucked it at the guard.

"AHHHHH!" Glock howled in pain as the spear tip pierced into right foreleg, trapping him into the ground with blood gushing out of the wound.

"LUNA! HELP HIM!" I shouted and began to pound the shit out of Darkheart. I reared my fists back and hit his face as hard as I could, my anger rising with each blow. "YOU, *Punch* MISERABLE *Punch* PIECE *Punch* OF *Punch* SHIT!" I shouted with each blow to his face. The punching ceased momentarily as I stopped to breathe, "I SHUOLD RIP OFF YOUR FUCKING HEAD!" I slammed my fist down into his face again. There was a loud crunch as my fist demolished his nose; blood was pouring out of his nostrils and his eyes were blackened and swollen.

My fingers wrapped around his neck and squeezed as hard as they could, choking the life out of him. The anger inside me completely took over as I started to slam his head into the floor, Darkheart making barely audible gargling noises as I did.

"COUGAR STOP THIS AT ONCE! HE'S HAD ENOUGH!" Luna ordered me, but I ignored her, continuing to slam Darkheart's head into the floor. "I ORDER YOU **_NOW!_**" Luna's stadium voice bellowed, knocking me off Darkheart's body and bringing me back to reality.

"Princess Luna, are you alright?!" Remington unlocked one of the doors and he and Spear Tip ran inside frantically. Bat Fang flew down holding his nose and landed beside Glock who had some cloth tied tightly around his wound, but he needed more medical treatment. My hard breathing returned to normal as I collapsed onto my rear end and rested my head onto the wall. Remington slapped cuffs and other golden chains onto Darkheart who was still conscious, but not speaking. Spear Tip helped Glock to his hooves and helped balance him.

"Those cloths should keep the blood from flowing out of the wound," Luna explained to Spear Tip, but he must keep himself from moving at all until the Estrus ends and our medical staff returns," she added as Spear Tip slowly helped Glock walk out of the library. "Bat Fang, go get that wound dressed, I must speak with Cougar alone," Luna turned her gaze to me.

"Yes your highness," Bat Fang held his muzzle up in the air. Luna closed her eyes and wrapped her wing around my torso. A huge vortex appeared around us and we were suddenly in the dungeons, I knew this because of the cells and the dripping wet stone blocks. Luna conjured up a table and a pair of stools.

"Sit down," Luna said quietly, so I did.

"A MALE! COME HERE BIG BOY! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU ARE!" A raspy female voice blurted out. I ignored it and faced Luna. She sighed softly and placed her chin in her silver plated hooves.

"Cougar, what was that? You had Darkheart detained; you didn't need to pulverize him into jelly," Luna said with care and concern. Sitting back in my chair, I rubbed my hands over my mouth, trying to come up with something to say in return.

"I don't know," I groaned out, "I-I was just so angry at what he did to Glock and Bat Fang and what he said about you and your sister that, I just lost it," I replied and covered my eyes. Luna shook her head and placed her hooves onto the wooden table.

"That's no excuse for trying to murder the pony Cougar," Luna scolded, "true, he did attack two royal guards, however, one or two blows had him detained; punishing him further like you did was borderline torture. He was a cynical, foul mouthed and easily tempered stallion, but that was uncalled for Cougar, why didn't you stop when I first asked you?!" She demanded, raising her voice. Clasping my hands together, I brought the pair up to my lips and sucked in a deep breath through my nose.

"I'm sorry Luna, I lost control of my emotions, I just wanted to punish that fucker for what he did; I don't know what he would've done had he escaped, what if he ended up escaping and hurting somepony in Canterlot? And it was obvious he didn't care for who he hurt or what he hurt, he needed to be brought to justice," I explained my side.

"Yes, I haven't a clue what he would've done had he escaped the castle grounds, but you took it too far Cougar and I am worried for you," she lowered the volume of her voice and took my hands in her hooves. "I sense much anger and violence in you Cougar; I don't want you to snap and do that in front of somepony somewhere else and have you thrown in jail or worse. However, I do sense much love and compassion in you as well, but if you feed that violence like you did tonight, you'll end up causing more harm than good, I should know," Luna looked off into the distance.

"Hey," I said, thrusting Luna back into reality, "I can keep a tab on my anger okay Luna? And if I do start to lose it again like that, I'll come talk to you about it, is that okay?" I asked her.

"Of course Cougar, as they say: What are friends for?" She made the table disappear and wrapped her forelegs around me in a hug. We soon released the hug and she fell back onto her legs. "Oh and you can keep the armor if you want, I do like how it looks on you," she smiled.

"Thanks, I kinda like it," I replied. My head then turned to another cell and my jaw dropped. It couldn't be, no, I thought it was destroyed. Slowly, I picked my feet up and walked over to the cell which housed something I thought I'd never see again.

"Cougar, what are you-" Luna started before looking at the cell I was attracted to. "Ah yes, don't you remember what we said when you were brought to the Royal Infirmary?" Luna asked.

"No, I don't remember if you told me or not," I replied and rested my head against the cell door, staring at my wrecked F-15C.

"Celestia and I transported it here when we found you," Luna explained, opening the cell door for me. "We sort of forgot about it after awhile, but we had to get it away from the citizens of PonyVille so they wouldn't cause a panic," she said. I nodded in understanding as my hand grazed softly against my Call-sign painted just below the cock pit of the fuselage. "Is there a chance you could repair it Cougar?"

"There's no chance in repairing this thing," I chuckled, "it's torn in half Luna," I checked out the gaping hole in between the front and rear of the jet. The wings and tails were still in great shape, but the impact ripped the front end from the rear end, so I could use it for spare scrap metal if I wanted. So many memories came rushing back as I climbed into the fuselage and sat where my seat used to be housed. Looking down, I saw the yellow and black striped ejection handle that saved my life almost four months ago now.

"Tell me, were you a talented flyer Cougar?" Luna landed on the front of the nose of the jet and closed her wings back up.

"I don't mean to brag, but I wasn't the leader of Ghostrider Squadron for nothing Luna," I chuckled and gripped the joystick.

"Do you miss flying?" She asked.

"Yeah, but maybe it's for the best that I'm done flying Luna, I've grown to enjoy the peace the ground has to offer here," I began to climb out until I spotted something unusual. Behind where my seat used to be, there as a door ajar, most likely from the impact of the ground. Curious, I reached back and ripped the door off, tossing it onto the stone ground with a clatter. Behind the door was a little compartment with what looked like a backpack inside.

"Is that a medical kit Cougar?" Luna asked me and inspected it as I held it up in the air.

"It's heavy, I can tell you that," I replied and slipped the loops over my armor. The belts then tightened up against me and a loud beep went off. A paper note was ejected from a pocket on one of the leather straps and I grabbed it.

"What does the note say Cougar?" Luna questioned me. I brought the note up to her horn where she lit it up so we could read easier.

_'Dear Cougar, if you are reading this, the Air Force has been working on better technology for ejection sequences for pilots for years. We believe you would be the best candidate to test out this new and much safer ejection practice should you ever need to eject. This is a prototype jetpack that attached itself to your seat after you pulled the ejection handle. The point of this was to be able to steer you safely to the ground slower to reduce the risk of broken bones or blacking out, making for a safer landing with your parachute. Once having landed, you'll be able to strap the jetpack on and fly to allied land. From there, you'll be able to radio us and we'll bring you back home, we hope this has worked and we would like your input on the practice._

_-Stinger.'_

"A jetpack?" Luna questioned, "what does that do?" her mind was boggled.

"Well, in science fiction and comic books in my universe, jet packs allowed people who couldn't naturally fly, fly and fast too, but I thought that technology was too advanced for my time," I looked over the jet pack that was strapped to my body. On one of the straps was a large, round and red button. Curiosity taking over, I pushed the button and two large wings appeared out both sides of the jetpack. They were flexible and were cut on the bottoms to represent feathers.

"Fascinating," Luna cocked her head from side to side at the wings. Suddenly, there was a roar as I was lifted off the ground and hovered in the air. "Cougar," Luna giggled as she too floated up to meet me, "enjoying the weather up here?" She teased. I hit the button again and the wings disappeared back into the jet pack and I landed on my feet. I was panting; the breath was just gone from my lungs from the shock of finding a real jetpack.

"This is, surprising," I finally spat out and took the jetpack off of my armored torso.

"Well, now you can fly again if you wish Cougar," Luna gave me another friendly smile, "of course you might need lessons on how to pitch, roll and bank your body, perhaps Rainbow Dash and her Stallion-friend Soarin' could give you lessons?" She suggested. I stepped out of the cell with my new jetpack in hand and held the cell door open for Luna.

"Maybe, you know, if they're up for teaching a human how to fly," I replied nervously, "I'm not even sure how fast I can go with this thing," I added.

"Oh, I don't think you'll have to worry about speed Cougar," Luna laughed, "Rainbow Dash is the only pony to ever pull off a Sonic Rainboom," she explained. Before I could answer that I knew about Rainbow's speed of sound achievement and that it wasn't exactly what I was talking about, a pony in another cell scoffed at us.

"HA! Rainbow Dash! That cyan bitch ruined my career!" I turned my head to see a golden fur colored and fire-blazed maned pony shouted. "If it weren't for her, I'd still be the captain of the Wonderbolts and basking in glory!"

"Hey, who the hell are you to talk about my friend like that!?" I demanded and stood up next to the pony's cell door. I soon remembered I forgot it was Estrus weekend.

"Oh hey there sexy, wanna come in and have a party?" The pony licked her hoof and slicked her fiery mane back.

"Wait a sec, you're that Spitfire pony that tried to frame Soarin' aren't you?" I realized.

"So? The past is the past right? Anyway, I got a fire that you could help me extinguish," she winked. I groaned and rolled my eyes, turning around back to Luna. "Come on, you can't ignore me forever!" Spitfire flashed her eyes at me.

"Let's get out of here Luna," I escorted her out of the dungeon. Just as we left, Remington appeared with a grumbling and moaning Darkheart. Luna teleported myself back to the temporary room I had been staying in all weekend.

"Well Cougar, this has been an interesting night," Luna looked all over with a smile, trying to think of a way to say it.

"Yeah, you said it," I unbuckled the strap of my purple and yellow helmet and took it off. Luna chuckled at my greasy helmet hair and the sweat trickling down my forehead. I swiftly wiped my hand through my hair. Opening the door to my room, I chucked my helmet onto the bed and set the jetpack next to the door. "Well Luna, I guess this is goodnight," I stuck out my hand. Luna pushed it aside and squeezed my armored torso as hard as she could in a tight hug.

"Friends hug each other Cougar, hoofshakes are much too formal for me anyways," she released me and bowed her head. "I shall resume my duties of watching dreams tonight Cougar, I will see to it that you have happy dreams," she disappeared in a cloud of magic dust or whatever.

"Good night Luna, hopefully I'll see you tomorrow," I said to the void where she was, "I'm thinking of sleeping all day," I yawned, stripped my armor and clothes off and headed into the bathroom for a quick shower.

* * *

**(The Next Day. 3:00 PM Cougar POV)**

I was sleeping peacefully, dreaming about fishing by myself when I started to shake, not violently, but enough to grab my attention. "Cougar, Cougar come on wake up man, I'm bored," Spike's voice cut into my dream void.

"Wha!?" I shot up and swatted at the air above Spike's head.

"Hey, watch it!" Spike exclaimed and ducked so I wouldn't hit him. Shaking my head and rubbing my eyes, I looked over at the clock on the wall of the bedroom. "I didn't mean to startle you, I'm just bored and I don't want to hang out with Discord, I don't know what he'll do to me," the little dragon shuddered.

"Damn, I've been asleep for nearly twelve hours?" I yawned and scratched my back. "Did I miss anything exciting so far Spike?" I stretched my arms and back and slipped my T-Shirt back on.

"No, there's nothing to do here!" Spike grumbled and crossed his arms.

"Well, what'd you want to do today kid?" I slipped my pants and hat back on. Spike produced a few stacks of comic books from behind his back and grinned. "Shoot, I'm game for some reading," I commented and produced my Daring Do book from my duffel bag.

"Hey, I think Celestia has copies of the other books in the library if you want to see," Spike offered.

"I thought you said you were going to avoid the library at all costs today Spike?" I asked and opened the door for us to leave the room. On our trek down the hallway, we ran into Remington who looked dead tired. "Oh hey Remington, what are you still doing awake?"

"Hey Cougar," the poor guard yawned loudly, "I have to pull a double until Glock is fully healed," he explained and struggled to stay awake.

"Doesn't Celestia have a spell to keep you awake buddy?" I questioned with deep concern for the guard. He didn't hear me as his eyes closed and snoring started to come from his mouth. "Oh boy," I said and hit over the head with one of Spike's comic books.

"I'm awake!" He saluted me and snapped his eyes open.

"Go get some coffee before you keel over Remington," I ordered the guard. Without argument, the guard walked passed us and headed to the kitchen.

"Woah, what happened there Cougar?" the dragon asked as I handed back one of his comics and we resumed our trek to the library. To be honest, I was at war with myself over whether or not to tell him. I'd probably have to explain how I lost my cool and almost killed that bastard Darkheart, and I didn't want to kill the progress the two of us had made this weekend.

"Nothing Spike, Glock injured himself training last night," I lied, which he bought. "Anyways, back to my question, didn't you want to stay far away from the library while we're here? Why're you so cool with going to it all of a sudden?"

"Eh, I may say stuff like that, but I was raised my whole life around books with Twilight, so being away for too long makes me homesick," he replied, "a tiny vacation is all good, but soon the books start calling me back," he added.

"Ah, good morning, or afternoon as it were Cougar, and to you too Spike," Celestia's heavenly voice called as Spike and I entered the library. The sun goddess was busy writing something down on a scroll when we had entered.

"Afternoon your highness, Spike and I just decided to have a more peaceful day in the library today," I bowed and patted her shoulder.

"Yep, these comic books won't read themselves!" Spike instantly plopped down into a chair and opened up the issue on top of the stack. Celestia and I both chuckled while Spear Tip and another guard both hoisted up the statue of the Merlin pony back onto its base.

"Cougar, could you tell me what happened in here last night?" The princess asked calmly, "I'm not upset if you had anything to do with it, but I just don't like to find books on the floor and bookshelves toppled over in our nice and quiet library."

"I completely understand Celestia, but you might want to ask Luna, she might be able to give you a clearer answer when she wakes up," I suggested. Celestia thought about this for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and walking out of the library with her scroll.

"You're right Cougar, and I'll see you at dinner in awhile, have fun," she called and left. I turned back around and hovered near the _Action and Adventure_ section of the library until I found the Daring Do shelf. I scanned my index finger over the spine of the first book and pointed to the book next to it.

"Daring Do and the Griffon's Goblet, is this the second one?" I asked and opened up the to Chapter 1 of the text.

"Yep, that's the second one, it's one of Twilight's favorite of the series," Spike looked up from his comic book. Smiling, I sat back down, plugged my headphones into my phone and cranked up some Def Leppard. After getting about halfway through the book and through the first three albums by Def Leppard, I shut the book, paused the music and decided to stretch a little bit.

"Aw come on Radiance, why can't you at least give Humdrum a chance?" I heard Spike talk to his comic book. Rubbing my ears to get the feelings back, I studied Spike while he was reading his comic with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Everypony knows he's clumsy, but his heart is in the right place, can't you see that he'll always be there for you and your friends?" Standing up, I walked over to Spike's chair and peered over to see what he was talking about. I couldn't help but smile a bit as he was staring at two characters working together. One was named Humdrum and the other named Radiance; both bared a striking resemblance to Spike and Rarity.

"She reminds you a lot of a certain fashion pony?" I asked quietly, bringing Spike back to Earth.

"Uh, no! No of course not Cougar," Spike shut the comic book and tossed it to the bottom of the pile, "what makes you say that?" He drummed his fingers across the armrest of his chair.

"Oh maybe because those two look exactly like you two and I know how bad you're crushing on Rarity," I replied in a smart aleck tone. Spike blushed a scarlet red and hid his face from mine. "Spike, it's nothing to be ashamed of kid, I mean having a crush on an older woman is perfectly normal and a part of growing up," I explained and sat back down.

"It's not a crush Cougar," Spike replied gravely, "I do love her, but I just don't know how to tell and I just can't," he admitted.

"I may not be a psychologist or some mumbo jumbo doctor, but I listen fairly well if you want to talk about this," I placed my hands on my knees and put on a comforting smile for the dragon. Spike looked up and down a few times before sitting down in a more relaxed position and nodded.

"Only if you promise to take this seriously, most of my friends think it's just a crush too," he asked me.

"Not here to judge Spike," I put my feet up on the table in between us and crossed my arms. "Alright, just tell me about your feelings for Rarity Spike," I allowed him to start.

"Okay, well it all started back when Twilight and first moved to PonyVille five years ago. We were just checking out the decorations for the Summer Sun Celebration when we came across, the most beautiful pony to ever exist," Spike said dreamily. "I knew I loved her the instant I saw her deep blue eyes, finely coifed mane and heavenly accent."

"Alright, so bam, love at first sight huh?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, I never felt like that about any mare before in my life," Spike replied. "Well, as time went on, I just kept falling harder and harder for her, though she kept giving me cute little nicknames and petting my head, I always had a feeling that she only saw me as a little brother," he said sadly. I rubbed my chin, thinking about what he said.

"Did you ever even try to tell her how you feel?" I questioned.

"Yeah, but only once. I tried to tell her after I shrank back down to normal size after growing to a full grown dragon and wreaking havoc in PonyVille the day after my birthday a few years ago," he explained. "But she stopped me and gave me a teary-eyed look, as if she knew what I was going to say, so I never did. She did kiss me twice on the cheek for my birthday," he added.

"Godzilla rampage and a kiss on the cheek, interesting," I made a mental note.

"After that, I mainly just helped her around her boutique, gathering supplies, putting orders away or helping her straighten up. It wasn't until last year that she was told off by a customer and she was crushed, I mean so crushed she downed about fifteen cartons of ice cream in an hour," Spike exclaimed in surprise.

"And what did you do to help?" I asked.

"I found a book in the old abandoned castle called Inspiration Manifestation, it allowed Rarity to create anything she could think of so she could fix the problem she made with the customer. And it worked, a little too well though. She went crazy and started changing PonyVille into something so twisted that Discord would've been freaked out. Anyways, I told her the truth that she wasn't changing things for the better and the spell wore off," he finished explaining and rested his head on the chair. I calculated everything that Spike had said to me, trying to come up with my own answer.

"Well Spike, I think it's safe to say it isn't a crush like most ponies believe, I'd say you're certified in love with her Spike."

"You agree with me?" Spike asked with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I mean if it were just a simple little crush, you wouldn't be so loyal to her and you would've moved on years ago to another pony. And that thing about you turning into a full grown dragon, how did that happen; I have a theory about all this if it's true," I asked.

"Well, my dragon greed was activated when I received a bunch of presents for my birthday and I went crazy, why?" He retorted.

"Hmm, and Rarity is the Element of Generosity, now it's starting to make more sense Spike. You're a dragon, and like you say, dragons are born with a natural sense of greed in them while Rarity is the most generous pony in Equestria. I think you two are meant for each other. She compliments your dragon greed and counteracts it with her generosity. Tell me, did you act differently to other ponies besides Twilight before meeting Rarity?"

"Yeah, I was a little more of a smart aleck and while I did and still do care for Twilight a lot, I never really thought about other ponies, but that changed once I met Rarity. I was still a smart aleck a lot, but I thought more about other ponies' feelings."

"I see it now kid, you're attracted to the generosity flowing within her, but you still love everything else about her," I explained.

"That makes sense now! But what do I do about it Cougar? Do you know how I can tell her and be with her?" He begged for an answer. I clicked my tongue and drummed my fingers together.

"Unfortunately, all I can tell you is to stop acting like a puppy around her. Don't give her cheesy compliments like "_Anything for you most beautiful," _or _"Whatever you say m'lady,"_ those are cute, but you'll only drive her to think that you're a little brother. Give her more natural responses and compliments like, "_Hey Rarity, looking good as always,"_ and just say no problem or happy to help someone like you if she thanks you, that's a start at least," I replied.

"Thanks Cougar, I feel so much better about it now," Spike smiled and jumped into my chest and gave me a hug.

"Ha, no problem Spike, I'm just happy to help," I replied.

"And if you want, I can tell you how to get closer to Applejack."

"What?!"

**(The Next Day. 10:00 AM. Cougar's POV)**

"Thanks guys, we'll be sure to say hi next time we're at the castle!" Spike called as two pegasus guards took off from PonyVille with the chariot in tow. It felt nice to finally be back in PonyVille with everypony going on about their normal routines instead of, well I've thought about that enough. Spike and walked along the main road through town waving hello to all of our pony friends. "Morning Cougar, morning Spike!" Vinyl Scratch waved as she unlocked the door to her music shop.

"Good morning boys, we'll be up and running shortly," Mrs. Cake appeared from inside Sugar Cube Corner. Spike and I waved back and turned to another road to lead us back to the huge castle just on the outskirts of the town.

"Spike, is there anything I need to know about how they are after the Estrus?" I questioned.

"No, they're pretty much the same, except a LOT more satisfied and mellow, at least for the first day," he replied. I nodded in respond and adjusted the strap on my duffel bag. Luckily since I didn't pack much, the jetpack fit nice and snug inside, the only thing left was to explain what it is to my friends, oh joy. "Hey, there's Twilight's pet owl!" Spike exclaimed as an owl greeted us outside the castle. "Hey buddy, did you miss me?" Spike gave the owl a high five.

"Hoo, hoo," the owl replied.

"Good, now are Twilight and the girls up?" Spike asked. the owl opened up the castle doors and led us into the foyer.

"SPIKE!" A bunch of girl voices shrieked, followed by the sound of clopping hooves against the ground and basically attacked Spike with hugs.

"It's so good to have you back!" Twilight hugged her, son I'll say.

"Sure ain't the same without ya partner," Applejack patted his back.

"I'm thinking of a reunion party!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Welcome back Spike," Fluttershy smiled.

"Sup kid, did ya have fun without us?" Rainbow teased and gave Spike a noogie.

"I am so happy to see my favorite Spikey-Wikey back," Rarity cupped Spike's cheeks and pinched them with her hooves. I smirked as kindly as I could and set my duffel bag on the floor.

"And Cougar, don't think we've forgotten about you," Fluttershy walked up and patted my arm.

"Eh, it's cool guys, Spike's been around you all longer than I have," I replied.

"Forget that!" Rainbow smacked my back, "we can't forget about the coolest human to ever set foot in Equestria!" She exclaimed.

"So, how did you and Spike fair in Canterlot with the sisters?" Twilight questioned.

"We had a lot of fun Twilight, we went swimming and watched movies and just sat and read in the library," Spike pulled a gem from a treasure chest and began to munch on it. Twilight froze in place, trying to process the information.

"I thought you didn't trust Cougar?" She said in shock, her wings twitching a little.

"Yeah well, that was before I got to know him a little better and realize he's not such a bad guy after all," Spike fist bumped me. I looked around the room and locked eyes with Applejack who still hadn't said a word to me. In fact, she looked away the instant I locked eyes with her, as if she were scared of me. I then pushed my way past the other ponies to talk to my closest friend here besides Luna.

"Hey Applejack," I greeted cheerfully. I won't be afraid to admit it, but I was a little hurt when she didn't even look up at me. Instead, she continued to look at the ground and kick her foreleg back and forth.

"Can we talk in private?" She finally said, but darkly and down at the ground.

"Y-yeah, sure," I replied. Applejack turned tail and I followed her into an empty room of the castle. She let me in and shut the door behind me. "So, any plans for today Applejack? Chores at the farm or do you usually wait after the Estrus is over to recoup?" I asked.

"Alright cut the crap Cougar, and just say it already, Ah can't live with ya bottlin' up how angry you are with me," she blurted out. I was taken aback by her outburst and I darted my eyes around the room.

"What do you mean Applejack? Why would I be angry at you? You've been a good friend to me and allowed me to stay at your farm," I replied.

"Jest stop it already with this playin' dumb crap Cougar!" Applejack shouted, "you should be afraid 'o me 'n callin' me a monster!" She exclaimed. "Ah tried ta _rape_ you Cougar, Ah'm a buckin' monster!"

"You remember that?" I asked.

"'O course I do! Ah can't forget how Ah tried to molest 'n try ta rape one o' my best friends. Yer scared face'll haunt me forever Cougar, the day Ah ruined our friendship because 'o the monster inside me!" She collapsed onto a chair and covered her eyes, trying to stifle her tears. "Ah've been through the same thing, Ah know how scared you were," she added with another cry.

"Applejack, please stop, you're not a monster, and I don't blame you at all for what happened," I rubbed her back.

"What do you mean Ah'm not a monster?!" She screamed as more tears flowed out of her emerald eyes, "ya begged fer me ta stop, but Ah couldn't. Ah didn't care if Ah hurt you or not, jest as long as Ah was pleasured. Ah don't deserve yer friendship. You should jest stop talkin' ta me altogether so Ah don't hurt you ever again," she choked out as she just let her tears fall. "Ah'm a freak, a sicko 'n Ah belong in Tartars fer mah actions," She cried out.

"Applejack, stop thinking that," I asked her, starting to feel my chest tightening.

"No, Ah'm a predator, 'n you should be reportin' me fer what Ah-" she kept beating herself up until I had enough.

"APPLEJACK, SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME NOW!" I bellowed out. Her crying stopped, but she kept her eyes glued to the ground. "Look, I _was_ afraid and scared when it happened, but after learning about how mares go into heat in the spring and fall, I _immediately_ forgave you!" I lifted her chin up with my index finger so she'd be looking at me.

"Wh-why would ya forgive a sick pony like me that quickly?" she croaked. I stuck out my thumb and gently wiped her salty tears out of her eyes before wrapping my arms around her.

"Because you're my friend, and what you did was in your nature. I could never live with myself if I killed our friendship over something you have no control of. Following something like that because it's built into your code isn't your fault, it's how you were made," I explained and held her. "And I know if you were able to think straight, you would never do that to me because I trust you," said and let go of the hug.

"B-but, those things Ah said and I t-touched you in a p-place Ah should never touch," more tears threatened to escape her eyes.

"Applejack I _forgive_ you. The past is the past, we can't change that, but we can put this behind us and continue our friendship, I want nothing more out of you, okay?" I asked with hope that she could put the incident behind her.

"How c-can Ah make it up to ya Cougar? Ah gotta make this up to ya somehow," Applejack finally stopped crying.

"Just accept my forgiveness and keep our friendship, that's all I ask Applejack," I replied with a smile. She smiled and wiped the residual tears from her eyes and hugged me back.

"You got it Cougar," She released the hug and we stood up. "How about we go get sum grub from Granny Smith 'n git sum chores done today?" She offered.

"I thought you'd never ask," I smiled and exited the room with her.

**End Chapter XV**

* * *

_Alright so Chapter XV is in the books! And Cougar forgives Applejack for what she did after realizing it was in her nature and she was just reacting upon those Estrus Urges. Next __time: The Running of the Leaves! We finally get to see Checkered Flag! _

_As for the jetpack, Cougar will reveal it probably after the Running of the Leaves so he can practice it. He won't use it 24/7 after getting lessons from Rainbow, but there will be times he needs to use it. _

_And just in case anyone is curious, Caramel, Cheese Sandwich, Soarin and Flash Sentry already left to go back to their respective towns or back to their jobs. _


	17. Chapter XVI: Checkers or Wreckers

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter XVI: Checkers or Wreckers**

_I'd like to thank you all for getting past 100 reviews for this story. Reviews do mean a lot to me, but I'm still having so much fun writing this story that I don't want to stop!_

_Also, some big news, if anyone would like to be the Beta Reader for this story, PM me and we'll talk business._

_Anyway, I think we have some reviews to reply to._

**Dixie Darlin: **_The last one who did, well, did you ever wonder what happened to her other personal guard? And this was actually an important part to the story. Cougar is NOT the cookie-cutter good guy who always knows what's right and wrong. He has his flaws like losing his anger rather quickly and losing his sanity for brief moments in flashes of anger. That and if you think about it, he is acting pretty selfish... And when I wrote the code line, I didn't even think of that being a WiR reference, but I guess it is now!_

**OBSERVER01: **_Thank you sir._

**noah2x4:**_It may startle them at first, but they may grow to accept it._

**ninjagofangirlb: **_SPARITY FOREVER! Just wait to see how Spike tells his true feelings later on._

**PRR Gangsta: **_I don't think every story needs horny mares/girls but it does make things more interesting, like a jetpack now of all things!_

**knightsofstories141912: **_Only a true friend like Luna would sit down Cougar like that and tell him what he did wrong. I want their friendship to be rock solid. Spike just needed to take off those sunglasses that blocked a true view of Cougar and accept the fact that he's here and he may as well deal with him, and the fact that he's the ONLY one who takes his love for Rarity seriously just helps._

**yorkmanic89: **_I knew Darkheart would piss off a ton of Luna fans, though it was needed to show that Cougar isn't a perfect person, he has major problems that he keeps stuffing away. And Luna is my third favorite character in the show._

**hammeruniverse22: **_Again, thank you for pointing out my errors which I have now fixed thanks to you. And thank you for doing it in a polite and constructive manner. I'll more than definitely take that advice and be much more meticulous on spelling._

**Nathan Rowe:** _No, I didn't really do a good job on proofreading. But again, thank you for telling me and getting me to fix them. As for your feelings on the vacation, I'm going to have to politely disagree with you. For one, it was really only two chapters longs with 13 and 14 being one chapter split into two chapters. Second, taking away the prologue chapter, Cougar and Applejack's friendship has been growing every chapter, and this arc of the story was required to help Cougar grow in Equestria without Applejack being there, plus, he really needed to start over with Spike._

**Guest: **_Thank you so very much. And don't worry, I'm having FAR too much fun to just abandon this story._

**King Rocket:** _Thank you good author. And thanks for the info on Fimfiction. To be honest, I really haven't checked out any stories, but I've been told that website is the pinnacle for MLP fics so to hear some of the stories are utter garbage really surprises me._

_Also, for continuity purposes, the episode Simple Ways never took place._

* * *

**(Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)**

"Alright Applebloom," I tossed a rotten apple in my right hand up in the air and caught it, only to repeat the process, "got a fast ball coming in hot," I warned the little yellow filly and hiked my right leg up and reared up my right hand. Applebloom held up a large wooden bucket atop her head, ready to catch the rotten piece of fruit.

"Bring it Cougar," the filly teased me, weaving back and forth about ten yards ahead of me, "ya haven't made me drop one yet; Ah don't plan on startin' now," she smirked at me. Smirking in response, I gripped the fruit even harder, making squelching sounds as rotten juice was squeezed out and dripped all over my hand. Then, like a flick of a switch, the apple was launched out of my hand and zoomed through the air like a baseball. Applebloom moved around a few times, trying to zero in on where the now missile-like object would land. She then stopped and bent her head down low and the apple smacked hard on the inside of the wooden bucket.

"Damn," I snapped my fingers as Applebloom set down the now full bucket of rotten fruit onto the ground and did a little victory dance.

"Ah yeah!" she showboated, "who's the best rotten apple catcher? _Ah'm_ the best rotten apple catcher, uh-huh!" She bragged to me and continued with her victory dance. Rolling my eyes with a smile, I ruffled her red mane and picked up the bucket to drop off at the pig pen.

"You know Bloomin' Onion, you could make a good baseball catcher, maybe you should consider that for a cutie mark?" I suggested, dumping the rotten, putrid fruit into the pig pen. The pink swines happily squealed and began to scarf down the nasty fruit like the Cookie Monster and his cookies. I turned on my heel and set the now empty bucket near one of the storage sheds. The little filly paused where she was standing and put her fore hoof up onto her chin, tapping it lightly to help her think.

"Eh, Ah don't know, Ah don't really much like baseball Cougar," she replied and trotted to catch up with me as I made my way to the house to get a quick drink of water. Celestia had her sun really working hard today; sweat was pouring off me like a waterfall.

"Oh really, then what sports are you interested in?" I opened the kitchen door for Applebloom before wiping some sweat off my forehead and leaving my shirt on a hanging nail outside the door frame, leaving my glistening muscular torso exposed.

"Namely Earth Pony racin'," she replied and grabbed a chocolate ice cream sandwich from the freezer and began to chow down. I on the other hand grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it up to the brim with water from the sink and began to gulp it down.

"Really?" I took a big breath of air after downing the entire glass and began to refill it, "I haven't heard much about racing here other than the Wonderbolts Derby and the Running of the Leaves." Before she could explain further, Applejack appeared and set her cowgirl hat onto the table.

"Afternoon lil sis, Cougar," she greeted and sat down at the table next to Applebloom, "did ya get them rotten apples taken care of?" Applejack grabbed a knife, some butter and a piece of bread.

"Yep, your pigs are eating them up like hot cakes," I paused from drinking my second glass of water. "So, how's your practice for the Running of the Leaves going?" I asked Applejack and put the empty glass in the sink. The orange mare buttered her piece of bread and took a pretty large bite.

"Oh, it's goin' on just fine," she swallowed her bite of bread, "Ah've been workin' up a sweat harder than an ice cold can 'o soda pop," she replied and finished her snack in one more large bite. "Ah still can't believe Luna 'n Celestia invited ya to sit with them in their private VIP box," she added and tossed the buttered knife into the sink along with my water glass.

"Yeah well, they know I like racing," I scratched the back of my ear, "anyway, do you want any help with practice? I'm sure I can help you improve your lap times or something," I offered up and leaned against the refrigerator door. AJ softly chuckled before placing her hooves on top of each other.

"Lap times? That's funny Cougar," she teased me, "it's one big 'ol lap 'round the trail and back," she smirked in my direction.

"Okay, one lap is good enough for a race," I retorted, "but is there anything about the race I can help with? I'd like to help you win," I added. Applejack cocked her head sideways and studied me before returning her head to its normal position.

"Ya do know that this is just an exhibition race right?" She questioned, "there's no prize money or nothin', just ponies runnin' ta get the leaves off the trees for Fall 'n get ready fer the winter season," she explained. "Ah used ta care 'bout winnin' the race back when Rainbow was more of 'o spotlight hog, but she's cooled down some since then," she continued. "Ah mainly use the Runnin' 'o the leaves as an excuse ta get more exercise , Ah like ta keep mah legs nice 'n strong," she bragged, but in a friendly manner.

"Really?" I got off the refrigerator door and put my hands down on the table top, "so you don't need any help with practice?" I asked. Applejack shook her head back and forth several times, her ponytail swishing quickly.

"Nope, Ah can run a few laps 'round our makeshift track on the farm by myself, but thanks fer the offer Cougar," she smiled. I pushed my hands off the table and stood back up straight. Applebloom belched softly and tossed the ice cream sandwich wrapper into the trash can.

"Well then, good luck with your practicing Applejack," I wished her, "but since Bloomin' Onion and I got our chores done early, I'm going to teach her self-defense if that's alright with you?" I requested permission. The little filly in question grinned widely before putting on a tough face and swatted at the air a few times with her fore hooves. Applejack meanwhile, raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. Applebloom and I both remained quiet as Applejack thought about our proposal.

"Right, Ah do remember you bringin' that up after the Diamond Tiara incident awhile back," she scratched her chin, "but Applebloom doesn't get into many fights 'n she's smart enough to know when to back away," Applejack brought out the uncertainty in both her voice and demeanor. Her sister was prepared to put on the puppy dog eyes that I guess Sweetie Belle taught her, but I stopped her from performing the trick.

"I know that she is AJ, but there comes a point in every person or pony's life that they need to know how to defend themselves if help isn't around or close enough," I explained, "and about the Diamond Tiara incident, Applebloom was shoved first and then hit first, at that point, she had a right to defend herself against Diamond."

"Ah guess ya got a point there," Applejack looked down at her twiddling hooves before looking back up at myself and her sister. "It's just, Ah don't want her ta start goin' out 'n pickin' fights ta prove she can defend herself," Applejack admitted.

"But Ah'm not a bully!" the filly cried out in shock and anger. She crossed her forelegs and glared at her big sister for thinking of something so heinous about her dear little sister.

"Don't worry AJ," I softly patted her shoulder, "I'll make sure of that," I promised her. The mare's emerald eyes looked back up into my pale blue eyes, locking for a brief moment. I felt a strange sensation welling through me, almost like the temperature in my chest began to rise. "Cougar, you alright?" Applejack softly patted my cheek with her right fore hoof.

"Uh, yeah, I'm, I'm fine," I muttered and shook my head clear.

"Well good; Ah said ya can go help Applebloom," she explained as she pushed her chair out from the table, making a soft _screech_ on the wooden floor. I nodded my head in reply, still trying to figure out what the hell just happened to me. "After all, this is the perfect opportunity for yer military trainin' to finally make itself useful," she winked at me and stuck her tongue out. That joke brought me out of my funk, I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really now? Then I guess you won't mind if I teach Applebloom how to rip somepony's heart out and show it to them before they die?" I mocked her. The mare stopped dead cold in her tracks and whirled around so fast that her ponytail smacked the wall.

"WHAT!?" Applejack screeched.

"Gotcha!" I bopped her on the nose and chuckled, "come on Applebloom," I gestured for the smaller pony to follow me outside. Applejack rolled her eyes and trotted towards the front door of the house, her hooves clacking loudly on the floor.

"Good one Cougar," she said sarcastically and opened the door, "Ah'll be at the market if ya need me," she reminded myself and Applebloom as both the front and back doors shut in perfect synchronization.

* * *

**(Outside, several hours later. Cougar's POV)**

It was nearing 5:00 PM; Celestia's sun was getting noticeably lower in the sky with each passing glance. Thankfully, that also meant the temperature was cooling slowly, so I could ditch my white T-Shirt without risk of sunburn. Applebloom and I had been practicing non-stop on her self defense skills for a few hours now, and she was improving with each round. First and foremost, I had decided to teach her boxing since throwing punches was the fighting style of choice for kids on a playground. "Now remember Applebloom," I said as we sat down and took a break, "you are only to use this for self-defense," I reminded her.

"Ah understand Cougar, Ah don't go pickin' fights like Diamond Tiara, I have a life," she joked at the end and took a swig of water. This family's snarky behavior was a force to be reckoned with. But I shoved that aside and turned to face Applebloom, a serious glare hung on my face.

"I'm being serious Applebloom," I replied much more darkly and seriously, "I'm just warning you that if I ever find out that you've been starting and picking fights to just prove how tough you are now, I will not teach you any more self defense techniques and I won't speak to you for awhile, do you understand?" I reiterated what would happen if she broke her promise.

"Yes Ah do Cougar, Ah won't disappoint ya," she put on her puppy dog face but with a smile this time instead of a frown. I grinned at her and chuckled.

"Alright cut that out; you're gonna kill me with your cuteness before I teach you how to sweep the legs of your opponent," I gripped the fence we were sitting against and hoisted myself up off the ground. Applebloom hopped to her feet and shifted all of her weight to her right foreleg and put on her war face. "Okay, I've taught you how to dodge an opponent's swings and how to catch a punch an twist your opponent's arm," I cleared my throat, "now I'm going to show you the perfect opportunity to disable an opponent by sweeping their legs," I explained. Raising both of my fists, I motioned to the filly to come and attempt to attack me, using everything I had taught her so far.

"Heyah!" Applebloom cried out and rose to her hind legs with her forelegs outstretched in front of her. She raised one of her hooves and started to send a punch towards my stomach as hard and fast as she could. Instead of dodging or grabbing her foreleg, I smacked it upwards, surprising her momentarily. Using my opportunity, I kicked my right leg out and lightly hit Applebloom's right hind leg.

"See, now if we were really fighting, you'd be on your back and out for the count," she lowered herself back down to all four legs and I put my leg back into place.

"So, do Ah always have ta smack their forelegs away?" She asked me, cocking her head sideways. I shook my head in response, running a hand through my sweat stained hair.

"Nope, just use an opportunity you see, but only after you're ready to defend yourself," I warned, "don't automatically use it if say all Diamond Tiara does is shove you out of the way," I explained. Sitting back on her haunches, Applebloom processed what I had told her. "If what happened last time happens again where she punches you and pushes you, wait for her to get in a fighting stance and throw a punch. She'll be too distracted with hitting you that you can drop down and sweep her rear legs out from under her."

"Okay, Ah think Ah understand," she rubbed the top of her head where he bow was, trying to scratch her head by the looks of it. "Let's go again, Ah'll try 'n make it easier for ya," her eye winked at me. We both resumed our fighting poses, standing as still as statues, waiting for the other to make a move. Suddenly, I lunged at the little filly with my right fist heading for her head, but she ducked down below my fist and stuck her little leg out. I felt my foot go out from under me and my body flying backwards. I soon found myself looking upwards at the sky that was starting to turn pink and orange. "Oh my gosh, are you alright?" Applebloom dropped down to my side and gripped my hand in her two hooves.

"Yeah, I'm cool," I leaned upwards to sit up on my rear. "That was perfect kid, not bad for your first time," I congratulated her.

"But Ah didn't mean ta actually hit ya," she apologized over and over again. I wasn't hurt, nor was I upset or angry at her. I was proud of how well she could take in this much information in one day and already use it.

"Hey, don't worry about it, I knocked my instructor on his ass more than once," I calmed her down as she helped me to my feet and dusted off my back. It was then we both heard a male voice calling out to us, but one neither of us had heard before.

"Well, this is the legendary Cougar that the papers have talked about so much," the voice said in what sounded like accomplishment. Applebloom and I remained silent as this mysterious pony trotted his way from the main gate of Sweet Apple Acres and stopped just a few feet from us. He had much taller legs than anypony I had seen here with the obvious exception of Celestia. He was tan, had a blonde mane and tail with a white streak through the middle, wearing a collared sweater vest with different patches on each sleeve, glasses and had a pocket protector. The first thing that crossed my mind was an image of Homer Simpson shouting, "_NNNNNEEEEEEERRRRRRDDDDDD," _so I had to keep ahold of myself from bursting out laughing in this pony's face.

"Can we help ya mister?" Applebloom stepped forward to greet this pony.

"Oh excuse me, but I am Trenderhoof, the most interesting pony in all of Equestria!" He bragged and placed his hoof over his chest as if it were that big of a deal. I rolled my eyes, thinking that just about everypony I had ever met was more interesting than this nerd. "And you must be Cougar, the rare and elusive human!" He stuck out a hoof to shake my hand.

"Elusive?!" I exclaimed, "I've been living here since May! Where have you been?" I asked in response.

"Of course you're not elusive, I keep up with the Equestria Times," he pulled out a newspaper from his pocket to show the front page headline explaining my run-in with the timberwolves and put it back in his pocket. "But elusive just makes for a better title for my newest article," he added.

"Article for what?" Applebloom questioned him.

"I am doing an exclusive, deep and personal interview with you Mr. Cougar!" He exclaimed quite happily. My heart stopped for the second time today, but this was different than the first time; I knew why I was feeling this feeling.

"Access denied Trenderhoof," I immediately spat out. The journalist's face fell when I told him the bad news.

"B-but my readers want to know everything about you! What kind of transportation you had in your world, what kind of diet your species had, was your species violent or peaceful, your real name?" He tried to tell me what kind of article he was looking for. "The readers have a right to know whether or not you're a peaceful creature!"

"Hey! You leave Cougar alone!" Applebloom kicked him in the shin, making him cry out in pain, "he's one 'o the kindest creatures Ah've ever met; he doesn't need a pony like you to twist his words around for your stupid little tabloid!" She shook her hoof in anger. Trenderhoof's leg stopped throbbing in pain and he set it back down on the ground, but he didn't look displeased or angry at Applebloom, _'good boy,'_ I thought to myself.

"I do not write a tabloid you little uh, ruffian," he responded politely, "Cougar is probably on par with me on being the most interesting creature in Equestria; my readers need to figure it out for themselves," he produced a pencil and notepad.

"Uh-uh, Rita Skeeter," I shook my head and pushed the writing utensils back, "I wouldn't even let Princess Twilight interview me, so you better get out of here so you don't waste anymore of your time," I gestured back towards the gates of the farm.

"Howdy y'all, Ah'm back from the market!" Applejack's voice rang into the airwaves of the farm. Applebloom and I wanted to say hello, but there was a loud gasp heard that prevented us from doing just that.

"Who, is, that gorgeous mare?!" the nerd pony's voice questioned out of breath. I looked from his gaze to where Applejack was trotting happily towards us with a bag of bits on her back.

"Um, that's my sister Applejack," Applebloom explained, not getting at how awestruck this guy was at Applejack's appearance.

"Hey Bloomin' Onion, why don't you go wash up for dinner?" I suggested and nudged her along with my foot. Without much fight, the little filly galloped her way inside to wash her hooves for dinner.

"Applejack, a beautiful name befitting of a queen," Trenderhoof, "more beautiful than Celestia," he added quickly before Applejack fell within earshot of us. My eyes lit up as he said that and his gaze turned more lustful as Applejack grew nearer. I've seen this look in many guys before back on Earth.

"Well, howdy stranger, what can I do ya for?" Applejack greeted the stallion with her usually kind and trusting demeanor. I shifted my position around so I had both ponies in my field of vision when Trenderhoof grabbed Applejack's fore hoof with his own.

"Ask not what you can do for me fair Applejack," he kissed her hoof causing her to blush and my eyebrows to furrow, "but ask what _I_ can do for you," he still held her hoof and stared into her green eyes. Applejack was clearly embarrassed, but pushed it aside to keep being polite.

"Hehe," she chuckled, "well you're very kind, but what may Ah ask are ya doin' on my farm Mr. uh?" She hadn't been given his name yet.

"Trenderhoof here was just about to have an exclusive interview with me, right Trenderhoof?" I grabbed ahold of his shoulder and turned him to face me. The journalist seemed to snap out of his lustful entrancement to speak to me.

"Uh, yes, but since you declined, I decided to do a whole new report on the Running of the Leaves," Trenderhoof eyed the number bib marked 43 inside of AJ's saddlebag. _'You son of a bitch,'_ I thought to myself.

"Is that a fact?" Applejack replied, "well Ah'm not the pony ya want to talk to about the leaves race," she remarked and started to trot towards the house, "ya might wanna talk ta Princess Twilight or Rainbow Dash, she's the pony that's all about winnin' the race." I started to follow her back towards the house, but not before noticing what Trenderhoof was staring at. He was walking slowly, almost like Frankenstein or a zombie with his eyes narrowing and sticking to one particular spot. His muzzle curled up into a sickening smile worthy of defeating the Grinch's own. Studying his stare, I followed his line of eye sight to, Applejack's flanks.

"So, hypnotizing," he said in a trance-like state and began to follow Applejack as well. Not trusting what this pony was thinking, I kept pace with him up until we got to the door of the kitchen.

"Hey, where in Equestria do you think you're going?" I stepped in front of Trenderhoof, halting his progress to get to my friend. "I don't recall Applejack inviting you into her home, so why don't you run along and start writing up a story for the big race?" I suggested. His eyes and ears fell when I pretty much told him to get the hell off the farm, but still didn't leave.

"Well, I was just going to ask if I could have a few apples for my trip back into town if it wasn't too much trouble," he explained and adjusted his sweater vest collar, "I also have a great appreciation for the working ethics of Earth Ponies," he tacked on the end of his argument. Crossing my arms, I raised my eyebrow once again, still having serious problems with his motives. "And since the Earth Pony Racing League is fairly popular around here, I thought maybe getting some insight from an Earth Pony racer that isn't a professional could help with the article." My blue eyes looked up and down from my feet to Trenderhoof's eyes several times before I came to a conclusion.

"Fine, you can come in and have a few apples to go and a few questions for Applejack, but that's it," he happily trotted inside the kitchen with me right on his tail. Applejack was busy putting the bits she had earned in town into a cookie jar while cooking up some corn on the cob and mashed potatoes for dinner and an apple pie for dessert.

"Oh, Ah didn't know Cougar let ya in Mr. Trenderhoof," she gave me a sly smile and looked back towards the journalist pony. "Is there anythin' Ah can help ya with?" She stirred a pot of mashed potatoes.

"I was hoping to get a few apples for a snack back into town," Trenderhoof said in a dreamy state as he sat down at the table, but in the chair closest to where Applejack was working. "And maybe pick your brain about Earth Ponies and racing," he added with a hint of excitement as AJ swished her ponytail around and took off her cowgirl hat.

"Well that sounds mighty kind 'o ya to care about what Ah think, but Ah don't like bein' interviewed all that much, plus like Ah said before," the mare put some boxes away in the pantry, "Ah'm not the right pony to talk to about the Runnin' 'o the Leaves," she said for a second time and tasted the potatoes before turning up the heat a tad more. Trenderhoof wasn't really paying attention to what Applejack was saying; his head was held in his hooves as he watched her move back and forth in the kitchen.

"Hey AJ, want some help?" I offered and got in between Trenderhoof's field of vision and Applejack, causing the stallion to growl and glare at me in anger.

"Sure, you can start moldin' that pie crust in the pie tin," Applejack tossed me the rounded metallic object along with the pie crust. Setting the tin down on the counter, I began to work at the job I was given. "As fer the apples Mr. Trenderhoof, you can have a couples 'o spares over in that bag," her hoof pointed to her saddlebag full of apples. "Uh, you okay there cowboy?" She asked in a now uncomfortable voice. Sensing the change in pitch, I kept my hands molding the pie crust while I turned around to see what was wrong.

"I'm doing just fine Applejack," Trenderhoof had risen from his chair and had walked over to get even closer to Applejack, practically rubbing up against her. "Apples have always fascinated me," he bragged and 'accidentally' bumped shoulders with my friend, "you know, fruit experts once found an apple thought to be extinct," he bragged again.

"Really?" AJ moved away from him and stirred the potatoes again.

"Yep, and I ate four of them," Trenderhoof followed Applejack again.

"Sounds like a waste of a good apple," I chimed in, hoping to bring this creep back to reality.

"Waste? I think not Mr. Cougar, they were absolutely, _delicious,_" he commented in a sultry tone as the orange mare dropped her wooden stirring spoon and bent down to pick it up. I picked up an apple off the counter and chucked it at Trenderhoof's head, hitting him square in the middle of his forehead. The red fruit fell into a nearby wastebasket with a thunk. The journalist was shocked at what happened and stood still, like a deer in a pair of headlights. My index and middle fingers pointed at my eyes and then back at his own, sending him the message that he'd better watch his own ass.

"Look Trenderhoof, Ah'm sure yer a kind pony, but Ah my sister 'n my friend Cougar here are 'bout to sit down ta dinner, so you'd better start hittin' the road," Applejack tossed him a few apples from her saddlebag.

"Our time may have been short Applejack," the nerd pony grabbed a couple of apples from Applejack, "but I shall return one day, hopefully to continue our little tango," he bowed his head down. Applejack shuttered in disgust and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, Ah'm so sure of it," she said in a highly sarcastic tone. Suddenly, I heard a sharp gasp come from Applejack's mouth. Fearing she had possibly burnt her hoof, I spun around, ready to help to cool it. However, what I discovered, was much worse. Trenderhoof's fore hoof was on Applejack's flank. His _hoof_ was on Applejack's _flank, _and he was squeezing it. For a moment, nopony said or did anything. Applejack was still frozen in shock at being groped at while I just stood in place, letting the anger in my eyes rise.

"Just a few apples for the road huh?" He said in a teasing manner. Applejack gained control of her own hooves again and smacked Trenderhoof in the face.

"YOU KEEP YER HOOVES TO YERSELF YOU CREEPY PERVERT!" She screamed in his face and shoved him into the wall. "GET OUT AND NEVER COME BACK!" She shouted at him again. Deciding to finally take action, I marched my way past the angry and shocked mare and grabbed the nerd by his collar.

"We're going for a little walk," I brought his face up to mine and shook his body. Releasing him and allowing his body to smack the wooden floor, I kicked the kitchen door open and drug him outside by his mane, leaving a confused Applebloom whom had just trotted into the kitchen to tend to her sister.

"Ow!" He cried out in pain as I yanked him hard by his hair, "isn't this a little too brutal?" Trenderhoof whined. He soon found himself with his back shoved against the trunk of an apple tree. A few leaves and apples fell around him from the violent hit.

"_Too brutal?"_ I asked in a mockery tone, "you'd better thank whatever gods you ponies pray to that I don't break your nose right now!" I slammed his head against the tree again. "You don't _ever_ touch a woman's body unless they give you 100% permission, you got that?!" I spat in his face and gripped his collar even tighter. The pathetic nerd's eyes shrunk as he saw that I wasn't messing around.

"B-but, it w-was just a simple accident!" He pleaded, "I uh went to shake her hoof and I missed, you gotta believe me!" his fore hooves clasped together in a begging manner. Does this guy think I'm just an idiot that was born yesterday?

"Bullshit!" I smacked his muzzle, earning yet another cry from him, "I saw the way you were staring at her body and licking your lips. I _know_ what you were thinking; I've seen countless guys before you give the same looks to girls they want to hump and dump. Well here's a headline for you newsboy," I released him from my grasp, allowing his head to fall back onto the trunk of the tree, "you are not going to do that to _my_ friend, you got that? If you so much as sneeze in her direction again, you're going to find yourself with a tube in your throat that serves you your lunch," I glared daggers at him as he picked himself off the ground. The response he gave to me in return was not one I was expecting at all. The bastard started to chuckle at me! "What is so funny pervert?" I demanded and clenched my hands together.

"Haha, this is astounding!" he wiped blood from his muzzle, "the only human in all of Equestria, has feelings for his friend the element of Honesty!" He exclaimed, "this will make a fantastic story!" He whipped out his notepad and pencil and began to jot things down. My world froze again. _Feelings?_ For a _pony?_ "Hey!" He whined when I snatched the writing utensils from his hoof and mouth and chucked them into a pile of dead leaves.

"You sit here and listen to what I have to say," I kicked his rear leg, making him sit down on his haunches, "Applejack took me in when nopony else could. She and her family have allowed me to live on their farm in exchange for doing chores and helping them in town or just being all around nice," I explained, "so when some perv like you thinks he can just walk into _her_ house and start touching her in her private places and staring at her like she's a piece of meat, I'm obligated to protect my _friend_ like a good person or pony would do." He gulped in fear as I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up until his eyes were level with mine. "So, if I or any of our friends see an article written by you that mentions anything more than friendship going on between myself and Applejack, you're going to know how those timberwolves felt," the color drained from his face and his eyes shrank down again, "now get your flank out of here!" I grabbed his tail while still holding his neck and chucked him over the gate of the farm. His legs kicked furiously, knocking up dust into the air as he struggled to escape.

I stared at the dust cloud that remained after Trenderhoof had run away from possibly being skinned alive by me for a wall decoration. "Hey, what happened ta Mister Fancy-britches?" Applebloom trotted up beside me. Looking down, I wanted to tell her how bad some stallions are and that this one is among the worst, but since she was still young, I figured I shouldn't scare her away from boys, yet, plus I think Big Mac would be more qualified for that job. Instead, I bent down and scratched behind her ear; she loved it when I did this.

"Oh, he had a story that wouldn't stop kicking him in the rear," I replied, "now how about we go have some dinner?" I suggested and picked her up and slung her over my shoulder.

* * *

**(Several Days Later. Cougar's POV)**

It had been only a few days since I personally threw Trenderhoof off of Applejack's farm, which she thanked me with my own apple pie and a tight bear hug. But now, a good majority of Ponyville had shown up at the 'track' as I like to call it, for the annual Running of the Leaves. Applejack tightened the last strap of her number bib onto her sides and adjusted her cowgirl hat. "Alright, how do Ah look?" She questioned, trying to smooth out the bib so it wouldn't crease.

"Like a winner!" Applebloom smacked Applejack's shoulder.

"Thanks li'l sis, Ah just hate havin' ta wear these numbers, they're itchy," she scratched at her side with her hoof.

"For the record, I offered to paint the number 43 on your side," I reminded the mare and handed her a bottle of water. Applejack sighed at my reminder and took the bottle and downed the entire thing in one gulp.

"'N Ah told you Cougar, Ah don't want ta risk the paint fadin' into my fur, Ah'll look ridiculous if Ah still have a 43 dried into my fur during Hearth's Warmin' Eve," she replied and tossed the empty container into a nearby garbage can.

"Eeyup," Big Mac agreed and then found Applejack's hoof in his side, "oof!" he groaned and clutched his side.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't second place?" An all too familiar pegasus' voice greeted to us. Rainbow Dash landed in front of us and curled her wings back onto her body. Her number bib had the all too important 3 stitched onto the side.

"Hey Rainbow, good thing you finally gave Soarin' a break so you two can do something in public," I joked. Rainbow blushed and looked away from us, her hoof covering her cheek. I braced myself to get a good smack from Applejack, but I got a few snickers from her instead. "Where is Soarin' by the way?" I questioned. The cyan pegasus finally regained enough composure to talk again.

"Soarin's making a deal with the owner of the Neigh York, Neigh York hotel in Las Pegasus to do a Wonderbolts Show to ring in the new year," she replied, "I know it's really early, but booking a show in Las Pegasus takes a long time to do," she explained.

"Uh huh," Applejack said, "so you remember that this is just a fun race right Rainbow?" She cocked an eyebrow up.

"Well duh, of course it's a fun race, 'cause I'm gonna take the checkers!" Rainbow bragged and struck a pose holding an invisible trophy. Normally I despised people that bragged that they'll win, but Rainbow just had a certain awe about her that made it not so aggravating, especially since she could walk the walk to back up her talk. A large gaggle of ponies wearing number bibs began to assemble near the starting line, but the race wasn't set to start just yet. Suddenly, everypony dropped down in a bow as Luna, Celestia and Twilight all arrived with Spike bringing up the rear. The three Alicorns flared their wings and curled them back up to their bodies and stood at the starting line. Looking over at Twilight, she was still uncomfortable with being bowed to. I wondered how anyone could possibly get used to that.

"Rise my little ponies," Celestia finally said as the masses rose back to their feet. "The race will begin momentarily as our Grand Marshal is on his way," she announced and flew up to her VIP box. Twilight and Spike trotted/jogged our way and Luna just walked casually through the crowd.

"Spike!" Pinkie Pie jumped for joy and sort of hovered in the air for a moment, "are you ready to do the commentary!?" She held up two megaphones for the little guy. Grinning, Spike proudly took one and clicked it on.

"You know it!" He exclaimed, "I think this year is gonna be the best Running of the Leaves ever!" he added and fist bumped Pinkie's hoof.

"I know! I think this could possibly be better than getting a hoofacure while eating cupcakes, drinking chocolate milk and jamming out all at the same time!" She seemed ready to burst with joy, better keep my distance.

"Oh, I offered to add a touch of color to these dreary number bibs; I guess _somepony_ doesn't care how our racers look while getting rid of the leaves!" She shot a glare at the pony hoofing out last minute number bibs.

"Alright girls, we're not going to repeat the first time I was involved with the race, are we?" Twilight grabbed ahold of Rainbow and Applejack in both of her forelegs. Both mares groaned and shoved Twilight away from them.

"Geez Twi, every year with this!" Rainbow hovered in the air, crossing her forelegs.

"Yeah, we learnt our lesson, nearly _five_ years ago!" Applejack agreed.

"Can't be too careful though girls," Twilight reminded her friends, "so Cougar, Luna told me she invited you up to the private royal box?" She turned to me.

"Yep," I shrugged, "I told Luna how much I love racing so she told me I could join her, Celestia and yourself up in the royal box for the race," I replied and adjusted the collar of my shirt. The purple Alicorn nodded and turned to talk to Fluttershy. The two mares chatted amongst themselves when I felt a hoof tapping my shoulder.

"Hello Cougar," Luna greeted me with a hug. I returned it and patted her back, "are you as excited as I am for the race?" She questioned. I was still surprised that she was up this early, for her anyways. And she didn't seem to have lost any sleep.

"Yeah I am, I'm betting that Applejack will win; she's been training hard for a week and plus, she's got the Earth Pony legs for it," I placed my bet figuratively.

"Hmm, you raise a fair point, but I think Rainbow Dash shall take the crown at the end of the race," Luna countered, "pegasi have a natural tendency for quick maneuvering, a must when the trail is littered with twigs, rocks and branches," she explained. Then, a loud trumpet blared over the loudspeaker of the grandstands. "Ooh, the race is getting ready to start, let us make our way to our seats posthaste!" Her wing grabbed ahold of my arm and yanked me up to the royal press box where Celestia was waiting.

"Woah, wait for Applebloom!" I exclaimed. Luna stopped momentarily as Bloomin' Onion hopped onto Luna's back and took us up the box. My stomach growled just as I was about to sit down, so I started to look through the grandstands, hoping to find a vendor to serve me up some nachos. Finally, I spotted a pony wearing a striped paper hat and had a tray of nachos and bottles of soda strapped to his neck.

"Hey snack pony, Nachos and a cola!" I ordered. The vendor trotted his way up to the press box and handed me a tray of nachos and a bottle of soda.

"Seven bits please," he asked. I dug around my pocket and gave him a ten bit piece and told him to keep the change. "Thank you sir," he pocketed the money and trotted off to serve somepony else. There was a small drumroll as the racers took their positions on the starting line. Applebloom propped herself up on the edge of the railing while standing on my lap to get a better view of her sister.

"Welcome Everypony to the annual Running of the Leaves!" Spike announced from a pink hot air balloon.

"We have a super duper special treat for all you Earth Racing Pony fans out there!" Pinkie Pie hopped up and down. I chuckled as I munched on my snack, "oh it's so exciting, if I bottle it up anymore, confetti will explode out of my ears!" She clapped her hooves together.

"Right you are Pinkie," Spike replied, "our grand marshal today is Seven Time Earth Pony racing champion with 97 total career victories in 23 years of Earth Pony racing: Checkered Flag!" Spike gestured with his hand down low as a white pony with a checkered flag wrapped around trophy cutie mark, blue eyes and a checker patterned mane and tail walked onto the track.

"It's him, Ah can't believe it!" Applebloom hopped up and down on my lap excitedly.

"He's just as handsome as I remember," Luna said with her eyes half closed.

"Somepony's crushing," I whispered into Applebloom's ear. She giggled up a storm while Luna still admired Checkered Flag. Meanwhile, Spike handed down a spare megaphone for the pony to talk into.

"Hello everypony and human," he said up to me. _'Why does that voice sound so familiar?'_ I asked myself. "It's an honor to be named the Grand Marshal for such a historic event in this little town. Being born and raised in Foaldotna, I always heard about the Running of the Leaves in Ponyville, but I never got to compete or attend a race until much later in my life. This event I know is important to help jumpstart winter, but I have a surprise of my own," he reached behind him and produced a check, "once the race is over, I will personally donate 5,000 bits for the local school's athletic program and another 5,000 bits towards the local orphanage," he announced. There was thunderous hoof stomping at Checkered's announcement from just about everypony, including myself though I was clapping.

"YOU ROCK!" Scootaloo jumped into the air and struck a pose like a rock star.

"Sister, are you alright?" Celestia asked Luna whom was starting to get red-faced at Checkered Flag.

"I also wanted to thank Princess Luna for keeping the moon as bright as she possibly can for our nighttime races in the Earth Pony Racing League," he winked at the midnight blue alicorn.

FOMP

"Ahhhh!" I screamed as Luna's wings snapped open without warning and one smacked into my food tray upwards, hit me in the face and knocked me several feet onto my back. "Uuuuggghhh."

"COUGAR!" Luna, Celestia and Applebloom exclaimed as they helped me up. There was cold soda and hot melted cheese running down my face as I sat up on my butt. "Oh my gosh, I am _so_ sorry Cougar," Luna made the cheese and soda disappear off my face, " I did not mean for that to happen!"

"Luna, what the hell did I do to you?" I asked in an upset tone.

"Cougar, you must understand that when pegasi and alicorns to an extent find a pony they are attracted to, their wings unfurl by themselves as a sort of mating call to let their potential mate know they are attracted to them," Celestia explained.

"Simple biology," Applebloom added in a cute manner.

"Oh," I shook my head to get the stars out of my vision, "so, she basically got a Wing Boner?" I asked.

"Or Featherection for the younger ponies," Celestia covered Applebloom's ears. Nodding, I looked back over at Luna whom had a severely apologetic look on her face, yet her wings were still stiff.

"It's okay Luna, I forgive you," I hugged around her neck. "Now, let's get your wings back in place before you give somepony a concussion," I suggested and started to push against her right wing. Unfortunately, I underestimated just how strong the wings were in this position.

"Grrrrr," Luna growled as she too tried to get her own wings to obey her command. These things just wouldn't budge. It was like trying to push a semi truck that was in park.

"Geez Luna, you could take up gliding with these things," I huffed and pushed with all my might. Finally, her wings snapped back onto her body and I could breathe again. Twilight finally showed up and didn't notice anything had happened. After things settled down, the race official raised his whistle and a green flag in front of the racers.

"And in 3, 2," Pinkie began counting, "1 and 7/8, 1 and 3/4, hey Spike can I gave a sip of your soda?" Pinkie asked.

"GOOOOOOO!" Spike shouted into his megaphone. The official blew whistle and waved the green flag and all the racers took off in a cloud of dust.

* * *

**(One Race later, Cougar's POV)**

"And unless something happens, it's a two pony race folks as Rainbow Dash and Applejack have completely checked out from the rest of the pack!" Spike called from his megaphone. The hot air balloon was high in the sky, keeping the grandstand updated. I never knew how nail biting a race was without cameras to show the actual racers.

"We're approaching the final leg, and Rainbow is taking a bit of a lead, is Applejack losing energy? Oh no, what if she is, somepony call a doctor!" Pinkie Pie screeched, causing many ponies to cover their ears.

"Nope, she's saving the last of her breath for a final spurt!" Spike shouted. We all turned our heads as the two ponies in question reappeared over a hill that would take them to the finish line. "Applejack back to the lead!"

"Rainbow shuts the door on her!" Pinkie Pie cut in.

"Applejack pulls the crossover!" Spike started to bite on his claws.

"Come on AJ," Applebloom and I said at the same time.

"It's gonna be a photo finish!" Pinkie Pie fell out of the basket but landed in a tree. Numerous flashbulbs went off as the two ponies broke the tape and crossed the finish line. Immediately, there were hundreds of panicked voices shouting to the heavens.

"WHO WON?!"

"APPLEJACK TOOK IT!"

"ARE YOU BLIND IT WAS CLEARLY RAINBOW DASH!"

"If anypony has a photo of who crossed the line first, we'd greatly appreciate it," Pinkie Pie bounced up from the tree. Discarding my trash, the three princesses, Applebloom and I headed down the steps to greet the two ponies who finished well ahead of the others. Applejack was fanning herself with her hat while Rainbow dunk her head into an ice chest and didn't come out for awhile.

"You were awesome big sis!" Applebloom hugged AJ's leg.

"I'm surprised you never got into a career with racing Applejack," I doused a bottle of water over her head.

"Farmin' is more important than racin' Cougar," Applejack huffed.

"Well no matter the outcome, you raced your heart out, and that's all I care about," I ruffled her golden mane. Then, Checkered Flag appeared with a huge and proud smile on his face. Celestia held Luna down with magic to keep her from squealing like a teenager.

"You two are very impressive and should be proud of yourselves," Checkered congratulated them. That's going to drive me nuts on who this guy sounds like. "I haven't seen such passion or intensity in racing in a long time," he added, "oh and Princess Twilight, I trust you can give this to the Elementary School teacher and this to the pony in charge of the orphanage?" Checkered handed the checks to Twilight.

"You can count on me Mr. Flag," the alicorn tucked them into her hair, "and thank you for your generous donations," she shook his hoof.

"Don't mention it," he winked. Applebloom and Scootaloo burst from behind my legs and started to jump up and down in front of the pony.

"You're like the greatest racer ever!" Scootaloo's wings were flapping so hard I thought they were going to fly off.

"Can we get yer autograph please?" AB's eyes grew into puppy dog eyes.

"Well, how can I say no to such adorable faces?" he pulled the cap off a permanent marker and signed his name across two pictures of himself posing with a trophy.

"AH'M GONNA FRAME THIS OVER MY BED!" the two fillies jumped up and down. The racing pony chuckled before turning to Luna and Celestia.

"Ah, your highnesses," he bowed, "to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" He politely asked. Luna just stood still, making a little sound out of her mouth. Celestia and I nudged her to bring her senses back.

"Mr. Flag I was wondering if you wish to attend the Grand Galloping Gala to honor all of your charitable donations and for helping to bring joy to thousands of ponies?" She asked in a cracking voice.

"That depends your highness, would I be going with you?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh-um, y-yes, if you want to," Luna blushed furiously and had a hard time breathing.

"Then I would be honored to go with you to the Gala Princess Luna," Checkered Flag kissed her hoof, "now if you'll excuse me, I have another race to train for in Appaloosa, good day everypony," he galloped off into the noon sun.

"Way to go Luna," I teased her and nudged her side. She let out a dreamy sigh before collapsing onto the ground. Celestia conjured up some water and doused it all over Luna's face, awakening her.

"Checkered Flag is accompanying me to the Gala, am I dreaming sister?" Luna asked Celestia. A lightning bolt appeared out of nowhere and struck Luna in the butt. "Gah! You know you could've just yanked on my mane," she grumbled. Before I could say anything, Pinkie Pie screeched gleefully into her megaphone.

"WE HAVE A WINNER EVERYPONY COME AND SEE WHO IT IS!" Pinkie declared. Almost like the opening of a store on Black Friday, everypony swept up each other and darted for Pinkie Pie.

"OUR WINNER IS," Spike started as he held up a picture of the finish.

"APPLEJACK!" Pinkie Pie cut off the little dragon. There was a large roar in the crowd as Big Mac and myself hoisted Applejack up onto our shoulders.

"That's my sister!" Applebloom followed us.

"I knew you could do it AJ!" I cheered for her as we set her on the ground. A ton of ponies came by to give their personal congratulations to Applejack, and by a ton, I mean just about the whole freakin' town.

"YOU!" We all heard somepony shout. A path was cleared to reveal Rainbow with her mane dripping wet from the ice. We all stopped celebrating as Applejack removed her cowgirl hat and the two mares approached each other. "You are still one stubborn and competitive pony," Rainbow said. Applejack raised an eyebrow as if to say, "_So?"_ But then, Rainbow smiled and patted her shoulder, "But you can practice with me anytime I'm on the ground," she smiled.

"Ah think Ah'll take up yer offer," Applejack smiled back and the two mares hugged. As they released their hug, I grabbed a bottle of Apple Cider from the concession stand, shook it up and sprayed it all over the two who screamed from the cold.

"That's how you celebrate a victory on Earth!" I exclaimed as I continued to spray the two mares with the bottle.

* * *

**(Sometime Later, 3rd Person POV. Canterlot Castle)**

"That was quite the race, wouldn't you say Lulu?" Celestia sipped her tea and read from the Canterlot Times. Luna was preoccupied with reading a horror novel to notice that her sister had said anything. "And I'm glad Cougar enjoyed it as well; that cider celebration was exciting," she refilled her tea cup.

"Hmm, too much gore, not enough suspense," Luna tossed the novel into the fireplace. Then, the doors to the throne room burst open with a messenger pony hauling ass inside.

"Ah, messenger Newpony, what is the trouble?" Celestia set down her tea cup and stood from her throne. The slightly overweight pony huffed and puffed as he caught his breath from running so hard.

"Your *wheeze* majesties, the string quartet *wheeze* has come down with a severe case of the flu; they can't make it to the Gala," he explained as he leaned against a table.

"Well that's awful, I hope they'll be alright," Luna said in a worried tone.

"I'm sure they'll be fine Luna, the flu isn't too much to get worried about, but the Gala does need a musical presence," the taller Alicorn paced back and forth. Newpony got up and turned to leave the throne room. Glock walked in with his injury all patched up and spear in hoof. The two stopped and glared at each other.

"Hello Newpony," Glock sneered.

"Hello Glock," Newpony sneered back and left the throne room as Glock took his usual position. Meanwhile, the sisters we're still attempting to figure out their conundrum involving the now absence of a musical act when Luna suddenly had an idea. She strolled over to one of the large bay windows and looked down towards Ponyville.

"Sister, if I may make a suggestion?"

**End Chapter XVI**

* * *

_Okay guys, sorry for the long wait, work got in the way and my dad and I have been reflooring our entire house for the past week and a half. I hope this was an enjoyable chapter and I hope Top Gun fans and Seinfeld fans appreciate the cameos ;)_

_BTW, Checkered Flag is voiced by Jeff Gordon, just in case you guys are wondering._

_Also, although you can't hear it, when Cougar gets hit by Luna's wing and falls back screaming, he is letting out the classic Wilhelm Scream_


	18. Chapter XVII: Sinful Monster

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter XVII: Sinful Monster**

_I wish to thank you guys for getting this story up to 90 followers and 67 favorites. If it gets to 100 followers, I don't know what I'll do._

**OBSERVER01:** _Thank you_

**Guest (1):** _I'm glad you enjoyed the wing-boner joke. I wanted to use it someplace and I thought 'Luna could be a surprising yet hilarious candidate for that.'_

**Dixie Darlin:** _Yeah, he even creeped me out in the actual Simple Ways episode. Every time I watch it, I'm like, "Come on AJ, just tell that perv to get lost!" I agree with Luna, horror doesn't automatically mean gallons of gore, suspense like in the masterpiece of Halloween, scares people more. And I needed a name for the messenger pony and I was watching Seinfeld at the time._

**hammeruniverse22: **_Thank you and thanks again for getting me to double-check everything in my chapters._

**Nukem999:** _Well, I feel Luna in the show hasn't got nearly enough screen time and all we really know about her is she brings night upon Equestria and helps eliminate nightmares of ponies as well as help ponies with problems like Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Since Celestia gets so much screen time in the show, I wanted to give Luna more time in the story than her big sister by portraying her as a social pony who just likes to hang out with friends and still gets attracted to certain stallions from time to time to make her more relatable to the average viewer/reader. Cougar KNOWS how to treat the female gender, with respect and patience. And he could never forgive himself if he did anything of that sort to the pony that took him in._

**Ljungberg: **_Trust me, it's not the most enjoyable activity in the world. Moving furniture is a pain._

**King Rocket: **_Eh, he was acting like a perv in the actual episode so I went with that route, and plus it's to help further the development between Cougar and AJ. I have never heard that __phrase, 'Rustled my jimmies' before. As for action, well Cougar has to learn how to properly use his jetpack at some point. _

**Nathan Rowe:** _Yes, I do believe character development is one of the most important tasks to take on when writing. If an audience doesn't connect or grow with the characters, then they will lose interest extremely fast. That's why I love Captain America: The First Avenger. The writers for that movie knew what they were doing when it came to character development with Steve Rogers._

**necron-lordwesly: **_Don't worry, now you can re-read this chapter just to watch Trenderhoof get his ass kicked._

_Alright, so first off, I hope you all enjoy my new avatar, it's my OC Checkered Flag crossing the finish line at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So you guys know what he looks like!_

_This chapter takes place one day after the events of the last chapter. _

_Also, a warning. This chapter contains disturbing and painful passages. Some readers may find it to be too emotional and I wouldn't blame any of you if you decided to skip certain parts of this chapter._

* * *

**(3 A.M. One day later. Cougar's POV)**

For the past few days, something had been lingering in the back of my mind. Something that could only be compared to as the same annoyance as an itch that one just could not reach or could not satisfy. I couldn't understand why, but this lingering feeling felt like an omen, possibly a warning that something terrifying was about to happen, or maybe worse. I did the best I could to mask the feeling of dread welling up inside my bosom; I didn't want to scare anypony nor did I want to take away the fun that we had at the Running of the Leaves. Unfortunately, it didn't help when nearly every time there was bit of silence around me, whether it was just sitting alone in my little house or when conversation ceased at the dinner table, a huge weight seemed to sink itself lower and lower onto my shoulders. Who knew that all it took was a simple thunderstorm to reveal just what had been itching at me. God, I wish I had never woken up from that plane crash.

**_CRACK-A-BOOM!_**

I jolted awake from my cot, nearly falling off the side and onto my ass. You might think I shouldn't be surprised by the sudden occurrence of a little thunder and lightning storm since I've been in the Air Force with loud jets flying overhead every night for seven years, but I still get a nice shock when those noises occur out of the blue now and then.

**_CRACK-A-BOOM!_**

"Damn pegasi," I grumbled as I gazed up at the clock in my house. Using the lightning as a quick light source, the clock on the wall read 3:00, too early to be getting up and moving around on the farm. Laying back down, I smoothed over my eyes and hair, trying to get my head relaxed once again; then the rain came. The rain came down like soft pellets, a soothing and relaxing sound compared to more bullet sounding rain drops I saw and heard in Florida. **'Your fault.**_'_ My eyes snapped open when I thought I heard someone whispering through the rain."H-hello, is anyone there?" I questioned, reaching for my revolver that I realized was still missing in the river. "Rainbow I swear to God if you're trying to prank me I'm going to shave your mane and tail off," I threatened.

**_CRACK-A-BOOM!_**

Lightning and thunder were the only things that bothered to reply to me. I thought maybe that the wind could've easily made a whispering sound, but as I listened closer, there was no wind, only rain, lightning and thunder. My cot creaked and groaned as I laid back down and rolled over onto my right side, staring at a blank wall that I still had yet to decorate. I tried listening to the gentle rhythms of the night to get back to sleep now that I was used to the thunder. Closing my eyes, I did everything I could to command my body to get back to sleep for another two hours. I even resorted to trying to count how many raindrops hit the roof of my house to try and bore me to sleep, but to no avail.

**_CRACK-A-BOOM!_**

"Oh screw this," I exclaimed, reached to the little nightstand beside my bed and grabbed my headphones from Vinyl's work shop. I quickly plugged the end into my phone and went to turn on some music to soothe me to sleep. Yet, when I unlocked my phone and blinked several times to get my eyes adjusted to the brightness, my heart stopped. I haven't had my hands become so numb yet so shaky in almost a year. Eventually, the shakes traveled up my arms and spread across my body like the flu or a juicy rumor at a high school. My breathing became ragged as my phone shook so violently from my numb hands that the device slipped from my lessening grip and clattered to the floor, ripping the jack of the headphones out of its socket.

Breathing became a little harder as the image on my phone's screen burned an imprint in my head. I blinked several times, trying to get my head to stop spinning. Finally, I slowly raised both my shaking hands and clamped down onto the sides of my head. The shaking of my hands momentarily ceased and my breathing somewhat went back to normal. My eyes which were now producing hot tears darted downwards where my phone had laid to rest on the wooden floor. For what seemed like an eternity, I sat there, the rain continuing to pelter the house second by second as I attempted to gather up enough courage to pick up my phone.

My right hand grasped around my phone (which had fallen face down) and brought it up to my face quicker than I had realized. Taking one last breath, I blinked more hot tears away and flipped my phone over to the front where the lock screen was now displayed.

**_CRACK-A-BOOM!_**

Lightning flashed and thunder clapped as my eyes fell upon the absolute worst date of my entire life. The date that haunted me and changed both my life and my outlook on the subject: September 11th. '**Your fault!'** The same voice penetrated my ear drums again. "NO!" I shouted as another flash of lightning appeared upon the inky backdrop of the night sky and thunder rattled the little window of my shack. Jolting up from my cot, my phone was sent flying into the wall where it clattered to the floor yet again. Grabbing ahold of my hair, I felt the room begin to spin around me like I was in the center of a merry-go-round.

_"My God, he's dead!"_

"No!" I screamed again as I slammed my eyes shut and burst out of my shack. I didn't care that my shoeless feet were now caked with mud and soaked with rain, nor did I care that I only had on my thin lounge pants. The rain seemed to gain in ferocity as it pounded away at my body. The hot tears running down my cheeks were now being washed away by the cold rain as I grabbed ahold of my head again and ran around outside, trying to get the painful memories and voices out of my head.

_"They were unarmed and had NO defense!" _Another voice of my past shouted into my head. My feet squished against the cold and wet ground as I kept running and running around the farm. Lightning flashed and thunder clapped again whilst I tried to shake the thoughts from my mind. With my eyes snapped closed as hard as I could force them, I couldn't see where I was going as my ever numbing foot tripped over a piece of farming equipment, sending me flying into the mud and rain puddle riddled farm ground. My face landed straight into a puddle, both dousing myself with water and covering my torso and pants with mud.

I coughed and sputtered, trying to get the filthy water out of my mouth. _"REAPER!"_ My voice rang inside my head as I remembered the day my best friend died, all because of me. Finally, I could not take it anymore and began to sob.

_"I'm gonna beat the shit out of you!"_ I heard my voice shout from the day I had assaulted Filthy Rich. There was now a tightness moving around in my chest. Another feeling was gnawing and itching at the back of my skull. And to top it all off, I felt as if I had a 747 jumbo jet resting upon my shoulders. Looking back up as the rain washed mud away from my face, I saw lightning briefly illuminate the tree where I beat up Trenderhoof only yesterday.

All I could see at the tree was an image of myself kicking, slapping and beating up Trenderhoof. _'_**You're a monster.'** The faceless voice echoed throughout my head again. Looking back down in the puddle, I shrieked as I saw a skull with crossbones covering my face instead of seeing my actual face. I slapped the water to get rid of the evil reflection.

**'If it weren't for you, your friends would still be alive,'** the voice spoke more than just three words this time. At last, I gathered up the strength from my now numb body and pulled myself up into a sitting position against the plow I had tripped on. I bent my legs up and rested my drenched forehead against my knees and sobbed quietly to myself.

"I'm death," I faintly whispered over the sound of rain still falling around me.

**'THERE WAS MORE YOU COULD'VE DONE!' **The phantom voice yelled inside my head, forcing me to clasp my hands around my ears. I lost what little balance I had and fell onto my side onto more mud. With another flash of lightning, I briefly looked into the reflective surface of the plow next to me. I was both horrified and disgusted with the image I saw. It was an image of myself holding a timber wolf's heart in my hand as I squished it between my fingers like a rotten tomato.

"I. Am. A. Monster," I slowly said to myself. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter than I ever had before; tears kept on flowing out of my eyelids.

**'This family doesn't deserve to have Death living amongst them,'** the phantom voice whispered inside my head. I let out a choked sob as I realized what I had to do. This was a difficult decision that broke my heart, but I had to do this to protect the family that accepted me with open arms and hearts. Gripping my hand on the plow, I picked my mud caked body off the ground and stood up, allowing the rain to wash away my back. The conflicting temperatures of the rain and my tears was an eerie feeling against my cheeks, but that wasn't important right now. My hand felt hot and wet as I gripped it into a fist. Turning it over, I saw a fresh cut and trickles of blood flowing down my palm from the plow. The rain water quickly disposed of the scarlet liquid and I rested my hand back against my leg as I trudged forward through the mud soaked trail leading to the main house.

Since I hadn't cut my hair in nearly four months, some of my hair was matted down due to the rain, and it was covering my eyes. Wiping some wet strands from my vision, I found the door leading to the kitchen in front of my face. I felt slightly empty now that the awning of the house protected my skin from the never-ending assault of the cold rain. I felt even colder now that I had entered the house, but not before tossing off my socks into the garbage can outside. Although I had lived on the farm for a third of a year, I still had yet to see what it was like in the dead of night.

**_CRACK-A-BOOM!_**

The lightning gave me a quick snapshot of the ground floor. The house always gave off a cozy and heartwarming aura to me, like a family home, and it made me sick. Not because I hate family, but because how I had polluted their family lake. Looking at the wall nearest the staircase, there was a portrait of Granny Smith, Applejack, Big Macintosh and little Applebloom, all looking happy together. However, as if God, or Satan, were teasing me, there happened to be a picture-sized mirror right next to the family portrait of the Apple family.

The person looking back at me was unrecognizable. Mud caked face, matted and wild hair, blue eyes that seemed as black as coal, and an emotionless mouth that seemed to belonged to Michael Myers himself. I blinked, and I nearly punched the mirror, for I was suddenly met with the face of the devil himself as I saw the dead bodies of every person I had ever wronged standing behind me.

Was this God sending me a message of my deserved fate in Hell? Or was I going down an insane path that would force me to cause more harm others around me? I had done my best to ignore what I had seen in the mirror and the evil phantom voice that mocked me to finish what I had to before setting off and making sure I wouldn't harm another innocent life. Setting foot on the stair case, my heart stopped when the stairs creaked and groaned. The last thing I wanted right now was for one of the family members, Applebloom specifically, to see me like this and ask me what was wrong. For what seemed to take a century, I tip-toed up the wooden stairs without alerting anypony to my nighttime presence and ascended the final stair to appear at the front of the upstairs hallway.

Granny Smith's bedroom was first on the left, and the elderly pony was snoring quietly. She mumbled something in her sleep, but I didn't pay attention to what she had spoken. "Goodbye Granny." Walking ahead, Big Mac's room was the first room on the right and his door was partially open compared to Granny whom had her door wide open. Peering my head through, the huge red stallion was curled up in the fetal position, whinnying with every snore. My eyebrows went up as I saw Big Mac cuddling up with a stuffed doll. Shaking my head, I pulled away from Big Mac's room and silently crept along the eerily empty hallway. Passing the bathroom, my bare feet stopped at the entrance to little Applebloom's room.

My head leaned against the door frame as I watched the little yellow filly sleeping peacefully in her bed. Not knowing what force came over me, I walked forward into her room, tears beginning to flow again. The salty droplets flowed down my cheeks and onto her mane, thankfully not disturbing her. "I'm gonna miss you k-kid," I tried to squish the tears away by blinking, but to no avail. I bent down and lightly pecked her cheek, as if I were kissing my own daughter I never had. "W-whatever y-you do, don't e-_ever_ stop reaching for stars, y-you're gonna d-do so much good s-someday," I choked out and softly padded the top of her head.

Applebloom softly stirred, but stayed under the sandpony's spell and continued to sleep. I whirled around and quieter than a mute church mouse, I left her room, leaving only one pony left. I had no clue if I could do this or not, but I knew I had to. Opening her door, it almost broke my heart to see Applejack asleep so peacefully in her rodeo themed room. She softly whinnied and smacked her lips as she snored in her sleep. The pony that took me in and accepted me as a member of her family, Applejack Apple, had no clue of the horrors that were caused by my doing back on Earth, and that wasn't fair. I was such a selfish bastard. I should've told everypony that had saved my life about the unspeakable acts I had done. Now it was too late to fix anything. I cried like a bitch more, knowing that even though I had caused no physical harm to Applejack, Luna, Rainbow or Fluttershy, I had hurt them on the inside.

"I'm s-so sorry AJ," I whispered when she turned over onto her side and faced the wall I was standing against. I couldn't believe the amount of irony that was dripping from God's pot. The plan I had put into place to protect my friends from me had become a double-edged sword. Trying to save them from the horrors and evil nature about me only worked against me; now that I had to tell them the truth, a little bit of themselves on the inside will die for trusting a demon like me. Bending down, I stroked Applejack's golden mane as I saw it for the first time without a hat and without the red ties; she looked amazing.

**'NO! You selfish son of a bitch! You'll only hurt her more.'** The voice screamed at me some more. I sobbed silently more and more. Aside from Luna, having to say goodbye to my closest friend in Equestria was the most painful thing I had experienced here.

"It's for the best Applejack, I can't hurt you anymore," I promised her as I softly rubbed her cheek with my thumb before letting go. Exiting the room, I went back to Applebloom's room, grabbed a pencil from her backpack and a piece of paper from her stack on her desk and wrote a letter explaining everything I was going to do and to tell her to not come looking for me. _Her._ Applejack was one of the most special beings I had met in my life, her honesty and true meanings of friendship were second to none. Other than Reaper who had always stuck by my side, I'd never had any friends before like Applejack. Placing the note on her bedside, I wiped some more tears from my eyes before heading silently downstairs and out the door for the final time. As I shut the door, I leaned against the house, breathing deeply as I tried to keep myself from crying. I sniffled and bent down before taking in one last look at the farm and heading to Ponyville.

I soon found myself at the ticket booth for the train station, with a strange bit of luck, there was an early morning line heading for Canterlot at 3:30 AM, and no force on Earth or Heaven was going to keep my off that train. "Oh hello Cougar, what brings you here this early?" The ticket booth pony asked.

"One way ticket to Canterlot please," I replied grimly.

"Any particular reason you need to head to the royal city at this hour?" He gave me the ticket as I gave him the bits. I said nary a word, pocketed my ticket and boarded the train.

**(One Silent Train Ride Later. Cougar's POV)**

The main clock in Canterlot rang four times as I departed my empty train car at the Canterlot train station. I'm sure I would've garnered a thousand stares had I arrived around the normal time for the stuffy ponies to be roaming about. Wearing nothing more than my muddy lounge pants, I looked like a bum, or a crazy creature. I settled for the few stares of the elitists that were waiting at the train station and set off for the castle. I made sure to stay amongst the shadows in case Luna was on a nightly patrol around Canterlot; the last thing I needed was to run into her right now.

"No rain," I commented as the sky was clear and beautifully showed off Luna's fantastic work. The stone sidewalks felt odd against my bare feet, conflicting against the dirt roads that patterned Ponyville. Walking along an empty street in a strange city with nothing more than the silvery gleam of the moon to keep me company cast an eerie vibe across my entire body. Trying to keep my eyes ahead instead of at my muddy feet, I could barely make out the images of two bat pony guards standing guard in front of the gates of the castle thanks to Luna's moonlight. "Shit," I said when I realized that one of the ponies was Bat Fang himself.

"Halt!" The second guard hoisted his spear and pointed it down at me as I approached the pair.

"Cougar!?" Bat Fang exclaimed in surprise and ordered the second guard to stand down, "what in Luna's name are you doing here at this hour and without your clothes?" He asked. "And, why are your eyes red?"

"Bat Fang," I started and raised my limp, numb hands out, "take me to the dungeon," I replied. Bat Fang's spear clattered to the ground, the echo reverberating down the street I had taken from the train station.

"What?" He shook his head in disbelief, "are you feeling alright?" He questioned.

"No, but you still need to take me to the dungeon," I replied quietly.

"Is this guy insane?" The second guard asked Bat Fang.

"Shut up Venom," Bat Fang silenced his partner. "Look Cougar, what are you talking about? Why should you be in the dungeon? That's a place for only the worst criminals in Equestria, one step above Tartarus," he warned.

"I don't care Bat Fang," I growled, "put me in the fucking dungeon. Three counts of assault against three different ponies and numerous counts of murder," I glared at him, praying he'll listen and finally toss me inside.

"Assault and murder against who?! Is this some kind of joke Cougar? This isn't funny," Bat Fang gritted his fangs.

"You want names?! Filthy Rich, Trenderhoof, Dark Heart!" I shouted at him.

"Dark Heart? You know that bucker deserved it, but there's not much we can do until we get statements from Filthy Rich and Trenderhoof themselves, and I don't believe for a second you're a murderer," Bat Fang placed his hoof on my shoulder. "Do you need to talk to Luna? I'm sure she can help you," he offered.

"_Statements?_ You want statements?!" I exclaimed, grabbed ahold of Bat Fang's shoulder and landed a right hook across his scar from where he got cut. The bat pony went flying backwards into the gate of the castle, the punch so powerful, his helmet strap snapped.

"STAND RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!" Venom jabbed me in the side with his spear, "You want to go the dungeon? Consider your wish granted," he slapped a pair of hoofcuffs onto my wrists and slammed me down onto the ground. Bat Fang collected himself and tossed his silver helmet onto the ground before rubbing his muzzle.

"What happened to you Cougar?" he asked as he and Venom picked me up and escorted me through the gates into the castle.

"I stopped masking the truth," was all I replied. The two led me down the corridor into the dungeon area where I had been just a few days before. Numerous criminals ran to the bars of their cells, curious as to what fresh meat the guards had brought. The two stopped me at a cell directly across from Spitfire whom had been watching us from behind her sunglasses.

"I'm sorry I have to do this Cougar," Bat Fang apologized as Venom kicked me violently in the back to get me in my cell. I landed face first into the stone wall and collapsed onto the bench inside. "You go back to your post, I'm going to find Luna," Bat Fang said to Venom who nodded in reply and trotted back to his post. Bat Fang gave one last look at me before sprouting his wings and zooming away. I looked around my tiny, cramped cell. Nothing more than a toilet and a bench to keep me company. I sat down on the wooden bench that creaked and groaned under my weight. Leaning my head against the stone wall, I softly shut my eyes as I tried to get used to my new home.

**'It's for the best. Get used to it; this is just a preview of what Hell has waiting for you.'**

**(Sweet Apple Acres. 3rd Person POV)**

Applejack gave a mighty yawn as the farm's rooster alerted the Apple family to get up and get moving. The orange mare scratched at her face with her hoof and stretched as she threw the covers off her body. "Ahh, whew, them pegasi definitely put a whippin' on Ponyville last night," Applejack put her hair twists back in and her hat back on. She was set to leave for breakfast when a folded up piece of paper that was lying on the floor near her door caught her eye.

"Applejack, move yer caboose there youngin'!" Granny Smith called from downstairs. Applejack picked up the letter in her mouth and briskly trotted downstairs to where the family was eating breakfast.

"Hey, where's Cougar at Applejack?" Applebloom asked her older sister.

"Ah don't know, maybe he decided ta get a lil more sleep, he's been workin' harder than Big Mac over the summer," Applejack set the letter down onto the table.

"Eeyu- hey!" Big Mac exclaimed.

"Oh lighten up there Grandson," Granny Smith bopped Big Mac on the head. "What's that there letter for Applejack? When did the mail start comin' this early anyways?" Granny Smith asked.

"Ah found it in my room," Applejack replied as she unfolded the letter, "and it's from Cougar."

"Did he tell ya where he was goin' this mornin'?" the youngest family member swallowed a bite of her waffles. Applejack's eyes scanned the letter, ignoring questions from her family. They took note that her eyes grew bigger and bigger and her breathing became shallower and shallower.

"Well, what's it say?" Big Mac finished off a cup of coffee.

_"Dear Apple Family, I'm sorry to say I am not the man you think I am. I'm no hero, all I've ever done in my life is hurt others. I thought joining the Air Force would get me on the path to saving and protecting others instead of hurting them, but my past keeps following me wherever I go. Applejack, I assaulted Filthy Rich in order to get him to have Diamond Tiara leave Applebloom alone, and I'm sorry for not telling you. What I am most sorry for is the fact I betrayed the trust you all set within me when you took me in. A loving and caring family like yours doesn't deserve to have a Sinful Monster living with them. It was despicable of me to only think of myself by not telling you of all my wrong doings back on Earth. You are all still special to me for accepting me into your family, but the only thing I did in return was put an ugly blotch onto your lives. This was not easy for me to do, but the last thing I want to do is hurt you even more. I am leaving the farm and your family forever, but do not cry for me or come searching for me; I am not worth it. I do not deserve friends, family or kindness from others. As you're reading this letter, I am gone and now doing what I set out to do when I signed up for the military: Protecting you, from the demons inside me._

_-Cougar._

"C-cougar's gone?" Applebloom whined as tears spilled out of her eyes. "B-but, he was one 'o my closest friends!" the filly covered her eyes and began to cry.

"Where do ya think he went?" Big Mac solemnly slid his plate to the center of the table.

"Ah don't believe a word 'o that letter," Granny Smith smacked the table top with her hoof, "Ah've looked into his eyes, he has a heart 'o gold!" She defended. All eyes turned to the mare holding the letter. She had stayed silent ever since she finished reading, so silent in fact that the ticking of the clock sounded like a drum. Instantly, the mare slid her chair back, dropped the letter and burst outside to Cougar's house.

"No, no, no, no," Applejack chanted as she galloped over and burst through Cougar's door. "Cougar!" She exclaimed when she opened the door and found Cougar's cot flipped on the side with his blanket thrown across the room and his phone laying against the wall. "Dear Celestia no!" She frantically searched for clues as to where Cougar could have gone. Applejack grabbed the sides of her head and bolted outside and ran as fast as she could to Ponyville to find her friends, hoping that they could help her.

"Applejack, where are you going in such a rush?" Rarity asked her farming friend as Applejack banged on the door of the rainbow castle as hard as she could.

"It's Cougar! He ran away from the farm!" Applejack replied.

"What do you mean Cougar ran away?" Rarity questioned, confused as how a grown creature could run away.

"Look, Ah don't have time to explain it to you, Ah need to see Twilight!" Applejack shoved Rarity out of the way and galloped to the throne room where Twilight was signing a few papers whilst reading a textbook. Applejack couldn't stop in time and ran into Twilight's throne, knocking her over and ceasing her levitation spell, causing all of writing utensils to fall to the floor.

"Applejack, what was that for!?" Twilight angrily picked herself up off the floor as Spike gathered up her tools. "This had better be good, you just made me lose my train of thought!"

"Ah'm terribly sorry Twi, but Cougar's run away from my farm! He says that he's doin' it ta protect my family 'n all of us!" Applejack replied in a panic. Spike dropped all of Twilight's things on the floor, Rainbow accidentally knocked over her own throne, Fluttershy dropped an entire bushel of carrots on Angel and Pinkie Pie gasped and all of her balloons deflated in sync.

"What do you mean he ran away? Where would he go and why?" Twilight forgot about what she was doing and hopped back up to her hooves.

"Ah woke up 'n found a letter from Cougar addressed to my family inside my room. Ah read it out loud at breakfast; it explained that he ain't the man we think he is and he's leavin' to protect us all. Ah'm scared my friend is gonna hurt himself, or kill himself!" Applejack cried as she held her eyes in her hooves.

"He likes Rock music right?" Pinkie Pie jumped in front of Applejack, "if we play Rock music everywhere, maybe he'll come back?" She suggested.

"Wha- no!" Applejack pushed Pinkie Pie aside, "Ah have no idea where he went; Ah wouldn't know where to start!" Applejack threw her hat on the ground.

"Well uh, you know, as your friends we'll help you find Cougar, if you want help that is," Fluttershy patted Applejack's back.

"Yeah! With all six of us searching, Cougar can't hide forever!" Rainbow flexed her wings. Suddenly, a bright flash of white light engulfed the throne room, blinding the occupants until it went away. Standing in the middle of the throne room was none other than Princess Luna.

"Luna! We were just about to send out a search party for Cougar, what brings you here?" Twilight quickly bowed and popped back up with Spike standing next to her. The midnight blue alicorn trotted up to Applejack and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"Applejack, our friend Cougar resides in the Canterlot dungeons," Luna announced.

"What did he do Princess?" Spike questioned.

"He turned himself in for three counts of assault on three ponies, but not before punching my personal guard Bat Fang to secure a spot in the dungeons," Luna explained. "There is something wrong with our friend. He's distant, he will not speak to anypony and all I can see is darkness within him, darkness and dread. I attempted to speak with him so we could get to the bottom of the situation, but he remains silent and unresponsive, like a statue or painting. I fear we may lose him unless we can get him to confess what is wrong," Luna exclaimed quietly.

"Did you at least try and look into his past like you did when we first met him?" Rarity asked.

"Yes, but he's blocked it off; all I saw was utter blackness. All of us must return to Canterlot to save Cougar from his own demons before he does something unspeakable," Luna conjured up a spell and whisked the Mane 6 to Canterlot.

* * *

**(Canterlot Dungeons. Cougar's POV)**

I hadn't moved an inch since I had arrived in jail. Just as promised, Bat Fang left me in my cell and returned with Luna to try and talk some sense into me. My alicorn friend spent more than an hour trying to get me to talk to "bring me back," but I had no desire to do so. The only things I did in response were turn my head and look at her with my bloodshot eyes. I gave her an 'A' for effort though; Luna did everything from trying to be a therapist to just trying to have a beer with me.

Across the way, Spitfire would also try to talk to me, but even if I wasn't feeling like this, I would want no part in talking with her. Every so often she'd partially drop her sunglasses and stare at me with her icy blue eyes. A part of me wanted to throw my arms around Luna and spill everything wrong so at least she could understand why I had made my decision on locking myself away from society, but another part of me won that battle, the part that wanted to tell her as little as possible and to stay silent; she knew enough about me.

Finally, Luna decided that she could not do this alone and disappeared into a cloud of white magic and vapor. It didn't feel that cold down here despite the fact that I was wearing nothing but muddy lounge pants. Glock and Bat Fang stopped by to see if I was hungry or thirsty, but I gave them the same treatment that Luna received. Bat Fang had told Glock about the incident and wanted to help me, but I turned him away. For the first time in my life, I felt exactly like Morgan Freeman's character in _The Shawshank Redemption._ I was guilty of my crimes, as was Freeman's character, Red, and I also knew that I did belong here while most of the other criminals here gave a BS story that made them look innocent. At least I've still got honor on my side for turning myself in.

"Cougar!" A country voice I knew all to well bounced off the stone walls of the dungeon, followed by the clopping sounds of hoof steps. My red eyes slowly drifted to the left as I saw seven ponies and one dragon stop in front of my cell. "What's gotten into ya?" Applejack tried to open the cell door.

"_What are you doing here?"_ I barely squeaked out.

"We're here to bust you out silly goose!" Pinkie Pie pulled out a hoof-file and began to try and grind away at the bars. Ignoring the pink pony, I rolled over so my head was no longer leaning against the corner of my cell.

"I told you to not come looking for me," I replied and lowered my head to look at the floor. Luna's magic unlocked the cell and she, Applejack, Twilight, Rainbow, Spike and Rarity entered the cell. It was getting really crowded with seven figures inside the cramped space; Pinkie and Fluttershy watched from the hallway.

"And why would we just leave you to rot in a jail cell Cougar?" Rarity questioned, "you've been a model citizen ever since you've arrived," she attempted to lift up my spirits.

"Not to mention you saved us and our sisters from two timberwolves and put your life on the line, that's pretty badass dude," Rainbow patted my back. I shrugged her away, keeping my eyes glued to the stony floor below me. Applejack removed her hat and softly wrapped her foreleg around my neck.

"Look Cougar, we just want to know why you turned yerself in to jail and why you won't talk," Applejack sat down next to me. When I still didn't answer, Applejack pressed on, "Ah was a little shocked at yer confession 'bout assaultin' Filthy Rich, but Ah understand you were lookin' out fer my sister; that Ah appreciate so much." I sighed heavily and ran both my hands through my hair.

"I ran away to protect all of you, from myself," I admitted darkly.

"What do you mean by that bro?" Spike leaned on my muddy pants with his claws.

"I'm a violent, sinful and evil man, and you should have left me to die when my plane crashed!" I yelled out, scaring everypony in my cell and in the dungeon. "All I do, no matter what, is hurt people around me, mainly people I love and care for. Had I told you some of the things I've done on Earth, you would've killed me the moment I finished my sentence, and you would've done yourselves a favor," I cooled down but still shook Applejack's grip off my shoulder. "This day, is just too painful for me. I wish I had a time machine to either be able to skip this day or go back and fix what I fucked up," I grubbed the side of my bench. Twilight cleared her throat and pushed my chin up with her magic.

"Cougar, if you just tell us why you're acting this way, we can help you; we _want_ to help you, if you'll just let us," she kindly explained. "If you just take us back to when this all started-"

"NO! NO! I AM NOT RELIVING THAT DAY!" I angrily shouted at her and began to cry again. Luna sighed and produced my phone from Applejack's hat. "M-my phone?"

"Cougar, forgive me, but Applejack showed me a rather important picture," Luna scrolled through the photo album on my phone until she reached the specific picture she needed. I wanted to question how they knew my password, but I guess their magic could do more than I can imagine.

"Listen to me Cougar, Ah know exactly how it feels," Applejack whispered to me to control my crying.

"_W-w-were you r-responsible for yours?"_ I silently cried.

"Please, just tell us. We'll believe you," Rarity begged.

"We want to help," Twilight repeated. The last thing I looked at was Applejack's emerald eyes before diving headfirst into the worst moment of my entire life.

***FLASHBACK. 21 years ago***

_"Alright son, now we're going to be heading to New York for our business meeting soon," Cougar's father, Nick explained. A little two and a half year old boy was busy playing with his Thomas the Tank Engine toys while his father and mother packed their bags._

_"I wish you weren't going, I love you daddy," little Cougar sadly pushed Thomas across the floor. Nick hugged little Cougar tightly and picked him up from the floor._

_"I know, I hate being away from my baby boy, but mommy and daddy have important jobs, and they require us to travel," Nick set little Cougar down at the table and placed some Cheerios in front of him._

_"How would you like a little T-Shirt son?" Cougar's mother, Patsy bopped his nose._

_"Is it one of those I heart NY shirts that I've seen in the moving pictures?" Cougar replied as he ate his snack._

_"Of course, nothing is too good for my special little baby," Patsy blew a raspberry on Cougar's tummy. That night, the night before Nick and Patsy were set to leave, Cougar awakened in his room, throwing up with a fever._

_"Mommy, Daddy, I feel icky," little Cougar groaned as his mom held him over the toilet._

_"Oh no, he's burning up Nick," Patsy felt his forehead. "Let's take him to the emergency room," Patsy quickly changed her son's clothes._

_"I'll start the car," Nick replied as he threw a coat on. Cougar groaned as his little tummy still churned._

_"N-no mommy, I don't want to ruin your trip."_

_"The trip can wait another week. My top priority right now is making sure my baby is healthy," Patsy kissed his head._

**_(Two Days Later)_**

_"Hi Darrell, Nancy, thank you so much for watching over our son for the next few days," Nick thanked his friends._

_"It's no trouble, besides, our boys both get along great; this'll be just like a sleepover for them," Darrell replied and ruffled Cougar's hair._

_"Thank you for taking me in Mr. Jones," Cougar thanked his best friend's dad._

_"I think our son is downstairs playing on his Nintendo 64, why don't you go join him?" Nancy suggested. Cougar gave a tearful goodbye and hug to his parents before they set off for New York, on flight Flight 175_

_The next morning, Cougar awoke to see Darrell and Nancy watching the TV in shock. Cougar didn't understand what was going on. The skyscraper on the TV screen was burning up with a large hole in the middle._

_"What movie is this Mr. and Mrs. Jones?" Cougar asked. Cougar's friend then joined up with some Froot Loops in hand while his parents remained silent._

"OH MY GOD, ANOTHER PLANE HAS STRUCK THE SECOND TOWER!" _The TV announcer shrieked as another airliner came onto the screen and hit the second world trade center._

_"This, this can't be happening," Darrell looked as if he was going to throw up._

"We've just gotten word that the second plane was Flight 175," _the TV announcer announced. Darrell and Nancy both looked at each other and tried to turn off the TV, but Cougar had heard._

_"F-Flight 175? Wasn't Mommy and Daddy on that flight?" Little Cougar asked. The two and half year old reached into his pocket and looked a copy of his father's plane ticket and saw the label Flight 175 printed on the top corner._

_"Now, now Cougar," Nancy tried to change the channel and get him away from the TV. The copy of the plane ticket fell out of Cougar's hand as he slowly walked up to the TV that showed both Twin Towers engulfed in flames and smoke against the blue backdrop of the September day._

_"Mommy, Daddy?" Cougar reached up and caressed the TV screen with is fingers as tears began to creep out of his eyes. "Are my Mommy and Daddy okay?" The little boy tearfully turned to Darrell and Nancy whom also had tears in their was all Cougar needed as he collapsed onto his knees and cried at the base of the TV. "M-mommy, D-daddy! Come back, please! I love you!" Little Cougar wailed._

***End** **Flashback***

**(Cougar's POV)**

"So, my parents were killed because of terrorists who hated our country," I held in my tears as long as I could. All around me, my new friends were struggling to do the same, though Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike and Rainbow were all already sobbing. "I never got to see my parents again, except an image of their plane hitting a building," I started to sob at the painful memory. "My best friend's parents took me in as their son and raised me, and my friend turned out to be Reaper, that's how we became the best of friends because we turned into brothers."

"Oh Cou-Cougar," Applejack's emerald eyes were now turning red as she wiped her salty tears away. She embraced me in a tight hug and didn't let go as she started to cry too. "Ah-Ah had n-no idea," she sniffled and continued to hold me.

"B-but the worst part is, it was all _my fault! I killed my parents!"_ my hands tried to rub tears out of my eyes, but they were flowing too fast. _"I killed them, they're dead because of me!"_

"How is this your fault Cougar? You did not crash that plane," Luna pointed out, her wing wiping her tears away.

_"If I hadn't gotten sick, they would've gotten to New York one day earlier than when the attacks happened!" I yelled._

"Don't, don't think like that dude," Rainbow sniffled, "how could you have known you were going to get sick?"

"What difference does it make?" My voice cracked, my vision blurred and my nose sniffled, "because of me, my parents were ripped from life far earlier than they should've been. But it doesn't stop there. As I grew older, Reaper and I would befriend other kids who would die before their time. My friend Richard died of Leukemia, my friend Greg was killed by his dad in a drunken rage. I was always the common denominator. This is why I wanted to seal myself away from you all, before you all died because of this curse the Devil put me under!"

"You, you stop thinkin' like that right now," Applejack pulled away from her hug and glared at me with wet eyes, "none of that is your fault, 'n you know it," she breathed deeply.

"Even if I wasn't directly responsible, all of those close to me died sometime after meeting me. That's why I vowed to never get close to others again so I wouldn't seal their fate!" I explained loudly, "but then came the mission that took my best friend's life. When he was killed, I wanted to die, and sometimes I still think I should have died; I don't know why God continued to let me live after everything I've done. I couldn't live if something happened to any of you! All of you are the best friends I could've asked for, right up with Reaper. When I realized what today was, I was reminded of how many I've hurt and I didn't want to cast that onto any of you."

"Just stop, stop blamin' yerself for all those bad things!" Applejack demanded.

"Why? So I don't feel bad? It's all my fault! Even more than any of that! From that child molester I beat to death instead of letting the law handle it to killing thousands of innocent people because our President ordered us to despite us not knowing until it was all over, all the facts are there, I am the living embodiment of _SIN! _I'm a monster, and monsters deserve to die or rot away alone," I whispered the last line.

"We don't think of you like that, at all," Twilight wiped her nose with her hoof.

"You are one of the kindest, carin', most gentlest souls we've ever come across, that's the truth Cougar," Applejack's eyes still squeezed out a few tears.

"Cougar, I, nor any of us, think you are a monster, but a young man that has been put through more horrifying tests and trials than one should in their entire lives," Luna started to cry again, "b-but you preserved and joined the military to help others, th-that is something no monster would do!"

"It doesn't matter, no matter how much good I do, the demons inside me will find a way to show their work," I solemnly replied. "I let my best friend die; there was so much more I could've done to save him, but I failed; I don't want to fail any of you."

"Y-you won't fail us," Fluttershy stood up from her corner, "I've seen all the good inside you; it triumphs the evil in and around you."

"You saved Princess Luna and two guards from the wrath of a psychopath, you're a good man Cougar," Spike patted my leg.

"Please Sugarcube," Applejack swallowed her tears, "if there's anythin' we can do to heal yer pain, please tell us, Ah can't stand ta see one 'o my best friends cryin' over somethin' that ain't his fault." She begged me. All of a sudden, there was a new twinge in my chest as I looked around the small cell that housed friends that wanted to help me heal. _Friends. _The word had seemed foreign to me for so long that I had begun to take the word for granted. Just like Reaper did, these ponies wanted to go out of their way just to help me forget about my parents and other things I'm ashamed of. Those are true friends, I guess one could say that Friendship is Magic.

"Thank you," I replied and began to cry both happy and sad tears.

"W-what did you say Cougar?" Rarity questioned.

"Thank you, thank you for being my friends," I cried out and hugged Applejack and Luna tightly. Soon, Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow and Pinkie jumped on and joined the group hug, "thank you!" my tears rolled off my cheeks and onto Applejack's mane.

"How about a 'Make Cougar Feel Better' party with just us and uber close friends?" Pinkie Pie calmly suggested.

"Pinkie Pie, I'd love that," I smiled for the first time that day. I politely shoved the ponies away and stood up from my bench. Twilight quickly zapped everypony out, leaving enough room for me to leave.

"Eh, but before we leave," Rarity started and zapped me with her blue magic. I looked down to see regular blue jeans and a white t-shirt covering my body; my muddy lounge pants were long gone. "There, much better," the white unicorn slyly smiled. I nodded a thank you to her and shut the cell door on the now empty cell behind me. Luna opened the dungeon door and allowed all of us to leave the dark and dreary cavern. Spike jumped up into my chest and gave me a hug while Fluttershy hugged my leg. Pinkie wanted to tackle me; luckily Twilight held her in place with her magic until she promised to calm down.

"So Cougar, would you like it if I joined your party?" Luna questioned when we met up in the foyer. Celestia apparently had mounds of paperwork to do and after raising the sun, only wanted to speak to somepony if the world was going to end.

"Well, I'd love it if you would, but you haven't gotten your sleep yet," I replied, "isn't this about the time you go to bed?" I questioned. Luna placed a hoof under my chin and just held my head in place as she smiled at me.

"Making sure my friend is alright and happy is more important than my sleep right now," Luna replied with a tight hug. Patting her back, I pulled away and was met with Bat Fang watching us.

"Here, just give me a minute before we head back to Ponyville," I turned around to face the guard whose muzzle was swollen. "Hey Bat Fang," I looked down at the ground, "look I'm sorry about punching you in the-" I started before I felt an immense pressure on my nose followed by warm blood gushing out of the nostrils.

"There bud, we're even," Bat Fang shined his hoof on his armor and adjusted his new helmet strap and went back to Luna's side. Wiping the blood from my nose, I chuckled softly and nodded.

* * *

**(Back at the farm. Cougar's POV)**

All nine of us arrived back at the front door of the Apple house soon after leaving Canterlot via teleportation; none of us really wanted to run into anyone else on the way back. "Alright Sugarcube, it's up ta you ta set things straight with my family, though Applebloom might still be ticked at ya fer leavin'," Applejack pushed me towards the door. I gripped the door knob before turning it slowly.

"Hello, Big Mac? Granny? Applebl-" I called out before I found myself on my back with a big ball of yellow fur standing on my chest.

"Cougar! Where've you been? Ah've been worried sick about ya!" Applebloom jumped up and down. Big Mac picked Applebloom up off me and set her down so I could get back up to my feet.

"Ah think we've all been worried sick 'bout him Applebloom," Big Mac held the filly back.

"Oh, Princess Luna, what brings ya here ta our farm yer majesty?" Granny Smith quickly bowed and got another charlie horse.

"I'm here to spend time with my friend Granny Smith, and you have a lovely home," Luna replied while Big Mac quickly hit Granny in the spot where she was stuck, eliminating the pulled muscle. Applebloom took advantage and wriggled out of her brother's grasp and jumped onto a chair to get closer to my face.

"We want answers! Why did ya have ta leave us? Where did ya go?" She questioned again.

"Hold on there lil sis, Cougar's gonna explain everythin' right quick," Applejack explained while everyone else filed inside the house. And so, I sat down and explained everything to Applebloom, Big Mac and Granny Smith. As expected, tears were shed, though not from just those three. Even though I was over the hump for this year, I still let a few tears slip out when mentioning my parents. I explained why I ran away and why I felt I had to do so, and that it was also a mistake. When I had finished, Big Mac was cradling his head in his hooves, Applebloom's lower lip was quivering and Granny Smith was wiping her eyes with her bandana.

"So, are ya gonna leave again?" Applebloom questioned with puppy dog eyes while quivering her lip. I placed a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it softly.

"Not a chance in the world kid, no way," I gave her a little peck on top of her head.

"Good," she grabbed my collar with her hooves, "'cause if ya left like that again Ah'd have ta put a whuppin' on ya so hard yer shadow'd grow its own bruises," she threatened. I chuckled and patted her forelegs.

"Well that's good to know."

"Cougar, if there's anythin' that's a-botherin' ya, ya can always talk ta us about," Granny Smith held my hand with her hoof as Applebloom hopped off the table.

"I know Granny, thank you for letting me know," I replied. Suddenly, there was a loud blast as party streamers, balloons, banners and a record player burst from Pinkie Pie's party cannon (that still freaked me out how that little thing can hold so much junk inside) and decorated the entire ground floor of the house.

"Come on everypony, let's turn these frowns upside down!" Pinkie declared as she stuck a lamp shade over her head.

"But, nopony is frowning anymore," Spike pointed out.

"See? It already worked!" Pinkie cheered and blew on a horn, "now let's jam!" She turned on the record player to her personal favorite song. For hours, we all danced, laughed, played games, drank enough punch and soda to rot out everypony's teeth in Equestria, told jokes, told more happy stories of our past and just had a good time as friends. I felt bad that Luna didn't get any sleep today since she was helping me cheer up, but she insisted that should could miss one day of sleep and make up for it tomorrow. The night hit us rather abruptly, and I mean that literally. Spike looked as if he was going to throw up, but he belched out green fire and a scroll appeared in mid-air as he opened it up.

'_Dear Twilight, I hope my sister is okay and near you, for it is time to bring out the night. She has ten minutes before I do it myself. Signed Princess Celestia. P.S. please __remind her that I need to speak with Cougar as soon as possible,' _Spike read the letter out loud. Luna snapped her neck up to look at the clock in the living room.

"Oh Celestia! It's already 8:30!" Luna spat out her soda and brought the moon up so fast that it felt like a literal light switch was turned off.

"Well, I guess that's our cue to go to bed, I have a huge order of suits and dresses for the Gala to create," Rarity bid her fancy farewell, but not before at least giving Spike a quick hug.

"I'm glad you're feeling better Cougar, feel free to stop by the castle at any time," Twilight levitated a love-dazed Spike onto her back and left. Luna gave out a mighty yawn as she nuzzled my neck tiredly.

"Never forget that you're a good person Cougar," her eyelids threatened to glue shut at any moment, "and I was supposed to remind you of something about the Gala, but I'll let Celestia handle it tomorrow," she shook her head to stay awake before teleporting home, at least I hope she teleported home and not under a lake or inside a volcano in her sleepy state.

"So, if you want Cougar, maybe you'd like to come and help with my animals, you know if you're not too busy that is. At least it's something that can be rewarding other than farm work, which there's nothing wrong with," Fluttershy covered up to not offend Applejack.

"I'd like to meet some of your animals Fluttershy, though don't you have Discord to help?"

"Yes, but some of the animals are still afraid of him, though I don't know why, he's changed so much in the past two years," Fluttershy replied. "But whenever you have free time, stop by with a smile on your face and a caring heart and you'll be all set," Fluttershy waved goodbye. Big Mac picked up a sleeping Applebloom and carried her off upstairs to tuck her in; Granny put her teeth in her jar next to the sink and slinked off upstairs, leaving me and Applejack to turn the lights off and put dishes away.

"Hey, can Ah ask ya somethin' Cougar? If you still don't wanna answer anymore Ah completely understand," she wiped a plate clean and set it in the dish rack where I dried them.

"Yeah shoot, talking about it is actually lifting the weight off of my shoulders," I dried another dish. The mare scrubbed out a glass cup before giving it to me and starting on another one.

"How did ya fight that fer over twenty years? Especially last night? Ah don't think anypony could've fought off those memories fer that long 'fore snappin' like ya did," she asked me. I momentarily stopped drying the cup and stared at my reflection in the window of the kitchen. _'Here it comes,'_ I thought_._

_"_Uh, here's the thing, I never really fought the memories Applejack," I admitted. The mare's hooves stopped scrubbing off a plate, leaving only the sounds of the ticking clock and the swirling of the sink water to fill the void.

"'Scuse me? What do you mean you never fought yer memories or yer inner demons?" She asked, completely flabbergasted.

"You see, after the whole 9/11 incident, on the days leading up to the anniversary, Darrell and Nancy would always pretty much fight them for me. They'd always distract me from it and basically treat it like another birthday. It wasn't until I was 5 that the idea it was my fault popped into my head, but they were there to help me repress it and keep me happy," I explained.

"But, how were ya able ta do that fer twenty years?" Applejack asked, still in shock.

"Oh sure, some years it was tough, especially when the tenth anniversary hit. I couldn't talk to anyone for the week leading up to it, but that was when they kept me home from school on the eleventh and would change the date to stay the tenth, making me believe the day hadn't arrived yet and then changed the date to the twelfth the next day, making me skip it. Once Reaper and I hit 17, we lied about our ages and signed up for the Air Force. Then he assumed the role that his parents had and kept me happy, making me forget about it. I would still feel sad about it throughout the year, but nobody had any clue how I would react on the actual day if anyone forgot. This year was the first time I was unprepared and had no one to keep me distracted."

"Ya had us," Applejack reminded.

"I know, and it was stupid of me to not tell you guys, but I didn't want to put a damper on any of your lives and make you feel like you had to keep a watch on me." Once I realized what day it was this morning, the awful memories hit me, and with no distractions, I just laid down and let the bad memories win. I never even tried to fight them off and convince myself that it wasn't my fault. Turning myself in was my defeat in a battle I never even showed up for. But that defeat taught me a lesson, whether you have new friends or old friends, any friend is better than no friends on days you need them the most. I took you and everypony for granted, thinking there was no way to help me, and I'm sorry for that Applejack," I grinned weakly.

"Come here," Applejack hugged me again, "Ah'm glad ya learned that lesson partner, but there's still one thing Ah wanna know," she crossed her forelegs. "At least tell me Reaper's real name. It's really weird that his name was Reaper when you had to go through all that."

"Yeah, I know," I rubbed the back of my head, "Reaper's real name was Adam, Adam Jones," I explained.

"So then, what's your real name partner?" Applejack craned her neck to the side.

"There's still a few things I need to come to terms with Applejack, not that many, but a few important terms." Suddenly, the pantry door burst open and Pinkie Pie fell out with a huge can of cake frosting.

"Jeez guys, gettin' a little sappy there huh?" Pinkie slurped into her can of frosting.

"How long were you in there for Pinkie?" I clutched my chest.

"When did Luna raise the moon?" She answered my question with her question.

"'N you were eavesdroppin' on us?" Applejack placed her forelegs on her hips.

"No, I just needed more frosting duh!" Pinkie rolled her eyes, "do you guys want any?" She offered. We both grimaced and shook her heads as she kept digging into the can with her tongue. "Okey-dokey-loki, see you later!" She bounced away like Pepe La pew.

"That's one of the terms, to see if I can last here with Pinkie Pie," I admitted. Applejack chuckled and slapped my back.

"Well, dishes are done, oh and do ya mind if Ah do somethin' Cougar?" She asked me permission.

"Sure I guess," I replied, confused as to what she needed permission for. The orange mare blushed, stood on her hind legs and kissed my cheek. And not just a small peck like Celestia gave me on the forehead or the ones I give to Applebloom, she left her lips on my cheek for a good five seconds before removing them.

"Sweet dreams parter," she smiled as the moonlight glistened off her eyes and she trotted upstairs. I brought my hand up to my cheek and held it there until the tingling sensation went away.

"Yep, and that's another one," I said to myself.

**End Chapter XVII**

_Yeah I know everypony going to bed that early is a little odd, but they've spent the whole day partying and loading up on enough sugar to kill the racers in Sugar Rush, that high has to come down at some point. _


	19. Chapter XVIII: Preparations

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter XVIII: Preparations**

* * *

**(Sweet Apple Acres Cougar's POV)**

"Soups on everypony!" Granny Smith passed out breakfast to all of us at the breakfast table. Today's menu was an assortment of chocolate chip pancakes, coffee, scrambled eggs with ketchup and hash browns.

"Perfect as always Granny," I complimented her with a hug. It had been several days since the incident with the dungeons in Canterlot, and I still felt the sting of that day for some time, but I had allowed all of my friends to coax me through the end of it. I didn't feel like turning myself in anymore, nor had I felt like I still had a jumbo jet parked on my shoulders. Instead, I just really didn't feel like talking so much.

"Why, thank ya Cougar, though ya still helped like always. Couldn't have done it this fast without ya," She patted my back and started to dig into her own food. Sipping my coffee, I had begun to think about what I was going to do after my chores were done. Granny had to go to a bridge game, Applebloom was going to try and get her cutie mark with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle by doing something with tennis rackets and banana peels, not going to ask. Big Mac was going to help Cheerilee fix up some broken window shutters at the school house and Applejack was going to Rarity's to have her look over her dress for the Grand Galloping Gala. After spending what seemed like a whole afternoon of Rarity measuring me and making me numerous sets of pants and shirts, I felt glad I rejected Luna's invitation for the Gala. I wasn't about to have Rarity measure me _again_ for a tuxedo.

"Trust me Cougar," Applejack pointed her hoof at me while munching on her hash browns, "if it were up ta me, Ah wouldn't care 'bout gettin' my dress looked at, but Rarity kept on badgerin' me 'bout it; Ah had ta shut her up somehow," she explained. I set my empty mug down and went back to eating my pancakes. "Now, are ya sure ya don't wanna go? Ah have authority ta invite ya from the Princesses themselves," she offered. Nearly every single one of my friends that had tickets to the Gala kept trying to invite me, but I had provided the same answer every time.

"Thanks AJ, but no thanks," I wiped my mouth from the sticky chocolate, "I never even attended my high school dances; they were too boring and never really interested me," I replied.

"Well, the Gala does sound borin' on the surface ta some folks, it's actually much better ever since Twilight and us started goin' regularly for the past five years. We'd make sure you'd fit right in if that's what's got ya worried," she assured me.

"I'm not worried about not fitting in Applejack, I know I'm just going to be a boring stick in the mud not enjoying myself and I will NOT ruin my friends' evenings just because I'm not having fun. Don't worry about me AJ," I patted her hoof, "Bloomin' Onion and I will just watch movies on my iPad," I took another bite of my hash browns. Applejack grumbled and took another bite of her eggs and a swig of her coffee.

"Ah wish Ah could go to the Gala," Applebloom pushed her food around with her tongue, not even taking a bite.

"Sorry little sis, but yer just not old enough ta go yet," Applejack replied, "you wouldn't have any fun with nopony there your age," she explained. Slightly shoving her plate away, Applebloom propped her chin up on her hooves. Big Mac and I sensed a feeling of uncomfortableness coming on; we just started to pick at our food more and kept to ourselves.

"Ah could try ta have fun," Applebloom countered, "and Ah wouldn't get in the way, promise," she put on her puppy dog face. Thankfully to years of training, Applejack wasn't moved by the face, though if it had been up to me, I'd have let her go in a second. Never mess with the power of the puppy dog eyes and the quivering lip, unless you've had experience.

"Look Applebloom, Ah trust that you would be responsible and not get in the way, but these high class, snobby and uptight rich ponies would get on yer nerves. They get on my nerves every year 'n Ah can barely keep myself from givin' them a piece 'o my mind. Point is, you wouldn't have fun, at all," Applejack drilled the point in, "but Ah do know you can have fun with Cougar while the rest 'o us are busy," she gestured to me as I refilled my coffee mug.

"Yeah AB," I sipped my drink, "we can watch The Terminator or Halloween," I offered.

"Cougar, remember what I said about no horror movies or swearin'?" Applejack smacked her hoof in front of my hand, coming close to breaking all four of my fingers. I swallowed my coffee nervously in a big gulp.

"Just kidding AJ, just kidding," I moved my hand away from her hoof, "or how about Toy Story? Toys that secretly come to life when the owner isn't around and hang out together?" I offered.

"Eh, I guess," Applebloom took a slow bite of her eggs.

"Or I may have some Kung Fu movies on my iPad," I slyly smirked. "Like, the Kung Fu Panda trilogy," I added. Instantly, her eyes lit up and her demeanor changed from sad and sulky to hyper and happy.

"Kung Fu movies? Why didn't ya say so? I'm all fer that fancy butt kickin'!" She did a chop with her foreleg, only to smack her hot cocoa cup across the table and splatter all over Big Mac's face and food. After wiping the liquid from his face, his green eyes narrowed towards his youngest sibling as a growl emitted from his throat. "Hehe, oopsie," Applebloom blushed and went back to eating her food. A small snicker escaped my nose while I tried to eat my hash browns. Big Mac turned his growl and glare towards my direction. If looks could kill, I'd be in a coffin six feet under somewhere.

"Haha, very funny Cougar," the red stallion dried himself off with a dish towel and set his empty plate and mug in the sink. "Now if y'all will excuse me, Ah've got some haulin' ta do 'fore Ah go help Ms. Cheerliee with her broken windows," he exited the kitchen.

"I'd make a joke, but younger audience," I casually cut the last piece of my hash brown up and ate it. Applebloom cocked her head to the side, attempting to decipher what I meant while Applejack gave me a look that read she was happy I didn't make the joke, but she was miffed I thought of it. "And anyway, the lawn isn't going to stop growing anytime soon," I set my dirty dishes in the sink, ruffled Applebloom's mane and put on my sunglasses to go mow the lawn.

"Hey Cougar, wait up," Applejack called after me. I picked up my flight gloves from my duffel bag which I now used for some of the chores on the farm and stuffed them into my back pocket as I turned around to face Applejack.

"Do you need help with anything AJ?" I questioned, cracking my knuckles and adjusting my ball cap.

"No, nothin' like that," she waved her hoof, "Ah was just wonderin' if ya had any plans fer after the daily chores are done?" She asked. It was then I realized that I hadn't planned on anything to do in the afternoon.

"Actually, not really," I replied, "maybe I'll see if Vinyl Scratch is busy to jam or not," I suggested and pulled my gloves out of my pocket and put them on to pull the lawnmower out of the storage shed. "Why do you ask anyway?" I carried the mower over to the start of the field and began to push it. Getting used to an old fashioned push mower over a gas powered mower I grew up with was quite an adjustment, but I didn't mind it.

"Well, I was wonderin' if after you were done with jammin' out with Vinyl if ya wanted ta grab a bite at Hayburger or Sugarcube Corner?" She followed by me as I pushed the mower down a path on the grassy field.

"Uh, why? Is there something important we need to talk about?" I slowed the pace of my lawn mowing, but not too much to come to a complete stop.

"No, Ah just thought the two 'o us could have some nice dinner together 'n just hang out someplace other than the farm," she explained, still walking beside me. Now _that_ made me stop mowing in my tracks, almost making me trip over mower itself.

"You mean, just the two of us? No Twilight, Fluttershy, Applebloom or Pinkie Pie?" I asked, unsure if she had ulterior motives or not.

"Yeah, if you want to 'o course, Ah'm not gonna force ya if ya don't want to. It's just two friends havin' dinner 'n spendin' time together," she repeated, trying to coax me into joining her. I leaned against the mower and thought about her proposal. Just two friends hanging out in town was something Reaper and I did on a regular basis when we had time in the Air Force, and I haven't really done that too much since I had arrived.

"Sure, but does the restaurant have food _I _can actually eat? You know I don't eat hay," I reminded her.

"Well, if ya take the hay off the sandwiches it's a ketchup, mustard, onion, lettuce, cheese 'n tomato sandwich," Applejack grimaced at what she considered to be the best part of the burger to disappear.

"I'd put that fake meat Luna and Celestia gave me on, but I'd prefer to do that amongst friends so I don't creep out or scare anypony, but I guess that sort of sandwich does sound good," I pondered. "And the fry situation, hay too?" I asked.

"Nope, hay _and_ tater fries," Applejack grinned, "mixin' them together's pretty dern tasty," she licked her lips.

"All right sounds good AJ, but I'm paying," I stated, crossing my arms and raising an eyebrow above my sunglasses.

"No, _Ah_ invited ya, _Ah'll _pay," she squinted her eyes at me. I took off my sunglasses and set them on top of my hat.

"Where I'm from AJ, the invitee always pays, especially if the inviter is a girl," I countered back. Finally, she rolled her emerald eyes and stamped her hoof on the ground, clearly upset at losing the debate.

"All right fine, you win," she admitted defeat, "Ah'll come find ya at Vinyl's shop when Ah'm done at Rarity's," she trotted away to do one of the last rounds of apple bucking for the season before Fall really hit and the trees would stop producing apples.

"See ya then AJ!" I called back and started pushing my mower again. I was about to connect my headphones to my phone when Applejack responded.

"It's a date!" She replied, "Or not!" She added with a chuckle and galloped away. I tensed up at her comment and stopped mowing again, thinking about what she had just told me. A _date?_ But she said it was just friends hanging out, right?

"Ugh," I grumbled and resumed my mowing duties for the third time, "different dimension, different planet, and I _still_ don't know jack-shit about how girls think."

**(Several Hours Later, Cougar's POV)**

After hours of mowing the lawn, bringing in eggs from the chicken coop, cleaning out the pig pen and helping Applebloom wash some of the pigs, my chores were done and I was ready to relax for the rest of the afternoon. "Have fun with, whatever your cutie mark plan is," I hugged Applebloom before she bounded off with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to their clubhouse.

"See ya Cougar!" Sweetie Belle replied.

"I've got a good feeling about today girls," Scootaloo pulled a tennis racket out as the three trotted away. I shook my head, not in disappointment, but in fear for how far the girls would go just to get a tattoo on their butts. Applejack and Big Mac had left already, so I only had to say goodbye to Granny before heading out to Vinyl's.

"Granny, I'm heading out to town, thought I'd just say goodbye," I poked my head into the kitchen door just as Granny was loading up her saddle bag with crackers and playing cards.

"Oh, well ain't that sweet?" Granny pinched my cheek with her hooves, "You go 'n have fun now Cougar, Ah'm gonna tear up that Bridge game!" She declared and exited the house, leaving me to grab a quick drink before heading out.

"Eh, a quick one won't hurt," I grabbed a bottle of Cider and left the house. Walking through the town, I waved hello to some ponies that I considered to be friends, like Lyra, Bon Bon, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Derpy, the Mayor and Rainbow Dash. "Hey Lyra, Bon Bon," I waved to the two mares that were sipping soda cups and hanging out outside Bon Bon's candy shop. Thankfully, word hadn't gotten out of my delusional descent, so nopony was afraid to talk to me.

"Hey Cougar, what's up?" Bon Bon waved back and lowered her sunglasses.

"Just heading to Vinyl's to relax after a day of chores," I replied and sat down at the table next to them, "so, is the candy business good Bon Bon?" I asked.

"Yes, especially since Pinkie Pie lives here and Pipsqueak and Button Mash always come by after school," Bon Bon replied. She reached into a bowl of candy and stuffed some into her mouth before sipping on her soda.

"Do you guys have any peanut butter cups?" I licked my lips. Lyra reached into the other bowl and tossed me one. "Thanks," I popped it into my mouth and ate it before taking a swig of cider. "Hey, are you two going to the Gala this weekend?" I set my bottle down on the table, "nopony will shut up about it," I added. Lyra took off her shades and set them atop her horn.

"No, unfortunately," She sipped her soda and glared, "I've always dreamed of going to see the Princesses and go into the castle with Bonnie on my foreleg as waves of classical music wash over the both of us," she said dreamily.

"Yep, you're the dude in this relationship aren't you?" I asked Bon Bon, taking another swig of cider.

"You said it Cougar," Bon Bon chuckled, "never been too fond of that nickname 'Bonnie,' but I do love Lyra," she held Lyra's hoof, "and I wouldn't mind going to the Gala too." Lyra leaned over and laid her head against Bon Bon's neck and nuzzled it.

"That's sweet you two," I threw my empty bottle in the trash and stood up. "So, is this the norm here?" I asked, "I mean, same sex relationships were around where I was from, but not too many people embraced it," I explained.

"A lot of things fly around here Cougar," Lyra replied, "same sex relationships, herds, unicorns marrying earth ponies, pegasi marrying unicorns and so on. You don't have a problem with that, do you?" She narrowed her eyes at me.

"Absolutely not," I put my hands up, "get together with whoever you love, that should be your decision, and if somepony doesn't like it, buck them," I said casually.

"Good boy," Bon Bon tossed me another peanut butter cup. "Hey let me ask you something," She took off her sunglasses and set her soda cup to the side.

"Shoot," I said, crossing my arms.

"Is there anything going on between you and Applejack? You two seem _really_ friendly," Bon Bon asked as if she and I were discussing a sports team.

"W-w-what?!" I burst in reply, "No! Of course not! We're just friends, why would you think that?" I asked. "Besides, she's a pony and I'm a human, two completely different creatures!" I countered.

"Yeah, so?" Lyra asked, "just a minute ago, you said you didn't mind same sex and interspecies relationships."

"And I mean, you two really seem to click together. You both are honest and caring towards your friends and you both love to work hard. The only thing that's missing is the occasional kiss," Bon Bon agreed.

"Look, we're friends and that's it. I live on her farm to do chores for her and her family as payment for taking me in, I don't know HOW many times I've explained that, but it's getting old," I pointed out in an annoyed tone.

"Hey, just calling what I see," Bon Bon casually sipped her soda.

"Well, get yourself some glasses then," I replied in a huff and turned to head to Vinyl's. Before I left however, Lyra stood up from her chair and blocked my path. "Do you need something Lyra?"

"Uh, I was just wondering if I could uh hold your 'hands' I think you called them?" She asked and held up her hooves. Cocking up an eyebrow, my eyes darted up from her face to her hooves several times, completely caught off guard by this unusual request.

"Suuuuuure?" I replied and grasped her hooves with my hands. Her forelegs stiffened and then shook as she moved her hooves around in my hands.

"Hehe, thanks," she released my hands and stared at her hooves. I looked up at Bon Bon who just rolled her eyes and popped what looked like an M&amp;M into her mouth and munched on the candy.

"Yeah, no problem Lyra," I replied and stuffed my hands into my pockets, "I'll see you girls later then," I gave them the two fingered wave and walked away from the candy shop. I wiggled my fingers around, trying comprehend why Lyra was so fascinated by them and my hands. Sure, the ponies here haven't really seen hands or fingers, but didn't Griffon and Discord's eagle talons count, or Spike's claws? I guess my fingers and hands were softer than either, whatever. After narrowly dodging a falling mail satchel and grey pegasus bomb, I arrived at Vinyl's music shop.

"Welcome to Vinyl Scratch's Studio, how can I-oh what's up Cougar?" Vinyl stopped her usual greeting as the deep bass store bell went off while I entered the store. We greeted each other with a quick one armed/leg hug.

"Hey Vinyl, I was just hoping you'd want to jam today for a bit," I replied when we released our hug, "I just got off of chores from Sweet Apple Acres and wanted to relax for a bit," I explained. Using her magic, Vinyl grabbed a guitar from the wall of her shop and flung it over to me. I caught it with one hand and threw the strap over my shoulder.

"You came over just in time Cougar," Vinyl floated her DJ headphones over and placed them on her head, "things tend to get a little slower around here when the Gala approaches," she added. "Now, you got the music right?" I reached into my pocket and tossed her my phone which she caught in her magic aura. Vinyl plugged my phone into her sound system and decoded the song to delete the guitar parts so I could play.

"Ready to be a hero?" I asked her with a wink as Vinyl pressed play and a bass drum and bass guitar began to play through her speakers. Vinyl twisted knobs and slid switches on her DJ stand, adjusting the equipment so the song would sound better. _"Standin' in the rain, with his head hung low..."_

**(A few Songs Later)**

_"Livin' on a prayer! Take my hand, and we'll make it I swear, OH! Livin' on a prayer!"_ Vinyl and I sang as our fifth song came to a close. She clicked stop on my phone and took her headphones off of her hears. They were matted down a bit with some sweat forming on the outer edges.

"Phew, now that was a kick-ass jam session Cougar," Vinyl levitated a bottle of water over and took a nice long swig. Taking off the guitar and setting it off to the side, I grabbed my own bottle of water and downed almost the entire thing.

"I still can't believe how good you are mixing up tracks like that," I complimented, "I never really cared for DJ's back where I came from, but I've gained a whole new respect for them from you," I wiped my face with a towel.

"And I've never met somepony as insane as you on the guitar Cougar," Vinyl wiped herself with another towel. "We need to find a good place to have a gig," she threw her towel into the back room, "maybe the Barley Pit will take us on as an act?" She suggested. Before I could answer, her personalized deep bass store bell went off, letting us know potential customers had wandered into the store. Vinyl wiped the rest of the sweat off of her forehead with her hoof, sprang to her legs and wandered into the front of the store. "Oh, your highnesses, what can I do for you?" I heard Vinyl greet. Getting up from my seat, I rounded the corner of speakers and saw Vinyl bowing to none other than Luna and Celestia.

"Well, I knew Luna liked to party, but I didn't think this'd be your cup of tea Celestia," I shook their hooves.

"On the contrary Cougar," Celestia chuckled, "I do occasionally like to step away from classical music, but that's besides the point of us coming to Ms. Scratch's shop," the white alicorn explained and stretched her wings out a bit. Looking out the window of the shop, I saw Glock and another one of Celestia's guards standing as still as statues in front of the door.

"Would either of you like a drink?" Vinyl led the princesses into the break room of the place of business. In it was a small table with four chairs, a medium sized refrigerator, a microwave and a pantry full of snacks.

"You wouldn't happen to have chamomile tea by any chance Ms. Scratch?" Celestia sat down at the table next to her sister.

"Sorry, I've only got Colta-Cola, Coltweiser, Marewaukee Brew, Mareller, Sweet Apple Acres Cider and Smarenoff," Vinyl apologized and read off the available drinks in the refrigerator. I pulled out a chair for Luna before sitting down myself, waiting for Celestia to order a drink.

"Hmm, I guess I'll take a Colta-Cola please," Celestia ordered. Vinyl tossed the red can to Celestia with her magic.

"I'll take a Coltweiser," Luna grabbed the can with her magic and started to drink out of it right away. I asked for a Marewaukee Brew while Vinyl just took out a Smarenoff beer from the fridge. "Okay, now that we're settled in and have refreshments," Luna began and set her can down on the table, "you're both probably curious as to why we wanted to see you?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"What, you don't just want to hang with your citizens Princess?" Vinyl nudged Celestia's ribs with her elbow, garnering a short giggle from the white alicorn. Celestia cleared her throat and took a sip of her soda.

"Vinyl Scratch, you are friends with Octavia Melody correct?" She questioned.

"Yeah, and she's got a nasty case of the flu, sucks," Vinyl wiped her mouth from the foam of her Smarenoff. "And she was really lookin' forward to playing the Gala again this year," Vinyl added. I had never met Octavia before, but Vinyl told me she's cool for "an uptight Trottingham mare" as Vinyl put her.

"Well, that is specifically why we wanted to contact you Ms. Scratch," Luna replied, "and Cougar as well," she glanced over at me. My hand gripped tightly around my beer can, but not enough to crush or dent it. My eyes looked from Celestia to Luna, trying to decode why they wanted to talk to me about this issue. I cleared my throat and took another sip while drumming my fingers on the table top.

"Yes, and Luna informed me that both you and Cougar would make fantastic substitutes for the string quartet that normally plays the Gala," Celestia casually wiped her mouth with a napkin. Substitutes, us? Vinyl slowly lowered her shades from her eyes with her magic, her eyes as big as saucers. She then turned her can around and looked at the ingredient label on the back.

"Let me get this straight your highnesses," Vinyl slowly breathed, "you want _us_ to play at the Grand Galloping Gala?" She asked, as if she were in a dream. I realized how much it must suck to not be able pinch yourself with no fingers.

"I know it's last minute, but the Gala has always had a musical presence, and we thought you two were talented enough to handle it," Luna explained. Vinyl rubbed her head with her right hoof, letting the news sink in. Finally, I decided to speak out about the proposal.

"Uh, forgive me Luna, but exactly why _us_?" I pointed to Vinyl and back to myself, "no offense Vinyl; you're awesome," I added. She sent a shrug my way, letting me know I wasn't trying to offend her.

"I've seen you two play your guitar and musical system together," Luna explained, "you're both extremely talented and there are no other musical acts in Canterlot or Ponyville that are available for the Gala."

"Well, ones that are talented enough anyway," Celestia chimed in and continued to politely sip her Colta-Cola while Luna chugged down the rest of her Coltweiser with a burp. Celesita gave her sister the stink-eye while Luna shrugged it off.

"Okay, but don't you think our music is a little too, uh?" Vinyl tried to think of a word to say.

"Intense?" I offered with a crack of my knuckles.

"Yeah, that'll do," Vinyl turned back to the princesses, "don't you think a good chunk of the Canterlot guests attending the Gala will find our music too intense and 'immature?'" Vinyl put on her Octavia voice.

"Honestly my little pony and Cougar," Celestia looked back and forth from us, "ever since Twilight and her friends have been allowed to attend the Gala, it has gotten _much _more exciting and interesting every year, and this year with the unfortunate circumstances regarding the usual string quartet, I feel this could be the wildest Gala of all time with you two hosting the musical accompaniment," she explained.

"Wild?" Vinyl asked, "_the Princess Celestia_ wants a wild and crazy Gala?" She checked the ingredients label again on her beer.

"Yes, and I understand this is a little strange, but once in awhile I do like relax and let loose a little," Celestia slyly smirked, "not as much as my little sister though," she peered over at Luna whom was leaned back in her chair with her forelegs crossed.

"I've seen that side of her, it's fun," I joked back.

"So, anyway, do you two accept our proposal, or not?" Luna leaned her two forelegs on the table.

"It's up to you Cougar, you know I can't refuse a gig," Vinyl turned to me, "but you and I play good together and I'd like to have you on stage with that guitar of yours," she didn't beg nor plead, but gave me the friendship smile.

"And this isn't a ruse to get you to the Gala Cougar," Celestia assured me, "we really need a good band to play the Gala, no matter how extreme and intense," she admitted. I set my fists underneath my nose and breathed, contemplating the proposal. Did I want to go to the Gala? Hell no. Do I like playing the guitar especially with Vinyl? Hell yes. Plus I'd get to see my friends that night.

"I just hope you know that you're gonna get rocked ladies," I smiled, accepting the proposal.

"Excellent!" Celestia exclaimed with a smile.

"I'm glad you accepted Cougar and Ms. Scratch," Luna hoof bumped myself and Vinyl, "eh, you might want to start coming up with songs to play," she winked as she and Celestia stood up from the table, "and _extra loud_," she whispered.

"The Gala starts at 8:00. Just show up at 7:30 and set up your equipment. We'll begin the festivities after Twilight and I greet all of the guests," Celestia explained.

"We'll be there Princess C!" Vinyl raised her hoof in the air. Before the two left however, an idea popped inside my head and I stopped them from leaving.

"Wait a minute, can I get a favor from you Celestia?" I asked. She nodded, waiting for me to ask my favor, "could I possibly get seven tickets? There are some ponies who didn't get any this year," I asked.

"Oh, of course," Celestia conjured up seven fresh tickets and floated them over to me. "But, who are these for exactly?" She questioned.

"You'll see your highness," I winked and pocketed the tickets. Luna and Celestia bid farewell and left the music shop, leaving Vinyl and I to begin making our setlist for the Gala. We didn't get far however, as Rarity came bursting into the shop.

"Cougar, there you are! Oh, and good evening Vinyl," she said hello.

"Uh, wasn't Applejack going to come get me when you two were done?" I asked. Rarity yanked me away from Vinyl with her magic, sending a few pencils clattering to the table top.

"Yes, but we are in dire need of help or this could turn into the WORST POSSIBLE THING EVER!" She threw a foreleg over her forehead before yanking me out of the shop.

**(At Carousel Boutique)**

"Okay, okay, let go of my arm!" I ripped my arm away from Rarity's blue magical grip. She shoved me inside her house/business and slammed the door. "Now, what's this big emergency? Mouse? Fire? Cockroach?" I asked with my hands on my hips.

"Rarity, did ya foalnap Cougar?" I heard Applejack's country accent ask as she appeared out from behind the dressing room door. "Uh Cougar, we don't wear clothes, no need to cover yer eyes," she chuckled as my hand on instinct covered my eyes.

"Oh sorry," I blushed and put my hand down at my side. "Now why am I here again?" I asked.

"We need a stallion's opinion on choosing the perfect dress for Applejack at the Gala," Rarity explained and forcibly sat me down in front of the stage inside the boutique.

"What? I'm a human, why would my opinion matter?" I demanded.

"We needed a male's opinion and you were the only one available, now silence and Applejack, get into your first dress I made you five years ago!" Rarity ordered. Applejack mouthed an apology to me and went back behind the dressing room door.

"Hang on, if she already has a dress, why do you need my opinion?" I asked.

"She looks perfectly fine in her original Gala dress, but I saw a spare dress I had made awhile ago and thought it would look absolutely darling on her," Rarity explained, "and since she's going to try and impress stallions at the Gala, she needs to look her best," she added.

"Ah ain't tryin' to impress nopony!" Applejack shouted from the dressing room.

"Again, what does my opinion matter? I'm a human, I don't find ponies attractive!" I exclaimed. Before Rarity could answer me, Applejack stepped out of what apparently was her first Gala dress from the dressing room and appeared on stage.

"Haha," Rarity giggled, "come again Cougar?" She teased as I watched Applejack walk down the runway and pose in front of us.

"Well, what do ya think Cougar? It's just fine right?" Applejack asked and showed off pretty much all of her dress, like _all_ of it. She had a different cowgirl hat with apples embroidered on the bill, a red apple bolo tie, red and green cowgirl boots for her forelegs, a saddle for some reason and the rest of her dress extended well beyond her back legs in a sea of green with brown clippings on the end. And her mane was now curled around her face and braided near the back.

"Uh, uh yeah, it looks great on you AJ," I looked away from the mare in front of me. "No need for trying on the other one," I stammered out, trying to keep my composure. Applejack smiled at my compliment and smirked at her friend.

"See Rarity, Ah _told_ ya my first dress was just fine!" She exclaimed triumphantly.

"No matter Applejack, we're still trying on that second dress for you!" Rarity hovered another dress with her magic and dropped it on top of Applejack's back. "Now, come with me, we must fix your mane to compliment the look," Rarity tried to drag Applejack back into the dressing room.

"Uh-uh Rarity! All Ah wanted was fer ya to just double-check and make sure everythin' was fine with the dress which Cougar thinks is great," Applejack braced herself against the frame of the dressing room door.

"But I _know_ this second dress will look gorgeous on you! You must try it!" Rarity pleaded.

"Ah said no!" Applejack fought back. Finally, Rarity started to sweat from trying to push Applejack into the dressing room and stopped her assault.

"Ew! I'm sweating! I need a towel, stat!" She rushed into the bathroom, leaving Applejack victorious.

"Phew, finally," Applejack breathed a sigh of relief, "about time she gave up," Applejack started to discard her dress. A few beads of sweat began to form on top of my eyebrows and my cheeks were warming up. "You alright there partner? Yer sweatin' like a caterpillar in an apple on cider makin' day," she asked and sat down next to me.

"Yeah, it's just a little warm in here," I lied, then realized who I was talking to.

"You ain't seen a girl in a dress in a long time haven't ya?" Applejack leaned close to me. I gulped and sighed.

"No, not since high school and I just never really knew how to talk to women," I admitted. Applejack threw her foreleg around me and hugged me.

"It's okay Cougar, ya do a fine job talkin' ta all 'o us 'n princess Luna," Applejack pointed out.

"I meant talking to women in dresses," I corrected, "regular clothes or in your situation, I do fine, but if it is at a dance setting and girls are in dresses, I lose my ability to talk and start sweating," I admitted.

"Well, that's normal Cougar, and don't worry, Ah don't think yer weird or sick fer likin' what Ah look like in my dress. Ah actually kinda find it flatterin'," she smiled.

"Flattering? But we're completely different-" I began when Applejack put her hoof to my mouth.

"Stop with that different species crap Cougar, if you find a mare 'round these parts attractive, well she's a damned lucky one to have a person like ya havin' feelins' fer her," Applejack released her hoof from my mouth.

"Th-thanks," I whispered as Rarity reappeared.

"I had to use a whole bottle of perfume, but the icky smell of sweat is gone, and I smell like a fresh field of flowers!" She announced.

"Awesome," I said sarcastically. "And oh by the way, I have some news you'll both like," I stood up from my seat. "Luna and Celestia invited me and Vinyl to be the musical guests for the Gala since the string quartet is out with a bad case of the flu," I announced.

"Well, ain't that a hoot!?" Applejack shook my hand, "do ya know what songs you two will play?" she asked.

"Oh dear Celestia, please don't say rock 'n roll!" Rarity begged, "that music has no place at the center of sophistication!" she whined.

"Only the best music ever created Rarity," I teased her and ruffled her mane, "Vinyl and I will dedicate the loudest and rowdiest song just to you," I grinned.

"I'll be sure to bring my ear plugs," Rarity hoofed over Applejack's dress which was now in a bag.

"Thank ya kindly Rarity, now before we leave, can Ah use yer bathroom?" Applejack asked. Rarity rolled her eyes and allowed her to go. I stood next to where AJ and I were sitting, holding Applejack's dress in the bag. It was then that I had remembered the Gala tickets Celestia had given me were still within my pocket.

"Oh and another thing Rarity, give this Gala ticket to Sweetie Belle," I handed her one of the seven tickets.

"WHAT? WHERE IN EQUESTRIA DID YOU GET THIS!?" Rarity shouted.

"From Celestia when she asked me and Vinyl to be the musical guests," I replied.

"I can't believe my little sister got a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala. I MUST CREATE!" Rarity gasped at the idea of designing a dress for Sweetie Belle and put on her red glasses. "And by the way Cougar," she added, "not attracted to ponies hmm?" She teased me. I froze in place and for a brief moment I thought I heard the sound of glass breaking.

"W-w-what? No it was just hot in here!" I debated Rarity's accusations of my flushed cheeks and beads of sweat. The seamstress chuckled and lowered her read glasses to look down at me, despite the fact I was about two feet taller than her.

"Oh ho ho, do not play coy with moi Cougar," she said in a condescending tone, "I can see the way you look at her and how you act around her. And I think it's absolutely adorable that you have a crush on your friend that took you in, especially after you saved her from the timberwolf attack. You two are getting closer everyday and the Gala is perfect for you two to get even closer!"

"Hey, I can say if a mare looks good in a dress or not!" I defended, "it's a compliment and in no way shape or form means I love them!" I pointed my finger in her face. Rarity chuckled again and moved my finger with her magic.

"I was only talking about a crush Cougar, but if you think it _is_ love..." she trailed off with an evil smirk on her face.

"J-just shut up!" I crossed my arms as Applejack reappeared.

"Alright, let's go grab somethin' ta eat Cougar," Applejack grabbed her bag in her mouth. Rarity winked at me and put her hooves together and made a kissy face as we left.

"I'll use your measurements to make you a tuxedo for the Gala Cougar!" Rarity shouted as the door shut behind us.

**(At The Barley Pit)**

"Ah thought we could go to more of an adult place fer dinner rather than the Hayburger," Applejack said as we sat down at the bar in the Pub.

"This doesn't bother me," I reached into a bowl of pretzels and popped some in my mouth. "Though, I've already had two cans of beer tonight," I added.

"Ah'm sure one more won't kill ya," Applejack joked as the barkeep placed two cans of Marewaukee Brew in front of us. "Hey, one Hayburger with tater fries 'n a double Hayburger with no hay," Applejack ordered. The chef behind the bar wrote down the order and began to prepare our food.

"So, hope you're not mad at me, but," I said to Applejack and pulled out the second of seven tickets from my pocket, "I got a present for Bloomin' Onion from Celestia," I handed AJ the ticket. Her emerald eyes bulged out of her socket as she held the ticket in her hooves.

"H-how did you get Celestia ta give ya an extra ticket?" She asked in astonishment.

"Actually, she gave me seven tickets, three for the Crusaders, two for Big Mac and Cheerilee and two for Bon Bon and Lyra," I explained. "And I already gave one to Rarity to give to Sweetie Belle," I ate some more pretzels.

"Well, if Celestia herself is okay with the Crusaders goin', Ah guess Ah don't have a problem," AJ put the ticket in her hat, "but you ask me next time," she gave me a stern look.

"Understood, ma'am," I winked and sipped my beer. Applejack sputtered and rested her chin on her hoof.

"So, Cougar, Ah'm glad you've started bein' a little more honest with us, but could ya at least tell me why you were so adamant 'bout skippin' the Gala?" She asked me and munched on her own bowl of pretzels. I groaned and set my beer can down next to the bowl of pretzels while a new song started to play on the jukebox and a couple of stallions began a game of pool.

"I've always hated dressing up in fancy clothes, putting on a fake persona and just not being able to be myself you know?" I asked her, "it's uncomfortable for me when I'm literally forced to act like someone I'm not." Applejack nodded while casually sipping her beer and munching on her pretzels.

"Yeah, Ah get what you mean Cougar. The only reason Ah went ta the first one was to hang out with my friends 'n ta raise money with my apple snack cart for the farm," she replied.

"That and I seriously cannot stand people who think they're better than everyone else and just act like it and demean ponies they believe are below them," I added. "The only time I've ever enjoyed dressing up in a suit and tie was for my Air Force Academy graduation ceremony and Reaper's wedding where I thought there was a good enough reason to dress up and I could be myself," I concluded and popped more pretzels in my mouth.

"Well, at least as the music act, you'll get ta act more like yerself right?" Applejack slid the now empty bowl of pretzels towards the barkeep for a refill.

"Yeah, except I don't know what the tuxedo will be for," I scratched my ear, "probably just for showing up in because I know it'll get hot and sweaty up on the stage," I tapped my chin, "maybe I can get Vinyl to cast a cooling spell on me so I won't sweat in the tux Rarity is making for me," I pondered.

"Possibly," Applejack agreed and dug in to the refilled bowl of pretzels. "So, why'd ya get tickets fer Bon Bon 'n Lyra?"

"Eh, besides you, your friends, the Crusaders, Big Mac, Cheerliee, Vinyl, Granny and Spike, only a handful of other ponies actually talk to me in town and those two are among those that talk to me. Plus I ran into them on my way to Vinyl's and they both talked about how much they wanted to go to the Gala, so I got tickets for them," I explained and tossed my empty can into the rubbish bin. Applejack nodded and looked back up to see if our food was ready yet. "So, do you guys bring dates to the Gala?" I asked.

"Only if we want to or have dates," Applejack explained, "no doubt Rainbow's gonna take Soarin', Fluttershy's gettin' really close to Caramel so she might take him, Twilight said she's gonna meet up with Flash at the Gala and Pinkie said Cheese Sandwich is comin' in just fer her to be her date," Applejack counted off the members of our circle that had dates. "As fer myself, Rarity 'n Spike, well, we're goin' as singles," Applejack said and fanned herself with her hat.

"Why doesn't Spike ask Rarity? I had a pretty good discussion with him about his feelings for her," I asked.

"He's still scared ta death of her reaction Cougar, 'n Ah don't blame him one bit. Ah couldn't imagine askin' somepony seven years older than me to somethin' as big as the Gala." The next issue was kind of hard for me to talk about, thanks to Rarity.

"And what about you? Are there any stallions in town you wanted to invite?" I questioned. AJ took a pretty long sip of her beer before tossing the empty can away and turned to me.

"Well, Ah tried, but he kept on refusing'," she replied.

"Oh, sorry," I apologized, "any reason why he refused?" I popped another pretzel in my mouth, worried she was talking about me refusing her invitations over and over again.

"He said somethin' 'bout Earth Ponies 'n Pegasi should stick ta their own species," Applejack bitterly said.

"What the fuck is this guy's name?" I immediately demanded.

"It don't matter Cougar, plus you said you were gonna work on yer anger when dealin' with ponies like that right?" She reminded me.

"You're right, sorry. That guy is a jerk Applejack, somepony like you doesn't deserve to have that happen to you," I patted her back.

"Eh, no harm Cougar, 'n it's certainly not yer fault," she said trying to sound chipper about the issue.

"Well, I do sort of feel bad. You tried to get me to go as your friend and I kept ignoring you, and that's why I'm sorry," I gave her a quick hug. "Vinyl and I are showing up at the castle early on the day of the Gala to get setup and then we head back to Ponyville," I started, "so would it be alright if I rode with you guys to the Gala and walked you in?" I asked and then took a long swig of beer.

"Ye-yeah, Ah guess that'd be fine," Applejack stammered just as our food arrived.

"Heh, let's dig in I guess," I smiled as we picked up our food and toasted it together before chowing down. I gulped hard, but not from eating the food, it was how I was going to be able to stomach the Grand Galloping Gala, even with all my friends there and being the music guest with Vinyl.

* * *

_Next Chapter: The Grand Galloping Gala. I don't know how many chapters it will take, possibly two or three depending how long it will be. Just be prepared for some good 'ol Rock 'N Roll and some touching couples moments. _

_I do not own Juke Box Hero by Foreigner _

_I do not own Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi_


	20. Chapter XIX: Final Preparations

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter XIX: Final Preparations**

**KillerWoW the Golden Foxy: **_He does have a lot of kindness within him. Cougar always looks to help better those around him_

**OBSERVER01: **_Thank you_

**litestardt: **_That's awesome. I love me some Bon Jovi, but not as much as Van Halen or Def Leppard_

**uyamir334:** _Thank you, I try to publish quickly, but quality comes first_

**knightofstories151919:** _The last two chapters, that's what I was aiming for. A really happy and light-hearted chapter to follow up a depressing and emotionally draining previous chapter. I think everyone will like what I have in store for the Gala._

**Fear-Less 1300:** _Puns are somewhat of a gift for me. I won the award for best photo captions/puns my senior year when I was in Yearbook. _

**Dixie Darlin: **_Pepsi here is Pegapsi, yeah not really good. Yeah, AJ's like, "Ah'm right here, make yer move already!" Put yourself in Cougar's shoes and pretend you're fighting feelings for Big Mac. He's still a pony, how awkward would you feel to have feelings for him? As for Spike, just watch. _

**necron-lordwesly:** _I've got that all planned out._

**Tycser:** _I'll take you up on your offer as a Beta Reader. I strive for a solid __background for characters and for character development; it helps audiences better connect and grow with characters. And I'm glad you and everyone else likes the relationship between Cougar and Applejack, even though their closest moment was her telling him to take a shower. _

**Zachary Wisky:**_ Thank you_

**adhdluke:** _I've never really listened to Green Day before._

* * *

**(Ponyville Train Station. 10 AM. Cougar's POV)**

"I still can't believe we get to play the Grand Galloping Gala!" Vinyl exclaimed as we munched on doughnuts brought by Pinkie Pie. Instead of friends going on a half day trip, Vinyl and I felt like we were being sent off to war or on a trip to study abroad. "I mean, I always wanted to go big, but _this_ big? Un-freakin'-real Cougar," she sipped her morning Pegapsi.

"You two better not forget us little ponies when you're both playing stage shows in Las Pegasus, Marewaukee, Mannesota, and Bridleway!" Pinkie grabbed my shirt collar and shook me violently, causing my doughnut to disintegrate into tiny crumbs. I frowned, looked down at my now destroyed breakfast pastry and glared back up at the pink mare whom giggled nervously and straightened out my shirt.

"Vinyl may get a huge break with a record producer or most definitely get in a good word with potential gigs in the future," I began, "but I'm just doing this for fun," I explained, "you won't need to worry about me making it big and leaving Ponyville," I pushed Pinkie away. Luckily, Pinkie brought a whole box of doughnuts, so I grabbed another chocolate one and made sure Pinkie stayed away.

"We still can't thank ya enough fer gettin' us tickets to the Gala Cougar!" Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were hopping around me like they had downed thirty cups of coffee. Scootaloo kept hopping up and floating in the air at my eye level as best as her wings could hold her.

"You're like, the best pony or whatever ever!" Scootaloo exclaimed and kept hopping up and down in front of me, "except for maybe Rainbow Dash," she added when Rainbow gave her the stink-eye.

"I thought Rarity was joking at first when she told me Celestia gave you a ticket to give me!" Sweetie Belle explained to me, "but when she showed me that ticket, I nearly _BURST!_" She squeaked the last word and little green sparks flew off her horn.

"Hehe," Applejack chuckled and lightly punched my shoulder, "looks like ya got yerself a fan club there Cougar," she teased me. I rolled my eyes with a smirk and bent down to calm down the little fillies that looked as if they were about to all have aneurisms.

"Look, it was no problem girls. I knew how much you all wanted to go and Celestia was just kind enough to give me extra tickets," I explained and petted all of their heads like dogs which they didn't seem to mind.

"We know, but we just need have a proper way to thank you," Sweetie Belle replied and calmed down as I ruffled her pink and purple mane. I heard Rarity hold her breath in as I ruffled her little sister's mane. Apparently she couldn't even handle her sister's mane being messed up by any amount.

"Well, I think a hug will do," I spread my arms out, waiting for the trio to jump into my arms and hug me. Instantly, Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle jumped into my chest and grabbed ahold of my torso with their forelegs as I squeezed them with my arms.

"Aww, where is Photo Finish with her camera when you need her?" I heard Fluttershy gushing at the display before her. I looked over to see her little white rabbit, Angel, looking jealous and started to jump up and down to get his owner's attention. Finally, I released the crusaders and they fell back onto their hooves on the platform of the train station. I picked up my cup of coffee and took another sip, still waiting for the train to arrive. My guitar and amp were nestled right next to all of Vinyl's equipment near the edge of the platform. Thankfully, all of our friends volunteered to help us get the gear and instruments to the train station. Vinyl had opted to include bringing a keyboard along to play during our gig, though I was still skeptical on how ponies could play any instrument except the drums with their hooves.

"So Cougar, are you gonna play the loudest and most window rattling music you know?" Rainbow asked me excitedly, "Soarin's gonna be there with the rest of the 'Bolts, and they love rock 'n roll just as much as I do," she informed. I inwardly chuckled, knowing _just_ the song to play for Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts; Vinyl luckily agreed to playing the song, so we were all set in that department.

"Hey don't sweat it Dash," Vinyl assured the rainbow maned Pegasus, "we gotcha covered, trust us," Vinyl lowered her purple shades at the cyan mare and winked. Rarity groaned and rubbed her temples with her hooves. Rainbow, Vinyl and I looked up and over at the seamstress whom had Spike standing close by.

"Again with this Rarity?" I asked in an annoyed tone. Spike place a claw on Rarity's shoulder to console her. The white unicorn smiled at the purple dragon and patted his spines, glad to have him on her side.

"So what if Rarity doesn't like your kind of music Cougar?" Spike asked me not in a defensive or upset tone, but more of a 'mind your own business' tone. "Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, like comic books _are_ real books," Spike shot a glance at Twilight, causing the lavender alicorn to frown at him.

"That doesn't bother me," I replied, "the thing is, Celestia and Luna hired me and Vinyl because they want a wild and crazy Gala, and we can deliver that," I explained. Rarity let out a sigh of defeat and groaned again.

"Just please play at least _one_ tame song? That will more than make up for your jungle music," Rarity begged. Vinyl and I looked at each other and back at Rarity. She had her lower lip stuck out in a pout and her eyes looked like puppy eyes.

"Oh fine, just stop that!" Vinyl looked away from Rarity whom smiled in triumphant victory and flipped her mane around, clever girl. Before I could say anything else to Rarity, magic glow surrounded my arm and yanked me away from Vinyl and Rarity, forcing me to look at Twilight.

"Hey, what gives Twilight?" I asked and rubbed my arm. A quill and parchment scroll appeared floating in front of my face due to Twilight's magic. The scroll unrolled and the quill began to scribbled on the blank front.

"Okay Cougar," Twilight cleared her throat, "you _do_ know that despite it's just you and Vinyl that you'll still be around Princess Celestia at the Canterlot castle right?" The Princess of Friendship asked me like a teacher asking a dumb student a question.

"Yeah, and what's your point?" I retorted, not understanding what Twilight was getting at. The alicorn smirked and chuckled knowingly.

"I'm glad you asked Cougar," she replied as her magic continued to make the quill write on the parchment just like Rita Skeeter's Quick-Quotes quill. _'For the love of God, do NOT break into a song please,'_ I thought to myself. "I just need you to remember that since you'll be in the castle and not out in public like at the Running of the Leaves, you need to be on your perfect behavior for royalty," she informed me. My jaw dropped open at the statement.

"What the hell does that mean? I'm always polite and a gentleman around her and Luna," I pointed my finger in Twilight's face.

"You spend more time with Luna than Celestia, so you're bound to be a little more loose and care fare which is exactly why you can't offend Celestia in any way before or during the Gala," Twilight turned the parchment over so I could read what she wrote. "This list should help you cover the bases."

_"Always bow when greeting the princess. Always say '_Good day'_ when starting or ending a conversation with a servant or guard. Never make inappropriate jokes or chew with your mouth open when eating. Cover your mouth when you have to burp and never forget to say '_Excuse me_' afterwards. Remember to let the Princess introduce you to others and wait your turn to speak. Never interrupt the Princess. Always ask permission to be excused if you need to relieve yourself in the bathroom. Do not just ask Celestia a question, ask if you may ask a question. Never stare at a piece of cake for too long. _What the hell does that last one mean?" I pointed to the list.

"Trust me, that one is better left unknown," Twilight advised.

"Oh, this is ridiculous Twilight!" I exclaimed and shoved the floating parchment out of my face. "I _know_ to be polite and be on my best behavior around authority figures _including_ royalty!" I added. "I once spent an entire afternoon with the head pilot of England's Royal Air Force and the _Queen _of England and both were pleased with my visit!" I said as-a-matter-of-factly. The Crusaders and Rarity oohed at my statement.

"Wow, the Queen?" Applebloom grinned.

"Did ya get some political _affairs_ taken care of with the Queen?" Rainbow nudged my ribs, winked and clicked her tongue. I almost wanted to puke; I'm sure my face turned green. All the ponies and dragon cocked their heads at my reaction.

"Ugh, that's nasty! She was in her _mid-eighties_ and I was 20 when I visited her in London!" I groaned and held my stomach. Everypony grimaced at my explanation and gagged as well.

"Sorry, forget I said anything," Rainbow shuddered. Twilight rolled her eyes and tapped the quill against the list, getting my attention back.

"Just take this list and keep it with you at all times," Twilight reminded me and handed me the now rolled up parchment. Grumbling, I accepted the rolled up parchment and stuck it into my back pocket and crossed my arms. "Good boy, you'll do great with Celestia, I'm sure of it," Twilight smiled. I could've sworn somepony stepped on a squeaky toy when she grinned.

"For Pete's sake Twilight," Applejack slapped her own face with her hoof, "why are ya gettin' so anxious 'bout Cougar bein' at the castle with Celestia? Did ya forget she likes him 'n enjoys his company?" the orange mare reminded her alicorn friend.

"You can't be too careful around royalty Applejack," Twilight warned, "what if Celestia gets a surprise visit from King Gryffindor of the Griffon Kingdom and Cougar sets off a war between Equestria and the griffons because he accidentally sneezed in his direction?!" Twilight exclaimed.

"You worry _way_ too much Twilight," Fluttershy advised, "Cougar knows what he's doing, right?" She backed me up. I mouthed 'thank you' to her in response as Twilight grumbled and started going off on one of her nerd rants.

"Not even 10:30 and she's already insane," Spike rolled his green eyes. Suddenly, a train whistle overpowered our conversation as the train pulled into the Ponyville train station and stopped right in front of the platform amidst a large cloud of steam.

"ALL ABOARD!" The conductor called from one of the train cars.

"Let's hustle!" I exclaimed to Vinyl as I grabbed my amp and guitar case as she floated a few of the lighter instruments with her magic into the luggage car. The rest of the equipment was hovered into the car by Rarity and Twilight or carried in by Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Spike, Rainbow and the Crusaders. Vinyl took one last sip of her drink before tossing the can into the garbage.

"Anything else before you leave?" Pinkie asked, "like some magazines or some cupcakes?" She held up a huge plate of the sweets.

"Nope, I think we're good, thanks for the help guys," Vinyl waved as she entered one of the passenger cars. I was about to enter when Applebloom pulled on my pant leg.

"Cougar, before ya go, could ya see if the Princess will give us three extra tickets?" She sheepishly asked.

"Sure, but what for Bloomin' Onion?" I knelt down to her eye level.

"Well, the girls 'n Ah wanted ta invite some special friends 'o ours," she explained, "like Featherweight," she said quietly.

"And Pipsqueak," Sweetie Belle added.

"Hopefully Rumble," Scootaloo blushed. Their older sisters 'awwed' and commented on how adorable it was that they had colt friends, though the trio insisted they were just friends.

"I'll see what I can do, promise," I gave Applebloom and Applejack one last hug before stepping onto the train car just as the train lurched forward and waved goodbye as the cloud of steam covered up the platform. Despite how loud the train whistle was and the noise of the engine and wheels combined, I could still hear Rainbow shout as the train left Ponyville.

"Wait a second. _Rumble? THUNDERLANE'S _younger brother? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I heard her scream. Chuckling but not thinking too much on Rainbow screaming, I followed Vinyl to our train compartment. Yeah, needless to say the hallways were a tad bit cramped and slightly short for my tall stature.

"Awesome, here's our seats," Vinyl's magic opened up the door to our compartment for the quick trip. She entered the compartment while I compressed myself against the wall as three other ponies trotted by, looking for their seats. Finally, I bent my head low and squeezed into the tiny compartment and sat down across from Vinyl.

"So, should we be worried about your stuff being stolen?" I questioned as the train began to gain speed and we left the outskirts of Ponyville. The electric blue maned unicorn stretched her back and loosened up, resting up with her back against the seat.

"Nah," she calmed down my worries, "I've traveled with that stuff on the train to as far as a club in Manehattan without anything bad happen to it; we should be fine," she nonchalantly waved her hoof.

"Alright, if you say so," I tossed my Drive to End Hunger cap to the side and ran a hand through my sweaty hair which was about as long as Steve Clark's by now since I haven't been to a barber since early May. "So, do you think we should go over our setlist one more time?" I suggested and crossed my left leg over my right leg.

"Might as well," Vinyl made the piece of paper with all of our songs in order appear out of thin air. "The train ride isn't that long, but this will at least pass the time," she joked as she hovered the setlist above our heads. I pulled out a pen from one of the pen holders in the compartment for ponies doing the crosswords and began to scribble on the list of songs.

"Okay, since I promised Rarity we'd do at least one tame song, we're going to have to drop this," I crossed out _Come on Feel the Noize _by Quiet Riot and wrote in a much tamer song that actually suited the Gala pretty well. The white unicorn groaned and threw her forelegs up in protest.

"Aww, that one was heart pounding and kick ass," Vinyl objected at my modification, "I was kind of hoping we'd break a few windows with that one," she admitted. Cracking my knuckles and sighing and turned to face Vinyl.

"Look, Celestia wanted a wild and insane Grand Galloping Gala, and we both intend to fulfill her wish, but," I began to delineate, "maybe that one is a little _too_ intense and wild for the Gala crowd. The last thing we or the sisters need is a riot breaking out from our music, that shit's happened before on my planet, and it does not end well," I cautioned.

"Of course they probably didn't, why else are they called riots?" Vinyl said in a 'duh' voice.

"Touche Vinyl," I chuckled before turning back to the setlist.

"All right, now can we move _this _one," Vinyl's magic actually moved one of the songs to the top of the list, making the rest shift downwards in order, "to the opening spot?" She asked, "what better way to give a _wild_ Gala to Celestia than this song?" She tapped the list with her hoof. Rubbing my chin, I contemplated her reasoning before reaching a decision.

"Good idea," I agreed and then wrote on the list, switching around the order of two other songs, "as for this one, the Wonderbolts want a tribute by a song, then this one is perfect and it needs to be right in the middle," I said.

"Why right in the middle?" Vinyl lowered her purple shades.

"Well, we've already established our opening song," my pen tapped the paper, "and if do this song at the very end, it's like we put on the show just for the Wonderbolts instead of everyone at the Gala," I explained, "but if we put it right in the middle, it's a great build up for the Wonderbolts and a great lead in to the slow song," I finished.

"I get what you're saying Cougar," Vinyl smiled, "and I like it. But I think we're gonna score big with the ending song," she added and circled the last song on the list a few times with the quill.

"Yep, but are you sure we've practiced enough?" I asked.

"Pssh, buck yeah," Vinyl laced her hoof on my shoulder and rolled the setlist back up and made it disappear again. "All we gotta do now is set up our stuff and show up later lookin' good and ready to rock," she patted my back. My eyes shot open at her last statement.

"That reminds me Vinyl, I was thinking I could take off my shirt, tie and jacket for when we go on stage, but do you think you could cast a cooling spell around me so I don't sweat as much when I put them back on?" I asked. Vinyl opened her mouth to answer, but was stopped when the compartment door opened and the snack cart pony appeared.

"Can I interest you in some-" the snack kart operator asked but cut herself off when she saw me.

"Ladybug," I narrowed my eyes at the mare. She gulped and pursed her lips, just standing in the doorway with her snack cart.

"Cougar," she replied quietly, still not gathering up the guts to look me in the eye. For a minute, no one said a word. The hypnotic rhythm of the trains wheels clicking and clacking over the tracks was the only sound filling the compartment. Vinyl looked back and forth between us, confused why we wouldn't say a thing.

"Woah, this is major awkward bro," Vinyl finally cut through the silence, "everything okay between you two?" She questioned. Ladybug's hooves tapped against the hoof rail of the cart, only furthering her nervousness about the situation.

"So, how've you been lately?" I asked her, trying to kick the awkwardness out of the compartment.

"Fine," she replied quickly, "College is going well," she added.

"That's good," I commented and looked at the snacks and drinks she had on the cart. Yet, before I could order anything for myself and Vinyl, Ladybug let out a sheepish whine and pushed her cart forward so she could face me better in the compartment.

"I'm _really_ sorry about the way I treated you Cougar," she apologized, "I didn't expect to see something like you riding the train and I thought you were just a mutated monkey or something," she explained. Vinyl sat still, her head darting back and forth between myself and Ladybug.

"Well, we all make mistakes Ladybug," I folded my arms across my chest.

"And you don't have to forgive me," the mare waved her hooves in front of her face, "I just wanted to let you know it was wrong of me to say those things and treat you like an animal and I didn't realize how much my words hurt you until I got home," Ladybug admitted. She stuck out her hoof, hoping I would take it in my hand.

"I don't hold grudges, so apology accepted," I shook her hoof and let her go.

"Thank you, and here's some on the house," she tossed myself and Vinyl some chocolate chip muffins, "hope you guys come ride the train again soon," she waved and went back to her job with a little more pep in her step.

"Okay, spill Cougar," Vinyl slapped the muffin out of my hand, "what was that all about?"

"Well, after the timberwolves incident," I started the story.

* * *

**(Canterlot. Cougar's** **POV)**

"Next stop, Canterlot Train Station!" The Conductor announced over the intercom for the train. Vinyl and I got up, stretched and departed the train where our music gear was waiting for us on the platform.

"Man, it's great to get out of that cramped compartment," I arched my back again. I felt something in my back pocket poke my back. Reaching back, I took out the list of do's and don'ts from Twilight earlier and tossed it into the nearest garbage can. "What a worrywart," I joked.

"All right, now let's start haulin' this stuff up to the castle," Vinyl declared as we loaded our gear onto trolleys provided by the train station. Thankfully, the road leading up through Canterlot to the castle wasn't that steep and our trolleys had handles to pull them.

"Wow, this place is nearly empty," I commented at the very low number of ponies strutting around, leaving but a few worker ponies like garbage ponies and waiting ponies. There _were_ several 'elite' ponies roaming around, but they more than likely didn't care Vinyl and I were in their city.

"Yep, nearly every single 'elite' pony here treats the Gala like a million proms at once and the whole city practically shuts down for it," Vinyl grunted, pulling all of her equipment up the road with my help. "It's nice for once not to be made a sideshow attraction of just because I'm from Ponyville," she added.

"I know what you mean," I grunted as we began to get a little tired from hauling that much heavy equipment by ourselves.

"Ah, Cougar, good to see you again!" I heard a Canterlot accent call out. Setting the brakes on the trolley and turning, Vinyl and I saw Fancy Pants and his wife, Fleur-De-Lis waving at us from a restaurant, "do join us please! It's been much too long since we have spoken," Fancy asked. Shrugging, Vinyl set a security spell on our musical gear and we both hopped over the small fence separating the restaurant eating area from the sidewalk.

"Good morning," Fleur grinned as Vinyl and I sat down across from her and her husband, "And who is your new friend Cougar?" She asked politely asked in her fancy accent, "I simply love your mane," she complimented Vinyl.

"Oh, thanks Mrs. Fancy Pants," Vinyl chuckled and pulled up a menu, "my name is Vinyl Scratch or DJ-Pon3 when I'm on stage," Vinyl quickly answered Fleur's question.

"Call me Fleur please," Fancy's wife corrected my DJ friend.

"So, are you both going to the Grand Galloping Gala too?" I sipped a glass of water that the waiter quickly brought by. Fancy set down his glass of what I'm guessing was champagne and wiped his muzzle.

"Why of course we are Cougar," Fancy laughed politely at me, "my wife and I have been attending the Gala ever since we were in grammar school," he explained to me, "in fact, the first Gala we both attended was where we met," he held Fleur's face in his hoof.

"Really?" Vinyl played with her silverware with her horn. "So did you guys like go to different schools or something?" She questioned. The waiter returned and asked if Vinyl or I wanted food to which we declined having stuffed ourselves on muffins, soda pop and doughnuts before we left.

"No actually," Fleur cut in, "we did attend the same grammar school in Canterlot, but I was in the morning class and Fancy was in the afternoon class."

"We met when our parents introduced us at our very first Gala," Fancy continued for his wife, "and the rest everypony says, is history," the two looked into each other's eyes and shared a quick kiss. Not being fond of couples being lovey-dovey in public, Vinyl and I shared a disgusted glance at each other. "Anyway, what brings you here again Cougar? Nasty business those timberwolves eh?" Fancy mentioned my little run in near Winsome Falls.

"Right," I drummed my fingers on the table top, "I don't plan on running into more timberwolves any time soon, but Vinyl and I are here because Celestia and Luna hired us to be the musical act for the Gala tonight since the string quartet has the flu," I replied.

"Oh my," Fleur covered her mouth with her hoof, "I hope they'll be alright," she said worriedly, "uh but I am happy that you two got the job," Fleur smiled. "Now what kind of music will you be playing? Will you two be playing the same classical music?"

"Eh no," Vinyl rubbed her hoof, "you see, Princess Celestia wanted a change of pace this year and hired us for our more intense and loud music," she replied. Fleur's face sort of fell at the explanation.

"Aww," she said quietly in a disappointed tone. I smiled, admitting that was a pretty cute reaction. Fancy Pants wrapped a foreleg around his wife and drew her closer to himself and nuzzled the top of her head.

"Don't fret my dear Fleur, if Princess Celestia and Princess Luna entrust these two to bring their own taste for music to the Grand Galloping Gala, then I welcome it with open hooves," he winked at the two of us.

"Thank you Fancy Pants," I smiled at the unicorn stallion.

"No worries Cougar, I've always believed that everypony has a right to different opinions. Now, you'll be playing this Rock 'N Roll? That's what the colts and fillies these days call it right?"

"You got Mr. Fancy," Vinyl bobbed her head while drinking some of her water.

"And your friend Rarity sent in a request for at least one tame song, so you can slow dance with your lovely wife at the Gala as well," I informed the fancy couple that my respect for was growing every second. Fleur's demeanor perked right up at that statement.

"Oh, that's my favorite part of the Gala, dancing with my husband to a slow song and staring each other's eyes, it's just something, _magical_," she whispered into Fancy's ear. She then turned back to myself and Vinyl, "have you two ever experienced that with your own special somepony?" She nuzzled her husband's cheek.

"Nope, don't have a special somepony," Vinyl shook her head.

"I've never slow danced at all before," I admitted.

"Oh, but you simply must Cougar!" Fleur planted her hooves on my hands, keeping me trapped on the table, "you'll never know that special, magical feeling of slow dancing with the pony you're meant to be with unless you try," her violet eyes grew bigger into that of begging eyes.

"I never said I didn't _want_ to, but Vinyl and I can't slow dance with somepony while we're performing the song on stage Fleur," I managed to wriggle my hands from her hooves' grasp.

"Ah, I see, well you both then should slow dance together while you're performing!" She suggested. Vinyl's head and my own whipped around as we looked at each other and then back at the Canterlot couple sitting across from us.

"Yeah, no," Vinyl waved her hoof.

"We're just music appreciators and I'd say friends, but there's really nothing else," I said in a calm tone without stuttering or anything.

"Yep, what he said," Vinyl motioned back to me with her hoof. The waiter reappeared and laid down two plates in front of Fancy Pants and Fleur, one consisting of a salad and the other a veggie sandwich.

"And we'll let you two enjoy your lunch," Vinyl and I scooted back our chairs and stood up, "oh and here's for the tip," I dropped down a ten bit piece for Fancy and Fleur.

"Ah, much appreciated Cougar, we look forward to hearing your 'jams' tonight, do blow the crowd away," Fancy bid us adieu and began to cut his sandwich into tiny squares. Vinyl and I chose to go out through the restaurant's gate instead of hopping the fence, grabbed our musical gear and headed rejoined our journey up to the castle. And with our drinks of water, we were ready.

"I like those two; they give a better view on how Canterlot ponies can treat everypony like equals," Vinyl remarked.

"Boy you said it, they really make Canterlot more bearable, well those two, Celestia, Luna and their guards," I added.

"Hey, do you two need some assistance?" A gruff voice asked from above. We both looked up to see a blindingly white pegasus guard hovering above us, "where are you two going with this equipment?" He asked and landed before us, folding his wings back onto his torso.

"Actually, we could use just a little bit of help, Mr. Uh," Vinyl spoke, but didn't know the unicorn's name.

"Major Velocity," he smiled and got behind the large box of equipment and helped us push the trolley.

"Thanks, I'm Cougar and this is Vinyl Scratch," I introduced the two of us, "and Celestia and Luna hired us to be the musical act for the Gala and this equipment is what we're using tonight," I explained.

"Oh, well I can fly up to the Castle if you want and have Celestia meet you halfway-" Velocity began to offer until an all too familiar heavenly voice interrupted.

"That will not be necessary Major Velocity," Celestia landed before us and folded her giant wings back, "good morning Cougar and Ms. Scratch," she warmly smiled to the two of us.

"Wassup Princess C?" Vinyl half-bowed at the Princess.

"Morning Celestia," I too bowed.

"I see you two have arrived much earlier than my sister and requested," her voice suddenly turned stern, "wonderful," she smiled again, "now you two will have much more time to test your instruments and speakers before preparing yourselves for the Gala."

"Yep, we caught the 10:00 train leavin' Ponyville, met up with Fancy Pants and his wife and then met up with you," Vinyl explained, "what are you doin' out here? Shouldn't you be triple checking everything in the castle for tonight?" the DJ pointed out.

"I always go for a mid-morning flight around Canterlot on the morning of the Gala, it helps me clear my head," she replied, "and since the city streets are practically empty, I don't have to deal with as much admiration as usual. Anyways, let's say we speed up your trip to the castle faster?" She suggested while her horn lit up in a golden aura. Vinyl and I barely had time to brace ourselves as we soon found ourselves and Major Velocity inside Celestia and Luna's castle.

"Hey, nice to see you again Cougar," Glock waved his spear back and forth at me. I grimaced as I saw a pretty bad scar on his shoulder from the little run in with Darkheart a while back. I waved back and slung my guitar case over my back and helped Vinyl push the equipment out of the way.

"Here, the Ballroom is this way," Celestia's wing pointed towards a hallway with a pair of guards standing in front of the doorway. The pair of guards parted out of our path while Celestia took point, leading us to the Ballroom as we pushed the trolley.

"Princess, before I forget, could you please give me three extra tickets? The Crusaders want some for their potential dates?" I asked in an apologetic voice. "Sorry for asking for even more tickets, but they really want to bring their own dates," I explained. Celestia giggled warmly and three more tickets arrived in my pocket. "Thanks," I said and patted my pocket.

"So, where is your sister Princess?" Vinyl questioned. Still trotting forward, Celestia turned her head back to speak to the both of us.

"Luna is asleep at this time Ms. Scratch, but she will be ready to go by the time the Gala begins," Celestia responded. "Cougar," Celestia called out, snapping my attention back up to her, "I trust that Ms. Rarity is creating a Gala tuxedo for you?"

"Yeah, she told me she'd use the measurements she took for my other clothes to make the tux," I replied, "at least I don't have to do any more measuring for some time," I sighed happily. "That reminds me, what are you going to wear Vinyl?"

"What I wore to Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor's wedding a few years back," Vinyl said, "I never bothered to get another dress; that one was just too perfect you know?" Vinyl asked. I nodded, understanding to not fix what wasn't broken. Celestia passed by another pair of guards patrolling the hallway and stopped to say hi.

"Hello Remington, I trust everything is going well?" The white alicorn questioned. Remington cleared his throat and stood off to the side.

"Yes of course your highness. The decorations are nearly complete, the cooks have begun their work on food and drinks for the evening's affairs and every potential way for somepony to crash the Gala has been neutralized with tighter security at every door leading outside," Remington went down the list of important Gala preparations. Celestia smiled and bowed her head to her second favorite guard.

"Excellent work Remington," she complimented, "and if you have the time, would you care to help Cougar and Ms. Vinyl Scratch set up their musical gear?" she politely asked the guard.

"Oh hey, didn't see you there Cougar," Remington peered around the pile of Vinyl's sound system. "Sure, I can help you two out," he smiled and held open the door next to us. Celestia walked in first with us still following her. "Just set this over here next to the stage," the pegasus guard ordered and then hovered my guitar off of my back and set it next to Vinyl's pile. The DJ sighed and wiped sweat off of her forehead.

"Phew, glad to finally take a break from pushing all of that," she waved a hoof in front of her face. Celestia's horn glowed and a bottle of water appeared in front of the musical mare's face. "Oh, thank you princess," she said and downed the entire bottle.

"You're quite welcome Vinyl," Celestia finally called her by her first name, "now there are a few more important affairs that require my attention, Remington, help them until they no longer require your assistance," Celestia royally walked out of the ballroom with the other guard.

"Of course Princess Celestia," Remington bowed to her. "Now then, let's start unpacking," he smiled as he and Vinyl's horns glowed and started to unpack all of her amps, lights, mixers and keyboard off of the trolley and onto the stage. I on the other hand, was still gazing around the _enormous _ballroom. Windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, a tall domed roof, two separate lines of columns on both sides of the path leading to a large pony statue. And the stage was right next to the statue in a little area surrounded by other windows. And not to mention the huge areas covered with tables off from the path where ponies could talk and mingle.

"Hey Cougar, wake up!" Vinyl shouted into my ear. I jumped and covered my ears until they stopped ringing. Remington and Vinyl laughed at me while I dug into my left ear with my finger.

"You're lucky I'm not deaf from that," I grumbled.

"Well, maybe you should stop gazing at the ballroom like it's a piece of food and start helping us like you said you would," she retorted in an upset tone.

"Okay, I'm coming," I dusted off my hands and went over to help Vinyl set her mixer up.

* * *

**(Two hours later)**

"Nice, got that plugged in," Vinyl muttered as her horn glowed and attached a cord into her sound mixer. "All right Cougar, plug your guitar in your amp and we'll see if the lasers are synced together," she ordered me. Strapping on my guitar, I plugged the cord into my amp and strummed all six strings. A perfectly in tune note came out for each strum and all six colors of a rainbow shot out of Vinyl's laser ball at the top of her mixer and shot into different directions. "Yes!" she pumped her foreleg in celebration, "finally got that perfectly synced with your guitar," she hopped down from the stage.

"And we've got all the speakers hooked up along with the lights and the smoke machine," Remington announced, "though don't you think that last one is just a _tad_ too much for this crowd?" He peered over a checklist.

"You know, I think you're right Remington," I replied, "sorry Vi," I apologized. The unicorn in question huffed and unplugged the smoke machine.

"That's one of the best parts dudes, but we don't want these uptight types to think we're trying to set the place on fire," her magical glow surrounded the machine and shoved it behind the stage.

"Well, at least we're done and it's only a little after 2:00," I looked up at the clock in the ballroom, "so we've got plenty of time before we have to head back to Ponyville," I remarked and extended my hand to Remington. "Thanks for your help sir, we'll see you later tonight?" I asked.

"Ah, no prob Cougar, and yep, though I won't be dancing at all or anything," he pounded his hoof into his golden chest plate, "safety and security of the castle is my main priority," he announced. He was about to leave when another familiar voice pierced the airwaves.

"Cougar, so wonderful to see you again!" I found myself in a bone crushing hug from Luna. "I thought you and Ms. Scratch wouldn't be arriving until later this evening!" She exclaimed happily and released me from my hug.

"Well, we decided to arrive early to get our things set up before getting ready," I caught my breath, "besides, shouldn't you still be asleep?" I asked. Luna scowled at me and jutted out her lower lip.

"I am _several_ thousand years old and I will sleep when _I_ decide," she folded her legs over her chest.

"Oh fine, fine, but what are you doing up anyway?" I questioned. Luna's scowl disappeared, being replaced with that of a smile.

"My stomach woke me up," she pointed to her grumbling stomach, "so I came down to grab a quick doughnut from the kitchen, would you two care to join me?" She asked. Vinyl and I joined her and left Remington all alone in the ballroom.

"We stuffed ourselves on doughnuts and muffins this morning, but what the tartarus?" Vinyl joked, "I don't really care too much about my figure like some ponies I know."

"And oh by the way, you don't look that old to me," I joked with my friend.

"You're too kind Cougar, but I am spoken-" she started before clamping her muzzle shut with one of her hooves.

"Uh, that was just a compliment Luna," I uncomfortably looked around. Vinyl opened her mouth to say something but was shut up by Luna thrusting the doors to the kitchen wide open.

"Ah, my secret doughnut stash should be, here!" Luna opened a door in the wall that was nearly invisible to someone who didn't look hard enough. Inside the wall was a refrigerator _filled _with more doughnuts than I'm sure I've consumed in my entire life. "My sister has her cake addiction, leaving me and virtually every other pony in the castle cake less, so I stock up on doughnuts," Luna drooled a little and popped a chocolate doughnut in her mouth.

"Uh, is this why your picture is in a shrine in Joe's doughnut shop?" Vinyl cocked an eyebrow above her purple sunglasses and snacked on a doughnut that looked suspiciously like the pink frosted doughnut from the Simpsons.

"Mhmm," Luna mumbled and wiped crumbs from her muzzle, "I go by the first of every month in the morning and buy a month's supply that he makes the night before," Luna said and popped another doughnut in her mouth.

"Well, these are the best doughnuts I've ever had," I replied as I scarfed down a chocolate frosted and custard filled doughnut. "Don't tell Pinkie I said that," I shot a worried look to both Vinyl and Luna.

"Ha, you're safe with our silence," Luna chuckled.

"Say Princess Luna, are you ready for a slow dance with your Gala date tonight?" Vinyl asked. Luna's jelly filled doughnut exploded as her magical aura squeezed the literal jelly out of it. Strands of red raspberry jelly clung to her horn and face as she brought up a paper towel and wiped her face clean.

"I take it you're excited and terrified?" I handed Luna a wet rag.

"Oh you could say that," Luna replied, "it's just that this won't be the first time Checkered Flag and I spend this kind of time together," she sheepishly admitted. "And I've been keeping him a secret for some time from my older sister."

"Wait, you're saying you've been dating Checkered Flag behind Celesita's back?" I asked.

"Precisely, though we actually haven't been on many dates, we've kept in touch through letters and his dreams," she explained.

"But, why have you been keeping it a secret from your own sister?" Vinyl asked, "wouldn't you want advice from an older sibling?"

"Knowing Celestia, she'd make the biggest deal out of it as possible and keep pestering me about how we're doing and if we're having problems; we don't need that junk," Luna grumbled.

"Well, are you going to tell her at the Gala tonight?" I asked.

"I've thought of it Cougar, but I just don't know. I especially do NOT want the ponyrazzi getting ahold of our relationship and start ruining our lives," Luna delineated.

"Yeah, you don't want that, especially if they get the story completely wrong," Vinyl chimed in with a mouth full of doughnut.

"You do what your heart tells you to Luna; I'm sure Celestia will respect you and Checkered's privacy," I smiled. Right as Luna was about to answer, a certain white unicorn priss- I mean prince entered the room.

"Greetings Auntie Celestia and Cougar, good to see you again," the asshole actually _smiled_ at me? _'Okay, what's he been snorting?'_ I mentally asked myself.

"Are you feeling okay Blueblood?" I skeptically asked.

"Oh, more than okay human," he grabbed a glass of water, "ever since my dear aunt Luna showed how great it is to be selfless and nice, my life has been so much better!" he exclaimed.

"Why do I have such a hard time believing you Blueblood? Oh that's right, you constantly belittled me and my friends, tried to attack me and made fun about me not getting any mare during the Estrus," I pointed my finger in his face.

"Dude, uncool," Vinyl stuck her tongue out at the unicorn prince.

"I know I've been a jerk and a pain in the flank, but thanks to my aunt Luna's darkness, I've seen the light and I am a changed stallion, I swear," he bowed to Vinyl. I placed a finger on my chin and tapped it several times, contemplating whether or not to believe him.

"Look Bluey, I don't trust you as far as I could throw you, but if you can prove it tonight at the Gala that you've really changed, I'll buy you a beer," I proposed the bet to Blueblood.

"Sounds good Cougar; I look forward to hearing you and Ms. Scratch play your music tonight. Oh and do you know if Ms. Rarity Belle has a date tonight?" He asked. Oh no, I knew Rarity was going alone, but Spike told me earlier he was going to ask her to dance, but I didn't want to lie to Blueblood, even if I didn't trust the bucker. Spike is such a good kid, but I don't want to be the reason his heart gets crushed.

"Oh I see you don't know, fret not Cougar, I shall ask her hoof for a dance tonight," he waved his own hoof politely at me. "I must get a bouquet of roses for an apology, perhaps Auntie Celestia will allow me to take a dozen from her garden?" He pondered and trotted away.

"Great, Spike may lose a chance at having a dance with Rarity tonight," I groaned, "but I'm not going to lie to Blueblood, that's still wrong, man this is way easier to figure out in the movies," I rubbed my head.

"Well, you still have several hours to think this over Cougar," Luna patted my back, "but perhaps it is time for you two to return to Ponyville and perform final preparations for the Gala," Luna shoved me and Vinyl out the kitchen door.

"You that eager to get rid of us Princess Luna?" Vinyl asked.

"No, I just need more sleep!" She zapped us with her magic and we found ourselves back at the Canterlot train station.

"Hey you two, where's that trolley you borrowed!?" One of the station workers shouted.

"ALL ABORAD FOR PONYVILLE!" The train conductor announced as the train began to pull out of the station.

"Sorry, I don't think we've met before, RUN!" Vinyl grabbed me in her magical aura and threw me into the train.

"HEY!" I smacked my head against the side of the train, "watch where you're throwing me!" I shouted as Vinyl set me down on the seat across from her.

* * *

**(Back In Ponyville)**

"Okay, I'll see you later Vinyl," I curled my hand into a fist and bumped her hoof.

"Catch ya later Cougar," she pulled down her sunglasses, winked at me and galloped towards her house. Adjusting my hat and wiping the sweat from my brow, I started off for Rarity's to pick up my tuxedo.

"Hello Cougar, thank you so much again for the Gala ticket!" Cheerilee greeted me as she exited Rarity's boutique with a dress in a bag on her back. The maroon mare smiled as I walked by and waved to her.

"No problem Cheerilee, hope you and Big Mac have fun tonight, but not _that_ much fun," I winked. A bright pink blush appeared on Cheerilee's face as she looked away and began her journey back home. Taking in a deep breath though my nose, I entered the boutique to see Sweetie Belle trying on a dress extremely similar to Rarity's Gala dress in front of a mirror.

"Oh hey Cougar! How do you like my Gala dress?" Sweetie Belle began to show off, "don't I look _marvelous?_" She asked in an extremely Rarity-like voice. Oh boy, the last thing Equestria needs is _two_ Rarities.

"Uh yeah, just like your older sister, only cuter," I patted her head. Her horn let off green sparks as she giddily smiled at the mirror in front of her.

"Pipsqueak is going to _love_ it!" She squeaked on the word 'love.' "I've gotta put my lipstick on before I forget!" She ran into the dressing room.

"But you've still got two and a half hours!" I called to which she ignored.

"Ah Cougar, I was hoping you would stop by soon," Rarity descended her stairs with what appeared to be my tuxedo in a bag being held by her magic. "I finished it just a few moments ago, oh I do hope everything is perfect," she started to pull the tuxedo out of the bag.

"No! That's fine, it looks great," I snatched the dress from Rarity's magical grasp. "Here, how much do I owe you?"

"Absolutely nothing Cougar, I make dresses for friends because I am the element of generosity and it's no trouble," she smiled from behind her red glasses. I grumbled and tossed her a few bits from my pocket.

"Then keep the tip; I've got to go back home and put this on," I dashed out of the store before she could stop me. Okay, now all I had to do was shower, probably shave my five 'o clock shadow, put on my tuxedo and head to the Grand Galloping Gala with my friends. Though, I wondered how I'll be able to face Applejack in her dress again.

**End Chapter XIX**

* * *

_Join us next time as The Mane 6, Cougar, the CMC and their dates, Big Mac, Cheerilee, Bon Bon and Lyra head off to what will be the most insane Gala of all time! Plus, will Spike get a chance to dance with Rarity? Or will the 'New Blueblood' sweep her off her hooves? What songs will Vinyl and Cougar play? Well, you gotta read it to find out!_


	21. Chapter 20: Nothin' But a Good Time

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 20: Nothin' But a Good Time**

_I just want to take a minute to say THANK YOU guys, THANK YOU so much! I just can't believe one of my stories has reached 100 followers. That's a goal that I never even considered thinking of. I'm so thankful to have so many people interested in reading this story, and we're not even halfway done yet. You guys are awesome, there's no other way of putting it. And I believe there are some reviews to reply to..._

**KillerWOW the Golden Foxy: **_Yep, I'm doing great as of right now. I know, seeing Blueblood not acting like a monumental prick is weird, almost like seeing Twilight turn into a slob. _

**OBSERVER01: **_It went better than Cougar thought it would with Blueblood acting really nice. As for the Gala, just wait._

**litestardt: **_Sorry! I just like to keep the pacing to a consistent and high quality standard. And a few ponies did drink Colta-Cola in the previous chapter. _

**Dixie Darlin:**_ You gotta have crazy OCD Twilight at some point, you just HAVE to! I added in that line about Rainbow right before I published the chapter. I can't imagine how she'd react if Scootaloo told her she has a crush on Thunderlane's little brother. Mmmm doughnuts. As for Blueblood, well, I gots plans. _

**necron-lordwesly:** _*Penguins of Madagascar* You didn't see anything..._

**KonigstigerAce334:** _I would have a hard time believing him too, knowing what he pulled in that ONE episode three seasons ago. It's weird we've only seen him once. As for the cliche' of Blueblood being a prick, well that IS his personality. But that doesn't mean people can't attempt to have him be nice like I'm doing. _

**Fear-Less 1300:** _Meh, I don't demand reviews the second I post a chapter. Who wouldn't want a secret doughnut stash of their own? With how he knows Blueblood, the stallion is definitely going to have to prove that he's changed._

**Nathan Row:** _I get what you're saying and Cougar's said it numerous times about how beastiality or Zoophilia are extremely frowned upon in our society, both by religious groups and non-religous groups._

**XxSkullCandyxX: **Thank you. I try to keep every character in character, the story as realistic as possible and to have in as many themes and genres as I can to keep things interesting while not smothering every reader with it.

_Okay guys, here I'd like to apologize. Why you ask? Well, you guys held up your end of the deal for me to publish Fallen Eagle to Fimfiction. However, I recently joined but found out that stories with copyrighted song lyrics are forbidden there, so no Fallen Eagle on Fimfiction :( Oh well, I love it here on Fanfiction._

_I'd also like to apologize for taking so long to update this story. I of course had to update Long Live Rock 'N Roll and just life preventing me from updating. It also doesn't help when the theatre I work at has only THREE employees (that's including myself) on staff full time when we have Cinderella opening weekend. UGH. _

_I do not own the song you will see in this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and the adorable Cougar and Applejack and Applebloom parts. _

* * *

**(Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)**

After jogging through Ponyville and dodging just about every other pony that desperately wanted a ticket as well (damn Lyra's big mouth) I finally arrived back to the Apple family's farm. I'm kind of glad that Rarity put my tuxedo in the plastic bag; the dust trail I kicked up coated my current street clothes in a pretty thick layer. Double checking the clock on my phone, my face fell in annoyance to myself when I realized I still had two hours left until we only had to _leave _for the Gala. Slowing down to a casual walk, my shoes only kicked up minuscule dust particles that clung only to the bottoms of my shoes. Not really surprised to not see any members of the Apple family outside, I walked inside the house and draped the plastic bag over a chair in the living room and headed upstairs where I heard the familiar roar of the shower from behind the wooden door. "If yer thinkin' that's me or Applebloom, you'd be surprised," Applejack's voice called as her head poked out from her bedroom doorway. "He's been in there fer thirty minutes already," she added with an eye roll.

"Funny," I replied, heading towards the mare's room, "I just ran into his date outside of Rarity's place," I stopped just short of the doorway. Applejack stuck out her foreleg and motioned for me that it was alright to enter her room. "I would've been here earlier, but Bon Bon told me Lyra slipped that I got those two extra tickets; now every mare in town suddenly wants to be my best friend," I sat down in a chair in Applejack's room as she sat on her haunches on her bed. Before she or I said anything else, she took off her cowgirl hat and placed it gently on the rounded post at the end of her bed and took her red hair twists out of her golden ponytail, letting all of her mane out and fall past her shoulders.

"Eeyup," she responded almost like Big Macintosh, "every mare wants ta go ta the Gala. It doesn't surprise me one bit that they'd try ta mob ya fer spare tickets," she chuckled. "Speakin' 'o which, did ya get anymore fer anypony?" she asked and put her hat back on.

"No actually," I tore my gaze away from her longer mane, "I'm glad I didn't anyways. Celestia might start getting annoyed with me asking for more every time I see her," I grinned.

"Eh, Celestia doesn't get upset real easily, unless 'o course ya try ta take over Equestria or sneak a bite 'o her cake," Applejack joked. "Ah still think it was really sweet 'o ya ta get tickets fer Big Mac, Cheerilee, Lyra 'n Bon Bon."

"Well, I'm just a nice guy," I replied, crossing my hands together across my lap, "besides, I think we'll need the whole gang to reach Celestia and Luna's goal of having the wildest Gala ever." Applejack cocked her head from side to side, trying to discern what exactly I meant.

"Ah talk ta Lyra 'n Bon Bon on occasion, but none 'o us have really hung out with either 'o them," Applejack cricked her neck.

"Haven't you thought of expanding at all? I mean, six or seven close friends is a good thing, but _I _should know by now that the more friends you have, the happier you can be." The orange mare clenched her lips shut and shook her head in response.

"Naw, then it becomes a really big hassle ya know? Tryin' ta make time ta spend with all 'o them 'n feelin' guilty 'bout not hangin' with others as much as some," she explained still straining her neck around. Her hoof then shot up and she began to rub the back of her neck.

"It can get to be that way yes," I took notice of the pony uncomfortably shifting around on her bed. "But, the more friends you have to lean on when you're not strong, the more support you'll have to get on with life."

"Ugh," was the only thing she responded with. "Sorry Cougar," she groaned in annoyance, "my neck has been killin' me ever since ya left fer Canterlot. Ah strained it liftin' up a barrel 'o cider onto the top shelf in the cellar," she explained with another pained groan.

"At least you'll get a chance to hang out with Lyra and Bon Bon tonight," I tried to lighten the setting a bit, but that proved to be a challenge with Applejack in pain. "Hey, would it be inappropriate if I, you know, massaged your neck AJ?" I offered with a slight stutter. Her emerald eyes slowly drifted up towards me from the floor and just sat glued to my pale blue orbs.

"Ah, Ah guess that'd be okay," she replied with a stutter as well. Clearing my throat, I stood up from the chair and proceeded to walk over to Applejack's bed. "All right then, just be gentle okay?" She politely asked and turned around, still sitting on her haunches, so I could get a better view of her neck. Her hooves pushed her mane forward over her shoulders so I could get to her neck.

"I can do that," I said just above a whisper and placed my hands on the base of her neck. She groaned slightly as I applied the slimmest amount of pressure on her neck muscles and began to rub tiny circles all around.

"That feels, good," she groaned. Applejack stretched her neck out and rolled it a few times as my fingers expanded and contracted. "Did ya have a spare job as a masseuse back on yer planet?" She said in between moans.

"No, why do you ask?" I replied with a question, trying to not rub too hard to hurt her or to cause someone to come investigating her sounds.

"Well, yer fingers, they're like buckin' magic! My neck has _never_ felt this good, even when Aloe at the spa massages it," she leaned back into my chest. I had to scoot back from the edge of the bed so I could still massage her neck.

"To be honest, I've never given anyone a massage before," I admitted.

"Mmm, well then, Ah'm gonna have ta start schedulin' appointments more often with ya," she rolled her head back and rested it on my shoulder, her eyes staring up at mine. Suddenly, her door burst open to reveal Applebloom. I released my hands from her neck, yet still caught her when she fell back.

"Applejack, can ya help me with-" she started but cut herself off when she saw Applejack being held by me against my chest. Her eyes shrank and began to twitch when she saw our predicament. "Uh, AJ, what are you 'n Cougar doin'?!" She exclaimed. Applejack pushed herself off my chest and sprang to her feet on her bed.

"Nothin' Ah swear! Cougar was just massagin' my neck 'cause it was hurtin', that's all," Applejack explained. I walked backward and gripped the edge of her desk, taking slow and deep breaths through my nose, thanking my lucky stars it wasn't Big Mac coming through the door.

"If you say so," Applebloom shook her head back and forth.

"You don't say nothin' 'bout what you saw all right AB?" Applejack sternly said to her little sister. "We weren't doin' nothin', but we don't need ponies ta get the wrong idea, understand?" She towered over the yellow filly. Applebloom nodded fearfully and cowered below her elder sister.

"What'd, what'd you need Bloom?" I questioned in between breaths after gaining back my composure.

"Ah just wanted Applejack's help with talkin' around Featherweight at the Gala, if ya weren't too busy ya know?" She looked from me to Applejack with her adorable orange eyes. Chuckling, I pushed myself off the desk scratched behind Applebloom's ear.

"Now Applebloom, you know Ah ain't ever really talked ta boys at all or even had a date before," Applejack replied.

"But, what about that Caramel feller?" Applebloom questioned. Applejack groaned in frustration and facehoofed.

"Why does _everypony_ keep sayin' Caramel 'n Ah had a thing goin'?! Ah barely know the stallion! All Ah do remember him fer is forgetting' about every damn chore we had him do durin' the Winter Wrap Up a few years back," she explained angrily and cursed in front of her sister.

"Sweetie Belle told me that Rarity thought you two would look cute together; then 'o course she mentioned it ta the spa workers," Applebloom spilled the beans. Applejack clenched her teeth together.

"That damn Rarity, Ah tell ya," she threw her door open. "Big Mac! You done with that shower yet?!" She yelled.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac replied as he exited the bathroom carrying his tux and top hat on his back.

"Well good, Ah'm next!" Applejack trotted her way to the bathroom and slammed the door shut. I turned to the little filly, the two of us still standing in Applejacks' room. Pointing my thumb towards the direction of the bathroom, I turned back to Applebloom.

"What the heck was that all about? She told me about Caramel, but nothing like that," I asked.

"Oh, she gets pretty upset when ponies keep pesterin' her 'bout her 'n Caramel," Applebloom told me, "she really didn't like him that much, but Rarity thought it was a love-hate kinda thing. Ponies 'round here _love_ gossip, Ah know first hand," she mentioned solemnly. My mouth opened to comment on her escapades following the events of the _Gabby Gums Incident, _but I thought better of it and shut my mouth until I thought of something else to say.

"So, are you hoping Featherweight will ask you to dance tonight? Or are you a little nervous?" I asked. Sitting down on the edge of Applejack's bed, I grasped Applebloom around her torso and sat her up on her haunches next to me. Her upper teeth bit down on her lower lip and her eyes kept darting around the room like a humming bird.

"Ah'm actually kinda on the fence 'bout that Cougar," she admitted. "Ah mean, Featherweight is sweet 'n cute 'n all, but Ah just don't know if he just thinks of me as a close friend or a potential marefriend."

"Is that why you wanted to talk to Applejack? To see if you can find out if really likes you?" She slowly nodded yes and stared up at me with her orange eyes that pleaded for help on the subject. "Well, since Applejack said she doesn't really know how to explain it and I'm thinking Big Mac is opposed to his youngest sister dating, I think I can help you Bloom," I wrapped my left arm around her and pulled her close. Her fur lightly tickled my palm.

"Ya mean it!?" She exclaimed exuberantly.

"I may not have dated or had a girlfriend before," I began, "but at least I can help you on how to get a guy's attention and keep it, though I'm not telling you everything because you're not old enough and I want to live at least until I'm thirty before I die," I grinned. Applebloom's tail wagged slightly which I thought was adorable, and she quickly hopped around on her haunches to face me so she could get the full scoop.

"Ah'm ready Cougar," she clapped her hooves together, "tell me what ya know," she begged again. Chuckling, I gave her a quick hug again before explaining to her how some guys work.

"Okay so first off, stand close to Featherweight. You've got to let him know you exist and you are right there," I explained.

"But, we go ta school together," Applebloom said, "he already knows Ah exist..."

"Yes of course he does, but if you stand closer to him, like almost shoulders touching or off to the side and facing him," I replied, "he'll know something is up, but he won't exactly know what. Things can and _will _get a little awkward like that, but that's the first step. After the first step of standing closer to him than you normally would, you've got to let him know you're interested in the things he does. What does he like to do exactly?" I questioned.

"Uh, he does like takin' pictures with that fancy camera 'o his," Bloom stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth and held her chin in her hoof, "'n Featherweight does also enjoy writin' stories 'bout whatever's on his mind," she added.

"Perfect!" I exclaimed, "you can talk in a mildly flirty tone, but take an interest in his photographs and stories. Kind of like, _"Featherweight, how's yer stories goin',"? _you know. Even if what he writes about doesn't grab your attention, at least acknowledge he wrote them," I said.

"Don't mock my family's accent like that," she glared in my face.

"Sorry, just trying to make my point," I cleared my throat again. "Now that you've shown interest with his hobbies, Featherweight will be either nervous and sweating bullets or interested that you're showing you're interested in him."

"What are, bullets?" Applebloom questioned.

"I'll explain later," I quickly retorted. "Anyways, since Featherweight is school aged and according to you hasn't had a marefriend before, he's more than likely going to be sweating up a storm with you getting close to him and talking about things he likes. Now step three, keep giving him a more than friendly look into his _eyes_ and nowhere else," I focused on the end of that point.

"Why nowhere else?" She asked.

"You want him to think you're interested in an actual relationship, not one that you won't be ready for until, well you don't need to know."

"Ah guess that makes sense, whatever ya mean," she rolled her orange eyes. "Anythin' else Ah should know Cougar? Ah want to get this right," Applebloom asked me. Propping my chin in my hand, I scratched my five 'o clock shadow, trying to think of any other advice about acting around guys. Finally, I snapped my fingers in realization.

"Here's the last and most important thing you need to do," I leaned in close to her ear to whisper. _"Giggle,"_ I softly said into her ear. She pulled her ear away from my mouth and gave me a, _'Are you kidding me?'_ face.

"Giggle?"

"Yep, giggle at just about everything he says, unless it's sad or disturbing news of course," I quickly corrected.

"But, why do Ah have ta giggle at everythin' he says?" She asked me, "seems kinda, weird," she clicked her tongue. I responded to that the only way I knew how.

"How the hell should I know why you have to giggle?" I replied, "I mean, I don't have a clue on how it works, but it did on all the guys in my flight squadron when they got girlfriends or got married. Point is Bloomin' Onion, giggling triggers a positive reaction from guys, so if you want him to be your coltfriend or whatever, you've got to giggle," I finished my explanation.

"Fine, Ah'll giggle," she hopped off the bed, "'n thanks Cougar," she smiled at me. "Ah'm gonna go wait fer Applejack to get out 'o the bathroom."

"Sounds good," I also got up from Applejack's bed and shut the door to the room. "Oh but before you do, what is it about Featherweight you like Applebloom?" I crouched down to her level as best as I could.

"Well, he's just a really sweet colt, kind, good with that camera 'o his, he's smart 'n his really kinda cute," a tiny scarlet blush surfaced onto her cheeks, "especially his little wings 'n tail," she whispered and hid behind her hooves. I chuckled and gently ruffled her mane.

"Cute Applebloom, he's a lucky colt," I winked at her.

"Cougar, Ah thought older brothers protected their sisters from boys," Applebloom said in an innocent voice, "but, why are ya helpin' me with boys?" she asked me with her head cocked to the side. Twiddling my thumbs, I searched every recess of my brain for an answer to that. Applebloom referring to me as her second brother still took some getting used to, but I didn't mind it at all. She was the cutest filly in the country, at least to me, though Sweetie Belle certainly gave her a run for her bits.

"Well, sis," I awkwardly said, "you are very mature for your age and I can trust you to know what to do and what not to do around boys. Instead of sheltering you from boys until you're into your late teens, I think helping you get to know the do's and don'ts of acting around boys at this age will gain you experience that will help you in the future," I delineated.

"Okay Ah get that, but what if Big Mac sees me with Featherweight at the Gala 'n tries ta separate us?" She stuck out her lower lip.

"I think your teacher will keep him preoccupied Bloom," I joked. "But I'll stop and explain everything to him if he tries anything, I promise," I stood up and halted at the top of the stairs, "however, if Featherweight tries anything you're uncomfortable with, I _will_ let Big Mac know, got it?" I asked her.

"Ah get it Cougar," she replied as we heard the shower knobs squeaking from the bathroom. I waved to Applebloom before heading back down the creaking stairs and grabbed my tuxedo bag and headed back to my house.

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Musical Montage)**

At Carousel Boutique, Rarity was helping Sweetie Belle with her dress and mane in front of Rarity's tri-mirror set up. "Rarity, I already look great for Pipsqueak, what else do I have to do?" The younger Belle sister complained as her older sister repeatedly insisted on running a brush through her purple and pink mane.

"Oh Sweetie Belle," Rarity giggled, "you have so much to learn about looking your best for your date, especially a date at the Grand Galloping Gala, not to mention Pipsqueak is from _Trottingham_, a close equivalent of sophistication to Canterlot," she beamed. "My little sister, dating a Trottingham colt at the Grand Galloping Gala, I'm the luckiest big sister in Equestria tonight!" Rarity exclaimed.

"How? This is _my_ date with Pipsqueak. You're not going to hover around us and micromanage everything are you?" Sweetie asked with a cough while Rarity sprayed half a bottle of perfume on Sweetie Belle.

"Um, only on occasion I shall try and check in on you two, but I swear on my Cutie Mark-"

"Hey!" Sweetie Belle shouted.

"Oops, poor choice of words, sorry," Rarity patted her head, "I swear on my mane that I will let you two spend your night together alone or with your friends if you choose," Rarity put on her red glasses to closer inspect Sweetie Belle's dress and mane. "Ah there, yes, you will be the most beautiful filly at the Gala!" Rarity declared, "if only my film roll wasn't empty, though I'm pretty sure Princess Celestia and Luna will still have the photography team on standby."

"Thanks big sis," Sweetie Belle hugged Rarity's leg. "By the way, are you going to save a dance for a certain somepony tonight?" Sweetie questioned.

"No, I hadn't thought of it Sweetie Belle. Though if somepony were to ask, I may accept their invitation. Why do you ask?" Rarity raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, just curious," Sweetie Belle looked around.

_Welcome to your life; there's no turning back_  
_Even while we sleep we will find_  
_You acting on your best behavior_  
_Turn your back on mother nature_  
_Ev'rybody wants to rule the world_

**(At Rainbow Dash's Cloud House)**

Rainbow Dash was currently posing in front of a mirror in her rainbow and lightning themed Gala dress, not fashion poses like Rarity but awesome poses like she does when she's in her Wonderbolt Uniform. "I can't believe this Tank!" She exclaimed to her pet tortoise, "my first Gala as a Wonderbolt _and_ with Soarin as my Stallionfriend!" She squealed like Rarity. Her tortoise's expression didn't change as he continued to munch on a lettuce leaf. "Um, yeah it's totally cool and all don't ya think?" Rainbow cleared her throat after realizing she produced a Rarity-like squeal.

Her head turned to a picture sitting on her nightstand that she got to take with Soarin a few months ago. Her heart pounded so loud and hard that she thought it would eventually burst out of her chest. She had been on a few lunch and dinner dates with Soarin and even spent the Estrus weekend together, but this was huge. Going to the Gala as a Wonderbolt instead of a guest of the Wonderbolts? Her second dream come true. "What do you think Cougar meant when he said he knew the perfect song to play for the 'Bolts Tank?" The cyan pegasus asked her pet. A tiny belch was all she was met with.

"Yeah, you're right Tank, I should just think about spending my time with my friends and my Stallionfriend," she put her headpiece on top of her head. "A slow dance with Soarin doesn't sound too bad also," she pondered. The Wonerbolt Co-Captain then double-checked to see if anypony was watching before opening a bottle of perfume and just spraying a tiny bit on her neck.

_It's my own desire, it's my own remorse_  
_Help me to decide. Help me make the most_  
_Of freedom and of pleasure_  
_Nothing ever lasts forever_  
_Everybody wants to rule the world_

**(At Sugarcube Corner)**

"Oh Gummy, can you just feel this magic in the air?!" Pinkie hopped up and down in her dress while her 'jam' was playing loudly over a record player. Her tiny pet alligator just blinked out of sync and bit down his toothless muzzle onto Pinkie's dress. "With Cheese finally being able to make it to the Gala and with Cougar and Vinyl jamming up the airwaves, this is going to be the most fantabulous Gala ever!" She burst in excitement. Gummy began to try and chew on her dress when she stopped hopping up and down.

"You're right Gummy," Pinkie dipped her hoof in a little jar of cake frosting and dabbed it behind her ears, "Rarity's cake frosting idea is sure to keep me smelling good all night. You know how sweaty Mama can get when she party hardys! Do you think anypony will notice if I try to smuggle in my party cannon Gummy?" The pink Earth Pony tried jamming her cannon into a briefcase. The little reptile smacked his mouth a few times in response before letting go of Pinkie Pie's dress.

"Eh, I'm sure Cougar and Vinyl will make it a rocking fantabulous Gala! Good thing Cheese isn't picky about music Gummy," the mare cuddled Gummy up to her chest and hugged him, "I wonder if Cheese will want to slow dance with me, or we can do our normal dance routine at all of our yearly get togethers!"

_There's a room where the light won't find you_  
_Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down_  
_When they do, I'll be right behind you_  
_So glad we've almost made it_  
_So sad they had to fade it_  
_Ev'rybody wants to rule the world_

**(At Bon Bon's House)**

"Oh Bonnie, you look so beautiful in your dress," Lyra smoothed everything out on Bon Bon's Gala dress and fixed up her mane. The candy making Earth Pony grumbled as her marefriend kept fretting over ever little detail about her mane, dress and makeup. Bon Bon wanted to say something about it, but every opportunity that came up was quickly shut by Lyra suddenly trying to fix something else.

"Ly, Ly please stop talking for just a second," Bon Bon pleaded to her marefriend. By some stroke of luck, Lyra finally shut her mouth to allow Bon Bon to speak.

"Yes Bon Bon?" Lyra paused with a quick smile.

"Please, can you just stop fretting over every little detail about our dresses and hair and makeup?" Bon Bon asked. Stepping away, Lyra had a saddened look on her face and dropped all the tools she had that were floating in her magical grasp. "Oh Lyra, please don't look at me like that," Bon Bon begged, hating to see the mare she loved cry. The mint unicorn sniffled before replying.

"I'm sorry Bonnie, I just want this night to be absolutely perfect for us. Ever since we fell in love in school, I've always dreamed of being next to you at the Grand Galloping Gala and showing off what a perfect marefriend you are. And getting to see you in your special dress just makes me so happy that we're together Bon Bon," Lyra cried out. Feeling bad, Bon Bon wrapped her foreleg around Lyra's neck and hugged her close.

"Lyra, it's okay. And I don't mind dressing up like this to go to parties and other social events like the Gala, especially with you Lyra. But listen to me, as long as you're going with me and I'm going with you, everything is already perfect; I don't care what we're wearing," Bon Bon planted a passionate kiss onto Lyra's lips. "I love you Lyra," Bon Bon temporarily broke away from the kiss.

"I love you too Bonnie," Lyra pressed further into the kiss. Bon Bon got the shock of the week when Lyra suddenly pushed her onto the couch, quickly asserting the top spot.

"Lyra, what about our hair and dresses?" Bon Bon said in between moans.

"Buck it," Lyra replied.

_I can't stand this indecision_  
_Married with a lack of vision_  
_Everybody wants to rule the world_  
_Say that you'll never, never, never, need it_  
_One headline, why believe it?_  
_Everybody wants to rule the world_

**(At Fluttershy's Cottage)**

"So Discord, are you ready for your first Gala?" Fluttershy asked as two birds laced a flower band on top of her head. The Draconequus in question appeared wearing a monocle, a tiny pencil mustache, a kane and a tuxedo complete with white gloves.

"Oh, of course Fluttershy," the Lord of Chaos replied with a hearty chuckle, "and I promise to be on my best behavior, especially after everypony's trust in me is still rusty what with the Tirek incident," he added with a swish of his kane.

"I know, but at least our friends still have trust in you," Fluttershy fed some carrot to Angel. "And you do know that your best behavior means no cracking inappropriate jokes, especially about Princess Celestia's flank," Fluttershy's voice grew stern at the conclusion of her sentence.

"Moi, mock the Princess' royal hindquarters, perish the thought Fluttershy," Discord made a halo appear above his head.

"No spiking the punch or any other beverages with hot sauce, dish water, laxative or alcohol, understand?" Fluttershy went down her list. Discord let out an annoyed sigh and balled up a piece of paper before throwing it into a garbage can. The can let out a loud buzzer as the ball landed inside.

"Yes smother," Discord grunted.

"Aw, don't be a grumpy draconequus Discord," the yellow buttery pegasus patted his knee, "you can still have fun without causing chaos for everyone," she gave him a hug.

_All for freedom and for pleasure_  
_Nothing ever lasts forever_  
_Everybody wants to rule the world_

**(At The Ponyville Castle)**

"Spike, we're about to leave for Applejack's, are you ready?" The Princess of Friendship called from the foyer of her castle. The purple and green scaled dragon hustled down the stairs from the bathroom wearing the exact outfit he wore at Cadence and Shining Armor's wedding: A tuxedo complete with a top hat.

"So how do I look Twi?" Spike spun in a slow circle for his best friend.

"You're the most handsome dragon in Equestria," Twilight quickly hugged her little dragon friend. Blushing lightly, Spike blushed and crossed his hands behind his back while he moved up and down nervously on the tips of his toes to the heel of his foot.

"Aww it's nothin' Twi," he tried his best to make the blush disappear on his cheeks. The dragon bit down on his lower lip, wanting to ask his best friend an important question, but was afraid of her answer. Unfortunately for him, Twilight saw right through him.

"All right mister," Twilight smirked, "what's on your mind?" She questioned.

"Well, I uh," Spike completely failed to keep eye contact with the purple alicorn princess in front of him. "Twi," Spike gulped, "d-do you think Rarity will want to dance with me tonight if I ask her?" Spike fearfully asked. Twilight sighed and shook her head back and forth softly with her eyes shut. This upset the little dragon whom whined a little.

"Spike, you are a great dragon and a good friend, and Rarity does consider you one of her closest friends, but you have to consider the age difference," Twilight began.

"But, she's only 24 and technically Twilight, technically I'm 17!" Spike argued.

"Yes you are technically," Twilight agreed, "but you're still considered a baby to everypony here," she explained. Spike opened his mouth, but failed to produce any words as Twilight continued talking, "not only that, Rarity has said specifically she wants a stallion and she only sees you as a little brother," Twilight said in an apologetic tone.

"I-I love her Twi," Spike choked out. Grabbing a rag with her magic, Twilight wiped a few tears away from Spike's cheeks.

"Please don't cry Spike," Twilight begged, "I know you'll find somepony or dragoness your own age, and she'll be the luckiest girl in Equestria," she attempted to cheer him up, "and I'll be there to help you as will Rarity; she does want you happy too Spike," Twilight smiled.

"Is it too much that I just want one dance with her?" Spike finally stopped the salty tears from flowing.

"Of course not Spike," Twilight hugged him again, "don't get your hopes up, but she may say yes," the alicorn released her hug on the dragon.

"Well, it just sucks that everyone going has a date, except for me," Spike said sadly.

"Not true!" Twilight exclaimed happily, "Cougar, Applejack and Vinyl don't have dates, and I'm pretty sure Discord doesn't either," she tapped her chin. "Now come on before we're late getting to Applejack's," Twilight offered Spike her wing so he could climb onto her back. "And when the night is all said and done, no matter if Rarity rejected your offer or accepted, I'll make you a big bowl of your favorite green gems," Twilight warmly smiled.

"Thanks, Twilight," Spike paused briefly before saying Twilight instead of the word he's wanted to use for so many years: Mom.

* * *

**(Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)**

Finally after Applejack and Applebloom evacuated the bathroom, I was allowed to go in and wash myself for the upcoming events of the evening. The steam from the shower was dying down as I dried my body and combed back my hair to sort of like a James Bond look, only with shoulder length hair. "Maybe I _should_ see a barber after tonight," I double-checked the mirror. Luckily, Big Mac allowed me to borrow his shaving kit and I shaved my five 'o clock shadow from my face. Bracing my hands on the counter top, I looked at myself in the mirror, studying the different man I saw than the one that crash landed here four and a half months ago.

It was almost surreal, I didn't think the same as I did when I was back on Earth with Reaper and Ghostrider Squadron. I saw goodness and kindness in just about every pony I saw in this world, and I no longer thought negatively about _everything_. My thoughts then briefly drifted over to Applejack, and I just couldn't figure out what my emotions were trying to choose for me whenever the two of us were close.

"Hey Cougar, it's almost time fer us ta leave!" Big Mac knocked on the door followed by Rarity clearing her throat.

"Cougar, you mustn't keep a lady waiting, especially fourteen of them!" She shouted.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I retorted before zipping up my pants, button up and tucking in my white shirt, throwing on my black jacket, tying my black shoes and throwing on my black bow tie. If it was hard to tell, I was uncomfortable wearing this getup. After throwing on some deodorant, I said to myself, "I wish I could go in my T-Shirt and jeans," I complained as I exited the bathroom.

"Oh my Cougar, you _do_ clean up good," Rarity paused to look me over, "really good. You should definitely try and find a marefriend around here; they would be one lucky lady," winked at me.

"I feel like an idiot Rarity, just saying," I replied, "not saying your seamstress work is bad, I just hate tuxedos," I explained.

"Quit complaining and join your friends!" She lightly punched my kneecap to get me to move. Granny Smith waved goodbye to us as we descended the stair case and entered the living room where all of our friends were mingling. "Ahem, presenting the MUCH and VASTLY improved."

"Oh boy," I rolled my eyes.

"Cougar!" Rarity presented myself in my tuxedo. All eyes turned to me and Rarity at the front of the room and everypony looked shocked.

"Wow, you look like a million bits Coug," Rainbow complimented me.

"Very nice Cougar," Fluttershy smiled.

"Hmm, you look different somehow," Discord teased, "let me guess, new toothpaste?" he joked and lightly jabbed his kane in my gut, to which I yanked from him and snapped it in half. "You're no fun," he snapped his eagle talons and a new kane appeared.

"Whoo, you look hot Cougar!" Pinkie let out a wolf-whistle. "What, I'll admit he does," the pink mare asked as everyone, including myself, slowly looked towards her.

"Ah can say fer sure yer the handsomest human Ah've ever seen," Applejack winked. Okay, why do I feel like that only when she compliments me? I referred to an uncertain feeling in my chest.

"He does clean up pretty good," Lyra admitted.

"I'll feel better when I get to take off these clothes," I replied.

"Oooooohhhhhh," Rainbow replied.

"Real mature Dash," I glowered. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door as a few golden chariots showing off Celestia's Cutie Mark appeared outside the house.

"Those are our rides, let's set off!" Twilight declared as I held the door open for all the ladies to trot through.

"Glock, what're you doing here?" Spike asked when all the girls exited the house and the guys got to leave.

"Celestia entrusted me with making sure your group made it to the Gala safely, especially with visibility lowering," he replied.

"Luna's moon is bright enough don't you think Glock?" I asked. He shrugged before opening the first chariot door which myself, Applejack, Applebloom, Featherweight, Spike and Twilight got to sit in.

"I-I brought you this flower Applebloom," Featherweight nervously placed the rose in her ear with his teeth.

"Aww, thanks Featherweight," the yellow filly cuddled up to him.

"Princess Twilight?" Glock asked.

"Yes Glock," Twilight replied.

"Princess Celestia has asked me to inform you that Flash Sentry, Soarin, Cheese Sandwich and Caramel have already arrived at the Gala and are awaiting your arrival," he read a parchment.

"Thank you Glock, much appreciated," the lavender alicorn thanked.

"Okay everypony, you know the rules!" Remington announced as all three chariots raised up from the ground. "Hold onto your tickets and please keep all legs inside the chariots at all times, unless you're a pegasus then do whatever the buck you want!" he added.

"Language Lt. Remington!" Rarity scolded the guard.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Rainbow dived from the chariot, only to face plant the dirt.

"You know, it would help if we were higher than three feet off the ground Ms. Dash," Remington suppressed a chuckle. The cyan pegasus grumbled as she wiped the dirt from her face and flapped her wings until she was level with the chariot Scootaloo and Rumble were sitting in. The chariots all lurched forward, and we were instantly heading towards Canterlot. I felt at peace with the cool night breeze flowing across my face as we flew towards our destination.

I never realized how beautiful this place is at night with Luna's moon being the beacon to lead our way. Like a giant lightbulb in the sky, plastered onto an ocean of navy blue and little silver pieces of glitter. I don't know why, but I suddenly felt like singing, just to give my friends a little taste of what was to come.

_Now Listen_  
_Not a dime, I CANNOT pay my rent_  
_I can barely make it through the week_  
_Saturday night I'd like to make my girl_  
_But right now I can't make ends meet_

Everyone could hear me, and needless to say, they were weirded out that _I_ had blurted out singing, despite Applejack telling me bursting out into song was normal here. I was cool with it, as long as it was more like Rock of Ages and less like High School Musical.

_I'm always workin' slavin' every day_  
_Gotta get A BREAK from that same OL' same OL'_  
_I need a chance just to get away_  
_If you could hear me think this is what I'd say_

"Cougar's paying rent now AJ?" Applebloom questioned her older sister as I kept singing.

"Nnope, he shouldn't be, but at least the song is catchy," Applejack began to pop her shoulders back and forth.

_Don't need nothin' but a good time_  
_How can I resist_  
_Ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time_  
_And it don't get better than this_

_"_Preach it Cougar!" Rainbow started to dance in the sky.

_They say I spend my money on women and wine_  
_But I couldn't tell you where I spent last night_  
_I'm really sorry about the shape I'm in_  
_I just like my fun every now and then_

_I'm always workin' slavin' every day_  
_Gotta get away from that same old same old_  
_I need a chance just to get away_  
_If you could hear me think this is what I'd say_

_Don't need nothin' but a good time_  
_How can I resist_  
_Ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time_  
_And it don't get better than this_

_You see I raise a toast to all of us_  
_Who are breakin' our backs every day_  
_If wantin' the good life is such a crime_  
_Lord, then put me away_  
_Here's to ya'_

I picked up Applebloom and raised her slightly in the air when I sang about raising a toast. Thankfully nopony freaked out as I sort of danced with her in the chariot before setting her back down next to Featherweight.

_Don't need nothin' but a good time_  
_How can I resist_  
_Ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time_  
_And it don't get better than this_

_Don't need nothin' but a good time_  
_How can I resist_  
_Ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time_  
_And it don't get better than this_

_Don't need nothin' but a good time_  
_How can I resist_  
_Ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time_  
_And it don't get better than this_

"That's what's in store for you guys tonight!" Vinyl declared from her chariot.

As I finished singing, the castle was in full view and I could feel the chariot begin to descend towards the structure. "Nice Cougar," Twilight thanked, "a little traveling music couldn't hurt anypony."

"Brace for landing!" Glock informed us the chariot wheels touched onto the balcony which held Celestia, Luna, Checkered Flag, Flash Sentry, Soarin, Cheese Sandwich and Caramel. All seven ponies waved to us as we landed and the guards quickly opened the doors for us.

"Luna!" I briskly walked up to the midnight blue alicorn and hugged her.

"Oh my word, you look extremely dapper tonight Cougar," Luna teased me. Checkered smiled and waved hello to me as we let our hug go. "I trust the ride went smoothly?" She asked.

"About as smooth as you raising the moon," I replied and patted her shoulder.

"Twilight Sparkle, so good to see my favorite student," Celestia and Twilight bowed to each other. The rest of the group caught up with their dates that were either waiting for them or briefly said hi to different friends.

"It's good to see you too Princess Celestia, I have a feeling this will be the best Grand Galloping Gala ever," she exclaimed.

"Yes I do believe so as well," Celestia said as Glock appeared next to Celesita's side, though he seemed kind of, down. "Because I have a surprise for you Twilight," Celestia smiled.

"A surprise? All right Twilight," Spike said enthusiastically, "what is it Princess?" he asked.

"Come on out!" Celestia turned to the door behind her and she stepped aside.

"It's good to see you Twily," a voice said from behind the door.

**End Chapter 20**

* * *

_Okay NEXT time is the Triple G, I PWOMISE! Anyways guys, I am sorry this took so long to get out, but as I said before, I had another story to update and work. So I'll work my best to get the next chapter out quicker, but as high quality as possible. _

_I do not own:_

_Everybody wants to rule the world by Tears for Fears_

_Nothin' but a good time by Poison. _


	22. Chapter 21: The Gala Part 1

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 21: The Grand Galloping Gala Part 1**

_Welcome back guys to another chapter for Fallen Eagle. I still want to thank you guys so much for favoriting, following and giving me feedback; that's what keeps me motivated to keep writing. And I'm glad everyone was happy with me writing a montage, you don't have any clue how difficult that actually was. I'm still going to try and update as often as I can, but quality comes first and I also want to finish Long Live Rock 'N Roll. Before I get to rambling, let's reply to some reviews shall we?_

**OBSERVER01: **_Well he's certainly fallen victim to something, or somepony…_

**Glugthorn: **_Thank you. I like dramatic openings, like Goldeneye's opening, Dante's Peak's opening, Top Gun's opening etc. _

**SquirtlePWN: **_Thanks. Music montages (if done correctly) can be really fun, and what better way to get everyone ready for the Gala then to do brief shots of everypony gearing up for said Gala?_

**lifestardt: **_At a point like this, normally I'd deny it, but really, Shining's the only one to call her Twily. Did I make it too obvious? Maybe, but who cares? It's time Shining Armor and Cadence made an appearance. _

**KonigstigerAce334: **_Don't mean to brag, but I do kinda know what the best music in the world is. My parents raised me with 50s music to 80s music._

**KillerWOW: **_I can't begin to tell you how many times I've flipped out over a new chapter, but shit kept getting in the way of me reading it. I think it' safe to say: We've all been there. _

**uss71832: **_Hell yeah man, can't go wrong with those two bands. But if you really enjoyed THAT, stay tuned for this chapter and the next chapter; I've got some really kick-ass songs coming up that Cougar and Vinyl will perform._

**Dixie Darlin: **_No need to apologize, I understand work gets in the way sometimes. I thought that would be cool for people to see how everyone is doing before the big night. I believe Rainbow DID let out a Rarity-like squeal in the Season 1 finale if I'm not mistaken when Spitfire invites her to hang out. _

_Phew. Alright, one last thing. I finally broke down and watched ONE, yes just one, teaser for Season 5. If you're curious, it's the one where the writers showed the map inside the castle which alerts the Mane 6 about a friendship problem. It kind of reminded me of Charlie's Angels, but that's just me. Oh and I nearly crapped my pants when I saw Sweetie Belle getting ready to sing in front of a crowd. I have a theory on what that episode might be about, if you're curious just PM me on what my theory might be. But, I have a strong feeling this season could be Season 2 good, it's definitely too early to say that, but I have a gut feeling._

* * *

**(At the Grand Galloping Gala. Cougar's POV)**

I never thought I would actually hear a squeal that could potentially shatter glass or make ears bleed. But dammit if Twilight's squeal didn't come close to accomplishing that particular feat. Though I believe everyone save for Pinkie was slightly disturbed by Twilight's exclamation. "SHINING ARMOR! She shouted while jumping up and down in front of a white unicorn wearing a red uniform with a gold collar and had a three pointed shield cutie mark with a six pointed star in the middle and three five pointed stars above the shield. The purple alicorn practically tackled this Shining Armor and squeezed him tightly. "What are you doing here?!" She asked with an exuberant amount of excitement. Chuckling, the white unicorn returned the hug before softly prying Twilight off of him.

"Well, Cady and I received a special invitation from Princess Celestia to join the Gala this year, so we accepted and showed up last night," Shining explained.

"That, and we really wanted to meet your new friend you talked about in your letters," a pink alicorn with a multi-colored mane and tail and what appeared to be turquoise heart on her flank appeared next to Shining Armor. She looked up at me with a warm smile.

"Yeah, Cheetah right?" Shining asked.

"Cougar," I corrected, "and nice to meet you Shining Armor, you're Twilight's big brother right?" I questioned. Shining Armor nodded, but Twilight technically answered for him.

"Not just that, he's my BBBFF!" She hugged him again.

"And what the hell is that?" I asked, puzzled.

"No, don't!" Spike warned, but Twilight explained anyway, "too late," he rolled his green eyes.

"Shining is my Big Brother Best Friend Forever," she said, "and he's the best big brother ever!" she added. "Oh Cadence, how could I forget?" the alicorn face-hoofed. The two alicorns stood face to face and bent down with their flanks in the air. They began dancing and chanting something.

"Sunshine, sunshine ladybugs awake. clap your hooves and do a little shake!" The two chanted and shook their butts towards each other. They then proceeded to laugh while the rest of us stood awkwardly waiting for this to end.

"Not even gonna ask about that," I looked away.

"Oh, this is so sweet it's making me sick!" Discord appeared in a hospital gown and an IV bag.

"So Cougar, you've seemed to make quite the splash in Equestria," Cadence chimed in and produced a news article clipping of the day I fought the timber wolf duo. Thankfully instead of talking about it, she made the news article go away. "Tell me, how do you like Equestria so far?" She politely asked me. Before I could reply, Celestia cleared her throat to gather attention from all of us.

"Sorry to break up this little reunion so to speak, but Twilight, we must go and greet other guests to the Gala per tradition," she announced. "Everypony else, you can do what you want until the main event with Cougar and Ms. Vinyl," she added.

"Oh you're right Princess," Twilight bit her lip to suppress your excitement, "Shining, do you want to join us?" She asked.

"Maybe in a bit Twilight," Shining apologized, "I do want to talk a little military history with Cougar here," he patted my shoulder with his hoof. This definitely got my attention; I looked over at the unicorn with an unsure face.

"If you want, though I won't tell you much if that's okay," I didn't want to offend or upset anypony here.

"Classified information, best part of the job am I right?" Shining bragged. Cadence and Flash Sentry volunteered to go join Celestia and Twilight while everypony pretty much went their own way, though I heard Rainbow giving Rumble a small lecture before he set off with Scootaloo and the rest of the crusaders.

"Look Rumble, I think you're a good colt, but don't pull any crap your idiot brother would do, got it?" She hovered above the cowering colt with her nostrils flared and her hoof pounding into her other hoof.

"Y-y-yes Rainbow Dash," Rumble stammered out in fear.

"Come on sis, Rumble won't do anything," the orange filly got in between her date and her sister. "I can make sure of that," she assured the older pegasus.

"Well good, now you two have fun!" Rainbow's tone changed from grim and threatening to happy and chipper in an instant. Even that creeped me out a bit.

"See ya AJ, Big Mac, Cougar!" Applebloom hugged all three of us.

"They're not gonna break anything, are they?" I asked to make sure. Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity all looked at each other and shrugged before continuing to go do whatever they wanted to do. "Eh, I'm worrying about nothing," I comforted myself.

"Come Cougar and Shining Armor, the night is just beginning!" Luna cheered.

"Hey Checkered," I shook the hoof of the racing pony.

"Good to see you again Cougar, and good to finally meet you Prince Shining Armor," Checkered gave a little bow. Checkered himself was also wearing a tuxedo, though his was actually white with a black undershirt, very creative I think. Looking back, Fluttershy and Caramel walked together out to the garden area, Rainbow and Soarin joined up with the rest of the Wonderbolts, Rarity trotted off to see Fancypants and Fleur-De-Lis while Spike followed. Flash Sentry tagged along with Twilight, Celestia and Cadence to greet ponies to the Gala. Big Mac and Cheerilee headed over to the snack table, Discord just vanished, probably to go cause a little trouble while Vinyl went to find some beer to drink and Lyra and Bon Bon attempted to talk to the Canterlot Elite. This left Applejack with pretty much nopony to hang out with.

"Hey Applejack, wanna come with us?" I asked, "always room for one more," I offered. Across the room, the orange mare looked over at us, back to where she was standing and nodded.

"Ah'm a-comin' Cougar!" She replied and trotted our way. Shining cleared his throat, gathering my attention. The white unicorn teasingly chuckled at me with a cocked eyebrow and a smirk carved into his face.

"So, Twily's been telling me in her letters that Applejack took you in to live on her farm," he said.

"Yeah, in exchange for chores and being polite yes," I replied, unsure of where he was going with this conversation.

"Well, she also mentioned how close you two are getting," he nudged me in the shoulder with his shoulder. I opened my mouth to counter what he was saying, but he kept talking, "you can be truthful with us Cougar," he motioned to Luna and Checkered Flag, "is she your date?" he asked with a smile. _"Oh fuck," _I thought to myself, "_not this again."_

"No, she is not my date," I defended, "besides, if I asked, what in the hell do you think her reaction would be?" I asked rhetorically. "I'll tell you what her reaction would be-" I began to answer my own question when Applejack finally caught up.

"Howdy Prince Shining Armor, Princess Luna, Checkered Flag, Cougar," Applejack greeted us. "How're things goin' in the Crystal Empire?" She asked Shining Armor. The royal unicorn tore away from me to address the orange mare.

"Oh good, the economy is great, crime is at an all time low and every citizen is happy," he replied. "Nothing really to complain about."

"I'm curious, who runs your Empire if both you and your princess are gone?" I questioned curiously.

"We have an ambassador who takes control of the Crystal Empire until our return, Ambassador Crystalline, good mare," Shining Armor said. "And before I forget, congratulations on your tie with Rainbow Dash in the Running of the Leaves," he congratulated Applejack.

"Thank ya kindly Shining Armor, it was a fun race," she replied, "these three can attest ta that," she added.

"I mainly remember getting slapped in the face with a dark blue wing," I smirked towards the alicorn standing off to my right. She blushed a deep scarlet red and looked away at Checkered Flag whom tried to suppress a laugh.

"You know I did not mean to do that Cougar," the princess squeaked out embarrassingly.

"Excuse my snickering your highness, but did you hit Cougar with your wing?" He questioned.

"Y-yes I did Checkered," Luna stammered, "I had a natural reaction that pegasi and apparently alicorns get when they see a potential mate they like," she explained, trying to keep a straight face while talking to said potential mate that gave her her wing-boner. "And unfortunately, Cougar was sitting in the wrong place at the wrong time," Luna added.

"Boy that had to hurt," Checkered grimaced an apology to me. "Who could've possibly made you have that reaction Princess Luna?" The racing pony tried playing dumb. I wanted to let him know that I knew he and Luna were already in a relationship, but someone beat me to the punch.

"Oh cut the crap Checkered, I already told him and Vinyl Scratch that we've been together for awhile now," Luna cut in. Checkered's ears dropped and his face contorted into an, _'I can't believe I made an ass out of myself,' _face. Applejack however gasped in astonishment and immediately began to congratulate the couple.

"Oh my gosh! Well congrats Princess Luna 'n Checkered Flag!" She congratulated, "Ah'm really happy for ya two," she smiled.

"Thank you Element of Honesty, though Checkered and I wish for you to keep this a secret, mainly from my older sister," Luna requested as her face returned to its normal shade of midnight blue.

"'N why is that yer highness if Ah may ask?" the farming pony questioned curiously.

"She and Checkered Flag don't want Celestia to make a big deal out of it and pester them non-stop," I explained, "she told me and Vinyl earlier today," I added. Applejack complied with a quick nod and we went about our way.

"Nephew, you haven't said a word about this yet, is there any reason why?" Luna questioned Shining Armor.

"Well, if you're thinking I'm not happy for you, you couldn't be further from the truth Aunt Luna," the unicorn replied, "it's just, I already knew you and Checkered Flag here were a couple," he said. Luna stopped dead in her tracks in the middle of the hallway, causing us all to follow suit. Her face had just about the perfect '_What the hell'_ faces I've ever seen in my life.

"Uh, excuse me nephew?" She asked, bewildered, "Checkered and I kept our relationship a secret, how in my sister's name did you find this out?" the alicorn demanded with a hint of fire in her eyes. I backed Applejack away just in case.

"My wife is the Princess of Love Auntie," Shining rolled his eyes, "she could feel his love for you when he and the Earth Pony Racing League visited the Crystal Empire for their annual charity race," he delineated, "and when you fell for him, it's kind of like when Discord feels a surge of magical disturbance. Cady gets a huge chill up her spine when a strong pair of love is born." Luna facehoofed and groaned, feeling like an idiot over something that was apparently obvious to her.

"Of course, how could I forget such an important detail?" she growled.

"She felt another one back in June or July; she said it was one of the biggest ones she felt too," Shining added. Without another word, we began our trek once again, though I had no clue where we were going, it was nice just to walk with friends and spend time with them. "So Cougar, Twily said in her letters that you flew in your country's Air Force right?" the Prince of the Crystal Empire inquired. Stuffing my hands in my pockets I explained what I did in the Air Force.

"I flew an F-15C for seven years in the Air Force yes," I replied, "it was our duty to keep our country's air spaces free of unauthorized enemy aircraft and to ensure the safety of our country, especially with how dependent the majority of countries were on air space dominance," I explained.

"Were you in a lot of battles?" he asked again.

"I was, and so were my friends in Ghostrider Squadron. We were the Air Force's elite group."

"So, do you have any clue on how you even got here?" the pony prince asked a third question. Truthfully, I never questioned how or why I even got here; the memories of that night were just far too painful to relieve. However, I decided I could give an explanation on why I was here and not give him any details on losing every single one of my friends.

"Do you really want my theory? Because it'll sound crazy; I don't even believe it," I warned him.

"Shoot, I won't think you're crazy," he assured me.

"Fine. We were sent on an escort mission to get a recon ship safely to its next port when we were ambushed by an enemy squad. We knocked a few out of the sky before I was hit with gun fire in my engines, they stalled and my jet plummeted towards the ocean. I ejected as quick as I could but I blacked out and woke up here," I elucidated. "My only guess is we were above the Bermuda Triangle and it somehow transported me to Equestria." Shining stopped dead in his tracks as we rounded a corner. Applejack, Checkered Flag and Luna were just behind us.

"A triangle sent you here?" he questioned in a sarcastic tone.

"Told you it would sound weird, and it's not really a physical triangle," I started to explain when a snooty couple bumped into us.

"I say, what is the matter with you, stopping in the middle of the hallway like common street rats," the male of the duo dusted his shirt off.

"Oh my Jetset," the female pony grimaced in disgust, "it's that horribly ugly monkey creature the princesses allowed to live amongst our kind, how dreadful!" She whined.

"Mmm, agreed Uppercrust, how could our beloved Princesses, well Celestia anyways, I don't really care for or trust that wretched Princess Luna," Jetset just nonchalantly insulted my best friend, "how could she allow an uncouth and rather grotesque animal to walk amongst us without a leash?" the grey pony jabbed my chest with his hoof. This guy was pissing me off. Insult me all you want, but you mess with my friends...

"Watch it there, that's my sister's friend you've just insulted," Shining Armor warned.

"And who are you again? You look familiar," Uppercrust studied the unicorn.

"_PRINCE _Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire, husband of Princess Cadence, elder brother of Princess Twilight and nephew of Princesses Celestia and Luna," he glared at the snooty couple. The couple didn't shrink down in fear or flinch, they stood there like statues, as if nothing was said to them.

"Well, we have no personal problems with you, your wife or your kingdom Prince Shining Armor," Jetset adjusted his glasses.

"We just don't think a creature such as him should be allowed to live in Equestria unless a leash was attached to his neck or he was in a cage at the zoo," Uppercrust finished Jetset's sentence. Suddenly, Luna trotted up beside us, with a regal-like expression on her face. _Now_ Jetset and Uppercrust shrank down in fear.

"So, Jetset and Uppercrust, are thou enjoying our Gala?" Luna politely asked.

"Y-yes of course your highness," Jetset stammered, "perfect as always, right Uppercrust?" he asked.

"C-couldn't be better Princess," her eyes were filled with fear.

"Oh, well I couldn't help overhearing that you believe my personal friend here," she nudged me in the gut with her hoof, "should be locked up in a cage in the zoo, or be attached to a leash, is that correct?" Luna questioned. Now Checkered Flag and Applejack appeared next to myself, Luna and Shining Armor, both looking unhappy at the couple as well.

"Uh-um well," Jetset began before Luna cut him off in her stadium voice.

**"HOW DARE THOU SAY SUCH CRUEL THINGS TO THIS KIND CREATURE!?" **She boomed, causing a few windows to rattle and a few guests to look our way. **"THIS CREATURE HATH SAVED MANY PONIES' LIVES AND HATH BEEN A TRUE FRIEND TO MANY OTHERS. WE MUST ASK THOU TO LEAVE OUR GALA IMMEDIATELY!" **Luna ordered the duo.

"B-but what if we apologized?" Uppercrust asked.

"After what you said about my sister? I think NOT!" Luna's white aura grasped Jetset and Uppercrust and tossed them out of an open window in the hallway. The two landed in a giant bush in the garden below where I saw Fluttershy and Caramel sitting around a few animals. "There," Luna dusted off her hooves, "I do believe the garbage has been taken care of. Checkered, if you'll join me please?" She asked.

"What a mare," the Earth Pony trotted ahead. Shining Armor, Applejack and myself all turned to each other and said the same word.

"Damn."

"Luna, you didn't have to throw them out," I said.

"Oh ho ho," Luna chortled, "those two are the worst of the worst when it comes to attitudes for Canterlot Elites. And _NOPONY _belittles my friends or my sister and gets away with it," she shot me a look of death which made me back down. Clearing my throat, I turned to Applejack to talk to her about her sister and her friends.

"Hey AJ, do you think your sister and her friends are doing okay in the castle by themselves?" I asked once we resumed following Luna and Checkered Flag.

"Well, that depends," Applejack replied.

"On what exactly?"

"The normal okay or the okay we reserve fer the crusaders?"

**(With the CMC and their Dates)**

The six school-aged ponies had ditched their older sisters and were busy checking out all of the neat paintings, busts, statues and tapestries that were set up all around the castle's hallways. Naturally, the six colts and fillies bumped into numerous ponies, but they didn't really care. "I say, watch where you are going, heathens," a snooty pony complained after Scootaloo bumped into his leg.

"Sorry mister!" she apologized as she and the others rushed by the legs of other ponies.

"Could we please slow down Sweetie Belle?" Pipsqueak politely asked his date, "I do want to see what the castle has to offer, but I would also like to see it in once piece without angering others," he held onto Sweetie Belle's foreleg as they weaved in an out of the sea of pony legs. The younger sister of Rarity giggled as the six came to a stop in a new hallway that was empty of other guests to the Gala.

"Aw Pip, don't worry too much," she said in a flirty tone that she obviously learned from her sister.

"Well, I just don't want to see my lovely date get injured," he held her hoof. Sweetie Belle blushed like mad and looked away from the charming Trottingham colt. Featherweight and Rumble both exchanged glances and rolled their eyes at their friend.

"Try hard much Pip?" Rumble asked his friend. Scootaloo elbowed him in the ribs and shot a glare that told him to keep his trap shut. Applebloom gasped as she realized they had entered the Hall of Canterlot History and started to look all around.

"Featherweight, you brought your camera right?" she made sure. The pegasus colt produced his camera from behind his back and held it in front of his girlfriend. "Good work, now this night we can really remember!" she pecked his cheek, causing the poor colt to seize up and collapse. "Oops, sorry Featherweight," Applebloom apologized and helped her date to his hooves. The colt shook his head and got the stars out of his eyes.

"Hehe, good goin' Featherweight," Rumble teased. Scootaloo shot him a glare that told him he better keep his trap shut, causing the pegasus to innocently whistle and look away from Scootaloo.

"Hey Featherweight, can you take our picture in front of this picture?" Sweetie Belle grabbed Pip and stood them in front of a painting of both Luna and Celestia. The silver nameplate below the painting read: _Royal Sisters Celestia and Luna. 5 B.N.M. (Before Nightmare Moon)_

"Okay, get a little closer," Featherweight looked through the viewfinder on his camera, his tongue sticking out slightly. "Hmm, Sweetie, do you think you can put your lips on Pip's cheek?" the photographer asked.

"Too easy," she flirted, closed her eyes and put her lips onto Pip's cheek, forcing a blush to creep across his face.

"Perfect," Featherweight snapped a quick picture, "okay all good," he announced. Sweetie Belle lightly tapped Pip on his head to snap him back to reality. The Earth Pony nervously wiped his cheek and moved away from the painting.

"HEY!" A gruff voice shouted. The six ponies all snapped their heads towards the sound of a guard's voice who was staring them down while trotting their way. The grey unicorn's bright blue eyes were furrowed down, staying opened as he headed towards his destination. Sweetie Belle and Featherweight both cowered while Applebloom, Pip, Rumble and Scootaloo stood their ground.

"Is something the matter guard dude?" Rumble asked, staying in front of Scootaloo.

"Rumble!" Applebloom scolded.

"Show some respect to authority!" Pip added. The guard in question stopped directly in front of the group, glaring down at the much smaller ponies. Sweetie Belle and Featherweight gulped as the grey unicorn shifted his eyes from pony to pony.

"My name is not guard dude," he growled and got face to face with Rumble, pushing his nose agains't the small pegasus. Rumble tried and failed to stay strong as his ears drooped and a few droplets of sweat trickled down his face. "It's Major Wesson," he corrected Rumble.

"Oh, okay then Sarge," Scootaloo appeared from behind Rumble, "did we do something wrong?" she crossed her forelegs and raised an eyebrow.

"How stupid do you punk kids think I am?" Major Wesson demanded, shutting up the orange filly. "You six go to school right?" he questioned.

"Yes, what's that supposed to mean?" Applebloom questioned. Grumbling, the ticked off guard slapped his hoof onto a plaque next to the doorway of the hall.

**"ABSOLUTELY NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY"**

"Can you not read, or do you regularly ignore posted rules?" Wesson spat to the filly. Finally regaining confidence, Rumble got back in front of his date and nudged his nose to Wesson's.

"Hey, back off there bud, we just didn't see the sign because we've never been in this area of the castle before," he growled right back.

"Mind who you're talking to you little punk, or else I'll throw all six of you out on your flanks and you'll go crying home to your mommies," he grinned. Silence met the seven ponies as nopony said a word. Applebloom linked forelegs with Featherweight to comfort him as he was still clearly afraid of the guard. "Now get out of my sight before I really get pissed!" He yelled, pointing his hoof towards the exit.

"Fine, we didn't want to see your stupid Hall of History anyways, jerk!" Scootaloo turned around with Rumble beside her and began to head towards the exit with the other four when another guard appeared, this one the group knew.

"Hey kids, enjoying the Hall of History are we?" Remington asked nicely.

"They were just leaving for breaking the rules Remington, no flash photography," Wesson reiterated. The white pegasus guard looked from his fellow guard to the little ponies several times.

"We just took one picture Lt. Remington," Sweetie Belle explained.

"Yeah, we apologized because that sign isn't showing very well," Pip added as he pointed out part of a Starswirl the Bearded statue blocked half the plaque. Featherweight stepped forward to add his two cents as well.

"And he just flipped out on us for no reason and threatened to kick us out even though we promised to leave," the photographer pony said. Remington's blue eyes looked up at Wesson's and he bared his teeth.

"Wesson, you've got to stop being such an ass and taking everything so damned seriously," the pegasus guard gnarled. Wesson stamped his right foreleg and laid his ears down on his head.

"Always have to be the nice guy don't you?" the unicorn guard replied, "You spineless wimp. Celestia was a fool to allow you on the Royal Guard," he snarled right back. The crusaders and their dates gasped in shock; they had no clue a guard would have the guts to say that about their princess. Remington slammed his hoof onto the ground, leaving a small crack where he slammed.

"How DARE you speak of our princess like that Wesson. And you forget who outranks whom, Major," Remington clenched his teeth hard. "I can have you demoted or put on suspension without pay, would you like that? These children are honored guests of Celestia, and the girl's sisters are three of the Elements of Harmony," he added. Wesson's face fell in shock and a breath was caught in his throat.

"Oh, that I didn't know. Please forgive me children, take all the pictures you want," he gulped.

"Now who's the coward?" Remington huffed. "Just get out of my sight Major Wusson," he ordered. Wesson saluted and quickly turned tail and trotted away before disappearing around a corner. Shaking his head, Remington turned around and smiled at the six ponies. "Sorry about him kids," he apologized, "he's just a self-centered jerk who only cares about advancing faster than anypony through the ranks," he explained.

"Isn't that what most guards want to do sir?" Pip asked.

"Yeah, but he cuts corners and reports things that nopony cares about, like this," Remington referenced the current situation. "And besides, that plaque's been up since _I _was a colt myself and ponies take pictures every day so nopony really cares," he shrugged.

"So, we can take pictures?" Featherweight produced his camera once again. Remington ruffled his mane with a smile.

"I didn't see anything," he winked, "have fun kids, I just have to ask not to _touch_ anything, look with your eyes," he advised with a wave and disappeared down a different hallway than Major Wesson went down.

"Any idea where to go now?" Rumble questioned. Scootaloo tapped her chin with her tongue sticking out and looked around for other things to look at.

"Ooh, how about there?!" She exclaimed, pointing her hoof down a third hallway.

"I think that may be off limits to us Scootaloo," Pip advised his pegasus friend.

"Come on Pip, where's the pirate with the sense of adventure I like?" Sweetie Belle grasped his hoof and yanked him in the direction of the exhibit. Double checking to make sure Remington or Celestia forbid, Wesson, was watching, the Crusaders yanked their dates down the hallway filled with weapons past and present that Celestia and Luna's Royal Guard utilized.

"Woah, take a look at this battle ax!" Rumble began to drool over said ax that was mounted on the wall of the weapons hall.

"Hmm, says here this battle ax belonged to General Lightning Strike, the only Five Star General in the history of Celestia and Luna's Royal Guard, interestin'," Applebloom read the note card below the ax.

"With real authentic battle blood! Awesome!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"Pipsqueak, put that down!" Sweetie Belle shouted.

"What? You wanted my sense of adventure back didn't you?" Pipsqueak held a huge war hammer in his hooves.

"Be careful Pip, that belonged to General Thunder Clap!" Applebloom warned. Both Pip and Featherweight ignored Applebloom's warning.

"Pose for me buddy," Featherweight peered through the viewfinder. Pip held the huge hammer above his head with his hooves, but was obviously struggling to support it. "Come on, stay still," Featherweight annoyingly advised.

"Hurry up before somepony sees us and we really get in trouble!" Scootaloo hissed.

"Don't rush me," the photographer snapped.

"Hey, don't talk to my date like that!" Rumble shoved Featherweight. The shove resulted in Featherweight stumbling closer to Pipsqueak and accidentally taking a picture with the flash right in Pip's face.

"AHHH!" The Trottingham colt screamed, "I'M BLIND!" He flailed around, the hammer swinging around and threatening to hit some valuable piece of weaponry.

"Watch where you're swinging that!" Scootaloo hit the dirt.

"Be careful, don't hurt yourself Pip!" Sweetie Belle worried. Finally, Pip's balance gave out and he fell backward, the hammer smashing a suit of 500 year old golden armor worn by General Thunder Clap.

"Don't worry, I can see again!" Pip sighed in relief. "What's everypony looking at?" He asked.

"We are so DEAD!" Rumble shouted.

"This is all YOUR fault!" Featherweight jabbed Rumble's chest, "if you didn't shove me, this never would have happened!" he shook his hoof.

"Yeah, well you shouldn't have been taking so long!" Rumble shouted back.

"This _really _wouldn't have happened if Pip didn't touch the hammer," Applebloom grumbled.

"Can we just stop blaming each other and get out of here before we're caught?!" Sweetie suggested.

"Good idea Sweetie, let's split!" Pip agreed and held the door open for his friends and his date. Before any of them left however, Rumble and Featherweight quickly put the hammer back in its original spot while Sweetie Belle reassembled the suit of armor back on its stand, though there was a very noticeable dent in the side which she couldn't fix. The six school ponies dashed out of the weapons hall, deciding to go find something to do that wouldn't earn them a night in the dungeons, or worse: Getting in trouble with their parents/older siblings.

"Ya know, maybe we're still doin' better than Discord," Applebloom pondered while trotting.

**(With The Spirit of Chaos)**

A snooty Canterlot mare cleared her throat as she scooped a ladle into the punch bowl and filled up a cup full of berry punch. "Enjoying your evening madame?" A teasing voice asked her. Startled, the mare looked around to see who had asked her the question, though she found out that she was the only pony near the punch bowl. "Down here," the voice said. Her eyes peered down into her punch cup to find the ripples formed the face of the Spirit of Chaos himself. "That tickles!" he teased.

"AHHHHHHHH!" She screamed and smashed the glass onto the floor, running away in fear.

"Oh, ho, ho, ho!" Discord braced his head with his lion paw as he guffawed loudly and fell to the ground. "The look on her face! I can't breathe!" he face turned blue while he pounded the floor with his eagle talons. Wiping a tear from his eye, the draconequus caught his breath and stood up to see everypony shaking their head at him. "Oh live a little ponies!" He grumbled.

"What was that Discord?" Rainbow Dash asked with Soarin attached to her foreleg.

"Fluttershy said I couldn't spike the punch with hot sauce, dish water, laxative or alcohol," he explained, "she never said _I _couldn't spike the punch with myself," he playfully grinned and snapped his lion paw. The troublemaker appeared smaller and sat in the punch bowl as if he were in a jacuzzi tub.

"Look Discord, if you want ponies to start trusting you again after the whole Tirek betrayal thing, you might want to let up off the pranking," Rainbow advised, walking up to the punch bowl to look the teeny prankster in the eyes. Snapping his paws yet again, Discord reappeared in front of the Wonderbolt duo with his hands on his hips.

"Oh really Rainbow Dash?" He asked, "what if I told you to let up on your flying hmm? Pranking is in my nature just like flying is in yours. Do you have any idea how crazy I went when I was trapped in stone for so long?" He demanded.

"Wait a minute, you were crazier than _this_?" Soarin joked. Growling, Discord clapped his talons and paw together twice, resulting in Soarin's wings to disappear. "MY WINGS, GIVE THEM BACK!" he started to freak. "I don't want to be an Earth Pony, they're so boring!" he whined.

"Hey, didn't you go to high school with Applejack's cousin Braeburn?" Rainbow questioned.

"Well, only a few are boring, but just give me back my wings, please!" Soarin begged. Rainbow looked up from her boyfriend to the draconequus standing before her.

"You better do it Discord, or else I'll get Fluttershy in here," she threatened. Not much could phase Discord or scare him, but the one thing that _did_ scare him was not an angry or upset Fluttershy, but a disappointed and hurt Fluttershy.

"Oh, all right," he clapped his talons and paw together again, "here you go you crybaby," his eyes rolled out of his head like billiard balls before coming to rest in his head that appeared on the floor. The sky blue Wonderbolt captain breathed a sigh of relief as his beloved wings reappeared on his sides.

"Phew, that was almost as bad as losing you Dashie," he nuzzled his cheek against hers, "or pie," he jokingly added.

"You and your pie Soar," Rainbow playfully rolled her eyes, "and by the way, you're welcome that I got Applejack to send you free pies every week."

"Right, thanks Dashie," he wrapped a foreleg around her neck. Discord gagged and stuck his eagle talons in his mouth.

"Can we change the subject before I get sick? Trust me, you do not want to see me get sick, right Rainbow?" Discord grinned.

"Don't remind me about that Discord," she shook her head.

"Tell me Soarin," Discord leaned his elbow on top of Soarin's head, "how weird is it that you're here at the Gala for the first time as the Wonderbolt Captain and without Spitfire here?" Soarin's happy-go-lucky demeanor fell to a depressed one rivaling that of when he was ditched by Spitfire and Fleetfoot in the hospital at Rainbow Falls.

"Could we not open up old wounds Discord?" Rainbow for once politely asked.

"I'm just curious is all," the merry prankster defended, "don't get your tail all in a knot."

"It's fine Rainbow," Soarin sighed. "I guess I would say it's definitely weird and sort of empty without Spitfire's presence," he looked around sadly where he and Spitfire used to hang out together. "I still can't fathom why my old friend from even the academy days turned on me like that," the pegasus whispered.

"Huh," Discord replied solemnly, "now I understand how you all felt when I betrayed you for Tirek," Discord motioned towards Rainbow. The cyan pegasus blinked a few times before nuzzling her cheek against Soarin's.

"We all make mistakes Discord; you're lucky we're pretty forgiving," Rainbow replied. "Hey, this is the Grand Galloping Gala, can we stop all this mushy sad crap before I hurl? When are Cougar and Vinyl going to be on anyways?" she turned towards the stage empty of the DJ unicorn or the human.

"Not for a while Co-Captain Dash!" a white pegasus with a mane as poofy as Pinkie's and a Wonderbolt's uniform hopped around the trio. "Have you tried this punch? It's yummylicious!" she gulped down another cup. Rainbow Dash and Soarin looked horrified as their comrade kept drinking the punch, unaware that Discord used it as a bathtub.

"Surprise! I wouldn't drink that if I were you," Soarin warned.

"Why not? Do you not think it's very good? Maybe you should try some more!" Surprise declared and forced the tip of her cup into Soarin's muzzle.

"Eww!" Soarin spit the liquid out and rubbed his tongue with his hooves. "Somepony get me some water!" he begged before running for the bathroom.

"Some ponies just don't have a good taste in fruit punch," Surprise sipped more of the beverage.

"Has living in the same town as Pinkie Pie helped you with that?" Discord asked as Surprise hopped away to join Rapidfire and Fire Streak.

"Oh yeah, I hardly notice Surprise's antics anymore," Rainbow replied.

**(With the other princesses and Flash Sentry)**

"Hello, and welcome to this year's Grand Galloping Gala," Princess Celestia greeted another couple to the big event, "we're so glad you can make it," the regal alicorn added with a smile and a short bow. The three of the four princesses and Flash Sentry stood at the top of the grand staircase that led to the ballroom, overlooking the foyer below where a large group of the Canterlot Elite mingled and took snacks off trays from butlers. Glock, per his duties, stood to Celestia's side.

"Mmm yes, thank you Princess," the mare of the couple replied, "and it's good to see Princess Twilight and Princess Cadence as well," she said, "you, I don't know who you are," the mare referenced Flash Sentry. The pegasus guard kept his guard composure as she and her husband walked passed the four ponies.

"Eh, I'm used to it," Flash shrugged when the couple was out of earshot. Twilight slightly nuzzled him before Celestia welcomed another group to the Gala.

"You're doing great Flash, sorry if you're bored," the purple princess apologized.

"Don't worry Twilight, I'm fine," Flash replied, still keeping his guard face on. While Celestia welcomed another couple to the Gala, Cadence walked behind her aunt and appeared next to Twilight and Flash.

"So, how goes it between you two?" The Princess of Love asked, "I still feel a spark between you," she expounded. Twilight and her boyfriend both exchanged glances with a twinge of a blush plastered on their cheeks before looking away from each other.

"Things are going great your highness, we've never been happier," Flash cleared his throat and addressed Cadence just as he was trained to do back in the Corps. Giggling, Cadence lightly hit Flash in the face with her multi-colored wing, surprising him.

"Flash Sentry, you were once one of my personal guards and you're practically my brother now with you dating my sister," she winked in Twilight's direction, "you can call me Cadence," she smiled. Loosening his bow tie a bit, Flash breathed in through his nose.

"I wouldn't want to be rude around you Princess Cadence," Flash replied. He groaned in pain as the pink alicorn stomped her hoof onto his rather painfully. Celestia didn't notice and Twilight's eyes grew as her sister looked like she was attempting to break her boyfriend's hoof. Tears of pain welled up inside the poor pegasus' eyes as he bit his lip to keep from screaming like a little filly.

"I _insist_," Cadence said calmly with a sickening smile that would freak out both the Grinch and the Joker. She slowly lifted her hoof off of his, to which the guard shot it towards his mouth and stuck it inside.

"Y-yes C-C-Cadence," Flash stammered in pain.

"Here, let me see Flash," Twilight stood in front of him. Flash took his hoof out of his mouth and showed it to his marefriend who seethed at how blue and purple the hoof was. "I can fix that," she winced and touched her horn to his hoof. Her magic aura engulfed the hoof and the bruise went away.

"Ahhh, thanks Twilight," he nuzzled her cheek. "Cadence, how is the Crystal Empire doing after my transfer?" Flash changed the subject.

"Nothing much has changed," Cadence replied, "Crystalline still runs the Kingdom when both myself and Shiny are absent."

"Shiny? I'm glad you didn't call him that when I was there," Flash chuckled.

"What's wrong with calling my husband a pet name?" Cadence raised an eyebrow, "Shining Armor calls me Cady sometimes," she added. "And I'm sure Twilight has a pet name for you, right?"

"No, I just call him Flash all the time, or Flash Sentry when I'm angry at him," Twilight cut in.

"Which is never," the pegasus quickly added to Twilight's thought. The purple alicorn gave him an '_Are you serious?'_ look, forcing him to gulp once again. "Okay, maybe the one time when I accidentally stabbed one of her books with my spear," he said meekly.

"Thereby ruining the cover and the first three chapters," Twilight grumbled. Getting a devilish idea, Cadence grasped Flash's wing in her magic and lightly smacked Twilight's flank, earning both of them a squeak from her muzzle.

"Th-th-that wasn't me Twilight, I swear!" Flash feared for his life. A pink hue appeared on Twilight's cheeks as the tingling sensation vibrated throughout her body from the smack on her flank.

"I didn't take you as frisky Flash," she said in a haughty voice. Looking up at Cadence, Flash had a 'Help Me!' expression on his face. Cadence just winked with a smirk and looked all around the room.

"Twilight, if you and Flash need some alone time, the guest room next to my personal chambers is available," Celestia teased.

"Princess!" Twilight exclaimed, "how could you say something like that?"

"Oh, it's just a joke Twilight," the white alicorn giggled.

"Changing the subject, again," Flash wiped his brow from sweat.

"Okay fine, I was just trying to have a little fun," Cadence rolled her eyes, "Aunt Celestia, have you found a special somepony yet?" the Princess of Love asked the Princess of the Sun. Celestia froze on spot, her eyes darting around the room.

"No, why do you ask niece?" She responded nervously.

"Um, Princess of Love?" Cadence pointed out her heart-shaped cutie mark, "kinda my business."

"Yes," Celestia coughed, "though I am the Princess of the Sun, yet you don't hear me talking about it 24/7," she countered. Flash, Twilight and Cadence all exchanged puzzled glances at each other before turning back to Celestia.

"Woah, no need to get defensive Princess Celestia," Flash said, "it was just an honest question."

"I know," she sighed, "I'm sorry for my outburst Cadence," Celestia apologized, "it's just, I spent so long ruling Equestria alone that I had no time to find a special somepony, and I fear that my old age and immortality frightens most suitors," she explained. "That and the stallions who _do_ seem interested only want to be seen with a celebrity or just for the crown," she finished sadly. Twilight nudged Flash with her elbow and motioned her head towards Celestia. Flash mouthed, _'What?'_ to his girlfriend whom rolled her eyes at him.

"_Say something nice to her, compliment her,"_ Twilight whispered.

_"But, I can't say something like that to my boss or in front of you,"_ Flash whispered back.

"_Just do it Flash. Princess Celestia needs to know we still love and appreciate her for who she is, not what she is,"_ Twilight ordered. Flash nodded and tapped Celestia's shoulder with his hoof.

"Uh, Princess Celestia," he asked. The alicorn princess turned to him to see what he needed.

"Yes Flash Sentry?"

"I still think you're a loving, caring, sweet and if I may say so, beautiful mare that any stallion would be lucky to have," he admitted while struggling to look her in the eye. Twilight patted Flash on the back of his neck while Celestia processed what he had said.

"Why, thank you Flash Sentry, that's very kind of you to say," she nuzzled his cheek. Flash prayed that Twilight wouldn't get jealous of the Princess thanking him for his compliments. Thankfully, Twilight just smiled and Celestia looked back up to welcome yet another group to the Gala.

"Don't worry Auntie," Cadence assured, "I feel somepony here at the Gala has strong feelings for you, I just can't see who it is," she revealed.

"I thought you knew who everypony liked Cadence?" Flash asked.

"No Flash, I can sense which pony is being loved after, such as with Celestia, but I cannot sense who has the feelings for her unless they tell me," she explained.

"Oh, well how strong are the feelings someone has for Celestia?" Twilight questioned.

"Very strong Twilight," Cadence replied, scanning the foyer, "I can sense they've had feelings for her for quite some time, but again, I have no idea who," she reiterated. Cadence quickly licked her lips, trying to think of something else to say. "So Twilight, how're you and Spike doing?" She questioned.

"Spike?" Twilight replied curiously, "he's still my number one assistant, staying out of trouble and being a good friend, why do you ask?" the alicorn cocked her head to the side of the other alicorn.

"Well, I just mean how are his feelings for Rarity doing? He's practically a brother to me as well," Cadence detailed.

"Oh you mean his crush," Twilight giggled, "he's still pining after her, though I'm sure pretty soon he'll realize it's just a childhood crush and then he'll fall in love with somepony else his age," she waved it off as if it were nothing.

"Twilight, is Spike your best friend, or something like your brother?" Cadence asked a deep question, catching the purple alicorn off guard. Twilight blinked a few times, her brain attempting to process the question she was just hit with.

"W-well, I suppose he's like my brother, I mean we grew up together, why?" She demanded.

"Twilight, I've gone over his feelings for Rarity numerous times; they're some of the strongest I've ever felt in my life. It's not a simple little crush he has on Rarity, he's _in love_ with her," Cadence divulged. Now it was Twilight's turn to freeze in place, her eyes glued down to the stairs below.

"N-no, he can't be in love with her, he's just a baby!" She exclaimed.

"Princess Twilight, why are you so adamant about Spike's love life?" Celestia softly asked.

"He's a baby, he doesn't have a love life," Twilight reiterated. Cadence was about to open her mouth again and add more of her two cents, but Twilight wanted this conversation to END. "So Cadence, am I going to be an aunt soon?" Twilight's eye twitched.

"Wha?" Cadence blushed like crazy and looked away from her sister. Suddenly, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Pip, Rumble and Featherweight dashed by the three alicorns and the guard at almost mach 20.

"Hey, where's the fire kids?!" Flash shouted.

"Uh, bathroom break! But we can't find it," Sweetie Belle rubbed the back of her head as Celestia froze the six within her golden aura.

"Down this hall, make a left, mare's room on the left, stallion's room on the right," Celestia pointed her hoof down the hallway leading past the staircase. All six of the little ponies looked down where Celestia was pointing and then looked back at the group of four.

"Oh, yeah, thanks," Scootaloo blushed, "can we go now?" she asked. Celestia gently lowered the ponies down to the carpeting and released them from her magical grip. Five of the ponies trotted away down the aforementioned hallway, but Pip stayed behind to have a quick word with Celestia.

"Your highness, may I trouble you for a question?" he politely asked in his Trottingham accent.

"Yes you may young Pip," Celestia was impressed by his impeccable manners.

"Where is Princess Luna? I was yanked away before getting the chance to say hello," he explained.

"I believe my younger sister is spending the evening with Applejack, Cougar, Checkered Flag and Shining Armor near the refreshments table," Celestia replied.

"Thank you your highness," Pip bowed.

"But it's almost time for the musical part of the evening in the ballroom and Luna and myself will be there," she added. Pip nodded before trotting away to rejoin his friends and date.

"Ooh," Cadence shivered, "he and Rarity's sister have feelings for each other," she quietly cheered. "In fact, all six of them have feelings for their respective date," she added. Flash Sentry looked up at the giant clock in the foyer and nudged Twilight.

"Ladies, I believe we should get going to the ballroom if I'm not mistaken," he announced.

"You're right Flash Sentry, let us set off shall we?" Celestia suggested.

**(Ballroom. Cougar's POV)**

"Okay couple questions," I picked some fruit out of my teeth with a toothpick, "Shining, you said your wife is the Princess of Love right?" I double-checked to make sure. The five of us were hanging out at the temporary bar that was setup in the ballroom.

"Yeah, why?" Shining downed a glass of Coltweiser and wiped his mouth with a napkin. I cleared my throat and set the toothpick down on a cocktail napkin in front of me before asking my question.

"And you said she gets like a chill up her spine whenever she feels love in the air?" Shining nodded, waiting for me to get to the point. "So, how in the hell does she survive, what'd you call it Luna? The holiday in February about love?"

"Hearts and Hooves day," Luna replied, turning away from talking with Checkered Flag.

"Right, thanks. Does she like go crazy during that day?" I questioned.

"Let's just say that on Hearts and Hooves day that she gets _really really_ happy and I'm the one that has to cure it," Shining winked at me. Applejack blushed, trying to not think about it while Luna shrugged and finished off her second Marewaukee Brew. Checkered and I pretty much did nothing.

"Alright then," I went back to picking food out of my teeth. "Luna, are you going to tell your sister that you're dating Checkered Flag yet?" I asked my second question. Luna's can of beer exploded, covering herself and Checkered Flag in the alcoholic beverage.

"Another beer your highness?" The bartender wiped the counter down with his rag.

"Yes, please bartender," Luna coughed.

"Sorry Luna, didn't mean for that to happen," I apologized. Checkered Flag took out his handkerchief and wiped down Luna's face and dress on the front. The midnight blue alicorn allowed her secret boyfriend to wipe her down before replying to me.

"I'm sorry Cougar, but I don't think we're ready for Tia to start gushing over us," Luna returned my apology with her own apology.

"But Princess," Applejack chimed in, "aren't you tired of keepin' it a secret 'n hidin' it from yer own sister?" the farming pony asked as she sat next to me. Shining Armor nodded in agreement with the orange mare.

"She's right Aunt Luna," Shining cleared his throat, "and don't you hate that you don't even get to actually go out together?"

"Or that you can only meet in his dreams?" I added.

"I find that to be just fine," Checkered admitted, "I love Luna, and I want to make her as happy as possible," he softly patted his hoof on top of hers. "And if she's not ready to let her sister and Equestria know that we're dating, then I'll support her," he nuzzled her wing. Luna smiled as tears threatened to escape her turquoise eyes.

"Checkered Flag, sometimes I feel like I don't deserve a pony as sweet, charming and caring as you," Luna moved her other hoof on top of Checkered's, sandwiching his hoof in between hers.

"Hey, do you guys need some space because it feels like you're gonna have a pretty big moment," I offered to leave.

"No, we're fine Cougar," Luna briefly turned to me. "Perhaps it is time for me to let Tia know that I have a special somepony in my life," she wrapped her left wing around the grey Earth Pony's back. "Though with your racing schedule and my duties as Princess of the Night here in Canterlot, we still would be apart for some time," she frowned.

"Well good fer you Princess Luna," Applejack congratulated, "but Ah'm sure ya both'll work somethin' out," she said cheerfully.

"Cadence is going to freak over this," Shining groaned, "but I am happy for you Aunt Luna," he reassured the alicorn to not piss her off.

"Hmm, is this going to sit well with others?" I asked.

"What do you mean Cougar?" Checkered asked, shifting around in his seat as Luna's wing was still draped over his back.

"A few friends of mine, Lyra and Bon Bon, told me that while some ponies here support true love and all that gunk, others vehemently believe that certain species should stick to their species," I explained, "like Earth Ponies with Earth Ponies, Pegasi with Pegasi, Unicorns with Unicorns and Alicorns with Alicorns," I explained further.

"Well, do you see any male alicorns Cougar?" Luna snapped, "no you don't," she answered for me, "because none exist! And even if one did, I am certain he would be no match for Checkered Flag in any way, shape or form. It took several thousand years, but I eventually found the pony I loved, and I don't give a crap that he's not the same species as me; I love him!" She tightened her wing's grip on Checkered Flag.

"I agree wholeheartedly Aunt Luna," Shining announced, "I'm a unicorn and I married an alicorn because we loved each other."

"Guys, I'm not saying you should listen to that garbage. My best friend Reaper was caucasian and he married an Asian girl about five years ago. In other words, be with who you love, screw the same species or race crap," I polished off my second beer. Applejack shot me a quick look, but looked away when I turned my head towards her. I wanted to ask her what was up, but a tapping on my shoulder prevented that.

"Yo Cougar, are you about ready to go on?" I turned around to see Vinyl standing behind me wearing her usual purple shades.

"Yeah, of course," I stood up from my barstool. "But shouldn't we wait for-" the sound of trumpets blaring cut me off.

"Presenting Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire, Princess Twilight of Ponyville and Princess Celestia of Canterlot," Wadsworth introduced the other three alicorn princesses as they entered the ballroom. Everypony began to softly clap their hooves together, reminding me of the polite clapping spectators of Golf would use. Behind them was the rest of our group: Big Mac, Cheerilee, Caramel, Fluttershy, the Crusaders and their dates. Lyra, Bon Bon, Rainbow, Soarin, Discord, Pinkie, Cheese, Rarity and Spike were all already mingling in other places of the ballroom.

"Hello Cougar, I hope you are doing well this evening," Blueblood approached us with a warm welcome.

"Yeah, I'm fine Blueblood," I replied, "I'm just about to go on stage with Vinyl here," I motioned towards my stage partner for the evening.

"Good to meet you Ms. Vinyl," the stuffy unicorn grasped her hoof and lightly kissed it, "I trust a mare as attractive as you will provide excellent entertainment for the evening," he flirted. Vinyl chuckled and pushed him away.

"Sorry, but I'm spoken for," she lied to his face which I was completely fine with. Celestia trotted up and took center stage and cleared her throat in front of the microphone as everypony else weaved through the crowd to join us.

"I wish to thank you all for coming out and joining us for yet another Grand Galloping Gala. This year, I am pleased to welcome new guests to this most prestigious event, some I am honored to call my friends and some I hope to become friends in the near future," she announced. Again, she was met with the soft applause that reminded me of Golf spectators. "Now as most of you know, a musical presence has always graced this traditional event, even back to its first occurrence, and sadly the string quartet that played for us the past five years has become stricken with an illness and has been unable to attend," Celestia apologized. She was met with a large sigh of sadness from every guest in the ballroom. "However, thanks to personal friends of both mine and my sister, Princess Luna, a new musical presence shall grace us this evening and one that I hope will become a new tradition for the Grand Galloping Gala. Please warmly welcome Ms. Vinyl Scratch and Lt. Cougar to the stage," she trotted away, allowing myself and Vinyl to take her spot.

"Break a leg Cougar," Luna wished me luck.

"WHOO-HOO!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed loudly and hopped up and down in her candy dress. Other members of our group began to loudly applaud the both of us while we set up and performed last minute checks on our instruments.

"That's the human that flew a jet," I heard Rainbow say to her fellow Wonderbolts. I still wanted to meet some of them, that was something I was going to do before the night was over. Looking up, I saw Celestia standing next to her sister and Checkered Flag. Luna looked a tad nervous as she was still contemplating on telling Celestia about her and Checkered Flag.

"I think we're good to go Coug," Vinyl stood behind her keyboard.

"Roger that Vinyl," I replied and stood in front of the microphone, my guitar was still leaning against the amp closest to me. "Hello," I said to the large crowd, "I just want to say hi and thank you for allowing me and my friend to perform for you. All of the songs we are about to perform, none of you have heard, but they were popular songs back where I came from and I hope you all enjoy and appreciate them too," I announced. "But before we begin, there is something else I have to do," I added and stepped away from the mic stand. Breathing in deeply, my hands reached up and began to unbutton my tuxedo jacket and the white button up shirt underneath.

"What is he doing?!" A snooty pony demanded.

"I do believe he is going to expose himself! How disgusting!" Another pony replied. Rolling my eyes and scoffing, I discarded my jacket and button up shirt to expose my six pack abs and muscular biceps to the crowd.

"Ah, that's better," I joked. A few mares in the crowd did swoon a bit at me, but Pinkie and Rainbow joined in on the fun and whistled at me, I swear I even caught Fleur whistling in my direction. Grabbing my guitar, I slipped the strap over my shoulder and held the instrument in front of me before reaching into my pocket and tossing my phone over to Vinyl. She plugged it into her sound system and clicked play on the playlist for the evening.

**(3rd Person POV)**

_Kneel down ye sinners, to_  
_Streetwise religion_  
_Greed's been crowned the new King_  
_Hollywood dream teens_  
_Yesterday's trash queens_  
_Save the blessings for the final ring-_  
_AMEN_

Not surprisingly, the majority of the crowd stood in shocked silence as Cougar and Vinyl Scratch assaulted their ear drums. The deep sound of the hard rock song faintly shook the marble flooring the grand ballroom, causing several ponies to drop their wine glasses. "I do believe I am going to be ill," one snooty pony held is mouth closed.

_Wild side_

_I carry my crucifix_  
_Under my deathlist_  
_Forward my mail to me in hell_  
_Liars and the martyrs_  
_Lost faith in The Father_  
_Long lost in the wishing well_

_Wild side_

"Oh, my ears are bleeding!" Another pony held her ears clamped down with her hooves, but it proved to be useless as the volume of the song proved to be too much. Across the room however, Luna was head banging to the beat of the song while Celestia swayed her hips to the rhythm of the song.

"I think we made the right decision sister!" Luna shouted over the noise.

_Fallen Angels_  
_So fast to kill_  
_Thy kingdom come on the wild side_  
_Our father_  
_Who ain't in heaven_  
_Be thy name on the wild side Holy Mary_  
_Mother may I_  
_Pray for us on the wild side_  
_Wild side. Wild side_

_Name dropping no-names_  
_Glamorize cocaine_  
_Puppets with strings of gold_  
_East L.A. at midnight_  
_Papa won't be home tonight_  
_Found dead with his best friend's wife_

Cougar's fingers never slowed down one bit while they danced across the metallic strings of his electric guitar. They were nothing more than a motion blur, rivaling only that of a hummingbird's wings. Off in the crowd, he felt a bit sad that the sweet and innocent pony, Fluttershy, seemed a little frightened of his song, but he also saw Caramel and Discord comforting her.

_Wild side_

_Fatal strikes_  
_We lie on the wild side_  
_No escape_  
_Murder rape_  
_Doing time on the wild side_  
_A baby cries_  
_A cop dies_  
_A day's pay on the wild side_  
_Wild side, wild side_  
_Tragic life on the wild side_  
_Wild side, wild side_  
_Kickin' ass on the wild side_

As the near metal song from the 80s ended and Vinyl and Cougar ceased playing their instruments. They were met with silence from the crowd. Sweat was dripping off both of their bodies from the intensity of playing. However, all of their friends started to stomp their hooves and holler in appreciation for what they performed. "YOU ROCK COUGAR!" He heard Applebloom shout.

"Simply heart pounding!" Celestia cheered.

"Better than I expected Cougar!" Luna whistled. Eventually, other ponies followed suit, though Cougar suspected it was because it was the right thing to do. However, they did receive not so friendly critics.

"Ugh, that was horrid!" One pony exclaimed.

"Completely inappropriate for this evening, has the Princess been ill?" another one asked.

"Just barbaric, the only word to describe that act," a third pony critiqued. Then, out of the blue, both Cougar and Vinyl heard one fancy voice come to their defense as they prepared to be pelted with something.

"Oh, would you pull those sticks out of your bums?" Fancypants asked the three critic ponies, "so what if it's not what the Gala has always had, it was still quality music!" He shot them down, "do go on Cougar and Ms. Scratch!" He encouraged the duo. Even the Wonderbolts wanted them to continue as they all stood in a large group near the center of the ballroom.

"Well, since the majority of the masses want an encore, who are we to deny?" Cougar smirked. "If we could just get all the Wonderbolts in the front of the stage please?" The Air Force pilot asked. Rainbow and Soarin both quickly froze in place, surprised that Vinyl and I wanted them to come forward.

"What for Cougar?" Rainbow questioned.

"You'll see guys, just chill for a sec," Vinyl got the next song on Cougar's phone ready as all the Wonderbolts assembled in front of the stage with Rainbow and Soarin at the front.

"Okay, before we begin this next song, I just want to say that this is a song from one of my all-time favorite films and this song should also be the theme for the Wonderbolts, hence why I called you up front," he explained to the pegasi. Soarin looked intrigued by this and leaned forward to get a better listen while Rainbow shrugged and stood in place.

"1, 2, 3, 4," Vinyl counted and hit play on Cougar's phone before they both began to play their respective instruments, joining with the drums and bass from the sound system. A loud, cacophonous sound erupted from the amps and speakers as different colored lasers danced around the Wonderbolts.

_It's just a ball of dust_  
_Underneath my feet_  
_It rolls around the sun_  
_Doesn't mean that much to me_

Of course with the song being rock 'n roll, the Wonderbolts instantly liked it, but so far couldn't tell why Cougar said it would make a good theme song for them. However, Rainbow was used to surprises her entire life and decided to be patient; maybe it would turn out to be the ultimate theme for the 'Bolts.

_I take a chance on the edge of life_  
_Just like all the rest_  
_I look inside and dig it out_  
_Cause there's no points for second best_

_There's a raging fire in my heart tonight_  
_Growing higher and higher in my soul_  
_There's a raging fire in the sky tonight_  
_I want to ride on the silver dove_  
_Far into the night_

_[Chorus]_  
_Till I make you take me_  
_On your mighty wings_  
_Make you take me_  
_On your mighty wings across the sky_  
_Take me on your mighty wings_  
_Take me on your mighty wings tonight_

Cougar grinned as their was a short pause from singing and reveled as he saw all pegasi affiliated with the Wonderbolts freeze in place as he mentioned Mighty Wings. _Check and mate,_ he thought to himself.

"YEEEEESSSS!" Rapidfire hollered and stood on his hind legs with his forehooves curled up in the air. In the back near the rest of the mane group, Scootaloo and Rumble were also cheering over the song.

_With just a little luck_  
_A little cold blue steel_  
_I cut the night like a razor blade_  
_Till I feel the way I want to feel_

Celestia, Luna and Cadence all enjoyed the fact that Cougar was singing about flying and taking ponies up on Mighty Wings. Cadence used this as an opportunity to playfully slap Shining Armor's hindquarters each time Cougar mentioned wings, earning her sharp groans from her unicorn husband.

_There's a raging fire in my heart tonight_  
_Growing higher and higher in my soul_  
_There's a raging fire in the sky tonight_  
_I want to ride on the silver dove_  
_Far into the night_

_[Chorus]_  
_Till I make you take me_  
_On your mighty wings_  
_Make you take me_  
_On your mighty wings across the sky_  
_Take me on your mighty wings_  
_Take me on your mighty wings tonight_

_Take me on your mighty wings_  
_Take me on your mighty wings_

"OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!" Rainbow's wings flapped so hard with excitement that she almost made the snooty ponies behind her fall on their butts.

"I take it you liked that one Rainbow?" Cougar teased and stuck his tongue out.

"That was bucking awesome bro!" Soarin cheered, "we need to talk after the Gala about using that song!" he added.

"Liked it? Liked? That was one of the greatest songs I've ever heard in my entire life! Of course I want the Wonderbolts to use it!" She flew up in front of Cougar and grabbed his shoulders.

"I'll talk to your boyfriend about it after the Gala, alright, so just calm down," Cougar pushed her off him.

"BOOOO!" Another snooty pony jeered. Thankfully, Celestia took the pony's wine glass in her magic aura and dumped it all over him. "Ugh, my tuxedo is ruined! Who is the ruffian responsible?!"

Just as Cougar and Vinyl were set to start up their third song which Cougar referred to as, "One that you ponies shouldn't take seriously," the Air Force pilot noticed something amiss in the crowd. Near the back of the crowd and in front of the large doorway, he could clearly see Blueblood trying to talk to Rarity. "Hold up Vinyl," Cougar stopped her from playing.

"What gives?" The DJ questioned. Cougar pointed his index finger towards the source of his disturbance. Blueblood and Rarity were talking to each other, but it looked pretty heated. Thankfully, this wasn't a true rock concert and the masses were fairly quiet.

"All I am asking for is a dance when this primate gets to his damned slow song, is that too much to ask?!" Blueblood demanded.

"No, it's perfectly fine for you to ask a mare to dance Prince Blueblood," Rarity replied with a huff, "though just because you ask does not mean I have to agree!" She yelled right back at the prince. Spike had a glare painted on his face with his arms crossed as he watched the pair from where Twilight was standing with Celestia and Luna. Cougar's fingers curled into fists as he kept a close eye on Blueblood's actions.

"You listen to me!" He gripped her arm hard with his.

"OW!" Rarity yelped in pain. Now just about everypony was looking in their direction. In a flash, Cougar had his guitar off and was ready to launch towards the unicorn should this get any worse.

"Oh stop your whining you pathetic welt!" Blueblood ordered, "I, the Prince of Canterlot and Equestria, have given you a heartfelt apology for my behavior five years ago, now I deserve a dance with you, do you understand?!" He shouted in her face.

"BLUEBLOOD! LET THIS MARE GO NOW!" Luna bellowed.

"Stay out of this Auntie!" Blueblood retorted.

"Let me go!" Rarity demanded and slapped his face. The sound reverberated all around the room, silencing everypony as they awaited what would happen next. Blueblood felt the spot where he was slapped by Rarity and growled.

"You DARE slap me? I will show you what you get when you hit me!" He gripped the top of her dress and slapped her back before shoving her to the ground.

"OW!" Rarity yelped again as her head smacked against the ground. She whimpered in pain as a few tears escaped her eyes. A loud gasp emitted from every guest at the exact same time at what they had witnessed.

"YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!" Cougar shouted and burst from the stage as fast he's ever run in his entire life. Sure he said he would do his best to not hurt another pony, but he didn't care. _NOPONY _should ever hurt another pony, especially a stallion injuring a mare. However, before Cougar reached Rarity to assist her and kick Blueblood's pathetic ass, something beat him there. A purple and green blob moving at about Mach 50 smacked into Blueblood, sending him into the door farm with a deafening _CRACK_. Cougar stopped dead in his tracks at what was presented in front of him.

Spike stood above the downed unicorn that had a deep claw gash down the left cheek of his face with blood trickling out at a rapid pace. Where Blueblood hit the door frame, a large crack appeared. Yet, that wasn't what shocked everyone. Spike was bigger, about as big as he was when he first grew during his birthday fiasco a few years back, about as tall at a normal pony.

"ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRR!" Spike roared at Blueblood so loudly it made the T-Rex roar from Jurassic Park sound like a yawn. "If you EVER touch the mare I love again, I will rip your head off, jam a stick down your throat and roast you over a fire, do you understand me?!" He grabbed Blueblood by the throat and slammed his head against the wall, his fangs clenched and a fire in his eyes.

"S-Spike?" Rarity squeaked out. The reptile blinked a few times, the red, angry fire in his eyes dying out as he looked over at the purple alicorn that raised him since he was a hatchling. Twilight cautiously tip-hoofed over to the taller dragon.

"Spike?" She asked softly. The dragon looked down at his free claws that had blood covering the tips from when he scratched the unicorn. His breathing became more rapid than before as a whine escaped his throat and his green eyes welled up with tears. He choked out a sob before dropping Blueblood to the marble floor where a few guards drug him out.

"I-I'm a monster," his hands started to shake.

"Please, let's just go somewhere and talk Spike," Twilight asked.

"NO! I'm a monster," a few tears escaped his eyes, "I'm sorry Mom!" Spike cried out, covered his eyes and ran out of the ballroom as fast as he could and burst out of a door to the gardens.

"SPIKE, COME BACK!" Twilight begged as her own eyes started to well up with tears and she took off in the direction the now taller dragon ran.

**END CHAPTER 21**

* * *

_Oh snap, how's that for an ending to this chapter?_

_I do NOT own Wild Side by Motley Crue or Mighty Wings by Cheap Trick_


	23. Chapter 22: The Gala Part 2

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 22: The Grand Galloping Gala Part 2**

_Holy crap guys. FOURTEEN reviews for Chapter 21? I had a feeling that chapter would be liked by a few readers, but I didn't expect it to be one of the most popular chapters of the story. I want to thank you guys so much; I enjoy writing this story, but without all of your love and support, I don't know if we would have made it this far. Chapter 21 was so much fun to write though and I just want to add a tid-bit of trivia: This Chapter, Chapter 22, is where Fallen Eagle was born. EVERY word, EVERY scene you see in this chapter, this is where it all started. _

_Oh and how FREAKIN' AWESOME was that Season 5 premiere? _

_I think it's time to reply to some reviews, don't you? ;)_

**MLP Brony Fifer: **_Nice to see a review from you bro. Good to see a little humor as well._

**RenaTamer: **_Yes it is, especially against that arrogant a-hole Blueblood. Well now, don't go saying he has to be a monster; Cougar has a very interesting speech for the poor reptile. And as for the song, Danger Zone is absolutely badass, evidenced by the opening to Top Gun. However, Mighty Wings is SO perfect for the Wonderbolts, I couldn't pass it up. Danger Zone will be used somewhere in the Future of the story, just keep your eyes peeled. _

**OBSERVER01: **_Ya gotta do, what ya gotta do._

**XxSkullCandyxX: **_Thank you Skull Candy! I give the a-hole credit, he did try to be nicer, but some people/ponies are just born to be jerks. And you try fighting off a pissed dragon that went through insta-puberty in three seconds, I think he'd be able to beat the crap even out of Celestia. And the snooty ponies don't care what he's done. He could resurrect Celestia and they'd still deem him an animal._

**Megatronious: **_Oh, you'll see a chapter soon enough about that. Or you could read Dishonorable if you need a refresher. _

**KillerWoW: **_Good to see you again! 1) Loved writing for them. I love their adventures so much. 2) Just trying to make them more 3-Dimensional than stock. 3) The mare he loves with all his heart is in danger and is injured, he's going to protect her. _

**UpgraderIsAwesome489: **_Why thank y- AUUUUUGGGHH PINKAMENA!_

**litestardt: **_Rarity is in trouble, everypony better be ready to get out his way. Yeah Danger Zone is badass, but Mighty Wings (to me at least) makes more sense. But don't worry, Danger Zone will make an appearance. _

**uss71832: **_Okay, the only times you will ever see me brag are when I'm talking about NASCAR or music. I know which music is good and which music sucks, and I ALWAYS put the best music in my stories. Danger Zone, sometime in the future, Whisky in the Bottle, no plans. _

**Dixie Darlin: **_I like her as kind of like a kinky matchmaker. Do you really expect the Princess of Love to be all polite and full of positive advice? Roleplaying with my friend Sassymouse really helped me shape Cadence's character. The Crusaders are always adorable, though picking the cutest is impossible, okay Applebloom, no Sweetie Belle, ugh. _

**GetToTheCocainum: **_Captivating? Thanks for the compliment. Does anyone else though find it weird how we haven't really seen (or maybe just not heard) Blueblood since the Season 1 finale and we've already passed the Season 5 premiere?_

**Gardenfairy: **_A good soundtrack doesn't just mean popular songs. The songs have to help compliment and tell the story as well as visuals or in this case, words. _

**Caleb200888: **_You dream you're in Cougar's place? Never heard of that before. And you want at least 40 chapters? That's the minimum I want too, and by the way things are going, we'll surpass that easy. _

_And just in case I didn't make it clear enough, Spike is the same size he was in Secret to my Excess when he FIRST started growing and could still form coherent sentences and was about the same height as Twilight, maybe just a smidge taller._

* * *

**(Cougar's POV. Castle Ballroom) **

I couldn't believe my eyes, and I don't think anypony else could believe _their_ own eyes. Seeing a dragon grow about 3 feet in seconds and bitch-slap a unicorn was a sight nopony expected to see tonight. "SPIKE, PLEASE COME BACK!" Twilight begged loudly as she ran out the same door Spike had. Luna and I exchanged quick glances with each other and our other friends, still frozen and processing what had just happened.

"Should uh, should we go after them?" I asked Luna. The midnight blue alicorn looked down at her hooves, unsure of what to say. A few Canterlot nobles began to murmur amongst themselves, probably saying nasty things about Spike, especially since he called Twilight his mom. Even though I knew judging someone or jumping to conclusions on what they were talking about was wrong, I think I had a pretty good case considering the ponies I had met here. Finally, Rainbow Dash blasted into the air and hovered above every member of our group.

"Come on, they're our friends!" She exclaimed, "they need us!" She added.

"Yeah, Spike's no monster!" Applejack agreed, kicking up her front legs and galloping away as Rainbow flew above her, still leaving a few of us glued to our spots. Luna shook her head quickly and nudged me with her muzzle in my arm.

"Let's go Cougar, our friends are in need of help," she ordered and got me to start running with the rest of the group. I reached down and helped Rarity to her feet, quickly brushing off her dress and making sure she was okay.

"Vinyl, entertain the crowd while we're gone!" I shouted while the wave of ponies following me grew bigger by the moment. The cool night air hit me like a ton of bricks as the stuffy air of the ballroom gave way, leaving my shirtless torso with pleasant goosebumps decorating my skin.

"SPIKE! TWILIGHT!" We all called out for our friends. Luna's magic beam from her horn lit up, igniting the moon even brighter so as to help light our way to find Twilight and Spike. "Is there anywhere in the garden that would make a suitable hiding spot?" I asked Celestia as she used her horn as a flashlight with Glock following her close by.

"None that I can think of Cougar; this garden is a large area. Spike could be hiding anywhere, if he's still here at all," she replied fearfully for the reptile. I recalled Applejack telling me the story of Spike growing to be a full-sized dragon in less than 24 hours a few years back due to his greed acting up from his birthday presents. Yet, this wasn't an act of greed, it was an act of selflessness and heroics, so why did he grow three feet?

"Any sign guys?" Shining Armor asked as Cadence, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Flash Sentry and Soarin took to the skies. The rest of us were kept on the ground in case Spike and Twilight were together.

"Nope, I can't see much in the dark," Rainbow squinted her eyes, scanning the gardens for either of her friends, "even with Princess Luna's brighter moon," she added.

"I can't find anything either Dashie," Soarin added, darting his head back and forth. The Wonderbolt duo traded spots several times, scanning each area the other looked at in case they missed something.

"Oh, poor Spike, he must be terrified," Fluttershy held her head in her hooves.

"Terrified?" I questioned, confused. The yellow pegasus landed next to me and Celestia and walked with us.

"Well of course, Spike was so crushed when he realized that he nearly destroyed Ponyville when his greed overtook him, and now that he's injured a pony, ugh, I can't even imagine what's going through his mind," the yellow pegasus shuddered.

"If you ask me, Blueblood deserved it," Discord piped up, speaking his mind. All of us wanted to say nopony deserves to get injured, no matter what they do, but we all silently agreed with the draconequus since Blueblood slapped and shoved Rarity.

"Are you alright Rarity?" Checkered Flag asked the still shaking unicorn seamstress, offering her a hoof to comfort her to which she politely declined.

"Oh of course, though still shaken up," she replied, "but my concern is for Spikey-Wikey," she suppressed a tear to Checkered, "he's no monster for saving me; he's too sweet and innocent to intentionally hurt a pony for no reason."

"Oh man, Ah hope this doesn't get to the tabloids," Applebloom bit her hoof while checking some bushes.

"I know, that would really suck for Spike," Scootaloo agreed.

"Ponies would get the wrong idea and demand he be thrown in the dungeon!" Sweetie Belle finished the thought all the Crusaders shared.

"Which is why we have to keep looking for my brother!" Cadence snapped, "so be quiet so we can hear if they respond!" she ordered all of us to shut the hell up. Bending down to try and see if I could identify any tracks belonging to said dragon, the mentions of familial names kept resonating throughout my brain, pestering me to ask Luna a question I've wanted to for some time.

"Hey Luna," I tapped Luna's shoulder.

"Did you find any sign of them Cougar?" The alicorn stopped mid-step to ask me. Shaking my head and standing back up on my feet and urged her to keep walking instead of stopping.

"Spike called Twilight Mom and Cadence just called him her brother," I began before turning my voice's volume down to a whisper, "_did Twilight officially adopt Spike as her son?"_ I asked. Luna blinked her turquoise eyes several times, thinking about my question.

"No, Princess Twilight never did; she _was _and still is his _caregiver_, but she only hatched him when she was around five or six and my sister never made her go through signing any adoption papers," Luna explained, "why do you ask?" We had rounded another corner of the garden.

"Well, I think maybe she should. I mean she treats him like a little brother and he treats her like a big sister or even a mom," I replied. Right as Luna opened her mouth to say something else, Cheerilee silenced us all.

"Shh, does anypony else hear that?" the maroon pony's ear twitched. Being unable to move my ears, I still found that to be very odd seeing now everypony's ears twitching up and down, listening harder for the noise the school teacher had heard. Putting a hand to my left ear, I cocked my head to the side, trying to amplify sound that entered my ear. We all stood or hovered in one spot, listening to the gentle quietness of the night. A night so quiet, the cliche of a twig snapping would give anyone a heart attack. Finally, a faint sound entered my ears, the sound of muffled crying and rustling.

"Eeyup," Big Mac replied to his marefriend's question. Suddenly, Cadence, Celestia and Luna's horns glowed together and a mixture of their aura colors shot around the gardens.

"Over there!" Cadence exclaimed and touched back down next to Shining Armor. Her hoof was pointed in the direction of a big oak tree that was sitting behind a hedge bush. Taking the front before anyone else, Rarity darted ahead as fast as she could to find her two closest friends with Checkered Flag easily following right behind her. To get her there faster, I picked up Applebloom and ran with her in my arms around the hedge bush with Applejack right by my side and everypony else on my trail. Rounding the corner, I about slammed into Checkered Flag as he and Rarity had both stopped immediately after the bend.

"_What's going on? I can't see!_" Pinkie Pie whispered and jumped up and down behind the moderately sized crowd. Soarin, Flash and Rainbow slowly lowered themselves and softly touched down on the grass, utterly speechless at the heart wrenching scene in front of us. I cautiously set Applebloom down next to her big sister whom had removed her cowgirl hat and set it on the ground.

Not even a breath from any of us could be heard as we studied the scene that was presented before us. The scene was so sad, even Celestia and Luna's manes and tails stopped freely blowing, instead drooping down in sadness. Sitting at the base of the tree was a crying Spike with his hands covering his eyes. Small amounts of dried blood from where he clawed Blueblood still stuck to his claws. Twilight was sitting next to the larger dragon, her forelegs wrapped around his torso in a loving hug as she shed her own tears. "Sp-Spike, please stop crying," Twilight's voice begged in a croak. Spike breathed out a sob in reply, not removing his hands from his eyes.

"N-no," he cried, "I'm a monster, I tried to k-kill another p-pony," he sobbed.

"You were j-just defending R-Rarity like the n-noble dragon you are Spike," Twilight looked up with her tear filled eyes, placing her hoof on Spike's arm.

"I'm a monster Mom!" Spike cried again, "I deserve to be b-banished to T-Tartarus f-for wh-what I-I did," Spike replied in a choke. He finally took his hands away from his tear stained eyes and cheeks, looking down at the purple alicorn. Twilight sniffled and pressed harder on his arm, not enough to hurt him, but enough to get his attention. Still, none of us said or did anything. We still didn't know if these two had any clue we had arrived. All we could do was just sit and watch, and try not to cry ourselves, even me. I stole quick glances from Applejack to Luna, and everypony's eyes were big and wet and their lower lips were quivering, and shockingly, even Discord's.

"N-no!" Twilight exclaimed, "I-I d-don't care what anyp-pony says!" she countered, "you're my son, my baby dragon! And I love you Spike! I-I'm proud of the dragon you've become that I hatched so long ago," the tears were now streaming down Twilight's cheeks like a waterfall. "I should've told you that a long time ago, you're my little Spike!" she rubbed her cheek against his, "and you always will be!" Oh my God, this is one of the saddest yet most touching moments I've seen in my life. My eyes began to water themselves as I used my thumb to wipe the salty drops away before they escaped.

At last, one of us couldn't take it anymore. Fluttershy burst into tears loudly, collapsing onto her knees and burying her face into the ground. Naturally, this caused the purple alicorn and the purple dragon to snap their heads this way, tears still flowing from their eyes. "Twily," Shining Armor whispered out.

"NO! GET AWAY!" Spike shouted, inducing more tears from his tear ducts. "I DON'T WANT TO HURT ANYPONY ELSE!" He cried. He began to struggle to try and get away, but thanks to Twilight's quick thinking, she gently restrained him with her magic. I didn't think Spike would intentionally hurt anyone, but he might accidentally hurt one of us with his claws flailing around. Celestia cleared her throat and tenderly walked over to the frightened dragon.

"Spike, can you please talk to me?" The white alicorn asked him. Twilight still never left Spike's side, her magic restraining him down, but she clung to him. Celesita's golden aura appeared around Spike's claws, gently clenching them down so he wouldn't accidentally scratch her or Twilight.

"Princess, get away from me," Spike begged, "I don't want to hurt you or my mom!" he kept attempting to break free and run away, but neither Twilight or Celestia's magic would allow that to happen.

"I trust that you won't Spike." the sun princess softly replied as she got closer to the purple duo. "Twilight Sparkle, please remove yourself from Spike. I promise nothing will happen to him," she swore. Twilight shook her head back and forth, squeezing Spike harder, refusing to let him go.

"No, I can't let him go!" She fought, "he needs his mother!" she buried her head into Spike's chest.

"Twilight," Celestia softly repeated, "please, let us help you help him," the alicorn requested. By this time, Spike had calmed down a little, but he was still struggling. We all continued to hold our breath as Celestia touched her horn to Twilight's. The magenta aura from Twilight's magic dissipated from Spike as she looked into her mentor's eyes and nodded. "I don't blame your son for what he did Twilight, nopony here does," Celestia helped Twilight to her feet. Flash, Shining and Luna were soon on their way and helped get Twilight away from Spike and Celestia.

"It's gonna be okay Twily," Shining promised while holding his sister close. He held her back, keeping her from lunging back at Spike and holding him while Luna and Celestia enveloped the dragon within their own magic.

"Spike," Luna began, "we are going to release you from our magic now, but we just want to help," she explained.

"Yes, we don't think you have a problem with hurting other ponies," Celestia agreed, "but we just want to talk." Looking frantically back to Twilight, I saw Spike begging his mom for comfort in his frightening situation.

"Mom," Spike choked out from within the sisters' magical grasps.

"Spike," Twilight reached a hoof out to him, "let them help; let us talk to you and help you through this," she begged softly. "Why do you think you're a monster?" she asked. At long last, the purple dragon calmed down. His arms and legs hanging with the rest of his body in mid-air.

"Are you calm now brother?" Cadence questioned. Spike looked over, eyes still tear filled and nodded at all of us. Luna and Celestia gently set him on the ground and deactivated their detainment spell, leaving him to run if he wanted, but he didn't. Instead, the reptile slumped down with his back against the tree, hands folded over his knees as the moonlight glistened off his wet eyes.

"Spike," Celestia kneeled down next to him, "I want to let you know that while I do not condone violence," she placed a hoof on his head, causing him to flinch, "I am not angry, nor am I upset that you struck Blueblood."

"Wh-why? I let my anger control me Princess," Spike sniffled in response, "I hit a pony and then strangled him while slamming him against a wall. That should guarantee me a cell in the dungeon for life, especially because I assaulted a royal!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, you did assault a royal," Luna agreed.

"A royal pain in the rump. Prince Blueblood is far from how a royal should act," Celestia continued, "just because he is our nephew does not grant him permission to do whatever he pleases."

"I-I'm afraid I might hurt somepony else close to me," Spike admitted.

"Come on Spike," Flash spoke up, surprising us all, "you helped save the Crystal Empire, right Cadence and Shining Armor?" The leaders of the Crystal Empire nodded in compliance with the pegasus.

"Twily raised you since she hatched you," Shining added, "you were always one of the nicest little guys I'd ever met, albeit a little sarcastic to everypony," Shining muttered, forcing Cadence to elbow his ribs. Rarity stepped forward, trotting slowly to Spike.

"Why on Earth do you think you'll hurt somepony else Spikey-Wikey?" she questioned gently.

"LOOK AT ME!" Spike shouted, unintentionally I think since he was still stressed and scared at the same time. He raised his claws in front of his face, both limbs shaking. Rarity held her ground, waiting to hear Spike's explanation. "My greed is taking me over again! Thank Celestia I didn't hurt anypony physically the last time I grew, but who knows if now I enjoy getting aggressive and asserting dominance over everyone around me." He continued to hold up his claws that had dried blood so we could see his evidence, "only monsters have claws, and I've used them to cause harm!"

"You are not anything like a violent creature Spike," Celestia softly rubbed her hoof atop his hand.

"Most dragons are violent by nature princess, and I couldn't live with myself if I did anything to harm my friends. And if I hurt Rarity or Twilight, no!" he couldn't bear the thought of bringing harm to his crush or his mother. "Princess, say if you let me go and everything is all fine and dandy, what if somepony tries to hurt Fluttershy or my mother and I stop them, but then my animal instincts gain control of my thinking and I start to enjoy hurting others and then I start hurting my friends for fun?" Spike asked Celestia. Silence met the group once again, save for the sounds of crickets chirping or the sounds of Vinyl entertaining the crowd back in the ballroom, as no one could think of anything to respond. "That's what I thought," Spike exclaimed, "just take me away where I won't be able to hurt my friends princess, please!" Spike begged.

"Alright that's enough Spike!" Rainbow Dash snarled and pushed her way through the crowd. I almost jumped along with Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo at her outburst, but we all kept from jumping and stood still. Both Luna and Celestia jerked their heads towards the sound of Rainbow Dash's voice as she briskly trotted up to the dragon with a glare in her eyes. "Look buddy, you need to stop all your negative thinking and you're gonna stop right now!" she demanded.

"Rainbow!" Rarity scolded, "Spike is going through emotional turmoil right now; he doesn't need you yelling at him!" she gritted her teeth. Ignoring the seamstress, Rainbow turned back to dragon.

"Listen Spike," Rainbow said again, "I know you won't hurt any of us physically or even emotionally," the pegasus assured him.

"Wh-what makes you say that Rainbow?" Spike whined.

"Would a monster care for his friend's pets all day long and make sure nothing bad happened to them?" I heard Rainbow reference the time Spike had to petsit for his friends when they went off to the Crystal Empire for the Olympics or whatever.

"N-no I guess not," the dragon still couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Pinkie Pie hopped onto the backs of several ponies and hopped her way to the front, eventually bouncing off my head.

"OW!" I rubbed my head that I'm sure will have a knot now. The pink party mare caught her breath as she shoved Rainbow Dash out of the way.

"And would a scarifying monster like you claim to be bake us yummylicious treats and make us tea for snacks?!" She outstretched her forelegs, "'cause if that does make you a monster, then you'd be the scariest-" Twilight's magic zipped Pinkie's mouth shut before she could say something stupid and moved her next to Rainbow Dash. _'Clever girls,'_ I thought to myself and rubbed my chin. This was turning into sort of a reverse intervention where everyone reminded Spike of just how much of a kind dragon he is. I smiled as Applejack finally trotted up to him for her turn.

"Spike, look at me lil partner," she placed her booted hoof under his chin and slowly made him look up. "Ah know fer a fact that monsters don't go 'n proclaim to help somepony for the rest 'o his life," she rewarded him with one of her soft smiles that made me grow warm, what? My thoughts were interrupted when Fluttershy stopped her silent crying and walked slowly up to the ever growing group around the dragon.

"A good friend like you Spike who risked his life to save Rarity from Diamond Dogs could never be a bloodthirsty monster," she smiled and patted his head, earning her a slight moan from the reptile. Now, everyone around the dragon that was close friends with him began to hug him, save for the Crusaders who still stuck by me.

"Do we even need to mention how many lives you saved at the Equestria Games from the ice cloud?" Shining Armor and Cadence joined the hug.

"And a monster wouldn't help his mother adjust to living in a new town and help her make new friends," Celestia hugged him as well.

"Agreed sister, nor would a monster risk his life to make sure his mother was okay," Luna squeezed herself in on the hug. Suddenly, the Crusaders all galloped their way over and joined in the dog-pile hug as well. Everyone then turned their heads towards Rarity as she had not yet given another example of his friendly nature.

"Spikey?" she finally exclaimed and looked at him in the eyes. "Remember when you broke that spell that turned me insane and forced me to keep changing everything? A monster would have continued to let me go crazier and crazier until all of Equestria had been changed to 'my' liking," she air-quoted. "I am honored to call you one of my best friends," she snuggled up under his chin right next to Twilight.

"And I could never be prouder than you Spike of helping me overcome my overzealous behavior during my tardy episode," she hugged him tighter. "Or when you helped us escape that comic book." Myself, Discord, Checkered Flag, Rumble, Featherweight, Pipsqueak, Flash Sentry, Caramel, Cheese Sandwich, Soarin, Big Mac, Cheerilee and Glock still stood where we originally stopped, having nothing else to add since everyone else pretty much did it for us.

"G-guys, I-I don't know what to say," Spike smiled and embraced the hug.

"Cougar, y'all have anythin' to add?" Applejack called me on the spot. I froze, surprised that they wanted me to add something to help Spike realize he was a true friend and not a monster that he thought. My eyes darted around, looking for inspiration to give Spike a reason to see we were right and he had just been over stressing the entire issue. At last, I started speaking and just literally began pulling words out of thin air.

"Spike," I began and slowly walked towards him, "a true monster knowingly and intentionally causes or inflicts harm on another creature for their own selfish and personal gains, feeling no remorse or guilt for their actions. You selflessly protected a mare you," I couldn't think of the right word to say instead of love to not scare Rarity. "Admire," the word rolled off my tongue as I stopped in front of the dog-pile hug, "from a real monster who dared to lay a hoof on her. Are you a monster? No fucking way Spike," I cursed, "you are a **HERO_," _**I emphasized, "and I am honored to know you," I stuck my hand out to shake his own.

"Woah," Glock whistled at my little spur of the moment speech.

"O-okay guys," Spike gulped, taking in everything everyone had told him, "maybe I'm _not_ a monster." Everyone cheered, even Discord at his revelation. "But I still harmed a pony, shouldn't I at least be punished?" He asked as everyone released him and stood up. Luna and Celestia both looked at each other before shaking their heads.

"Absolutely not Spike," Celestia smiled, "I shall decree it to be protection and you shan't receive any punishment," she bowed her head.

"She's right Spike," Twilight wrapped her foreleg around him in another hug, "you don't need to be punished for doing the right thing," she nuzzled him. "My baby boy," Twilight added, forcing an embarrassed groan to emit from Spike's mouth.

"Well I think I do," Spike asserted, "I want you to take away my comics for a week for using violence mom, and I won't take no for an answer," he put his foot down.

"Very mature," Cadence noted, "maybe this particular growth spurt is for the better and not like your greed spurt," she contemplated.

"Fine," Twilight giggled, "no comics for a week young dragon, but I will still make you your gems after the Gala," she swore.

"Thanks mom," Spike returned the hug. As we all regrouped and began to head back to the ballroom, I was still curious about the growing thing.

"So, how long before he shrinks back down to normal size like last time?" I asked. Twilight put a hoof to her chin and looked her son up and down a few times.

"I don't know Cougar, this time was different," she replied, "maybe I should talk to Zecora tomorrow and see what she says about it. She knows more than I do when it comes to dragons," Twilight explained. Rarity cleared her throat and stepped in front of Twilight and Spike. The dragon blushed, still feeling his attraction to Rarity even after growing.

"Spike, I never properly thanked you for coming to my defense," she said. The dragon in question nervously looked down at his feet, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, you're welcome Rarity, it was my honor as a noble dragon," he said, finally looking eye to eye with her. Then, something happened that shocked everyone around us except the white unicorn in front of Spike. Rarity softly cupped Spike's cheek with her hooves, making him blush in embarrassment and confusion. She then leaned forward and gently planted her lips on his own with her eyes closed. Twilight gasped, Spike squeaked and Pinkie Pie and Cadence squealed.

Nobody said a word as Rarity gave Spike a very special thank you for saving her; no one wanted to ruin the moment. Rarity departed her lips from Spike's leaving the dragon in an awe-struck state as the greatest moment in his life was over. "Just for you Spikey-Wikey," Rarity giggled at his dream state.

"Rari-wha-elwen kissed me," Spike babbled. Twilight lightly patted his cheek to get him back down to Earth.

"IT'S SO ADORABLE!" Pinkie squealed and grabbed Cheese Sandwich in a tight hug.

"Way to go dude!" Soarin congratulated the dragon.

"Spike, are you okay?" Rarity giggled yet again as we all waited for the dragon to form a coherent sentence. He shook his head from side to side and blushed a deep red, forcing a small chuckle to escape my throat.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine Rarity," Spike tried to sound cool, but still stuttered a few times. I then felt a tapping on my shin from a tiny hoof. Looking down, I saw Sweetie Belle trying to get my attention.

"What's up Sweetie Belle?" I bent down to her eye level. She motioned for me to lean closer, so I bent my head down so my ear was right next to her muzzle. I'll admit her furry muzzle and whispering voice tickled my ear, but I listened intently to what the filly had to say. When she was done, she nodded with an adorable smile and put on her begging eyes. "I think that can be arranged," I petted her mane.

"What's goin' on with Sweetie Belle Cougar?" Applejack asked me, getting close enough to bump my shoulder as I stood up.

"She was hoping that the next song Vinyl and I play would be a slower one considering we should all take a breather," I replied, softly brushing where her shoulder bumped mine.

"Yay! Come on Cheese, let's slow things down a bit!" Pinkie Pie grabbed her date and drug him back through the gardens.

"Spike, would you care to lead me in a dance?" Rarity batted her eyelashes at the dragon. Starting to babble again, Spike couldn't comprehend what was going on until Cadence lightly stamped on his foot.

"Of course milady, right this way!" Spike squeaked out and Rarity softly grasped his arm, helping him lead her back to the ballroom. The Crusaders grabbed their dates and ran quickly with Pinkie Pie, nearly tripping over their shoes that they wore for only one night a year.

"Since we are confessing feelings," Luna cleared her throat as I saw her foreleg intertwined with Checkered Flag's. "Tia, I must tell you a secret I've been hiding from you," she admitted.

"Maybe we should give ya some space Princesses?" AJ suggested and tried to push me and everyone else away.

"No, it's fine Applejack," Celestia softly replied. "What have you been hiding from me little sister? The fact that you have a secret doughnut stash in the castle kitchen or the fact that you've been dating Checkered Flag secretly in his dreams for several months?" She asked cooly. Luna and Checkered Flag's eyes grew to the size of saucers and they began to hyperventilate.

"But, what, how, did, you, I?" Luna tried to ask how her older sister knew while Checkered Flag couldn't speak, fearful for what would happen to him and more importantly to his secret marefriend. Everyone else froze too, interested in what was about to happen, though Applejack and I were still close.

"Oh stop it Luna," Celestia teased her sister, "the messenger pony always delivered letters during the day and delivered them straight to me," she explained.

"YOU READ MY PRIVATE MAIL?!" Luna shouted, "_Newpony!" _she growled.

"No, they were always addressed, "_To the most beautiful Princess of the Night, Luna." _And the return address was Checkered Flag's personal estate," Celestia revealed.

"Eh, sorry Moon Pie," Checkered Flag grinned uncomfortably.

"That and whenever you entered his dream, I could still hear you talking to him," the white alicorn teased. "And don't worry Lulu, I approve of your relationship," Celestia hugged her sister. I always knew Luna was worrying too much about Celesita's reaction.

"Y-you are your highness?" Checkered Flag asked in astonishment, "but I'm not royalty or even an alicorn," he pointed out, "just a regular Earth Pony."

"While that may be true Checkered Flag, I know you are a good stallion with a heart of gold and you love my sister with all your heart. You are the perfect match and make my sister happy; that's all I want," Celestia explained to Checkered Flag.

"Thank you sister!" Luna hugged Celestia tightly.

"Told ya Shiny," we heard Cadence taunt her husband who then dropped a few bits into her hoof. "Now come on, I think it's time for that slow song!" the Princess of Love announced to all of us.

"Yes, come now Cougar," Luna motioned to me and Applejack, "continue to make this the best Gala ever for all of us!"

* * *

**(In the Ballroom. 3rd person POV)**

As the sounds of numerous shoes clacked against the spectacular marble flooring of the castle ballroom, eyes of the Canterlot nobles bore into the crowd that included the four alicorn princesses while Vinyl continued to play her keyboard. She fell down on top of said keyboard, breathless, with her tongue hanging out. "Sorry folks," she wheezed, "but that's every song I know how to play on the keyboard," she apologized.

"Rarity, are you doing better?" Fancypants instantly questioned his friend as his wife looked her over with the dragon still attached to her foreleg.

"Much since I had a noble dragon and friend to protect me," Rarity replied happily.

"Well that's good then, you seem okay," Fleur helped straighten out Rarity's mane.

"Oh thank Celestia," Vinyl exclaimed when Cougar parted from his friends and hopped back up onstage. The stuffiness of the ballroom hit his body full force, but the pilot brushed it aside and grabbed the microphone.

"Hey good evening everypony," Cougar announced, "again."

"Oh joy, the animal is back," another pony insulted the human. Fleur reared her back legs and kicked the snooty pony in the sides. The mare yelped in pain and grabbed her side that now housed a dark blue bruise.

"Thank you Fleur," Cougar winked at the pony whom bowed in response, "now sorry for that brief interruption, but I think it's time we lay back a little and slow things down a bit, don't you think?" he questioned and switched to a new song on his phone. Yet, before he could press the orange play button, he had one other important thing to say. "Before we begin, I'd suggest everypony grab their own special somepony; things are about to get a little sappy," his eye winked at the crowd. Almost immediately, every stallion in the crowd slowly offered their hoof to their dates that they had brought, except in the case of Lyra and Bon Bon.

"May I have this dance my Princess of the Night?" Checkered Flag asked his marefriend respectfully. Blushing, Luna nodded and accepted his hoof, both of them stepping onto their hind legs. Meanwhile, since she didn't have a date for the Gala, Celestia stepped away from the crowd and decided to have a small drink while everypony else enjoyed a dance. However, before she reached the makeshift bar she felt a tapping on her side and the sound of somepony clearing their throat.

"Yes?" Celestia asked and turned around to find her most faithful guard Glock standing at attention.

"W-would it be alright if I asked you for a dance, your highness?" Glock gulped, offering his golden plated hoof to the Princess he'd guarded for so many years. Taken aback, the white alicorn looked from Glock's blue eyes to his hoof several times, trying to understand what was happening. After a brief moment of not saying anything, Glock pulled his hoof away from the princess, a pained look in his eye. "I-I'm sorry for acting inappropriately your highness, please forgive me," he apologized and tried to trot away. However, Celestia shot a beam from her horn at him, stopping the guard in his tracks.

"No, please don't go Glock," Celestia requested. "I was just surprised you asked me for a dance," she warmly smiled.

"I don't know what came over me Princess, I know it's not appropriate for guards to be-" he couldn't finish his sentence.

"Glock, you've guarded me for so many years and treated me as a pony instead of royalty or like many other guards who are only in it for the paycheck. I'd be honored to share a dance with you," she softly planted her lips on his cheek, inciting a red blush to appear on his face. "However, is this just a spur of the moment question, or have you been harboring feelings for me for some time?" Celestia questioned.

"I'll answer," Glock began, catching his breath, "after the dance, if that's fine your highness," Glock bargained.

"It's a deal Glock, and please," she took his hoof, leading him back to the dance floor, "call me Celestia," she winked. The pegasus guard looked back behind him to see Remington and Bat Fang, their mouths practically hanging down to the floor at their fellow guard's lucky break. Back up on stage, Cougar smiled as he saw numerous couples ready to dance to the slow song he had chosen. Yet, just as his thumb was about to press down on the orange and white play button, he spotted somepony in the crowd who didn't have somepony to dance with.

The human didn't know why, but he felt bad for the mare, and he also felt a slight twinge in his chest as she smiled and waved at him, her emerald green eyes staring right back at him. "Hey Vinyl, take the helm, I've got something to do," Cougar tossed the phone to Vinyl whom caught it in her magic.

"You want me to do _more_ by myself Coug? Come on bro!" Vinyl exclaimed before Cougar could hop off the stage. "I don't mind going solo, but I thought this was gonna be more of a duo," she hissed, covering the microphone with her hoof. Cougar looked behind him to check on the crowd before turning back to the white unicorn.

"Look, you don't have to do anything except press that play button and then relax, okay?" Cougar explained, "just push play and grab a drink until the song is over," he added. Vinyl Scratch breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Good Cougar," she replied, "because I really need a drink, just let me know when you're ready," she winked.

"Glad we're on the same page," he gave her a thumbs up before putting his jacket back on over his torso and buttoning it back up. Weaving through the crowd, Cougar made his way towards Applejack as she looked happy at her little sister getting ready to dance with Featherweight, but sad that she didn't have a date to dance with. The orange mare took her cowgirl hat off her head and ran a hoof through her golden mane, sighing tiredly.

"Welp, guess Ah'll just go 'n get a drink," she took one look at the stage, hoping to see Cougar getting his guitar back on over his muscular chest. However, she froze when all she saw was Vinyl Scratch holding his phone within her magic; Cougar was nowhere to be found.

"Hey AJ," the mare's ears twitched as her name was called. Turning her emerald eyes around, Applejack found Cougar standing with his jacket buttoned back up and a shy smile on his face. All she could do was blink in response, wondering why he wasn't up on stage ready to perform. He said nothing else, instead Cougar cracked his knuckles a few times, trying to break the ice.

"Not that Ah don't mind talkin' ta ya Cougar," Applejack began, putting her hat back on her head, "but shouldn't ya be up there helpin' Vinyl?" She asked. The human cleared his throat before extending his arm and hand out to her.

"Well, I saw you didn't have anyone to dance with and I was wondering if you'd like to share a dance with me?" He asked as cooly as he could. Cougar's hand shook slightly as he awaited an answer from his best friend in Equestria. He was silently praying that she didn't think it was a sick joke or that he was creeping her out. However, he did get a shock when her face contorted into a smile and she raised her hoof and softly planted it in his palm.

"Ah'd be happy ta share a dance with the man that saved my life," she rewarded him with another smile.

* * *

**(Cougar's POV)**

When AJ's hoof touched my hand, my world froze. Her smile warmed my chest and made me feel, safe and welcomed, even after close to half a year here in pony land. Why? Why do I feel at so much peace around only her? I've hung out with Rainbow a few times, and Luna plenty of other times, but I've never felt like this around them. Fearing that I would worry Applejack for not immediately responding, I gently curled my fingers around her hoof and with my other hand, caressed her waist as she stood on her hind legs. She was just below my chin on her legs. The last time we stood like this was when she...

"Just relax Cougar, it's only me," she assured me when she felt my trembling hand.

"S-sorry, I just still never danced with a girl before, human included," I attempted to crack a joke.

"Well, since yer my friend 'n all, Ah promise not ta bite," she joked right back, easing some of the air around us, "too much," she chuckled, causing me to lose breath for a brief second. "Would ya look at that?" AJ motioned her head to our left and we saw Glock removing his helmet and putting it off to the side while he and Celestia held each other's hooves. Just about every other pony and the one draconequus in the room held the same expression as Applejack and myself at Celestia preparing to dance with a guard. I pictured the Queen of England dancing with one of her personal guards wearing those furry hats for a second.

_"Eh, if an Earth Pony champion like Checkered Flag can land Luna, I'm sure a pegasus royal guard like Glock landing Celestia shouldn't be a surprise,"_ I whispered into Applejack's ear. The mare turned her head, forcing me to move my head back as our noses brushed against one another's.

"S-sorry Cougar," she apologized, backing her head away to give me some more space. I could've sworn she had the faintest pink blush on her cheeks.

"Don't uh sweat it," I replied, blinking and not looking at her but at Vinyl back up on stage. She gestured to me with her hoof, asking if everything was set to go. Giving her a nod, I turned back to Applejack, making sure my grip on her waist didn't slip; I didn't want to drop her on the floor. Back up on stage, Vinyl re-connected my phone to her sound system and pressed play on the one song I thought was perfect for Spike and Rarity, yet it also held meaningful and beautiful lyrics and instrumentals. A perfect slow song that encompassed someone comforting the one they loved over a tough or hurtful period in their lives.

Right as the first few notes of a soft keyboard melody hit the airwaves from the speakers surrounding the ballroom, just about every couple moved in perfect synchronization, the stallions leading the mares per the norm.

* * *

**(3rd Person POV)**

_I can tell by the look in your eyes_  
_You've been hurtin_  
_You know I'll never let you down oh, no_  
_And I'll try anything to keep it workin_

"Oh Spike," Rarity cooed as the taller dragon gracefully moved on his feet without missing a beat and without stepping on Rarity's hooves, "I didn't know you could dance so well!" the seamstress exclaimed, eliciting a pleasant smile from the reptile. "And I do like your deeper voice," she added.

"Well, I did dance with Sweetie Belle at Shining Armor and Cadence's wedding," he explained, "but it wasn't anything like this," Spike chuckled, making sure his grip on Rarity was not too loose nor too tight. As Spike shifted their position around in a circle, Rarity pursed her lips, unable to find the courage to ask Spike an important question that she feared would offend the dragon. "Is everything okay Rarity?" Spike asked the mare, "I'm not gripping too hard am I?"

_You gave me time to find out_  
_What my heart was lookin for_  
_And what I'm feelin inside_

"No, everything is quite alright," Rarity quickly covered, "you really know how to make a mare feel cared for," she complimented.

"I know how to make my friends feel cared for," Spike corrected seriously. "Rarity, I know it's weird for me to be saying this, but if there's something on your mind, you can tell me," he let go of her hoof and softly stroked her mane.

"Spike, would you have reacted the same way you did to Blueblood had it been Rainbow Dash, Applejack or any of our other friends instead of myself that he struck?" Rarity finally blurted out. The dragon ceased dancing with Rarity, stopping them in the middle of the dance floor. Thankfully, the other couples were able to maneuver around the stalled pair to continue their evening.

"O-of course Rarity," Spike sputtered, "I love all of my friends and my mom deeply; I would've done my part to save any one of them," he promised. Rarity bumped her hoof into Spike's palm, insisting he continue dancing.

"Listen Spike, after this dance, I think we should have a little talk about us and this crush you've had on me for so long," the seamstress said both in a lighthearted yet serious tone of voice. Sweat began to emit from beneath the dragon's purple scales. "But uh don't worry, you're not in any trouble and I am certainly not mad Spikey-Wikey," Rarity softly laid her head on his shoulder.

_In your eyes_  
_I want to see your love again_  
_In your eyes_  
_I never want this feeling to end_

* * *

"You look beautiful tonight Moon Pie," Checkered Flag complimented his marefriend as he attempted to lead her in a dance. It wasn't particularly easy since Luna was an alicorn and taller than Checkered. Said alicorn attempted to hide a blush by looking away from her longtime coltfriend.

"And you look quite handsome as well Checkered," Luna sighed, laying her head atop his black and white short mane. "I'm so glad to be rid of hiding our relationship and lying to my sister Checkered."

"I know how you feel Luna," the stallion nuzzled her neck, "it was hard trying to come up with reasons to other mares why I couldn't enter a steady relationship with them. And I'm sure you saw that article in the _Equestrian Enquirer _about me uh, playing for the same team right?" The light grey racing champion muttered. Luna's turquoise eyes faintly turned red with anger at the memory of seeing that headline at one of the magazine stands in Canterlot.

"Yes, oh I wanted to track down that author and show him the error of his ways," she growled at Checkered Flag. "I've wanted to ban tabloids like that for many years, but Tia believes everypony has the right to say what's on their mind."

"Even after that article about her cake addiction?" Checkered questioned.

"Believe me Checkered, it shocked me as well, but that's why everypony loves her," Luna said with a hint of sadness, "she respects everypony's rights, especially that of freedom of speech." The stallion lowered his hoof onto her back and hugged her lovingly.

_It took some time to find the light_  
_But now I realize_  
_I can see the heaven in your eyes_

"Luna, I know things between you and most of the populous is still a little strained," he said warmly, "but you're making great progress and your sister is helping show how kind and loving you are. At least _I_ know how loving you can be Luna," he nuzzled her neck again.

"I'm not jealous or anything of that nature anymore, I just wish some ponies still weren't afraid of me Checkered. I want to atone for my past mistakes and give back to the kingdom," she explained.

"Just keep doing what you're doing Moon Pie," Checkered cooed, lightly brushing his lips across her cheek, "and I have faith that everypony outside our circle of friends will eventually come around and see the loving and especially beautiful mare I know you are," he connected his lips to her.

"Checkered Flag, I am so grateful you invited me to your race in the Crystal Empire; I never would have met the stallion who is the stars to my moon," Luna rubbed her cheek against his.

_Can't you see I'm finding it hard to let go oooh_  
_All the heartaches we've been through_  
_I never really thought I'd see this love grow_  
_But you helped me see_  
_Now I know what my heart's been lookin for_  
_And what I'm feeling inside_

_In your eyes_  
_I want to see your love again_  
_In your eyes_  
_I never want this feeling to end_  
_It took some time to find the light_  
_But now I realize_  
_I can see the heaven in your eyes_

* * *

"So Glock, what caused you to ask me to dance?" Celestia questioned her personal guard. Glock had his hooves on Celestia's shoulders since she was so much taller than him, leaving her on all four hooves. "You don't have to be so nervous around me," she comforted as the guard had tiny beads of sweat dripping down his forehead and he couldn't look straight at her eyes. "You guard me every day and you stand roughly this close," she added.

"F-forgive me Celestia," the nervous guard apologized with a gulp, "but it's much different standing off to your side to guard you rather than standing in front of you, this close," he sheepishly explained. The princess of the sun giggled and patted his mane.

_We've been livin on the edge_  
_Where only the strong survive_

"And why is it so hard to let loose a little and talk like friends?" She questioned kindly, allowing Glock to spin her around. "I wouldn't mind just talking to you even while you're on the clock and guarding myself."

"Well Princess, I could tell you, but then I'd be afraid of getting beheaded or tossed in the dungeon," Glock admitted. Celestia gasped, startling Glock enough to make him stop dancing with her.

"Captain Glock, what in Equestria's name would make you think I would punish you that harshly for telling me the truth?" She questioned, slightly hurt. "I have no ill will towards you, nor will I think of you any different." The guard took a deep breath before looking into Celestia's eyes. He blinked several times and licked his bottom lip.

"It's hard to stand this close to you Celestia because A) You're my boss and I'm afraid of doing something to offend you and B) I haven't always um been good standing this close to _beautiful_ mares," he mumbled the last part, but he was loud enough so she could hear him. A slight blush crept across Celestia's cheek as Glock revealed that she was beautiful to him. Sure, she's heard that too many times to count, but coming from somepony she knew for over ten years, she felt her cheeks burning up.

"H-how long have you thought this of me Glock?" was all Celestia could ask. Wanting to keep as much attention _away_ from the duo, Glock continued to dance with the leader of Equestria.

"I've always known of your beauty since I was a colt Celestia," he replied, "but when I was a colt, it was just polite to tell mares that, yet when I joined the corps and you greeted us new recruits on the first day of boot camp, I really noticed just how beautiful you were," Glock explained.

"Yes, I remember greeting your batch of recruits that day and that you were gunning for becoming my personal guard. You were very handsome in your boot camp uniform if I recall," Celestia flirted.

"Well you didn't hear the other recruits when you left," Glock rubbed the back of his head, "myself and Remington were the only ones not talking dirty about your uh, hindquarters," the guard tiptoed around the last word, still fearful of offending his princess. Instead, Celestia's muzzle curled into a smile and she snickered.

"I get compliments about my flank when guards think I can't hear them, it's quite comical actually," she snickered. She then thought of an idea that would be considered evil to anypony else, but she wanted to have a little fun with the guard admitting his feelings to her. "What do you think of it Glock?" she blurted.

"Ex-excuse me Celestia?"

"What do you think of my flank Glock?" she said in her same teasing tone, "don't be shy, you can be honest with me." The poor guard nearly froze on spot, but since he was given permission from Celestia, he didn't feel as scared.

"I-I think it's the nicest flank in all of Equestria your highness," Glock clenched his eyes shut, ready for any form of punishment to come his way. Instead however, when he opened his eyes, Glock found Celestia smiling at him.

"Captain Glock, would you like to join me for breakfast tomorrow morning?" the princess asked kindly.

_We've been livin on the edge_  
_And it's something that we just can't hide_  
_Oh this feeling inside_

"But uh, I always escort you to breakfast Princess Celestia," Glock breathed a sigh of relief. Celestia chuckled and pressed her lips against Glock's cheek.

"I meant would you like to eat with me silly," Celestia flirted with him yet again.

"Duh, uh, yes!" Glock squeaked out, drawing out another giggle from Celestia.

* * *

**(Cougar's POV)**

Dear God, why can't I look Applejack in the eye? Every time I tried, I felt lightheaded for a second or two before I looked away somewhere else. Through these brief glances away from the mare willing to dance with me, I could somewhat see Twilight dancing with Flash Sentry, yet she was staring intently towards Spike and Rarity as they talked and danced at the same time.

"Is everythin' okay Cowboy?" Applejack's southern drawl cut into my thinking. "Ya seem jumpier than a jackrabbit on a hot tin roof," she pointed out. I turned my gaze from Twilight and Flash Sentry back to the orange mare. And once again, the instant I looked back at her eyes, my head felt light and my heart seemed ready to jump out of my chest like a chestburster from _Alien._

"Sure, everything is smooth right now," I gulped, "just a little stuffy in here you know?" I sort of made up. I really thought it was getting stuffy in here, but I couldn't understand what other reason there could be why I felt a little sick.

"Yeah, Ah guess it is a little stuffy in here, what with so many ponies in here at once," she agreed, scanning her emerald orbs around the room.

_In your eyes_  
_I want to see your love again_  
_In your eyes_  
_I never want this feeling to end_  
_It took some time to find the light_  
_But now I realize_

Sniffing the air a bit to get a true sense of how stuffy it was, a certain scent wafted its way into my nostrils. _'Cinnamon and apples...' _My mind thought as I tightened my grip on Applejack's waist. "Ya know, I never did take ya fer a dancer Cougar," she complimented, "guess that's proof ya like ta keep ta yerself, 'n that's fine," she placated me. "Which is also weird since ya told me ya didn't really go ta yer high school dances," she pondered.

"Eh, I've seen enough movies to know how to slow dance, at least to good songs," I replied, trying to ignore the scent emitting from her natural odor from her body combined with body wash and shampoo.

"Ah'll agree ta that, ya do have great taste in music, though Ah wouldn't mind hearin' some country now 'n again," she admitted, looking at me with pleading eyes. _'S-stop looking at me like that, please,' _I thought. "Ya do like country music right?" She asked. I licked my lower lip and clicked my tongue.

"Well of course, and you're welcome to listen to my iPad or my phone anytime you want Applejack; I don't mind at all," I replied.

"Or maybe we could listen to either 'o them together?" She suggested with her same puppy dog eyes before leaning her head closer and softly resting it on my chest.

"Whatever you want, Applejack," I managed to breath out. _'Come on, would it kill you to compliment your friend a bit?' _My mind berated me. Breathing in through my nose again to take in her scent, I said to Applejack, "you smell good." Oh God, someone just kill me now, please. _That _was the best compliment I could muster? Idiots like me shouldn't be allowed to procreate. Well, at least I wouldn't have to worry about that possibility in this dimension or whatever I was in. The orange mare picked her head up from my chest with a sheepish smile and a blush.

_I can see the heaven in your eyes_  
_Oh yeah, I can see the heaven in your eyes_  
_Oh yeah, I can see the heaven in your eyes_  
_I can see the heaven in your eyes_

"Thank ya Cougar, ya look real good in that there tux," she complimented me right back.

"You look great in that dress too," I quickly, yet cooly replied, "and I really like the way you do your mane," I added.

"Smooth Cougar, ya flatterer," she teased me.

_Heaven in your eyes oh_  
_Heaven in your eyes_  
_I can see the heaven, heaven in your eyes_  
_Heaven in your eyes_

As the song finally ended and the sounds of applause from hooves clacking against the marble flooring, I felt my hands moving up and gingerly caressing the side of Applejack's face, her face feeling warm and flush to my touch. My mouth opened and closed several times, trying form the right and coherent words to say to her, but I couldn't. "_Cougar?" _Applejack whispered softly as she looked straight up at me, her head moving closer to mine. I couldn't breath as a choke caught itself inside my throat, disabling my voice box and my ability to breathe for a second or three.

"I gotta go!" I blurted, nimbly drawing my hand back to my side and turning around to jog away from Applejack. "Thanks for the dance!" I nervously called as I got away from the mare. I didn't dare to look back at her for fear of what her facial expression read. I needed to talk to the one pony that could help me with this. But first, I needed to get out of the stuffy ballroom and find a quick spot to catch my breath.

"Cougar, what a wonderful song you selected!" I looked up to see Luna and Checkered Flag standing in front of me, "I knew you were the perfect choice to host this year's Grand Galloping Gala, I must speak to Tia about making you and Vinyl Scratch the permanent Gala hosts!" she complimented me. Still catching my breath, I couldn't say a word to either Luna or her date.

"Hey buddy, you okay?" Checkered asked with genuine concern.

"Yeah, I'm, fine," I held a hand up and wheezed.

"Wheezing does not sound fine, do you require a drink of water?" a glass of water appeared in front of me thanks to Luna's magic. I shook my head and stood up at attention.

"No, I just need to talk to-" I started before Shining Armor and Cadence found the three of us. Both the pink alicorn and the white unicorn looked happy after dancing together seeing as how Cadence had her left wing draped over Shining Armor's back. In fact, Luna was doing the same thing to Checkered Flag.

"Cougar, great song for a slow dance, you have a keen ear for these things," Cadence congratulated.

"Cadence! I really need to talk to you, please it's important!" I blurted out to the alicorn, catching all four ponies off guard. The pink alicorn turned to her husband, puzzled and then turned back to me, darting her eyes around.

"Um sure, what's on your mind Cougar?" She questioned, taking her wing off of Shining's back.

"Actually, I was hoping to talk alone if that's at all possible?" I shrugged, mentally hoping she'd agree.

"That's, fine by me, no problem!" She exclaimed with a grin, "we'll be right back Shining, auntie Luna, Checkered Flag," she waved with her hoof and escorted me to an empty hallway. I will admit it felt great to get out of that hot room and into a cooler part of the castle, allowing me to think a little more clearly. Double checking to make sure no one was spying on us, Cadence asked, "so, what's on your mind Cougar?"

"Cadence, I need to know if I'm going crazy or not, can you help?" I asked, leaning my back against the wall, trapping myself between said wall and the pink alicorn.

"Going crazy? I'm not quite sure what you mean by that, you seem like a reasonably sane creature to me," she replied. Sighing and twiddling my thumbs together, I rocked back and forth agains the wall.

"Look, you're the Princess of Love right?" I asked.

"Yes I am," she replied with a knowing smirk, "are you-" she began to ask before I covered her muzzle with my hand, ceasing her ability to talk but keeping her nose clear so she could still breathe.

"I don't know what the fuck is going on with me. It's just that, every time now I look at Applejack, I lose my train of thought. And every time we talk, I get a little choked up and my chest tightens. Whenever we're close and whenever we're apart, I can't breathe and my hands tremble and I feel like I'm gonna puke. Other times, I feel happy around her and I really, _really_ care for her. Earlier today, I gave her a massage on her back and shoulders and it felt good making her feel better, what the fuck is going on with me Cadence?" I begged her.

"Cougar, I think you know the answer to your questions," was her response.

"I believe I know, I just don't want to know that I'm right," I said, unable to look at her anymore. I soon felt a hoof gently nudging my chin, softly forcing me to look up into Cadence's purple eyes.

"Why did you come to me again Cougar?" a motherly smile carved on her face as she listened to my explanations. Blinking several times, I mustered up my reply to her.

"I was hoping you would say I'm just suffering from heat stroke or mild insanity," I replied with a slight choke in my voice.

"But we both know that's not it Cougar, right?" she asked me, peering her face closer to mine. "I won't say it for you; you need to realize it on your own sweetie," she talked to me like her son or a little kid.

"No," I refused, "no, no, no! I can't be Cadence, I can't be in love with Applejack!" I exclaimed in a whisper.

"Search your feelings Cougar and you'll know it's true," she blinked at me.

"But she's, and I'm, oh God I'm sick!" I punched the wall as hard as I could, a small crack appearing in the surface, though my hand soon throbbed in pain.

"Listen to me Cougar," she touched her horn to my hand, "I've felt your feelings all night long and I know that they are 100% true. You shouldn't bottle up your feelings, especially for somepony you love; it's not healthy," she cooed.

"Cadence, there's no way in hell I can tell her, she'll freak and kick my ass off her farm and never want to see me again!" I retorted. "I don't want to ruin our friendship, I've done that too many times in the past," I recalled my episode a few weeks ago.

"If she's truly your friend, then she'll understand. And she wouldn't freak out over it, she may be surprised, but she'll continue to be your friend," Cadence assured me.

* * *

**(With Applejack. 3rd Person POV)**

Applejack felt sad when Cougar bolted from their dance spot when the song concluded. "Ya stupid idiot!" Applejack angrily scolded herself, her cowgirl boots scraping against the floor hard. "Why'd ya have ta get that close 'n freak him out?" She berated. The mare was just trying to be friendly with her human companion, but her flirtatious side took over, freaking him out. "At least Ah didn't say anythin' stupid," Applejack muttered, weaving in and out of the crowd, seeing her big brother and Cheerilee warmly embracing each other after dancing.

Applejack always knew things happened for a reason. Coincidences and accidents didn't just happen. So there had to be a reason why her flirtatious side had awakened when Cougar danced with her, right? Searching for answers, the farming mare decided she needed to talk to the one pony that knew more about flirting than any other. "Hey Princess Celestia, have ya seen Rarity anywhere?" Applejack asked the princess whom was busy chatting with her personal guard, Glock.

"I think I saw her take Spike back outside to talk, is there a special reason why you needed to see her?" Celestia kindly questioned.

"Nah, just some answers Ah need," the mare responded before trotting back towards the door leading to the gardens for the third time that evening. Her thoughts kept drifting back to how comfortable and _safe_ she felt, laying her head on Cougar's chest and having his arms wrapped around her torso. Sure she felt that way around her friends and family, but she never felt _this_ comfortable or safe with her friends. The orange pony felt like Rainbow did as she soared through the clouds, like everything was okay and nothing would hurt either of them. As she exited the ballroom however, Applejack came across a certain purple alicorn peering around a hedge.

"Spikey, I'm flattered that you feel this way about me, and I am ever so grateful that you saved me from that wretched stallion, but I need some time to think long and hard about our friendship," Applejack heard Rarity talking from behind the hedge.

"Twilight, what in the wide, wide world 'o Equestria are ya doin'?" Applejack asked the alicorn in a whisper so as not to disturb Spike and Rarity's talk. Twilight jumped nearly three feet in the air at the sudden outburst from her country friend. "Yer not spyin' on Spike 'n Rarity are ya? You know that's a violation 'o privacy!" she scolded her friend.

"No, of course I'm not spying," Twilight blushed in embarrassment, "think of it as uh, a scientific observation, from behind a bush," she explained and turned her head back to her son and Rarity.

"I understand Rarity," Spike replied, mustering up the biggest smile he could.

"And don't think it's because of the species difference, that doesn't bother me one bit," she soothed the dragon's worry, "it's just we've been friends for half a decade and I consider you one of if not my best friend ever. And I would absolutely hate to begin a relationship and have it fall apart and ruin our friendship forever. I just need to think this over before we rush into things, you understand right?" The white unicorn asked the purple dragon. Said dragon took her hoof in his hand and kissed it.

"Rarity, for you, I'd wait for all eternity," he replied with a cheesy grin.

"I knew you'd understand Spikey-Wikey," Rarity blushed, "now before we wrap up the Gala," she kissed him lovingly on the lips again, "there's another treat for you," she tickled his chin with her hoof.

"Good, she didn't break his heart," Twilight wiped her brow.

"Ya know, Ah do not approve 'o this," Applejack told her friend.

"They're coming this way, pretend to talk to me!" Twilight motioned to Applejack.

"But we_ are _talkin' Twi," Applejack corrected.

"Oh, hello Twilight and Applejack!" Rarity greeted when she and Spike rounded the corner of the hedge.

"Spike, Rarity, what brings you out to the gardens?" Twilight tried to cover her tracks, "how about that song huh? Pretty good I'd say."

"Yeah, I liked it, Cougar's got a great taste for music," Spike agreed with his mom.

"So, what brings you two out here?" Rarity repeated Twilight's question. Twilight didn't have a straight answer, but Applejack did. She took off her cowgirl hat and rested it on her back.

"Ah was hopin' ta find ya Rarity, Ah got somethin' important Ah need ta discuss 'n you were the right mare fer the job," she explained. Spike nodded, understanding the privacy needed from both Rarity and Applejack and grabbed his mother's foreleg.

"Come on Mom, let's go get a drink," he suggested.

"We'll catch up later girls!" Twilight bid farewell, leavin Rarity and Applejack alone in the gardens. Rarity spotted a bench near the doorway and patted the seat, wanting AJ to sit down.

"Alright Applejack, what can I help you with?" Rarity kindly asked.

"Ah didn't know who else ta turn to, maybe Cadence, but uh you were the first mare on my list," Applejack responded.

"List for what exactly dear?" Rarity cocked her head to the side. Applejack gulped, rubbing the back of her neck. She filled her mouth up with a huge gulp of air before letting it all out like a slow leaking balloon.

"Ah'm gonna cut ta the chase Rare," Applejack used her nickname for Rarity, "Ah have, feelings fer Cougar." Rarity's blue eyes blinked, not believing what Applejack just admitted straight to her face.

"Feelings as in?" She had to be sure.

"As in romantic feelings like in those romance novels 'o yers," Applejack delineated. Applejack had no clue what the seamstress' reaction would be. Whether it be one of hilarity, disgust, happiness, confusion or anger, the orange mare didn't know which it would be. She wasn't prepared for Rarity to squeal in delight so loudly that the windows around the ballroom threatened to break, nor did she expect Rarity to clap her hooves together at about a million miles per hour.

"This is simply extraordinary! Applejack, this is one of the most incredibly romantic things I've ever heard of!" Rarity gushed, "the only human to somehow appear in Equestria, and who should fall for him but a simple farm mare that took him in when no one else would or could!" Applejack wanted to say something else, but Rarity persisted to keep on talking. "Tell me, when did these feelings surface Applejack?" Rarity begged for the juicy scoop.

"Well uh, 'bout the time he saved us from them timberwolves," she admitted. "'N how he cares fer everypony over himself or how happy he makes Applebloom when he spends time with her. He takes her mind off not gettin' her cutie mark better than anypony Ah've ever seen. Ah guess that's what I've wanted in a stallion over the years."

"I do also sense a little Foalance Nightingale syndrome what with you taking him in on your farm," Rarity replied.

"Maybe," Applejack sputtered, "but Ah've been keepin' these feelin's bottled up, 'n it pains me that Ah haven't told him yet. 'Specially after our dance. Ah've never felt more at peace 'n happy than with Cougar just now, like we were the only creatures in Equestria."

"And why not darling? Haven't you both spent plenty of time together enough to tell him?" Rarity questioned.

"No. He's from a whole different dimension or however that fancy space-time thingy works," Applejack threw a hoof in the air angrily, "Ah can't just waltz up ta him one day and tell him Ah love him, can't Ah?" The mare asked in case she was wrong.

"Absolutely not!" Rarity exclaimed.

"But ya just asked if Ah ever had enough alone time with him ta tell him," Applejack said, confused as tartarus.

"Yes, but only if you've actually gone to dinner alone several times or if you've built up to it. I can't believe I'm actually saying this Applejack, but you've got to IGNORE my romance novels. He won't just sweep you off your feet and you'll both live happily forever after," Rarity explained, "it's like buying fish from the pet store and putting them in a bowl in your home. If you just dump them in the water right away, they'll die relatively quickly. However, if you put their bags of water inside the bowl, and allow them to adjust to the water temperature of said bowl, they'll live a lot longer, am I getting through to you?" the seamstress double checked.

"Crystal clear Rarity," Applejack gulped. "But Ah do have strong feelin's fer him Rarity, Ah just wish Ah could tell him," she said sadly, looking into the window of the ballroom only to still find no Cougar.

"And you can dear. You've just got to let him know you are interested. Invite him to do things for just two ponies or spend more time alone with him. Have him warm up to you even more and when you feel the time is right, tell him."

"But what if-" Applejack protested before Rarity covered her muzzle.

"Applejack stop doubting yourself please. If Cougar doesn't return your feelings, for one it's his loss and two: If he is one of your best friends as you claim, simply telling him you love him shouldn't tarnish anything. Sure it might make things a tad awkward for a short time. But if your friendship is true and pure, nothing will end it," Rarity smiled.

"Thanks Rare, Ah owe ya one," Applejack hugged her friend.

"Anytime darling. Now the Gala is wrapping up; we should get back to our friends," the two friends hopped up from the bench and trotted back inside.

**End Chapter 22**

* * *

_Phew, longest chapter I've ever written and it was all for you guys! So, how was that moment between Spike and Twilight and how they called each other son and mom? And now Cougar and Applejack admit they have feelings for each other but are too scared to tell one another. When will they gather the courage? It's getting closer every day guys. _

_Also, there is a poll on my profile page about what Cougar should go as for Nightmare Night. That chapter is about two or three chapters away so you have plenty of time to vote. _

_Next time, we dip a bit into the Season 5 premier. _

_I do not own Heaven in your eyes by Loverboy_

_Major props to Sassymouse for the Twilight spying on Spike joke. If you haven't subscribed to her story Dashing and Soaring, I don't know what you're waiting for!_


	24. Chapter 23: Some Assistance Required

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 23: Some Assistance Required**

**mlp brony fifer: **_I imagined your laugh as Dr. Evil's laugh from Austin Powers. But don't worry, Blueblood is getting a well deserved punishment. _

**KillerWoW: **_I'm glad I can still give my readers the feels. And it was time to showcase other couples._

**litestardt: **_I'll be sure to keep Spike away from your OC lol. And it's still way too early in my opinion for the two to start a relationship._

**OBSERVER01:** _I didn't really care for the Ghost Rider movies, besides I love Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger and if it's voted for, I can think of a few funny moments for him as an actual Cougar. _

**Skull Candy:** _Weeeeeeeelllllllll, they're not really together yet. And it was so much fun to write other couples other than the normal ones I've already written. _

**UpgraderIsAwesome489:** _Thank you! And don't fret, there's still a long way to go. _

**RenaTamer:** _BEST. RECRUITMENT. POSTER. EVER! Though you gave Bat Fang and Remington the shaft. _

**Dixie Darlin:** _It took me a long time to make sure that part was perfect. Despite this being a pivotal chapter for Cougar and Applejack, it was time for Spike and Twilight to admit they're mother and son :)_

**Silence is Gold3n: **_I wouldn't say that, though no one is complaining, I sometimes believe I take too long. _

**SquirtlePWN: **_I'm not making fun of you, really I'm not, but that is pretty damn funny! I have yet to find ONE, just one Blueblood fan. _

**_Konigster:_**_Nope, I saw Starlight Glimmer as Pony Hitler. _

_Okay for all those who are voting for Cougar's Nightmare Night costume, the chapter is three chapters away so you have the next two chapters to __vote, the poll will not close until the Nightmare Night chapter is up so as to keep his costume a surprise. _

* * *

**(Several Days Later. Cougar's POV)**

Things between Applejack and I thankfully didn't get too weird after I dashed out on her at the Gala after sharing a dance. Naturally, she _did_ wonder what happened to me and I told her the truth about going to talk to Cadence. I almost did a double take when she accepted the answer and didn't press forward for exactly _why_ I did want to talk to Cadence. So what did I do? I just went back to my normal routine with the Apple family around the farm: Waking up, doing chores, eat lunch, do more chores, get off for the day and hang out with friends, eat dinner, go to bed.

Speaking of the Gala, Luna told me in a letter she had written that Blueblood's punishment was one of the most severe punishments both her and Celestia could come up with that was short of death. The snooty prince that blatantly assaulted Rarity was stripped of his powers according to Luna. One might believe that they had just drained his magic from his body, but when I read between the lines a little, I realized that they had actually removed his horn as well, turning him into an Earth Pony.

I was a bit shocked at that punishment, not because it was harsh, but because I didn't know that was even possible! The last time Celestia or Luna had seen Blueblood, he had been sent off to some special bootcamp in the Griffon Empire because, according to Luna, the Griffons were a proud warrior race that ate, drank, sweated and bled not only combat, but discipline, making them the perfect choice to shape up Blueblood. '_Ah, the good 'ol military style punishment always works,' _I thought to myself whilst raking up a few red and orange leaves in the orchard. I was so lost in thought and my chores that I didn't notice a particular orange mare approaching from the house.

"Hey Cougar, Twilight wants ta meet me 'n the girls at the castle, wanna come with?" Applejack asked me, leaning against the nearest tree with a wheat stalk bobbing up and down in her muzzle as she talked. Setting the rake on the trunk of the same tree, I took off my hat and wiped the sweat from my forehead with my arm before putting it back on top of my head.

"What does she want Applejack?" I stuffed my gloves that of course Rarity made for me into the back of my jeans pocket and put my sunglasses atop the bill of my hat. Applejack spat her wheat stalk into my pile of leaves, landing perfectly upright in the middle of the pile. "Is she _still_ trying to figure out why the castle appeared from the tree of harmony?" I questioned. Applejack nodded her head a few times in response.

"Yeah, but this time she just wants ta get all the friends together 'n talk; we haven't done that since 'bout before you showed up," she added and lightly kicked the tree, the lone apple on the tree falling onto her hoof and receiving a mighty bite from the mare.

"Which was also about two or three weeks after the whole Tyrek incident right?" I cracked my knuckles and began walking with Applejack back to my little shack to get a fresh shirt and a little spritz of deodorant.

"Tirek incident," Applejack corrected me as I scraped the dirt off of my shoes on my welcome mat and ditched my shirt into my dirty clothes hamper in the corner next to my cot. Applejack had in fact offered to help build me an actual bed, but the cot was still comfortable and my back has never felt better. "'N yeah, she's had months ta get adjusted ta the castle, but she still spends a lot 'o her time thinkin' 'bout why she got it," Applejack watched me put on deodorant from my doorway. Ah the Tirek incident. When Applejack told me the tale of that horror, it sounded like an actual horror story. Getting the magic forcibly sucked out of your body to me is akin to the Dementors from Harry Potter sucking out people's souls.

"Well, if I got a new house presented to me out of the blue, I'd probably think of the why, the how and what the catch is for it," I replied, throwing on a new shirt and my ball cap. "And this one doesn't count since we built it," I patted the doorway of my home and shut the door. Because Fall was practically here, the apple bucking was pretty much done; the only chores left was to rake up the leaves that fell from the trees and store the extra apples in the cellar or inside the kitchen for the winter. Plus, we also had the animals to take care of but that was the easy stuff.

"Ya know Cougar," Applejack walked along side me back to the main house on the farm, "ya still didn't answer my question," she smirked at me with a raised eyebrow. Thinking hard, I couldn't really remember what her question to me was. Damn my rambling mind!

"Sorry, it was about Twilight and her castle though right?" I asked.

"Eeyup," she retorted like Big Mac, "'n Ah just wanted ta see if ya wanted ta go fer a bit, maybe grab some coffee at Sugar Cube Corner afterward," she politely offered. Nobody's coffee beat Granny's homestyle coffee, but Mr. and Mrs. Cake did give Granny's a run for her bits. Furthermore, it had been about three days since the Gala and I hadn't seen Spike and I was curious as to what Twilight's zebra friend had concluded about his growth spurt and how long it would last. Not even Rainbow Dash or Rarity knew what the verdict was, and those two _loved_ gossip despite Applebloom's Gabby Gums misadventure.

"Yeah sure, why not?" I shrugged, "Granny's at a sewing derby or a cook off right?" We had set off for the town.

"Nope, she's just at her sewin' club," AJ replied, "they're tryin' ta make the biggest quilt this side 'o Appaloosa," she added. "That's where my cousin Braeburn is from by the way," she reminded me. The only other time I could remember her mentioning Braeburn was when I borrowed a vest of his to wear to cover my surgical scar from my busted collar bone. As the birds around us chirped their morning song and Celestia's sun's rays poured over the mountain tops of Canterlot and the mountains around Ponyville, I was still curious about other places in Equestria to visit.

"Have you told Braeburn about me being here yet?" I asked out of the blue. I of course wouldn't be offended if she said no; we actually have been through a lot in four, nearly five months. As a matter of fact, out of all we've been through, I would be surprised if she hadn't mentioned me yet; it's not everyday a new creature just falls from the sky.

"Oh Ah write ta him occasionally," AJ explained, "mentioned you quite a few times. 'O course it took a couple letters ta him ta explain who 'n what ya are," she admitted. "But he is curious about ya 'n would like ta meet ya one 'o these days."

"Curious in meeting me to become friends or curious in meeting me to tell me to stay away from your family?" I asked, jokingly of course.

"Oh, Brae's got 'o heart 'o gold, you'd like him," Applejack chuckled and nudged my arm, "though he _does_ get on my nerves a bit bein' so hyperactive all the time. It's like he drinks a whole barrel 'o coffee every mornin'," she exaggerated.

"So, a less annoying guy version of Pinkie Pie?" I compared.

"Just about," she chuckled yet again. The castle made an appearance as we crested the hill leaving Sweet Apple Acres in the distance just beyond Ponyville before disappearing behind the tops of the houses and businesses if the town.

"I've only been here and Canterlot," I interjected, taking a quick look around the tiny village, "I wouldn't mind venturing off and visiting other parts of Equestria at some point," I daydreamed. The Apple Family Reunion had come and gone and was hosted in fact at Braeburn's Farm, though I didn't go because I was still worried that Applejack, Granny Smith, Big Mac and Applebloom would be condemned because of me. Stupid thoughts? Well yeah, but still, I don't want anything bad to come of these ponies.

"Well, if Braeburn needs us again in Appaloosa or Babs Seed needs us in Manehatten, y'all can come along this time. The family reunion was fun as always, but Ah did feel a bit empty that ya weren't there," she looked at me as we walked through town.

"I'll take that offer, not that there's anything wrong with Ponyville or to an extension your farm," I smiled and cracked my knuckles. A slight Fall breeze grazed itself on the back of my neck, sprouting up numerous goosebumps across my skin. I love feeling breezes like that, especially in this time of year; it's my favorite indicator that Winter is on its way. "Hey Applejack, can I ask you a stupid question?" I blurted out, causing a few ponies around us to snicker.

"Cougar, Ah don't know how _you_ could ask a stupid question, but ya can ask me anythin'," she assured me, looking straight at me, letting me know that she cared.

"Alright," I chuckled, "well, you guys have winter right? With snow and colder temperatures?" I asked.

"Eeyup, 'n don't forget the hot chocolate, snowball fights, snow angels 'n snugglin' in front 'o a fire," she replied. I had nodded along with all of her favorite parts of Winter until she said that last part.

"What?" I asked, dumbfounded and sure heard that wrong.

"Ya know, with a blanket hehe," she forced out a nervous laugh, a small blush appearing. _'Awkward,' _I mentally said. And as if God decided to give me a lucky break, Lyra and Bon Bon came trotting up to us, taking the awkwardness and kicking its ass out the door.

"Hey Cougar, AJ," Bon Bon greeted us. "Cougar, we just wanted to say thank you so much again for getting us tickets to the Gala!" the normally calm and collected candy making pony was jittering all around.

"Yeah, it was the BEST night of our lives!" Lyra added giddily and sipped her cola.

"Girls, girls," I calmed them down, "you've thanked me _every _day leading up to the Gala, the day of the Gala, the _night_ of the Gala, and now every day since the Gala," I explained in a tiresome voice, "you're welcome, it was my pleasure for being friends and actually seeking out to talk to me," I placed my hands on their shoulders to keep them as still as I could.

"Oh, sorry for being annoying," Lyra apologized and sipped her soda some more.

"It's just, you helped give us the best night of our relationship; we couldn't be more grateful," Bon Bon explained.

"Especially _afterwards_ back home," Lyra said in a saucy voice.

"Too much information girls!" Applejack covered her ears, "y'all just keep that in the bedroom ya hear?" the farming mare ordered. Both mares blushed like mad and looked away from Applejack.

"What she said," I agreed. Bon Bon stole Lyra's drink and took a sip of it herself, her blush dying down with every drop she drank.

"Well Cougar, if you ever need help with anything and Applejack or her family members can't help, you can come get either or both of us and we'll help you for anything you need," the dark blue and pink maned pony shook my hand.

"Duly noted Bon Bon, now AJ and I have to get to Twilight's castle before she goes crazy and starts writing down a lecture about arriving on time," I waved to the couple and AJ and I resumed our journey.

"Okay, see you two later!" Bon Bon waved back.

"Nice girls," I commented to Applejack.

"Yeah, they are really friendly, though they really don't say much ta anypony unless they're spoken ta first," Applejack pondered, "don't know what that's 'bout but none 'o my business 'o course." The memory of talking to Lyra and Bon Bon before getting the news that Luna and Celestia wanted myself and Vinyl to host the Gala resurfaced.

"You know, they agree with what you said about me Applejack," I gulped.

"What about partner?" Applejack asked as we left the edge of the town, staying on the path to the ever growing castle in front of us.

"About, you know, me being attracted to mares at all. They said pretty much the same thing you did and would support me if it ever happened," I explained, still feeling awkward and uncomfortable about being attracted to the female of a species that wasn't human. Though I could picture them as aliens that just so happen to resemble ponies from back home, as every different color of the rainbow and then some.

"Oh, right. Well Ah don't think you should be ashamed 'o that Cougar. Now Ah know my friends do tease ya about it, but they support ya too," she informed me. We had arrived at the front door to the castle where I was about to continue my thought.

"That's all fine and good, but-" I began before we were joined by other members of our circle of friends.

"Hey guys, glad we caught up with ya!" Rainbow waved her hoof from the air.

"Yeah, we were just about to head to Sweet Apple Acres to get you Applejack," Twilight added. "I'm still trying to formulate a theory about the castle. And hello Cougar," she added, using her magic to throw open the castle doors.

"Come on Twilight, you talk more about your fancy shmanshy castle than I do about parties and cupcakes!" Pinkie Pie stuffed a cupcake into her mouth. "Not that there's anything wrong with your castle Twilight," the pink mare swallowed.

"Um, wouldn't a muffin be a more suitable breakfast choice Pinkie?" I asked her. She cocked her head at my like a confused puppy. "Right, I forgot who I'm talking to, sorry Pinkie," the mares all trotted inside the castle while I held open the door.

"Come on, ya've gone over this several times already Twi," Applejack mentioned to the alicorn that was mumbling to herself. We had all entered the castle and made our way to the throne room where Spike was curled up, asleep on a chair in the circle of thrones. Everypony hopped into their respective throne, literally for Pinkie Pie, with the exception of Twilight.

"Well it just doesn't make sense," Twilight argued as I sat down next to AJ's throne on the floor. I didn't mind since I was still eye level with all the ponies. Rainbow Dash groaned and slapped herself in the face.

"Would you just give it a rest and accept it Twilight?" She demanded, "you've gone over this a MILLION times!" She exclaimed. "We got all of the keys, defeated that jerk Tirek, and to top it all off, this SWEET CASTLE!" She declared, standing on her hind legs.

"Yes, I understand that Rainbow," Twilight agreed, "but _why_? Knowing something and understanding something are two completely different things." Applejack tapped her hoof on the side of her throne that had her cutie mark on the back to get Twilight's attention.

"Look Sugarcube, ya ever think it's just yer new house 'n that's it? Kinda like a reward fer defeatin' Tirek?" she suggested. Twilight held her foreleg to her chin, thinking about the theory.

"If I may interject," I raised my hand.

"Oh, go ahead Cougar, what's your idea?" Fluttershy politely questioned.

"I'm gonna have to agree with Applejack Twilight," I said in an apologetic tone.

"_Of course you agree with her,"_ Rarity said under her breath, but not in a mean tone, but in a 'that's not surprising' tone.

"Maybe you're just looking into it too much," I offered, "I'm curious about it too, but you might be thinking too hard," I explained. as the others began to agree with each other that the castle was sweet and Twilight was probably looking into it too hard, I noticed that as they were sitting, their cutie mark etchings were beginning to hum and glow. I didn't say anything in case they all thought I was crazy.

"I'm the Princess of Friendship and it's my duty to spread it all over Equestria. So why would the tree of harmony want all six of us to sit in a castle here in Ponyville?" Twilight asked us, "it doesn't make any sense!" She yelled and jumped into her throne. Suddenly, as if by the flick of a switch, all the thrones' cutie marks and the cutie marks on my friends began to glow and hum simultaneously. Light shot out of each throne and shined onto a bigger version of Twilight's cutie mark on the golden floor of the castle.

"Woah," I sat up as the castle felt like it was going through an earthquake and I held onto Applejack's throne so I wouldn't fall. The floor began to break up and jagged pieces shot up like miniature mountains from the floor. Everyone, except a still asleep Spike, looked on with astonishment and horror as a circular object made an appearance from where the floor was breaking apart.

When all was said and done, what appeared to be a giant 3-D circular _map_ was resting in the middle of all the thrones. Nopony said a word as we all stared at the map that just appeared from nowhere. It sort of looked like those 3-D maps from Star Wars!

"Hmm?" The dragon groaned and yawned as the sandman allowed his slumber to cease. "Hey," Spike said as he scratched his back and looked at the map, "is that new? I like it," he said. "Sweet, this thing's got all of Equestria on it!"

* * *

**(One Map explanation Later. Cougar's POV)**

"Boy, it seems like you girls got a Charlie's Angels situation going on," I joked after they all discussed how the map worked and that their butts would vibrate from their cutie marks whenever there was a 'Friendship Problem' anywhere in Equestria and they would head on out to fix it. "Yeah I've got to explain a lot more to you guys than I already have," I scratched the back of my neck when I was met with a lot of blank stares.

"What's Charlie's Angels darling?" Rarity questioned.

"A show about a rich guy named Charlie who has three women who he calls his 'Angels' do tasks for them by telling them to do it over a phone or a radio," I explained.

"Oh, sounds cool. Was it the bestest show you've ever seen!?" Pinkie Pie bubbly asked me.

"No I never really watched it," I replied. "So, Twilight, is Spike gonna shrink back down at all?" I asked her, trying to deter the conversation a little. Twilight looked up from studying the location of where the map told her to go.

"Right," Twilight looked at Spike as he stomped over a few towns and villages on the map like Godzilla, "Zecora explained that because his growth was caused by selfless actions rather than selfish actions, he's growth is permanent," Twilight explained.

"Yep, take a look at my muscles, they're sticking around forever now ladies!" Spike flexed his arm muscles in front of Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy. The three clapped their hooves for the dragon.

"Sweet, we got ourselves our own bodyguard now!" Rainbow Dash joked and lightly punched the dragon on his shoulder.

"Well, then I guess you won't be my _Wittle _Spikey-Wikey anymore?" Rarity giggled, forcing a blush onto the dragon's cheeks.

"Nice Spike, now yer not gonna let this go ta yer head right?" Applejack asked him. Spike lowered his arm and shook his head back and forth. "Good boy," Applejack patted his head.

"Anyway, come on girls, we've got a friendship problem to fix," Twilight urged the six to leave. "Spike, do you wanna go?" she offered her son. Spike reached behind his chair and pulled on a football-type helmet complete with soda cans and holders with straws on the sides. He hopped down from the table and took a few sips of soda before pulling out packs of cards.

"No thanks Mom," he replied, "Big Mac and I are gonna hang out all weekend and trade Hoofball cards, talk about Hoofball, argue about stats and who is the best player and all that good stuff," he smiled brightly to Twilight. The alicorn reached over and hugged her son tightly.

"Okay then, be safe Spike and don't get too heated about Hoofball again; we don't want a repeat of the Crystal Empire Hoofball game," she reminded the dragon who innocently whistled. Just as the six were about to head off, Applejack cleared her throat next to me.

"Hey Cowboy, ya wanna come with us? Always room fer one more," she offered with a hopeful smile. The others agreed and tried to coax me into going as well. This was a little weird considering AJ and I just discussed going to different places.

"Thanks AJ, but no thanks," I held my hand up. Applejack's face turned into one of confusion as she shook her head. Her cowgirl hat was threatening to fly off at any second.

"But, ya were just talkin' 'bout wantin' ta see 'n visit other places in Equestria!" She countered.

"Yeah, as friends for like a vacation or just a spur of the moment deal," I explained. "If you six are going for your royal duties or whatever, I don't want to get in the way," I said, "or bother you guys with complaining if you were done," I added. The next thing I knew, my ribs felt like they were being crushed over by a steamroller, carrying Godzilla who was being sat on by King Kong. I felt air not being able to get to my lungs and in the reflection of one of the windows, I saw my face turning blue.

"Don't worry Cougar!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she squeezed me tighter than ever, "there's no _possible_ way you could annoy us!" She smiled cheerfully.

"Uh Pinkie, yer hurtin' him!" Applejack exclaimed, biting her lower lip. Unfortunately for me, Pinkie ignored her.

"Come on, it'll be fun! I'll keep you company by singing every song I know, talking about my favorite words to say, my favorite goodies to eat, my favorite books to read! It'll be a blast!" She shook me as she squeezed me. "What do ya say?!" She grinned at me.

"A-a-a-air!" I wheezed out. Finally the overzealous pony released me from her death grip, dropping me onto the floor where my lungs sucked in that sweet lady, oxygen. "I think you bruised a rib!" I exclaimed when my face returned to it's regular complexion. "As much fun as that sounds," I coughed, "that makes me even more confident to say: Just take a trip for yourselves ladies, you've earned it."

"You're 120% sure that's what you want Cougar?" Rainbow Dash hovered in front of me, "there might be some serious butt that needs kicking, do you really want to miss that?!" She tried to coax me.

"No thanks Dash," I repeated, "just bring me back a souvenir if you want, I won't hold it against you," I assured them with a smirk.

"Okay, good to know," Twilight spoke up, "if that's everything, we've got a job girls!" She opened the doors to the castle with her magic, urging the other five to hurry their flanks up and move.

"Goodbye Cougar," Applejack softly hugged me to not risk injuring my ribs any further than what Pinkie already did, "we shouldn't be gone too long. Just keep an eye on Applebloom since Big Mac'll be here all weekend 'n Granny is workin' on that quilt 'o hers at her sewin' club," she asked me.

"I'll do what I can Applejack," I returned the hug before pushing her away lightly. "But right now I think you have a problem to solve with your friends," I kept urging her to leave not because I wanted to, but to avoid Twilight becoming bossy again.

"Bye Coug, Spike!" Rainbow Dash flew out of the door.

"Bye, bye you two!" Pinkie Pie Pepe-La-Pew exited out of the castle.

"Ta-ta darlings!" Rarity called.

"Take care," Fluttershy softly trotted away.

"Be good Spike!" Twilight added.

"See y'all later!" Applejack shouted. As the doors softly shut, cutting myself and Spike's vision of the six ponies, we both stood awkwardly in silence. We were still pretty okay friends since the whole Estrus weekend, but we didn't really hang out all that much.

"So, unless I bump into Big Mac in town, I'll let him know you're waiting for him Spike," I stuffed my hands in my jeans.

"Thanks Cougar, but before you go," the dragon hopped from the table and landed in front of me, preventing my inevitable exit back to the farm. "Did you guys have Hoofball where you're from?" He asked.

"Uh, no," I laughed, amused. "We did have something that looks similar," I referenced the helmet still on his head, "but it was called Football even though they didn't use their foot that often. Interestingly though, there were several horse teams. Like the Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts. There was even a Buffalo Bills team," I added.

"Cool, were you into it?" He asked.

"No, I was more into NASCAR," I replied opening the door. "See ya later kid," I said my goodbye and headed back to the farm to hang out with Applebloom, that is unless the other Crusaders had plans. And knowing the Crusaders, especially Scootaloo, they'd probably be gone all day long until dinner time. Now I didn't mind if Applebloom did want to spend all day with her friends; friends at her age are extremely important. However, since she's practically a little sister now, I'd like to spend more one on one time with her.

I kept mulling over different activities Bloom and I could do on a crisp and slightly chilly Autumn day. With the wind blowing leaves up into the air and making them dance in twirls and spirals before landing on the ground only to repeat the cycle until the wind stopped, playing catch with the remaining apple carcasses sounded like a fun idea. Or maybe we could practice her self-defense skills a little more, that could be fun. Or possibly make some hot cocoa and watch a movie or two on my iPad.

Whilst strolling through the middle of Ponyville alone, something that was still pretty rare for me, my mind kept wandering to the mission that the map sent Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash on. Adding to Charlie's Angels, the map also reminded me of Knight Rider with Devon giving Michael Knight his missions from a video screen. And what I said was the honest to God truth. Because the girls were sent on a mission instead of going for fun or as a vacation, I wouldn't want to go for fear of getting in the way or becoming a hostage to the bad guy they may have to fight. If a centaur could suck magic out of ponies, then I'm sure _I_ could easily become a hostage to whatever the six had to face.

Of course, I wanted all of them to get their duties done and get back safe. Just like Stinger was sort of like the Ghostrider Squadron's Grandfather, always looking out for us and wishing us to get back safe. And I knew Applejack could very well take care of herself, but I wanted her to be safe as well, more safe than any of the others. Caring about her safety deeper than any of the other five ponies was pretty selfish, yet it was the truth. Would I be sad if the others got hurt? Absolutely; they're still my friends. However, if Applejack came back injured, I don't know what I would do.

That dance at the Gala opened my eyes, but I was still in no way, shape or from ready to tell Applejack how felt. I would be even friendlier around her and just maybe offer to take her to dinner more often. The memory of Applejack's leg getting bitten by that Timberwolf reappeared once again and how sad I was that I allowed it to happen. I'd probably lose my mind if she came back injured again and become one of those overbearing-

"Woah there, wake up Cougar!" Big Mac's deep, booming voice burst my thought bubble.

"Wha!?" I exclaimed, blinking several times and looking around to see Big Mac's red furry face in mine right in front of the Town Hall. "Oh sorry Mac," I apologized and dusted off his muzzle. "Guess my mind got in the way of my sight," I stepped away from the red stallion.

"Whatcha got on yer mind there?" he asked me, stepping out of the way of a few ponies entering the Town Hall.

"Oh, Applejack and her friends just shipped themselves off to some village to solve a friendship problem," I explained. The stallion sighed with a knowing roll of his eyes and a chuckle.

"'Sides Applebuckin' 'n bein' stubborn 'n honest, solvin' problems like that is what she's good at," Big Mac soothed my worry. "By the way, is Spike ready fer our big weekend hang out?" he questioned.

"Uh yeah he's ready," I replied, "but Big Mac, can I ask you something?" I asked him.

"Why sure Cougar," his right ear twitched slightly, "is somethin' the matter?" Hoping to make it sound like I was a friend who was worried more than making it obvious I had feelings for the mare, I asked my question in as normal a tone as I could. Though it probably still came off as suspicious as Hell.

"You've been watching your sister go off and do stuff like this in other parts of Equestria for over four years right?"

"Eeyup, what about it?" Big Mac leaned his foreleg against the railing.

"Well, when she first went off and probably a few times afterwards, how did you cope with her being gone? And the possibility of her being hurt?" The stallion clicked his tongue several times, squinted his green eyes and tapped the wooden railing with his hoof.

"'O course Ah was worried, 'n Ah'm always worried 'bout when my two baby sisters go off somewhere out 'o Ponyville on their own," Big Mac explained, "though the first time AJ left Ponyville fer a dangerous mission so to speak, Ah was scared 'n tried to focus on my chores ta take my mind off the situation."

"Did it work?" I blinked.

"No; AJ loves workin' the farm as much as Ah do; it just made me feel worse 'cause the farm ain't the same without her. So to cope, Ah always tossed as many apples as Ah could into our barrels one by one instead 'o puttin' them in buckets 'n haulin' 'em over ta the barrels. Fer every one Ah made, it took my mind off that AJ was gone, but fer every one Ah missed, it made me scared that she could get injured out there without her big brother to protect her."

"How often did you do that?" I pressed on.

"'Bout every time she 'n her friends had ta leave town fer 'bout the first year," he replied, still in his flashback voice. "Until one day when she went off, we didn't have any apples ta toss into barrels. Instead Ah just went into Ponyville 'n walked around for hours on end, clearin' my head. 'N ya know what happened Cougar?" He asked me a question.

"What?"

"She came back as strong, independent, honest 'n stubborn as before. 'Cause 'o that, Ah knew from then on Ah had _nothin'_ ta worry about when she left, so it don't bother me as much anymore," he concluded. "'N that was actually when she left fer Manehatten by herself to become a fancy city pony with our Aunt 'n Uncle Orange. It was right after," the stallion paused, a small tear escaped his eye, "well, after somethin' happened. Granny 'n Ah cried just 'bout every night when she was gone," he wiped the tear from his eye and cleared his throat.

"Thanks Big Mac, that really helps," I offered him my hand which he accepted and shook it.

"That's right, ya haven't had ta see her off for one 'o these before," he chuckled yet again. "Trust me Cougar, she'll be fine. Ah know how much ya appreciate her friendship," he pushed himself off the Town Hall railing. "Ah'll see ya come Monday; Ah gotta knock some sense into Spike 'bout Hoofball," he said his goodbye and walked away. Taking off my hat and running a hand through my ever growing hair, I let out a sigh of relief and set back for home.

* * *

**(At Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)**

When the small dust cloud around my shoes settled as I stepped foot back under the Sweet Apple Acres sign, I spotted just the filly I was looking for. Applebloom was sitting on her flank, moving a pebble around with her fore hoof. What was going on? I picked up the pace a little, kicking up more dirt and dust around my pant legs. "Hey, Bloom, what are you up to?" I asked her.

The little school filly slowly turned her head up from her little pile of rocks, a sort of glare plastered onto her usually cheery face. "_What?_" She asked in a grumpy voice. "I'm busy organizin' my rocks," she grumbled and turned back away from me. '_Holy crap, serious attitude,' _I thought to myself, taken aback by Applebloom's sudden mood. The only time she sounded a little grumpy like this was when she came home from not getting a cutie mark.

"Just seeing what you're doing. You're sister, brother and Granny are all doing their own thing for the weekend, so I thought you and I could do something," I offered and softly stroked her back like I would a dog.

"Could ya do somethin' other than touch me?" Applebloom shook my hand away and stood up from her pile of rocks. Her head was drooped low, even her cute hair bow.

"Hey, is everything alright there Bloomin' Onion?" I asked, very concerned for her feelings.

"'N stop callin' me that! That's the dumbest nickname ever!" She exclaimed, making me jump and hit a tree branch. "What'd y'all have in mind ta do anyway?" She said, still cranky, "my rocks are borin' me 'n Sweetie Belle 'n Scootaloo are busy," Applebloom didn't seem to care I hit my head and just kept walking back to the house.

"Okay _Applebloom_," I said her name in an unsure tone, trying to not piss her off any more than she was. But the question remained: Why was she so cranky and grumpy? "Is everything okay?" I asked her again.

"Yes, everythin' is fine, why do ya ask?" Applebloom's tone was now a more cheerful one, okay then. Shaking it off and taking advantage of her more happy demeanor I read off the list of things I hoped to do today.

"Uh, well, I was thinking maybe we could play catch with some leftover apple carcasses and a wooden bucket, maybe spar again and sharpen your self defense tactics or make some hot cocoa, curl up and watch some movies on my iPad in the living room?" I suggested. The yellow filly's right eyebrow shot up as she studied my offers for stuff to do today. For a brief moment, she said nothing, not even muttering to herself.

"Really? Is that all ya came up with? Did ya even try?" Applebloom rolled her eyes and spoke to me in a condescending voice.

"Jeez Applebloom, what the hell crawled up your butt?" I angrily asked. I knew I probably shouldn't have said something like that in an angry voice, but I don't appreciate being talked to like that, kid or adult, girl or guy.

"How about lunch?" She asked in a chipper tone, "Ah'm starvin'!" She Applebloom exclaimed and ran in a little circle to showcase her excitement for food. I stood in my spot right in front of the house as she did her little dance on the porch. My mouth was agape and my mind was scrambling trying to figure this situation out. I swear Stevie Wonder could have better luck picking out a criminal in a police lineup!

"B-but it's only 11:00!" I refrained from egging the filly on.

"Aww, but Ah'm _hungry _Cougar, _please?"_ The filly begged and put on her puppy dog face, complete only with her quivering lower lip. Finally, my brain and mouth synced up and I could form intelligible and consistent sentences again.

"What'd you have in mind for lunch Applebloom?" I bent down and ruffled her red mane, still careful as to not swing her mood needle back to angry. The pony threw the door to the house open and trotted inside the kitchen with me following her in tow. She stopped in the middle of the kitchen and studied the room, taking in all of the ingredients that Granny had stored in the pantry and the refrigerator to decide what to eat.

Applebloom's tummy growled like a rabid wolverine moving in on a kill, startling the school filly. "Hehe, sorry," she blushed in embarrassment. "Well, Ah can't decide on anythin', how 'bout ya surprise me Cougar?" She hopped up onto a chair with her forelegs on the table, propping her up. "Please?" She added, again with the puppy face. Winona came running in and barking up a storm, clawing at the door that hid her dog food.

"I'll feed Winona first and then how about tomato soup and toast?" I suggested.

"Sounds good ta me," she clutched her stomach with her leg, "ooh, my tummy's a hurtin'," she grimaced.

"You sure you're okay Bloom?" I opened up Winona's food bag and dumped a cup into her food bowl. She barked a thank you and began devouring her kibble. Slamming her hooves on the table, Applebloom gave me a death glare.

"If Ah said Ah was okay before, what makes ya think Ah'm not okay now?" She asked in an eerily calm yet angry voice, "Ah just got a lil kick in my tummy, nothin' ta get worked up about," she added, crossing her legs over her chest.

"Sorry I asked," I muttered and grabbed a can of tomato soup from the pantry. The thought surprised me that Granny bothered to have canned soups when she had all the fresh ingredients literally in her own backyard. Although thinking about it, it does make sense for when the winter months roll around and the Apple family is bound to run out of fresh ingredients, especially with the way Applejack eats. Though I would never mention that to her, just my own thoughts."Do you want wheat or white bread for your toast?" I held up a bag of white bread in one hand and a bag of wheat bread in the other.

"White please, 'n with butter, not that margarine crap that Applejack likes ta push on me," the filly impatiently replied, slowly moving her hoof across the wooden table top. As I turned the stove on and dumped the tomato soup into a pot followed by some milk for a creamier texture, the only sounds in the kitchen were the ticking of a clock and Winona still gobbling down her food, only pausing to take drinks of water.

_'It's like I'm talking to a pregnant chick,' _I pondered, stirring the red soup in the pot. Putting some bread in the toaster for the both of us, my mind kept wandering. _'Now I feel bad about making fun of Reaper when his wife was pregnant,' _I joked, cracking a small smile. "Did AJ say how long she'd be gone?" Applebloom asked.

"The girls said probably the whole weekend, so hopefully she'll be back around Sunday night," I retorted.

"Meh," she said in response, sort of groggily. Of course I wanted to again ask how she was doing, but I'd have better luck sticking a steak sauce coated arm into the cage of a pissed off Brown Bear. After about another ten minutes of silent stirring and tasting, the soup was fully prepared. I poured a bowl each for myself and Bloom and set the steaming bowls of soup on the table before grabbing plates for the pieces of toast.

"Soups on," I declared, sitting across from Applebloom, "literally," I winked with a cheesy grin. Setting a spoon into my bowl and bringing the creamy goodness up to my mouth, the warm, tomatoey liquid ran down my throat like a waterfall. "Mmm," I licked my lips while taking a breath, "good huh?" I asked my lunch companion. The little pony in question had tipped the bowl back so she could slurp it like a bowl of coffee. She didn't respond with words; her slurping was good enough. "So, how's school going Applebloom?" She had just begun school about a week before the Gala and she actually didn't mention it that much.

"It's school, it's there," she paused, wiping her mouth with a napkin before taking a bite out of her slice of toast.

"Well, is the homework hard?" I pressed on, taking a swig of Cider.

"What? Do ya think Ah'm too _stupid_ ta know how ta do homework?!" She set her bowl down pretty hard. "Could ya do me a favor 'n shut yer mouth fer at least five minutes so Ah can get some peace 'n quiet?" she sarcastically asked me before taking another bite of toast. My spoon clattered onto the wooden table, my hand going slightly numb at the filly's comment. What happened to the happy-go-lucky filly that loved to hang out with me and always looked to the positive side of things?

"Hey, I never tell anyone this, but how about a little respect and appreciation Applebloom?" '_Stop talking you idiot; you'll just make it worse!' _My mind's analytical side fought my aggressive side.

"Respect 'n appreciation fer what?" She asked, tossing her piece of toast into the trash and pouring the rest of her soup down the drain. "Respect 'n appreciation fer making such a crappy lunch? Even Sweetie Belle could make a better meal than this!" she tossed her now empty bowl into the sink which surprisingly didn't shatter from the force of her toss.

"You know what? If you want space and for me to shut up, then fine," I downed the rest of my soup and polished off my toast, "be that way. I don't want to do anything with you until you change your damned attitude," I glared at the little filly. Her response surprised the hell out of me. Her eyes began to water and she sniffled.

"_Why are ya yellin' at me?"_ She snapped her eyes shut, squirting some tears out and running off up the stairs, closing her door shut with a slam.

"OH COME ON!" I shouted and kicked the wall, stubbing my big toe. "What am I supposed to do Winona?" I asked the dog. Winona cocked her head from side to side, whining slightly before letting out a little yelp. "Yeah, look at me, I'm asking a fucking dog for advice," I sat down on the sofa in the living room, running a hand through my hair as my hat was cast aside onto the little side table.

I covered my eyes with my hand, rubbing them lightly to try and help my brain relax from frying itself attempting to decipher what was going on with one of my best friends. I already knew girls were mysteries wrapped in an enigma and a riddle, but girls her age were pretty easy to figure out. Maybe Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are getting to her again at school. Perhaps a chat with Cheerilee was in order, and that wouldn't be too hard to schedule because Big Mac and her were still dating.

The slow, hypnotic ticking of the clock in the living room and the slight creaks of the wooden house fell upon my eardrums as I lay on the couch silently, just gathering my thoughts. Normally I'd use the magic of my favorite music to calm my attitude down and to let my brain juices start flowing like the Nile River, but that simply wasn't going to work right now. I certainly wasn't angry or upset; that couldn't be possible when it came to Applebloom because she was so sweet, innocent and adorable. Choosing what emotion or emotions I was feeling at the moment was not an easy choice.

I've never felt sad, confused and empty all at the same time before. Sad because Applebloom was yelling at me and acting rather harsh, confused because I didn't know why her emotions were more chaotic than Discord on opposite day and empty because I felt helpless that I couldn't help her feel better. Still, despite every fiber of my being wanting to throw my arms around the filly and hug her, I knew that might piss her off too, or it might make her cry.

How long had I been laying here exactly? I craned my neck up to look at the clock only to discover the minute hand had only moved two spots ahead. I groaned and put a pillow over my face. Watching movies on my iPad would only remind me of the activity I had suggested to Applebloom and make me feel even worse. It sounded like nothing more than a hollow dream now. If only Big Mac or Granny Smith were here, they'd know how to handle a disgruntled Applebloom. I never really liked kids back on Earth, but I made exceptions for the fillies and colts running around Equestria.

"Laying down on my ass won't get the dishes cleaned," I finally sat up from my five minute stint on the couch and re-entered the kitchen to clean the pot, bowls and plates we had used to eat lunch. However, just as I flipped up the lever on the sink and hot water started to melt away the toast crumbs and drying tomato soup in the bowls, I could hear muffled crying and painful groans coming from upstairs. Yet again, I was on the fence about racing upstairs to help or to just let Bloom have the space she desired. The groaning and crying finally stopped after about a minute or two of scrubbing dishes. It's hard to explain how my ears feel after have continuous noise flowing into my ear canals only to have it stop abruptly. Everything just seems, quieter.

"**_COUGAR!"_** Applebloom's voice screamed so loud that I jumped and accidentally threw the bowl in my hand up to the ceiling where it shattered and the pieces fell onto the floor, missing me. I could've sworn a few upstairs windows shattered with that scream. "**_HELP MEEEEEEEEE!" _**She screamed from upstairs again. Wasting no time, I spun around on my heel and ran like Satan's personal Hell Hounds were trying to chase me and drag me down to the bowels of Hell. Everything in the house became an indecipherable blur as I raced by the kitchen, the living room, the stairs and the hallway upstairs to Applebloom's bedroom.

"APPLEBLOOM!?" I pounded my fist on her door like a jackhammer, "APPLEBLOOM?!" I shouted again and pushed the door open. "What's the matter?" I asked as I dashed into the room and stopped in front of, an empty bed. "Where are you!?" my mind went into protective friend/military officer mode.

"Ah'm in the, ow! Bathroom," I heard hear reply painfully. Pushing my feet off the floor, I ran to the bathroom so hard I almost had a Kool-Aid man experience, but luckily I stopped short and just threw the door open.

"Bloom, what's the matter honey?" I instantly collapsed onto my knees and had my hands on her shoulders. Tears were streaming down her face and her eyes were red and puffy. The only response I got was a few sniffles and unintelligible babbling. "Honey, just take a deep breath and tell me what's the matter," I said softly and stroked her mane to help calm her down. The filly swallowed and took a big breath for me before looking into my eyes.

"Ah-Ah don't know w-what's wrong with me! Ah've got a tummy ache, but Ah'm cravin' glazed doughnuts!" She cried, "'n my joints hurt like somepony's squeezin' 'em in a vice," she tearfully explained.

"O-okay, do you want me to get you some pain pills from the kitchen?" I questioned, but she wasn't done yet.

"Not only that, Ah've got so much pain in my," she hesitated to say the word, "_lady area_," she whispered, "'n Ah just checked, 'n Ah'm _bleedin' _down there too! Ah'm so scared!" She buried her face into my stomach and cried again. Looking onto the floor below her, I saw a few tissues with streaks of blood on the white surfaces and some droplets falling onto the bathroom floor, yet I didn't look in her area.

"Oh shit," I said about as scared as Applebloom. "Bloom, has Ms. Cheerilee taught you about when you become a mare?" I asked. Pulling her head away from my chest, she wiped her eyes again.

"N-no," she replied.

"Well then crap ,you're on your first period," I bluntly said.

"P-period?" She asked in a squeaky voice.

"It's your first step to becoming a mare," I quickly explained, "but does Applejack have any pads under the sink?" I asked.

"Pads? Uh, AH DON'T KNOW!" She wailed again. "Ah just hurt so much 'n Ah'm so scared Cougar, please help me!" She begged and threw her legs around my torso. Well shit, if Applejack doesn't have pads, I don't know what to do. And I'm not buying those kinds of products at the store. I wouldn't know what kind and size to buy and a guy buying them is just, off-putting.

"Just let me think," I set her on top of the counter with a red towel below her lower area. I kicked my brain into overdriving, trying to think of a way to help my friend's pain and scared demeanor vanish. "We'll get you through this," I promised her. My eyes popped open as I was reminded of the memory of this morning.

_"Well Cougar, if you ever need help with anything and Applejack or her family members can't help, you can come get either or both of us and we'll help you for anything you need," _Bon Bon's voice from this morning echoed in my mind.

"It may not be what she was talking about, but it's better than nothing," I whispered. "Applebloom, come on, we're leaving," I picked her up from the ground by her front legs, begin careful not to touch her lower area with my arm so I wouldn't hurt her, the blood wasn't an issue.

"W-where are we going?" She asked painfully as her lower area was still radiating with agony.

"Lyra and Bon Bon right now are your only hopes to help; I don't know what to do and since your sister and her friends are all busy, what choice do we have?" I asked her.

"Ah guess that makes sense," she agreed, still shuffling around. Flipping her over onto her back like a baby, I ran out of the house with her in my arms.

* * *

**(Bon Bon's Candy Bowl. Cougar's POV.)**

We got numerous stares from everypony in town what with our odd positions, but I pushed all of those stares away and set the filly in my arms down to the ground. Bon Bon's candy shop was sitting right in front of us as I knocked on the door profusely. Through the window on the door, I saw Lyra sitting up and trotting over happily. "I'm coming, I'm coming calm the Tartarus down," she opened the door where I almost punched her horn.

"Hey watch where you hit my marefriend!" Bon Bon jumped from behind her counter. "who's trying to kill you?" the Earth mare jokingly asked. Wheezing, I bent down with my hands on my knees and sat down on a bench inside the candy shop.

"A-A-Applebloom," I coughed.

"Yeah, what about her?" Lyra escorted the filly inside.

"She's on her period!" I blurted out after finally catching my breath. Both Lyra and Bon Bon's face froze like statues after hearing the surprising information. They blinked a few times before shaking their heads back and forth.

"Did you just say-" Lyra held her leg around Applebloom's head.

"YES! She's on her first period and we need your help please, I don't know what to do!" I begged for help. Bon Bon patted me on the back and handed me a glass of water which I chugged down immediately.

"Are you okay sweetie?" Lyra knelt down to Applebloom's level. She explained to Lyra the same thing she did to me, complete with the cramps, pain and bleeding. "Aw, come here Applebloom," the mint colored unicorn hugged Applebloom.

"You came to the right girls Cougar," Bon Bon congratulated me. "I'll close up shop and we'll all go to the store for what she needs," she told me.

"Well, we can just use Lyra, I don't want you to lose business Bon Bon," I solemnly said. The dark blue and pink maned pony waved her hoof in front of my face, letting me know not to worry too much.

"A filly is on her first period. She's hurting and frightened, this goes far beyond making and selling candy Cougar," Lyra told me as she opened the door for Applebloom, myself and Bon Bon to exit the store.

"We need you too Cougar, somepony as tall as you can help reach the higher shelves," Bon Bon added, shoving me out of the shop before locking up. Lyra walked ahead with Applebloom while Bon Bon walked back with me as we made our way to the store. "So, how long has it been going on?" The candy pony asked me.

"Uh, she just experienced the bleeding and the cramping, so not too long," I replied, trying to think of when this all started.

"Did she seem cranky, grumpy, indecisive about everything?" She continued to ask me.

"Now that you mention it, I've been home from taking Applejack to the castle for about two hours," I explained, "she was just really grumpy at me and yelled at me a lot," I added. Bon Bon slapped her face with her hoof and groaned.

"It's been going on for two hours and you just _now_ come to us?!" She berated me, "you should have come to us a long time ago Cougar!" She raised her voice.

"Hey I'm sorry, I'm no expert on PMS!" I growled back at her.

"At least you did come to us, that was your first smart move. We're more than happy to help since Applejack is gone," Bon Bon said when we entered the store. Because it was Friday and the afternoon was just starting, a few teenage ponies were gathering chips, drinks and candy for a weekend away from the school year just starting or older ponies were getting alcoholic beverages for a weekend of partying. We stopped at the front of the store, looking around.

"Lyra, it's still hurtin'," Applebloom suppressed more tears.

"Lyra, you take Applebloom and help get her pain pills and pads while Cougar and I get whipped cream, chocolate sauce, pickles, chips, peanut butter and cookies," Bon Bon ordered her marefriend, "we'll meet back up at the checkout line," she added. Lyra winked her golden eye at Bon Bon and gently escorted Applebloom to the feminine product aisle while Bon Bon grabbed a shopping cart and pushed it around.

"Woah, do we really need to get a bunch of sweets for her?" I asked when the pony shoved a few bottles of chocolate sauce into the cart, "she's not pregnant," I added.

"For the love of Celestia Cougar, don't you know how these things work?" She scoffed. "When mares go into their periods, they hurt, get extremely cranky, emotional and get weird food cravings," She said in a duh tone. We rounded a corner into another aisle where Bon Bon ordered me to grab five bags of potato chips from the top shelf since those were the fresher bags.

"Oh sorry," I rolled my eyes, "when I first hit puberty, the only cravings I got could be solved in twenty minutes!" I exclaimed only to have a hoof slap me upside the head. "OW!" I yelled and rubbed my head.

"That's nasty Cougar, stop talking like that," she said through gritted teeth. Shaking it off, Bon Bon had me grab two jars of pickles from another shelf.

"Bon Bon, can I ask you something?"

"What's on your mind?" She grabbed some jars of peanut butter and cookies that looked suspiciously like Oreos.

"How do I handle it when she gets emotional? I know she doesn't mean what she says when she says hurtful things, but that fact doesn't make it hurt any less," I asked. Bon Bon stopped the cart and sighed, tapping her hooves on the handle.

"There's pretty much nothing you can do Cougar," she revealed, "all you can do is let her breath and help her let out her emotions and eat her junk food; it really makes it better for both mares and stallions," She explained.

"But how do I help her let her emotions out?"

"Again, feed her the junk food and tell her a sad story, that's better than letting her emotions out through anger," Bon Bon resumed walking with the cart, grabbing cans of whipped cream from the dairy section.

"I've got sad movies on my iPad, will that help?"

"Anything sad will do," she reiterated. "Okay, we've got enough junk food to feed Celestia's guard, almost enough," Bon Bon practically cleared the peanut butter shelf of creamy peanut butter.

"I wonder if Applejack is having a better time than I am," I pondered out loud. Once Bon Bon said we had gotten enough, she took me to the front of the store where Lyra's cart was full of, well I'd rather not say. But those pain pill bottles were fucking huge!

"Okay, we're all done here," Lyra announced as Applebloom was still uncomfortably fidgeting around. I stood behind the three as the checkout pony gulped at the large quantity of supplies we had chosen.

"Thanks girls," I thanked Bon Bon and Lyra.

"Anything for a friend and a filly in need," Lyra replied. "Now Applebloom, remember what I told you about putting these on," she reminded the filly. I stuck my fingers in my ear, not needing nor wanting to hear what she had to say.

"Comes to 66 bits please," the cashier held out his hoof. Without even questioning, Bon Bon pulled out a Fifty-Bit coin, a ten-bit coin, a five-bit coin and a one-bit coin for the cashier.

"I can't tell you how much we appreciate this," I said for the second time when everything was all bagged up and we exited the store.

"You two take care, we've got some more candy to sell," Lyra handed us the bags of stuff.

"We will Lyra, come on Bloom."

* * *

**(Back at the Ranch. Cougar's POV)**

We didn't say much on the walk home. In fact, we didn't say anything at all as I carried every bag for the still downtrodden filly. She practically sulked when we walked back through the front door and I set all the bags down on the kitchen table, taking all of the junk food out and setting it on the counter. Applebloom quickly grabbed the bag of her, things, and walked upstairs to the bathroom. Instead of sitting down and waiting, I put the jars of pickles in the fridge, along with the whipped cream. The jars of peanut butter, bags of chips and bags of cookies stayed on the kitchen counter. As for the chocolate sauce, I stuck those in the pantry.

"Ahem," Applebloom cleared her throat nervously and entered the kitchen.

"Hey scamp," I ruffled her hair kindly, "is it working?" I asked stupidly. She actually giggled in response and leaned closer to my hand.

"Well, Ah don't see anymore blood, but it still hurts," she replied. Whirling around, I grabbed the mega-sized bottle of pain pills and cracked open a can of soda for her.

"Here, take this Bloom," I said with a smile. The filly smiled in response and gulped down two pills and the can of soda. She gave me a cute little burp as a thank you and threw the empty can away. "So, anything else you wanna do?" I asked her, kneeling down on my knees. Her lower lip began to quiver and her eyes watered again. _'Oh Christ, not again,' _I thought and braced myself for another emotional roller coaster. Still blubbering, she couldn't get any words out, but she stood in place, not being able to move.

My parental instincts kicked in, causing me to scoop her up like a baby again and walk her over to the couch where I laid down with her on my chest. My arms snaked around her torso, embracing her in a tight hug. "Shh, it's okay Applebloom, you're gonna be okay, I'll be sure of that," I assured her with a kiss to her forehead.

"Ah-Ah'm sorry Cougar," She breathed heavily out crying.

"W-what'd you say Bloom?" My hand still stroked her mane and her bow.

"Ah'm sorry fer bein' so mean ta ya," she whispered out, "all ya were tryin' ta do was help me 'n spend time with me. 'N all Ah did was yell at ya 'n call ya names," She covered her eyes with her legs.

"Aw, come here Bloom," I moved her foreword so she could cuddle my neck. "I'm not mad at you, at all," I said calmly.

"Ya should be. Ah treated ya like dirt when you've always treated me like a sister, or a daughter," more tears came from her eyes as she sniffled.

"No, I could _never_ be mad at you Applebloom," I smiled with tears of my own threatening to show. "You're too sweet of a filly and too cute to be mad at. And It would be so unfair of me to be mad at you for 'simple biology,'" I joked about the time Luna bitch-slapped me with her wing boner and Bloom said the same thing. She giggled and wiped her tears on my shirt. "Come on, why don't you get some sleep sweetie?" I scratched behind her ear.

"Ah could use a nap," she cutely yawned and snuggled closer to my chest.

"It might be the middle of the day, but hopefully Luna can watch over your dreams," I laid my head on hers, falling prey to sleep myself. Applebloom's breathing quieted as she began to enter the realm of sleep, but not before giving me a message.

"Ah love you Cougar," she yawned before falling fully asleep. My heart stopped almost immediately.

**End Chapter 23**

* * *

_Awwww, now how about that for a sweet moment. And just so some people know, she means as a big brother or a father, but not romantically._

_And I am fully aware that some of the dialogue is different than from what we saw in the Season 5 Premier. However, I did that intentionally to help the flow of the story._


	25. Chapter 24: A Crystal Trip Part 1

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 24: A Crystal Trip Part 1**

_WHOO-HOO! MAN YOU GUYS ARE **AWESOME!** 210 reviews! I'm so thankful for this honor guys, and the fact that I have so many loyal readers warms my heart; I really feel like Jeff Gordon when fans tell me how much they appreciate my story and help me to make it as awesome as it could be. To commemorate 200 reviews in only 24 chapters (a record for me) and 200K+ words (another record) I have a treat for you guys. There's a new episode tomorrow morning, and I have TWO chapters written and will be uploaded simultaneously. Two chapters in one day? That's right, this is for all of you who have stuck by me for so long and for people who have come along later. _

_Thank you all so much, now how about we reply to some reviews huh?_

**OBSERVER01: **_Zombie Cougar? Interesting idea, but that idea has been done to death thanks to all the zombie movies and tv shows. I didn't want the period to be too mean-spirited or depressing._

**Sassymouse: **_Before I reply to your review Sassymouse. *Brings out huge NASCAR Champagne bottle* CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING THE 200TH REVIEWER! *Pops cork and sprays you with champagne* You got diabetes? Well uh, if you read article five, subsection three *Runs away*_

**KillerWoW:** _You cannot escape the feels!_

**mlp brony fifer: **_I'm happy you enjoyed it. Yes, only me and my therapist knows what's going to happen next. Oop, I've said too much. _

**uss71832: **_Okay then. I wouldn't know since I'm a guy and, yeah. Chocolate solves EVERYTHING!_

**Gardenfairy: **_Well thank you! With work and my other fanfic, I do feel bad sometimes that I take long to update Fallen Eagle._

**SquirtlePWN: **_I don't blame you for forgetting about him. I don't care if he does come back at all, but I DO know Braeburn is coming back tomorrow in a new CMC episode!_

**Guest (1):** _Thanks for the input, but yeah, not happening sorry. _

**Dixie Darlin:** _Once I saw the season 5 premiere, I had an idea for what Applebloom and Cougar could do with both Big Mac and Applejack off the farm. Originally, I had Cougar __actually go with the Mane 6 and try to rescue them, but I couldn't figure out a legit reason for how Starlight could imprison him._

**litestardt:** _I believe I said spoilers, if I didn't please accept my sincerest of apologies. And I read the trap part in Admiral Ackbar's voice._

**Yo Biggest Fan:** _Drat, I was hoping it would be a surprise. Good call nonetheless_

**Guest (2): **_Actually, I never thought about that. I'm thinking that maybe the pads are the same color as her so no one would really notice? Or maybe Cheerilee has some extras on standby for fillies who have gotten their periods just in case._

_Everyone please enjoy both Chapters I will ship out today. I only ask that you guys please __review BOTH chapters, yeah it's to get more reviews, but it's also easier to get down ideas and feedback from different chapters. _

* * *

**(A few days later. Cougar's POV)**

After that little incident between myself and Applebloom with her first period, we spent the rest of the weekend doing our best to try and forget about the negativity that had taken place. It was easier than I had thought as we did originally what I had planned: Playing catch with apples, sharpening her self defense skills and watching movies on my iPad. Although we had smoothed things out, her words she had spoken to me still hit me square in my heart. _"Ah love you Cougar," _kept replaying in my mind over and over again. Of course I knew she didn't mean it in a romantic way, but the way she said it had me thinking of her more and more as a little sister each and every day. Thinking harder about it, the month was late September, and I had crashed landed here about mid to late May, four months I had been occupied in Equestria. Four months since I had last seen a person physically in front of me. I couldn't grasp how it felt knowing it had been a third of a year and I was still getting adjusted to living here, but in that time I had made a lot of good friends and made a difference in a few pony's lives. And in four months, I had developed a strong attachment to the pony that first even showed interest in wanting me to live with them.

Speaking of Applejack, when she and the others arrived back late Sunday evening, it was really good to see them. Big Mac came home from his weekend hangout with Spike and Granny Smith returned from making her large quilt. Apparently all the ponies making said quilt forgot that they had made the biggest quilt in Equestria last year right when they were almost done with this one. Not knowing the proper procedure for the breakdown of Applejack's report on her mission, I just followed Big Mac and Applebloom's lead of talking about it at supper. She went on and on about this tiny village where she and her five friends journeyed to solve a problem, only to have their cutie marks ripped from their hindquarters and replaced with an equal sign. The pony that did it was a sweet-talking silver tongued mare named Starlight Glimmer whom brainwashed an entire village to create an army. I guessed that last part as Applejack and her friends couldn't figure out the real reason Starlight had sunken to that level. From AJ's description of the village, it sounded to me like it was a village full of Greg Biffle fans, all cheering on a boring NASCAR driver and agreeing on everything, ugh. Hearing that Applejack lost her 'countryisms' was a tad humorous to me, but I didn't say anything, even when she mentioned how awful it was that she couldn't properly buck her rear legs or speak in 'country talk' as the mare also called the language.

When it was mine and Applebloom's turn to talk about our weekend, we decided to not say anything as Applebloom would tell Applejack later about her first period; it was too soon for me to relive that experience. An experience that I knew I would never have to face again. Though when Applejack _did_ find out about everything and how I helped Applebloom get over it with the help of Lyra and Bon Bon, I got a nice little thank you in the form of another kiss on the cheek. The orange mare kept going on about how scary and frustrating it was for both myself and Applebloom. She also apologized numerous times for putting me through that situation, but I quickly put that to a stop as I explained it was what friends did for each other and I couldn't leave Applebloom frightened and in pain all alone. The only thing I didn't say to Applejack was that Applebloom told me she loved me, and I don't believe Applebloom did either. I think she never realized she had said it.

At the moment however, my mind was elsewhere as I was currently in dreamland. I was lying peacefully on my cot with my NASCAR cap on my face and my arm propped under my head as a second pillow. It was Friday and this was my day to sleep in, especially with how much slower things were with the summer work done and summer business gone as well. As the fall temperatures dropped every day, I began to shut my door at night, though my little shack still became colder every night. Applejack planned to help bring in and construct a wood stove for my shack, and of course I was grateful for that offer. In the backdrop of my dreamland, I could hear the birds outside of Sweet Apple Acres chirping away, preparing to fly south before winter really hit Ponyville hard. I groaned and turned over onto my side to get more comfortable. My red and black cap fell off of my face and landed perfectly onto the floor bottom side down. "WATCH OUT!" a shout shattered my sleep and I jolted up like I was shocked with a taser.

"What's that?!" I held my arms and hands up in a defensive stance, ready to take on whatever was attacking us. _CRASH! 'Are we being bombarded?' _I thought to myself as I grabbed my hat, a pair of shorts and my shoes to run outside. "Applejack, what happened?" I asked as I dashed outside and saw Big Mac and the mare in question already outside. The brother and sister duo was standing beside a pile of wagons and barrels that were no longer stocked perfectly like Big Mac and I had a few days prior. My feet came to a halt right next to Applejack while we stared at the spot where something or somepony had crash landed by the looks of it. Some dust floating in the air around the pile of wood settled back down as a pony coughed and climbed out of a barrel. A dirty blonde mane, golden crossed eyes and a grey fur coat stared at me in the face as Derpy Hooves stretched after climbing from her barrel.

"Sorry guys!" She apologized and helped put the barrels back into place, "I just don't know what went wrong," the klutzy pony explained and adjusted her mail pony cap.

"Are ya alright there Derpy?" Applejack worriedly questioned the mail carrier. The grey pegasus held her hoof up in front of Applejack's emerald eyes and waved it off. She grinned and reached into her bag, pulling out a few envelopes, magazines and a package.

"I'm as good as a lemon surprise muffin in the morning!" she cheerily brought a yellow and white muffin from her bag to her mouth and ate it in one bite. "Oh and this mail is all for your family Applejack and Big Mac," she attempted to salute the two ponies but accidentally hit her eye. "And how are you doing Cougar?" she turned to me, at least I think she did. "Staying in shape I see," she patted my abs with her hoof.

"Working on a farm will help with that," I chuckled before grabbing a five bit coin from my shorts pocket and placed it onto her hoof. "And that's for you to buy some more muffins Derpy," I scratched behind her ear. She stuck her tongue out and rested her head into my hand. Her rear leg began to kick up and down like a dog.

"Oooh, that's the spot right there!" She urged me to keep scratching.

"Derpy, don'tcha have more mail ta deliver?" Big Mac questioned, seemingly uncomfortable with me scratching Derpy's ear. Gasping and sprouting her wings, Derpy got away from my hand and got into her flight stance.

"Right, thanks Big Mac. I'll see all of you later!" She said her goodbye and took off, slapping me in the face with her wing. "Sorry!" She apologized as she flew away. Shaking my head and rubbing my face where her wing had hit me, I groaned and felt around to make sure I didn't lose any teeth; that little pegasus can pack a wallop with those wings. And between her slapping me and Luna's featherection hitting my jaw, it wasn't outside the realm of probability that I could lose a tooth or two from the wings around here.

"Guess I'd better get used to being slapped," I joked to Applejack and Big Mac. The two ponies had smiles on their faces as they each carried their own fair share of mail from Derpy. "That can be a good alarm clock, though I'm sure your barrels and wagons wouldn't appreciate that," I quickly uprighted a few more before turning back to Applejack and Big Mac.

"You done ran outta there faster than rattle snake bein' chase by a mongoose," the orange mare chuckled and nudged against my leg with her shoulder. "Did ya think we were under attack or somethin'?" She inquired while we three trekked towards the farmhouse.

"I heard somepony say 'watch out' and then there was a huge crash. It could've been an intruder for all I know," I defended my actions.

"Aren't ya a little chilly?" Big Mac pondered, pointing to my exposed torso with the mail he was carrying.

"Nah, my blood pumping from that rush of adrenaline is keeping me warm Mac," I held the kitchen door open for the two. "Mornin' Granny Smith, Bloom," I smiled at the two other Apple family members that were sitting at the table with pancakes and apples on the table. A fresh pot of black roasted coffee was sitting patiently on the counter top near the stove, waiting for someone to get a drink to kickstart their day. "Mail's here by the way," I added, shutting the door when Applejack finally strolled through. She and her brother set down the mail onto the table and Big Mac began roll call for who had mail. Rather than joining the four ponies at the table for mail call, I strolled on over to the coffee pot and poured myself a cup.

"Granny Smith, ya got yerself a letter from Aunt Apple Brown Betty," Big Mac announced, hoofing the letter over to the elderly pony. Granny excitedly cut the edge of the envelope with a pair of scissors and emptied the envelope of its letter. "And fer Applebloom, Earth Pony Racin' Illustrated with Checkered Flag on the cover," the red stallion tossed the magazine over to the yellow filly.

"Oooh, special collector's edition of his 22nd year!" Applebloom flipped open the cover of the magazine to read about Checkered Flag's most recent season. "Oh these idjits still think High Velocity is better than him, not in a million years," she shook her head, stuffing pancake into her mouth as she continued to read.

"Yes! Hoofball Monthly, this'll show Spike Ah know what Ah'm talkin' 'bout when it comes ta Hoofball," he grinned. _'It never changes,'_ I smiled and sipped my coffee from the counter as I leaned up against it. "As fer Applejack, ya read the paper more than any 'o us," Big Mac rolled the rolled up newspaper over to his sister who gladly took it and removed the red rubber band.

"Anything interesting happening in Canterlot or Ponyville Applejack?" I raised my mug of coffee jokingly.

"It seems Rarity's newest line 'o fashion, yer inspired Military Fashion Squad, was the best sellin' line 'o clothes over the summer," Applejack announced, "Ah don't rightfully care 'bout that, but good fer her," she looked back over at me.

"So, who got the package and who got the last letter?" I swallowed my drink. Big Mac set down his Hoofball magazine and looked at the address and names of the brown box and white envelope with what looked like glitter around the edges.

"Uh, _you_ did Cougar, that's a first," his jaw dropped a little as he scanned his eyes over the pieces of mail. Curiously setting my coffee mug onto the counter and licking my top lip, I fast-walked over to the table and politely grabbed the letter and box from the tabletop.

"The box is from Luna and the letter is from, Cadence?" I flipped the envelope over and back, shocked that Cadence would bother to write a letter to me. "Which should I open first guys?" I felt like a kid on Christmas morning, having not gotten mail in about six or seven months.

"Box, the box. It's more excitin' Cougar!" Applebloom set her magazine down and swallowed a bite of her pancakes. Scanning my eyes around the breakfast table, the other three ponies nodded their heads towards the package I was holding in my left hand. Accepting the decision, I set Cadence's letter onto the table and took a cutlery knife from a drawer and cut the tape off. Opening the flaps, I took out a note card with Luna's writing that had a message for me.

_Cougar, I came across these objects during a patrol of the river near Winsome Falls when a filly had a nightmare a few nights ago. Upon examination, at least one of these objects was not created here in Equestria, so I came to the conclusion that they must be yours that you lost many months ago. If they are, enjoy and I'm glad I could be of service._

_-Yours Truly, Princess Luna of Equestria._

Setting the note card down, I reached into the box and wrapped my fingers around a handle. Tightening my grip, I pulled my arm back to see I had my combat knife sitting right in my fist. I hadn't seen this since June; it was a nice sight to see, even with the dried tree sap coating the blade. "Luna found my old combat knife, sweet!" I studied it before setting it behind me on the counter.

"The combat knife that ya used against them timberwolves?" Applejack questioned.

"Yep, only now it's covered in dry tree sap," I replied and reached my hand back into the box, having a good idea what was resting inside. My hand froze when my fingers barely touched the cool metallic surface and the smooth wooden surface of my .44 revolver. I had the urge to just take it out and look at it like with the knife, but my hand wouldn't follow the command of my brain signals. The biggest thing running through my mind was would the Apple family be okay with this 'miniature cannon' I had with me? The gun itself didn't scare me at all, but would Applejack or Big Mac be fine with it being on their property?

"Ya gonna show us what it is or are ya gonna stand there with yer hand in the box all day?" Applebloom picked up a tiny piece of pancake and tossed it my way, hitting my arm and withdrawing myself from my thoughts. My fingers finally curled around the handle of the pistol and brought it out for the ponies to see.

"My Smith and Wesson .44 calibre pistol, perfect for self-defense," I announced, holding the weapon in the air.

"Now Ah remember!" Applejack lightly slammed her hoof on the table, "that's what ya used to wound one 'o them timberwolves right?" She asked me. I set the gun down on the table top where I would normally be seated and nodded in reply. I could see from the cylinder that there were still a few bullets left as I recall not firing empty that night. Picking it back up, I unlocked the cylinder and three bullets fell out onto the table.

"Applebloom, you wanted to know what a bullet was right?" I held up one of the bronze projectiles. "This is it, just like a miniature cannon ball, only more pointed," I explained and tossed the bullet towards her. She caught it in her hooves and studied the piece of ammo with amazement.

"Why would ya need a miniature cannon Cougar?" Big Mac asked me, taking a pause from his Hoofball magazine.

"For self defense if I was ever shot down behind enemy lines and ground units would try to capture me," I explained, taking the two bullets from the table and the third one from Applebloom. Holding the three bronze items in the palm of my hand I stuffed them in my pocket and placed the gun on the counter. "I'll, take care of those later," I said and sat down to eat.

"Are ya gonna keep it Cowboy?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, but for the bullets, maybe not. I've only got three and I don't see a reason at all to use them," I cut into a chocolate chip pancake. "Maybe I'll take them apart, dump out the gunpowder and give them to a smelter or whatever for extra bits," I considered.

"Okay, but what'd Princess Cadence write ya fer Cougar?" Granny Smith downed a cup of orange juice. '_Oh Right,' _I thought while chewing on my breakfast. Reaching over and grabbing the letter, I ripped off the end of the glittering paper container and dumped out the letter within.

"Would ya look at that border!?" Applebloom said with awe as I unfolded the letter, "talk 'bout fancy!" she referenced the tiny gems and crystals lining the borders of the paper with an official seal of the Crystal Empire at the bottom. Swallowing my bite of chocolate chip pancakes, I cleared my throat to read the letter out loud for the Apple Family.

_Dear Cougar, Shining Armor and I had a wonderful time at the Grand Galloping Gala. You were a very humble and gracious host with a fantastic talent for music. We were more than delighted to meet you and enjoyed getting to know you, albeit as much as you wanted us to know. My husband and I had such a great time with you that we would like to personally invite you and all of our friends to the Crystal Empire this weekend for a mini-vacation. If you choose to go, have Spike send me and Shining an RSVP via fire scroll so we can get our crystal castle ready for your stay. We were hoping to welcome you to our personal kingdom to help you learn a little more about Equestrian society. Please respond soon._

_-The Prince and Princess of the Crystal Empire: Shining Armor and Mi Amore Cadenza_

_"_How lucky can ya get? A personal invite from Princess Cadence herself ta the Crystal Empire!" Bloom flailed her forelegs around.

"What are ya frettin' 'bout Applebloom?" Applejack began to eat her fifth pancake. "Ya went ta the Crystal Empire fer the Equestria games only about six months ago," she pointed out.

"Ah know, but it was just _so_ pretty there 'n Ah wanted ta go again," the younger pony explained.

"Uh, hate ta break this up, but wasn't this _Cougar's_ letter from the Crystal Empire princess?" Big Mac coughed to get everypony's attention as he bussed his plate and coffee mug over to the sink.

"Oh, right, sorry Cougar," the yellow filly blushed, "what's yer answer gonna be?" she sipped some milk. Folding the letter back up, I put it into my shorts pocket and threw the ripped up end of the envelope into the garbage bin.

"Eh, I'll think about it after breakfast; I'm still pretty hungry," I explained, swirling my pancakes in the brown maple syrup and popping them into my mouth. "What?" I asked Applejack when she gave me a funny look.

"Ya really gotta think 'bout this, even after that lil speech ya gave me 'fore me 'n the girls went off ta that village?" She questioned me.

"It's not that I don't want to go," I replied, "I just want to finish my breakfast first," I dipped the last little slice of pancake in the butter and syrup on my plate. Applejack's confused and frazzled expression morphed into that of understanding.

"Oh, sorry, yer still just hard ta figure out sometimes," she gave a hearty chuckle before belching, "'scuse me," she blushed. I smiled and stood up with my empty plate and grabbed AJ's plate.

"Mind if I bus this for you?" I asked. She shrugged and allowed me to take it to the sink. "Before I give you an answer AJ, how about we visit Twilight and our friends at the castle since it also concerns them?" I suggested. "That and I might want to know a little more about the Crystal Empire," I added, running hot water over the syrup covered plates.

"Uh, sure Ah guess," AJ responded. "They might be up 'n at it by now," she pondered.

"Yeah, well if they're not, tough," I joked and picked Applebloom out of her chair. "come on Applebloom, you're coming too," I set her down and gave her a noogie. The filly giggled and wriggled away from me. "You'll see," I said to Applejack before she could ask why her little sister needed to go.

**(At the Castle. Cougar's POV)**

Twilight's aura dispersed from the letter as she set it down on the table in the middle of all the thrones. Spike was sitting on the floor next to Twilight's throne, his hand petting her mane and giving her the occasional hug. "Well, this is certainly strange," Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof. I was sitting next to Applejack's throne with Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Scootaloo all peering at the map in front of me.

"What the heck is strange about it Twilight?" I asked.

"That my sister-in-law sent you a letter inviting us all to the Crystal Empire instead of me," she replied sending the letter back to me via teleportation. "Usually she or Shining Armor would send me letters inviting all of us to their castle, or I'd send them a letter inviting them here," she added.

"Like the letter said darling," Rarity cleared her throat, gathering the attention of everyone in the throne room, "Cadence and your brother really took a liking to Cougar and wanted to invite him personally to make him feel more welcome to Equestria, especially the Crystal Empire.," she explained.

"And Cougar did say he wants to learn more about our culture and see what other towns are like," Fluttershy added her two cents. "They're just giving him an opportunity," she smiled in my direction.

"He's been here for almost five months, what else could he have to learn?" Twilight asked Fluttershy.

"The fact that I've been busting my ass to help Applejack and her family on her farm was more important to me," I replied in a 'duh' tone. "I at least know that you guys don't have near the amount of technology I'm used to, you use coins instead of bills and you have a monarchy instead of a democracy," I explained what I knew to Twilight.

"Come on Cougar!" Rainbow completely ignored the debate going on between Twilight and myself, "are you really gonna pass up a free vacay to the Crystal Empire? It's only the best place in Equestria! Right behind Cloudsdale, The Wonderbolts Academy, Ponyville and my house of course," she bragged.

"Soarin's private quarters?" Spike coughed into his fist. Rainbow's cheeks blushed a bright pink as she hid under her hooves from the comment.

"Good one Spike!" Pinkie Pie clutched her stomach in her hooves and laughed her head off. Some whipped cream from her cupcake squirted out of her nose as she tried to contain her laughter.

"Spike! Where did you learn to talk like that?!" Twilight demanded from her son.

"Rainbow," Spike pointed her out with his thumb-claw.

"Although I agree with Twilight darling, it was rather funny," Rarity agreed, suppressing a snicker. Looking down, the Crusaders were giggling up a storm. I guess they either knew about mature jokes before now or they were just beginning to understand them. I was grinning and sniggering at the joke.

"By the way," I steered the conversation back to its original topic, "I wouldn't mind hearing more about the history of Equestria and whatnot, preferably the Wonderbolts," I reiterated Fluttershy's statement. "Anyway, before I accept the invitation or not, could you guys shed a little more light on the Crystal Empire?" I requested. Twilight's eyes fell and she sort of glared at me.

"Really? You want us to tell you more about one of our fellow kingdoms, one that's run by my family might I add, and you still won't even tell us your Celestia damned name!?" The purple alicorn shouted at me. Having been shouted at my entire life by superior officers and fellow airmen, Twilight yelling at me affected me about as much as Fluttershy's normal speaking voice.

"Ya don't have ta yell like that Twilight," Applejack scolded the princess.

"I know that's a little unfair Twilight," I replied softly, "I just like to know a little more about places I'm journeying to besides the name," I folded my hands across my knees. Twilight held her foreleg to her mouth, breathed deeply with her eyes closed and moved her leg back down as she exhaled her breath.

"My apologies Cougar, it's that I've been trying to figure out more about you without more information than you've originally given us; it's been driving me crazy," she said and calmed back down.

"Apology accepted Twilight," I reached over and shook her hoof, mentally rolling my eyes. "How about this, you tell me just one thing about the Crystal Empire and I'll tell you know another thing you don't know about me, I'll even let you ask a question," I proposed to the pony. Her eyes practically exploded to the size of bowling balls as she tried to suppress an excited squeal.

"Oh great, you broke her Coug, nice going," Rainbow kicked back, crossing her rear legs and laying her head back onto her forelegs.

"What'd I do?" I asked curiously as Twilight still looked like she was about to explode.

"She loves questions Cougar," Pinkie picked up an ice cream carton and slurped some ice cream out with her tongue. "Questions about anything really, the weather, history, spells, trivia. Anything to soak up more knowledge into that gigantic brain of hers," I grimaced when Pinkie slurped up practically the whole carton in one gulp. "And speaking of brains, BRAIN FREEEEEEZZZZE!" She clutched her head and shook it back and forth.

"Okay, noted," I raised an eyebrow to Pinkie as she fell onto the floor, still clutching her head. "So Twilight," I leaned my elbow on the table as if we were both about to divulge deadly secrets, "can you tell me what the Crystal Empire is like?" I asked her.

"Well, besides the fact that everypony resident within the kingdom is a crystal pony, besides my BBBFF and my sister-in-law, it's in the Frozen North of Equestria, so if you _do_ decide to go, you might want to consider bundling up nice and warm for the journey. Even in the train it can get really cold on the trip before we arrive," Twilight explained. "Frigid temperatures don't upset you, do they Cougar?" Twilight cocked her head to the side.

"Uh, can we get back to the _crystal _ponies part?" I asked in disbelief.

"What do you mean Cougar? The crystal ponies are just regular ponies," Fluttershy detailed to me, "unicorns, earth ponies, peagsi and Cadence is the only alicorn in the Crystal Empire."

"Are you saying that they're literally made out of crystals?" I questioned. Yeah it sounds pretty stupid, but after all I've seen so far, ponies made out of actual crystals wouldn't and shouldn't surprise me at all.

"Not at all Cougar," Rarity corrected, "their coats are made of the most fantastic and gorgeous crystal fur coats. They shine so beautifully off Celestia's sun that it almost destroyed me when the effects wore off all of us," Rarity said gloomily. "Luckily when we enter the kingdom, we do turn a shade of glimmering crystal for a short period of time. If only I could find a spell to make it permanent to make myself look more beautiful all of the time," Rarity sighed dreamily.

"I don't think that's possible to make you more beautiful Rarity," Spike scored a few brownie points with the seamstress. I grinned at the dragon's determination to butter himself up to Rarity. The white unicorn giggled and patted the dragon's green spikes atop his head.

"Now if you're talkin' 'bout things bein' made out 'o crystal, that's where the Crystal Empire gets its name from," Applejack looked over to me. "Every buildin' 'n structure is made from crystals. It really is a beautiful sight ta see once yer there," the orange pony smiled. Right as I was about to make my decision, Twilight tapped the top of the table with her hoof to gather my attention. Her face had a twisted smile curling upwards, and it sort of looked like the shit-eating grin of a smart-ass gameshow host.

"Okay Cougar, now would you kindly tell us something else about you?" She rubbed her hooves together, just like she was about to eat a big, juicy sirloin steak, or should I say a salad?

"Sure, I even said you can ask a question," I grinned, "though if I don't like it, I _can_ veto the question," I negotiated with the alicorn. Her face fell into a combination of disappointment and frustration. A tiny growl escaped her mouth, though it was suppressed at the last second so keep it quiet.

"_Fine_," she said through clenched teeth. The princess took a breath before asking her question, "you said you were shot down during an air battle, correct?" She questioned. I responded with a slight nod, still keeping on my toes for what kind of question she had in mind. "Was this a normal mission, a surprise attack or was your country at war?" She got to her actual question. I swallowed, taking in her question as it reminded me that we _were_ in World War III, at least the start of the war.

"We uh," I began, cracking my knuckles as I clenched my right hand into a fist, "it's a combination of a surprise attack and war," I replied. "Actually, scratch that," I revised my answer, "it was a combination of all three. We were sent on a routine escort mission when we were ambushed over the ocean," I explained.

"And you were at war during all of this?" Rainbow sat back up on her haunches.

"Y-yeah," I said. We all sat in silence as I stood up and leaned against Applejack's throne for support, trying to suppress that day. The orange mare sitting next to me smiled and softly laid her hoof onto my hand and stroked it. Her expression to me read, _'It's okay,' _or, _'Ah'm here fer ya.'_ Closing my eyes and shaking my head, I took my hand from Applejack's hoof.

"Were you in many battles?" Twilight pressed on with further questions. I opened my mouth to politely burst her bubble, but Fluttershy beat me to the punch. Softly waving her hoof in the air, Fluttershy spoke out against Twilight's questioning.

"Um, Cougar only allowed you one question Twilight," she reminded the alicorn, "not that you're intentionally trying to go against his wishes," she tried her best to not piss off Twilight.

"No, it's fine Fluttershy," I waved her off. "I'm still not comfortable with that yet Twilight. The things I had to see will stay with me for a long time; I'm just not ready to talk about the battles I've been in. I know I sound like a wuss, but," I couldn't finish my sentence and shuddered.

"Ah understand Sugarcube," Applejack began to stroke my back, "'n y'all understand too right?" She shot a quick glance to everypony else in the throne room. The other eight ponies and Spike nodded their heads, understanding to listen to Applejack.

"Yer a soldier Cougar," Applebloom hopped up onto my lap, "that's all we need ta hear ta know how much of a good person ya are," she hugged around my torso. "'N Ah know askin' them kind 'o questions is hard fer military ponies," she added. Reaching my hands up, I held Bloom like a dog and scratched her back while nuzzling her cheek with my own.

"Awww, how adorable!" Rarity gushed. I smirked and set the filly back down next to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

"So, what's your answer Cougar?" Twilight cut back to the whole reason AJ, Applebloom and I even came to the castle. "Do you want to go with us to the Crystal Empire tomorrow or not?" All eyes once again turned back to me, waiting for an answer to give to the alicorn.

"You had me when you said the Empire was cold," I chuckled, "haven't seen snow since January when my buds and I were shipped off to Florida," I groaned while standing up from the floor. All the ponies except for the Crusaders began cheering and celebrating.

"Perfect, we'll leave late tonight so we can arrive tomorrow morning and spend the whole day with the greatest pony ever: Cadence!" Twilight hovered in the air with her wings. Stretching my back a bit, I looked down to see Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle all looking sad and depressed at not being invited to go. A lightbulb went off above my head and I bent down to scoop up the three fillies standing below me.

"But!" I exclaimed to get everyone to shut up, "on one condition Twilight. And if that condition isn't met, then I'm not going," I set forth my demands. Twilight lowered herself back down onto the floor and looked up at me. We both stared each other down, just like Clint Eastwood in _A Fistful of Dollars_, only without a theme song or guns. And it certainly wasn't high noon.

"And what would those conditions be Cougar?" Twilight retorted with a squinted right eye, trying to intimidate me. I looked back down at the three fillies in my arms as they stared back at me, confused as to why I was holding them, but they were not complaining at all.

"I'll go only if these three bundles of cuteness get to go as well Twilight," I stated. All three of the fillies in my arms gasped excitedly and wiggled away from me onto the table in the middle of the room. They jumped up and down excitedly in front of Twilight and their sisters, begging them to allow them to tag along. Rainbow, Rarity and Applejack looked at each other and shrugged all at the same time.

"Ah don't see a problem with that," Applejack replied.

"Having my lil sis come along will just make things that much cooler!" Rainbow noogied Scootaloo's head.

"Ooh, Sweetie Belle and I can share some quality time together at the Crystal Empire spa!" The seamstress grabbed Sweetie Belle in a tight hug. "Won't that be fun sister darling?" She asked the filly. Sweetie Belle grimaced yet grinned at the same time, clearly indicating that a day at the spa wasn't really worthy of getting out of bed.

"Sure, anything to spend more time with my big sister!" she hugged Rarity around her neck. Twilight lightly tapped the table again to quiet down all three sets of sisters for her decision on whether or not Sweetie Belle, Applebloom or Scootaloo could go. This struck me as odd since the elder sisters all agreed their little sisters could go. Why should Twilight still have to make a decision on that?

"Of course you three can go," she beamed at the Crusaders. The three fillies jumped and hollered for joy at going to the Crystal Empire again. My gaze cast itself upon a lone clock on the wall of the throne room. The time read 8:53 A.M. and because it was Friday, school was about to start for the kids. Luckily, Applejack saw this as well and let them know about it.

"Oh boy!" She exclaimed, "go on 'n get yer butts ta school ya hear? If yer late, y'all can't go ta the Crystal Empire, now move it!" She ordered just like a drill instructor. Rarity's magic held the castle doors open as the kids scrambled out of said castle, leaving a tiny trail of dust behind them while they galloped their way to school. AJ laughed and sat back calmly into her throne. "That never gets old ta see them run like they got fire on their heels," she chortled.

"So, what time should we leave tonight by train if we're arriving in the morning?" I questioned Twilight. Instantly, a Ponyville train station itinerary appeared with a burst of her magic. Opening up the flaps, her eyes scanned the schedule, looking for a time in which we could leave. "Always prepared eh Twilight?" I joked.

"Well, you already know about triple-checking the double-checked check list Cougar," Spike rolled his green eyes, drumming his claws across the table.

"It looks like we can take an 11:45 P.M. train from Ponyville to the Crystal Empire and arrive at about seven in the morning," Twilight announced. "And the train cars are comfy enough to let us get some sleep so we won't miss a single moment with Cadence and Shining Armor!" She suppressed another squeal, but danced place like a kid holding in his pee.

"Sounds good to us Twilight," Rainbow announced, "I can catch a couple more naps today so I can be refreshed enough to sleep on the train car," she bragged.

"Then Ah guess we'll go home 'n pack fer the weekend, right Cougar?" Applejack lightly nudged my ribs with a wink. Thankfully, packing wasn't a huge chore or deal for me; I've lived out of a duffel bag for the past half year anyways. Just my iPad, phone, a pair of shirts for the two days, a couple pairs of socks and an extra pair of my boxers was all I needed. And I'm sure like at Luna and Celestia's castle, Shining Armor and Cadence's castle had body wash and shampoo for guests.

"Already, on, it!" Pinkie Pie grunted from behind us. All seven of us turned around to see Pinkie Pie hopping up and down on a suitcase that looked ready to burst like a volcano or a doughnut stuffed with too much jelly. "Come on stupid suitcase, you can't beat Pinkie Pie!" the pink mare groaned again, still hopping up and down on the lid. Suddenly, the suitcase exploded, sending confetti and baked goods splattering all over the walls of the throne room. Thanks to my reflexes from flying for seven years, I quickly ducked behind Applejack's throne so I wouldn't get hit.

"Aw, come on now Pinkie!" Applejack shook her hat free of cake frosting and confetti.

"My mane is covered with vanilla frosting! I need a bath, stat!" Rarity shrieked and teleported out of the castle in the blink of an eye. Rainbow shrugged it off and licked all of the frosting from her face, not a care crossed her mind.

"Oh well, I needed to do a little more cleaning around here anyways," Twilight shook herself dry in the same fashion a dog would. Spike immediately produced a dustpan and broom and began to sweep all of Pinkie's mess away.

"Maybe I should get a bigger suitcase?" The party mare had her tongue sticking out while scratching her head. "No, no I've got it!" She exclaimed, "I'll just get a more durable lock!"

"Or maybe you should forget six cakes, four dozen sugar cookies, two gallons of ice cream and a party cannon?" I suggested smugly. Normally Applejack wouldn't appreciate that kind of attitude from me, but she was a little miffed at Pinkie so she let it slide.

"Well, we best get back ta the farm Cougar," Applejack hopped down from her atop her throne. "Shouldn't take too long ta pack, then we can get some more chores done," she explained.

"I'm game for that AJ," I replied, "see you guys tonight!" I called while my friend and I were met with calls of goodbye and see ya from our seven friends. We escorted ourselves out of the castle and back to the farm.

**(Train Ride, the next morning. 6:50 Cougar's POV)**

_'Ugh, damned this hot train car!' _I thought while struggling to stay under the sandman's spell. We had indeed boarded the 11:45 train bound for the Crystal Empire and nearly everyone fell asleep within thirty minutes. Rainbow however, fell asleep in about five minutes; her snoring irritated us to the point that Twilight used a spell to lower the volume of the pegasus' voice. Twilight had informed us that after AJ and I left the castle, Spike had sent Cadence and Shining Armor a message with his green fire to let them know of our arrival in the morning. _'Can somepony open the damned window a crack?' _The colder temperatures seemed like a hollow dream now that this car felt like a freaking furnace! I jolted awake when the train whistle sounded, acting like an alarm clock for me.

"Mornin' Coug," Applejack's southern twang greeted me as I blinked my eyes and yawned. "Ah take it ya slept well?" She asked me from across my seat. I responded with a nod as I was still a little sleepy and my yawning prevented speech to emit from my mouth. "Isn't that the cutest thing ya ever saw?" The orange pony asked me another question. Confused, I looked down and soon found out what she had meant.

_'Now I know why it was so damned hot in here,'_ I chuckled mentally. Curling up all around me like puppies were the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Sweetie Belle had snuggled up against my side and gotten under my left arm. Scootaloo did the exact same thing, except she had snuggled against my side under my right arm and was mumbling incoherently in her sleep. As for Applebloom, she had latched herself around my torso and nuzzled her head against my chest, snoring softly. I felt like Dr. Alan Grant at the end of Jurassic Park with the two kids cuddling up against him.

"Morning Applejack," I finally was able to talk again. "And yeah, this is pretty adorable," I commented on the Crusaders, "though this is getting a little hot," I admitted, trying to shift around to get cooler air to my skin. Applejack hopped down from her seat, tip toed quietly to the window and opened it a small crack. Instantly my skin felt cooled and refreshed, but not too cold with my three personal heaters surrounding me. "At least these seats are pretty comfy," I leaned back against the soft padding of the bench seat. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Rarity occupied my seat as well while AJ was joined by Fluttershy, Twilight and Spike.

"Eeyup," Applejack sounded just like Big Mac for a split second, "though Ah've been up fer 'bout thirty minutes," she stretched her body and groaned. "Ah wish we had a camera fer this," AJ pointed back to the three files snuggling with me.

"Hey Applejack," I blurted out.

"Yes Cougar?" She replied curiously.

"Did Applebloom," I tried to find the right words, "did she tell you all about our little escapade while you and the others traveled to that village?" I asked her. The mare stretched again and grabbed her hat from the hat rack on the wall next to her.

"She sure did," AJ responded. "'N Ah'm sorry Ah wasn't there ta take care 'o it," she apologized. "But Ah thank ya so much that ya care fer my lil sis enough ta help her through somethin' like that. It's not every day a boy's gotta help a girl with _that_ particular subject," she thanked me.

"No problem Applejack, I wouldn't be much of a friend if I ignored her and let her deal with it herself," I reiterated what I had said before, yet I had forgotten to mention what Lyra and Bon Bon had helped, hence why I was reminding Applejack of the incident. "But you should also thank Lyra and Bon Bon for helping me help Applebloom," I added. "I don't think I could've gotten AB through that without their help." Applejack held her chin in her hoof and leaned back into the back of her chair. Her lips opened and closed several times. I'm guessing she was imitating chewing on a wheat stalk.

"Tell ya what, when we get back, Ah'll bake those two a few pies as a thank you," she suggested. "'N then Ah'll let ya deliver them personally ta Bon Bon's shop. Does that seem like a good idea ta ya?" The mare asked me.

"Yeah actually, do you know what kind of pie they like besides apple pie?" I asked. Applejack nodded in response as the train whistled once again. The train's speed decreased as the steel wheels ground against the metal train tracks. The combination of both noises was enough to wake up every other occupant in the train car.

"Now arriving at, the Crystal Empire!" The train conductor announced over the intercom system.

"CRYSTAL EMPIRE!" The Crusaders hopped away from me and pressed their faces against the glass window as our train pulled up to the station that was clouded by steam from the engine. "It's just as pretty as I remembered it!" Sweetie Belle squealed and did a little dance in front of the window.

"Mmm, I can already smell the train station bakery cinnamon buns!" Pinkie Pie hopped up and down in front of the door, waiting for the all clear to depart the train. I reached up into the overhead bin and handed everyone their respective bags for the trip.

"_Hey, what's going on with my voice?!" _Rainbow Dash demanded in a whisper, though we all knew she was trying to shout.

"Oops, let me fix that," Twilight laughed and deactivated her volume spell on the pegasus. Rainbow coughed a bit as the spell wore off before shouting with glee.

"WHOO-HOO! I got my voice back baby!" She shouted, rattling a few windows on the train. Spike walked up to Rarity holding his bag and grabbed her personal bags for the weekend.

"Carry your bags milady?" Spike offered in a very cheesy voice. The seamstress cooed and gave Spike a hug as she allowed him to carry all of her bags.

"Of course Spikey-Wikey," Rarity replied while the train conductor allowed us to exit the train. Of course, Rainbow zoomed out of the train and flew up into the air and twirled a few times.

"Oh boy it's good to get out of that train!" She exclaimed and landed back in front of us.

"Ladies and dragons first," I stood behind the group to let them vacate the locomotive. I got a thank you from each of them, mainly a hug from Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle plus an affectionate nuzzle from Fluttershy. Applebloom on the other hand, well she jumped onto my back and wrapped her forelegs around my neck for a better view. Pinkie Pie dashed away and came back with a bagful of cinnamon buns.

"Cinnamon bun anypony?" She offered while munching on three of them. Holding her bags in her magic, Twilight began to look around for either Cadence or Shining Armor to greet us. I didn't hear which one it would be. Twilight groaned and started to tap her hoof whilst staring at the train station clock. Numerous other ponies trotted by as they either entered the train or exited the station itself.

"They should be here by now!" Twilight said impatiently. "We were due to arrive at Seven 'O Clock and it's already 7:03, where are they?" She asked no one. We had all gathered at the station entrance to keep away from the large crowds boarding the mode of transportation. Suddenly, Rarity, Applejack and Applebloom began to giggle at me.

"What? What's so funny?" I asked them.

"Oh Cougar, you look _so _sophisticated and dapper in crystal," Rarity smirked. Looking at my arms, I was horrified to find them looking like crystals. And I was nearly see through!

"Ugh, get it off me!" I shook my arms wildly in the air. "I hate wearing a tux, how do you think I feel about this?" I asked the giggling ponies. As my skin shimmered brilliantly under the light of Celestia's morning sun, a voice called out to us, and I knew exactly who the owner of that voice was.

"Twily, gang!" Shining Armor waved to us. Twilight squealed loudly and teleported herself over to her big brother, squeezing him tightly in a hug. "Oof, it's good to see you little sis," Armor returned the hug. "Cougar, I see you're enjoying our little crystal side effect," he chuckled.

"Oh yeah, it's what I've _always_ wanted to look like Shining," I retorted before my skin color returned to it's normal peach tone. Applebloom laughed with delight as she clung to my neck so she wouldn't fly off. Twilight released the hug from Shining Armor and gave him a kick in his shin.

"Ow, what was that for Twily?" The unicorn rubbed his leg. Twilight pouted out her lower lip and glowered at her brother.

"You should know big brother," Twilight showed him a clock, "we arrived at seven on the dot and it's already 7:05. You know how I feel about tardiness," she added.

"Well, the more time you waste berating me, the less time you'll have to spend with Cadence Twilight," the prince of the Crystal Empire smirked. Twilight's face brightened up at the mention of her sister and she squealed again.

"Then what are we waiting for?" She asked, clapping her hooves together. Shining led us through the small crowd up to the clear path that led to the crystal castle in the center of the kingdom. Rainbow held her bag and Scootaloo in her forelegs as the duo hovered above us so Scootaloo could get a better view. Sweetie Belle, for once, got to hop aboard Rarity's back so she could get a ride as well.

"Mush Cougar, mush!" Applebloom lightly kicked my shoulder blades with her rear legs.

"Hey, watch it squirt," I laughed and petted one of her legs that was wrapped around my neck. "Well Shining, I do have to say this is beautiful," I had to cover my eyes because of the sun's reflection was so bright off of all the crystal buildings. Everypony that lived here was indeed crystalized and did look pretty sweet, though that look was _not_ for me.

"Thank you Cougar," Shining replied, "Cady and I do our best to make sure every citizen is happy and that our kingdom is clean and healthy," he explained. "Did your Prince and Princess of your country work as hard as us to ensure your fellow citizens' happiness?" He questioned.

"HA!" I replied with a loud laugh. "Good one bro, my country didn't have a prince and princess!" I wiped a tear from my eye.

"Oh, a King and Queen then?" The white unicorn asked me again.

"Uh, no," I stopped laughing, "we had a President that we elected by votes from the citizens," I explained. "Have you guys heard of a president before?" I questioned. Rainbow held Scootaloo upside down by her rear legs so she could look me in the eye.

"Duh, I'm the president of the Rainbow Dash Fan Club Cougar!" She exclaimed. Her face began to turn red from the blood rushing to her head. Rainbow quickly righted her sister so she wouldn't pass out.

"I meant presidents of different countries," I corrected myself.

"Nope, every country still uses monarchies Cougar," Applejack told me.

"Maybe we _should_ try a voting system for leaders!" Pinkie suggested. I waved my hand in front of her, trying to tell her it wasn't a good idea.

"Sorry Pinkie, but why mess with something that's worked for you guys for so long? Don't fix what's not broken, that's a slogan I've lived by for a long time," I explained to my friends.

"Well, it didn't work so well when tyrants like King Sombra were in charge," Fluttershy replied.

"King who?" I asked, having never been told of him before.

"Here, Cady and I will tell you everything once we get to the castle and show you to your rooms," Shining told me. And with that, we entered the main doors to the castle while a pair of crystal guards held the large doors open for us.

**End Chapter 24 Part 1**

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_Again, I want to thank EVERY SINGLE ONE of you for getting past 200 reviews. Stay tuned for Part 2 coming out MUCH sooner than you think..._


	26. Chapter 25: A Crystal Trip Part 2

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 25: A Crystal Trip Part 2**

_TWO chapters in one day? No, this is not an illusion, nor are you traveling through an alternate dimension. *Cue Twilight Zone theme*_

* * *

**(At the Castle. Cougar's POV)**

I gawked like a moron once Shining led us through the beautiful castle and into the throne room. "And I thought Luna's castle was nice," I craned my neck up to look at the high vaulted ceilings. Poor Applebloom had to cling for dear life so she wouldn't fall onto the floor. The throne room also had nice large open bay windows on the sides to see all around the kingdom, a nice touch that I wish I could build.

"Twilight!" Cadence exclaimed from her throne and glided over to our large group with her wings. Shining Armor backed us all away as Twilight and Cadence greeted each other with their personal hoof-shake.

_"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" _The two alicorns shook their butts towards each other and giggled. I groaned and did a face palm.

"I can never un-see what I saw," I murmured. Cadence giggled again and trotted up to me with her fore hoof extended. I smiled and shook her hoof to be polite after what I just said.

"Hello Cougar, I'm so glad you decided to take up our invitation to visit our kingdom!" She greeted me, "I hope our residents weren't too xenophobic about your arrival?" She asked me sweetly.

"Well, they did kind of keep their distance a bit, but no one tried to kill me, so it was fine," I joked.

"And I see you've taken up a passenger?" The pink alicorn giggled yet again as Applebloom propped herself on top of my head with her forelegs. "Hello Applebloom," Cadence said to the yellow pony, "enjoying your view up there?"

"Eeyup, Cougar's as big as a mountain! Ah've got the best view outta anypony here!" She posed like a mountaineer that had just dominated Mt. McKinley. Scootaloo cleared her throat and tapped Applebloom's head.

"I beg to differ Bloom," she stuck her tongue out at Applebloom from Rainbow's grasp.

"Haha, I'm not that big honey," I grabbed Applebloom around her belly and set her on the ground. The filly pouted but trotted over to Applejack who hugged her. Cadence smiled and turned back to her husband.

"On behalf of the both of us, I'd like to welcome all eleven of you to- Spike are you alright brother?" She stopped her introduction speech when she saw Spike with numerous bags on his back as he stood on all fours.

"With my new muscles, of course I'm okay Cadence," Spike boasted, showing off how strong he was now in his new body. Shining Armor's aura engulfed Rarity's bags and lifted them off of Spike's back, setting the luggage down beside the dragon and seamstress unicorn.

"Yeah, Twily told us that you're gonna stay that big from now on Spike," Shining Armor smiled, "at least until you start growing naturally due to age," he added. The purple dragon folded his arms across his chest and nodded.

"Have you made any significant advances with Rarity yet Spike?" Cadence curiously questioned. Spike and Rarity looked at each other and blushed, looking back away from one another. "Just asking," Cadence stuck her tongue out at the two in a teasing fashion. '_You troll,'_ I thought with a grin.

"Ahem," Rarity coughed, "we are still debating on the impact it will have on our friendship Princess Cadence," she delineated, "I would hate for our solid friendship to turn sour due to a bad relationship." Spike nodded in agreement.

"Understandable," the Princess of Love and the Crystal Empire bowed her head. "Anyways, as I was saying," Cadence got back to her original point, "on behalf of the both of us, we welcome all eleven of you to the Crystal Empire," Cadence announced, "and we hope you enjoy your stay with us," she grinned, sprouting out her multi-colored wings.

"Uh, thanks for the welcome Princess Cadence," Fluttershy spoke up, or as much as she could, "but we know you. You didn't have to give us this big of a welcome," she conceded.

"Oh don't worry about that Fluttershy," Cadence's wing gently stroked the yellow pegasus' mane, "I know we don't have to greet you all like that, but it's best to keep that opening rehearsed for when other dignitaries visit our Empire," she said.

"Okay, that makes sense," I set my duffel bag down; my hand was starting to cramp being in that position. "is there anyplace where we can set our baggage Cadence? My hand is starting to cramp up a bit."

"Our maids and butlers can take care of that for you," Shining Armor cleared his throat. All eleven of us looked behind us to see about a dozen maids and butler unicorns waiting to take our bags.

"That's okay, I can take care of my own bag," I grabbed the bag from the magical grasp of a unicorn maid.

"Uh Cougar, we usually let them take care of that to feel useful," Shining whispered into my ear, "we can take care of a whole bunch of stuff by ourselves, but we don't want to make them feel ineffective," he explained. Nodding my head, I handed back my dark green duffel bag to the unicorn maid who's aura reappeared around it and suspended it mid-air.

"As for your rooms, _I _can take care of that!" The Pink Alicorn suddenly beamed us away from her impressive throne room. I soon found myself lying in a heap on the floor with Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle lying on top of me. The two ponies got off of me as Cadence appeared above me. "Oops, sorry Cougar," a pink hoof helped me to my feet, "I forgot you're not quite used to that sort of thing," she dusted my shirt off.

"That's all right Cadence," I waved her off, "I'm fine," I assured her. After getting the stars out of my eyes, I scanned the hallway that we were in and saw crystal doors on either side of said hallway. There were also numerous paintings and pictures adorning the hallway, some of Cadence and Shining Armor, others paintings showcased other ponies, probably past leaders of the Empire itself. Busts and statues of ponies filled in the gaps in between the doors and paintings. One set of doors in particular were much larger than the others and had pictures of the prince and princess carved into the center of the doors.

Cadence's magic glowed over the glistening handle of the door next to what I'm guessing was the private chambers for her and Shining Armor. "Cougar, you shall bunk in Captain Flash Sentry's old room," she thrust the door open and practically shoved me inside.

"Shouldn't this be reserved for your new Captain of the Guard?" I asked the princess.

"It should, but the new Captain of our Guard likes to sleep in the same room as his marefriend, so here it lies, empty of an occupant. And since you have had military experience, I felt you deserved this room," she told me. The room was incredible to say the least. A few paintings of warrior ponies adorned the walls as well as torches that shined off of the walls, making the room look even brighter. Even some old antique weapons hung on the ceiling and in weapon racks on the walls.

In the middle of the room was a _huge_ king sized bed sat waiting for someone to sleep in it. A large ruby comforter and dozens of the same colored pillows sat on top of the large mattress. On the wall facing the foot of the bed was a nice marble (surprisingly not crystal) fireplace, though the logs were not aflame as they sat fresh and ready for someone to start a blaze. On the right wall of the room was a wide set of glass French doors that led to a fairly decent sized balcony overlooking the kingdom. A Grandfather clock chimed 7:30 on the wall next to the door.

"So, what do you think Cougar?" Cadence asked me, "is this room nice enough for you?" She pressed on further.

"It's great Cadence," I smiled, "but I've never needed a bed _this _big before," I jumped and landed backside down on the mattress.

"Well, I am glad you are pleased with it," the alicorn breathed a sigh of relief. "However, maybe you can invite _somepony_ to bunk in your room if you feel the bed is too big?" She winked at me and nudged my ribs, motioning her elbow towards Applejack.

"N-no, that's okay Cadence," I stammered and coughed. I'm more than certain that a blush spread like wildfire across my face.

"Oh you're no fun," she teased me while my duffel bag floated its way over and landed at the foot of the bed. The maid bowed to Cadence and myself, standing next to the bed. "Mayflower here will show the rest of you your rooms," Cadence announced. "I'm going to give Cougar a personal tour of the castle." Twilight's jaw dropped and she dashed over to her sister as I climbed off the bed and rejoined the group.

"Aw, but I have _so_ much I want to talk about sister!" Twilight countered. Wrapping her leg around Twilight's shoulder, Cadence embraced the smaller alicorn with a warming hug.

"And we will have plenty of time catch up on current events Twilight," Cadence promised, "but as for now, Cougar is my invited guest and I would like to give him a personal tour of the castle to make him feel more welcome," she looked back in my direction. "Right now, Mayflower will show you to your rooms and our cooks should have breakfast waiting in the dining room with my Shining Armor."

"Bye Cougar," Applebloom ran up to me and latched herself onto my chest. I wrapped my hands around her and returned the hug. "Ah'll see ya at breakfast!" She called and jumped down to follow the others.

"Save some food for the rest of us AJ!" I joked. The mare hid under her hat and flicked her tail at me, probably their version of the bird.

"Ah don't eat that much food," I heard the pony say as her voice drowned out due to the echo of the hallway and all the ponies leaving the room. I breathed a sigh and turned to the princess still standing in my room. I was a little surprised that she had shut the door instead of escorting me out to take a tour like she had said. Ulterior motives perhaps?

"So Cougar, sit down with me," she sat down on the edge of the bed and tapped the blanket with her hoof. Looking around the room to see if anyone was still watching, I slowly walked back to the bed and sat down next to the pink alicorn. I folded my hands atop my lap while the bed creaked from under our combined weight. "I promise we will get to the tour soon, I just wanted to talk to you about, well you and Applejack," she revealed her plan, folding her left wing over my back. It felt warm, yet odd to have her sitting this close to me with her wing trapping me there. I figured that was something that pegasi and alicorns did only with their intimate lovers.

"Again? I'm sorry to disappoint you Cadence, but I haven't made any progress since our little chat from the Gala your highness," I crossed my arms across my chest. She sighed sadly and shook her head from side to side, holding her face in her hooves.

"That is rather disheartening to hear Cougar, though I am happy to see and hear that you've stopped pitifully denying it," she replied.

"Pitifully? I think that's a little harsh," I opposed. The pony princess rolled her eyes and unfolded her multicolored wing from my back. "I admit I denied it at first, but what's the point Cadence? Do you have any clue how hard this is for me to accept? Back on my world I would be ridiculed and cast down to the level of sodomites for admitting I harbored feelings for an animal." Cadence raised an eyebrow and stood up from the bed.

"In our world to us, _you_ are the animal," she said coldly. That caught me completely off guard to hear that tone of voice from her. "However, you are fairly intelligent, peaceful and reasonable," she tried to comfort me. "To me and all of your friends, they don't give a flying buck that you're not a pony. You've shown them that you are a true friend and you put their lives and feelings ahead of your own."

"So? Take what you just called me, an animal, and _if_ AJ did admit she loved me, which she never will because she's smarter than that, how would _you_ react? How would her friends react? How would society treat her?"

"Equestria, the Griffon Kingdom and the Crystal Empire all have very flexible laws and customs. I'm sure you know of same sex and different species couples. You even support Spike trying to win over Rarity's heart!" She broke through my hypocrisy.

"Yeah, yeah Cadence. I'm friends with Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon in Ponyville. Wonderful mares and very nice to everyone they meet. And yes I support Spike and Rarity together as a couple. But try and see it from my eyes," I put my hand on her back. "Try living in a society for 23 years where having feelings for anything other than your own species, in my case a human, results in not only harassment, ridicule, humiliation and judgement from everyone else, but also jail time and in some countries, the _death penalty_," I growled the last two words as if I were talking about Satan, but I forged on as her eyes continued to shrink.

"Now keep yourself in my position. Think that you've lived in an entirely new civilization akin to _Planet of the Apes, _and now after nearly five months, you've developed strong feelings for a native, but not just any native. The native that gave you food, shelter and friendship. Do you have any idea how conflicted my feelings are right now? Apart of me wants to love and cherish Applejack, but another part wants to kill myself for being a sick fuck. It's not all sunshine and rainbows now is it?" I said into her ear. The mare gulped and blinked several times, keeping her gaze peeled to the marble flooring.

"I-I'm sorry Cougar; I had no indication that it was _that _serious for you," she apologized. "It was wrong for me to judge you like that," she added to her apology. "But would some countries really kill you for that, even if the animal returned the feelings?"

"Let me explain something else Cadence. First off, yes that would result in death for someone. Various religions, including my own religion, frowned upon this as sin, and some religions had no choice but to rid the world of that sin. Second, animals in my world, did not have the ability to speak. They relied more on basic animal instincts and survival to live their lives. They couldn't operate trains or build amazing structures like my species could," I divulged. "And believe me, none had magical powers like you and the unicorns which did not exist in my world, nor did pegasi."

"_Wow,_" was the only word that could be released from her mouth.

"I didn't mean to scare you, but I had to let you know how hard it is for me to accept these feelings Cadence," I gave her a quick hug.

"Understandable now Cougar. But I assure you that once you do let your feelings flow and you tell Applejack, you will feel much better and happier with yourself. And I will not ridicule either of you. If I may say so, you two make an extremely adorable couple," she smiled, trying to lighten up the mood which had turned slightly dark. "I also know that your friends support it on either side, and that includes the Elements of Harmony's younger sisters, Big Mac, Granny Smith and pretty much every other pony you've made friends with." Taking all of this into consideration, I tapped my hands on my legs a few times in a mini drum solo, trying to think.

"Cadence?" I finally said.

"Yes Cougar?" She replied.

"Do you know how Applejack feels about me?" I asked her. She didn't answer my question for a little bit. The ticking of the clock was the only sound keeping us sane from the dangers of silence.

"I am the Princess of Love Cougar," she reminded me, "of course I know how she feels about you," she replied. My heart stopped, the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up and my breath got caught in my throat. "Unfortunately, knowing too much about that can destroy a pony," she sounded a lot like Doc Brown, "and I cannot tell you her feelings. Some things are better left to be discovered on your own," she explained.

"That makes sense I suppose," I pushed myself off the bed and helped her to her own feet. "Now how about that tour?" I grinned at her. The mare smiled back at me and folded her wings back onto her sides.

"We shall get to that posthaste," Cadence returned to her more regal stature. "Eh, but before we do," she slowly opened the door, "what exactly is _Planet of the Apes_?" She curiously inquired. I chuckled and held the door open for her, allowing her to exit first.

"I'll tell you during the tour how about?" I suggested. She nodded in agreement and we set off for my own private tour of the Crystal Empire castle.

The tour was the best part of the trip so far for me. Cadence took me down and showed me the royal bathhouse for some reason, perhaps she was inviting me to use it even though my bedroom had a private bathroom. She also showed me the workout room for the guards, the watchtower, the racetrack out back for guards to sharpen their speed and agility. I also got to see an auditorium which Cadence told me my friends put on a welcome show for the wrong pony awhile back.

She also told me the story about the Empire's past, including how it was overthrown by an evil unicorn named King Sombra, and how he enslaved every citizen of the kingdom. Luna and Celestia had utilized the Elements of Harmony to defeat him and seal him within the ice of the frozen north, but not before cursing the Empire and sealing it away as well for a millennia. In an ironic twist, it sounded like Captain America's story of being frozen in the ice after defeating the Red Skull.

Cadence also went on to tell me that about a year and a half ago, the Empire reappeared and Celestia chose her and Shining Armor to be the new rulers of the Empire. Unfortunately, the Empire's reappearance had allowed King Sombra to escape his imprisonment as well and attempt to continue his tyrannical ways. But thanks to Spike and Twilight, the Empire was saved from Sombra whom had disintegrated after the battle.

The kitchen was one of my favorite things to see, or smell in this situation, as breakfast was being prepared and the chef's were making a cheese and meat-substitute omelet specifically for me. She literally had to drag me out of the kitchen with her magic as I had attempted to eat the whole thing before everyone else's breakfast was ready. I'm sure it was no match for Granny Smith's breakfast, but I was starving!

"So, are you enjoying the castle so far?" Cadence kept asking me.

"Yes, it's very beautiful," I grazed my hand across a wall. "I'm sort of surprised that it's not cold in here, though I am also glad that the walls aren't see through," I chuckled, "that would be embarrassing."

"And why would that be embarrassing? You should know by now that ponies don't normally wear clothes, even me right now," she pointed out. Had Twilight really not told Cadence about the little incident at the lake? Trust me, I'm glad she didn't, but I was surprised since she basically tells Cadence everything.

"Well, let's just say if I didn't have pants, I'd be arrested for indecency," I explained. Cadence's lips pursed as her cheeks flushed and her eyes looked away.

"Okay, now I understand," she cleared her throat. "Let us continue with the tour. This is the rotunda," she opened the door to a large circular crystal room with dozens of windows.

"And what exactly is it for Cadence?" I stood at the end of the rotunda, looking down at all of the crystal ponies that went about their business. With the sun beaming down through the crystal skylights and the windows around the edges of the rotunda, it was comfortably warm inside the room.

"Oh sometimes I use it to help me think, other times during more political meetings, Shining and I use it to discuss trade routes or treaties with other nations. And whenever we have a Crystal Ball, couples like to dance in here as well," Cadence explained. "Or if Shiny and I are _really_ in the mood, we-" I clamped my hand over her muzzle.

"Yeah, I don't need to hear anymore Cadence," I released my grip on her mouth.

"Very well," she opened the door to her room with her magic. "Only one more stop before we can head off to breakfast," she announced.

"Hey, what's in this room?" I pointed to a door that was partially hiding behind drapes and some furniture. Deviating away from the alicorn, I removed the drapes and furniture that were fairly dusty and put my hand on the door.

"NO!" Cadence roared at me and yanked my hand away. "Do not ever go in that room Cougar," she calmed down, straightening out her disheveled mane. "Sorry, but the magic within that room is far too powerful and dangerous to be known outside of myself, Luna and Celestia," she apologized. My hand was throbbing and I rubbed the soreness away with my other hand.

"Okay, though you didn't have to try and rip my arm out of socket," I replied. Suddenly, we heard the sound of running water and clopping of hooves on the crystal floors. "Applebloom, what's going on?" I asked when the yellow filly zoomed by the two of us. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle joined in as two maids and a butler ran by me and Cadence as well with water rushing by.

"We kinda broke our bathroom sink," Applebloom chuckled before running away from the maids and butler. Cadence and I gave a look to each other before bursting out into laughter.

"I needed a good laugh," Cadence caught her breath. "So, shall we continue along with our tour?" She proposed. My stomach growled loudly, inciting another laugh from Cadence. "Don't worry Cougar, it won't take long, then we can go meet everypony else at breakfast," she advised and teleported us then the water on the floor away. Luckily this time, Cadence caught me before I fell again.

"At least the side effect isn't puking," I shook my head and pushed myself off of Cadence. "So, where are we now?" I asked. From the distance I could see, we were at the tallest point of the castle. I could see as far as the snowcapped mountains of the frozen north beyond the border of the Empire.

"Look behind you, and you shall see the pride of the Crystal Empire Cougar," her soft voice spoke to me. Turning around, I saw the pink alicorn standing beside a giant crystal heart that was spinning between a crystal stalactite and stalagmite. Cadence beamed proudly as she put her hoof on the stalagmite that supported the heart. Little streams of lights shot out of the heart several times, going out of the Empire.

"What's with the heart Cadence?" I questioned.

"The Crystal Heart is what helped defeat King Sombra a year and a half ago Cougar," Cadence replied. "Sombra's soul was dark, evil, cold, violent and selfish. It could not withstand the warmth, love and joy that the heart produces from the crystal ponies in our kingdom. The heart also acts as a defense from attackers," she added. "And when love and friendship is absorbed into the heart, it spreads the same love and friendship all across Equestria," she explained. I put my finger on my chin, taking in all of the information.

"So, what if say Sombra came back, again, and it absorbed all of his evil. Would that spread across Equestria too?" I questioned.

"Unfortunately, yes, which is why we make certain that whatever outsiders get to see the Crystal Heart checks out with Shining Armor and myself. And you're one of the few lucky outsiders that gets to be this close to the heart," she grinned.

"Well, then I thank you for showing me this Cadence," I shook her hoof as my stomach growled again. "Can we get to breakfast now?" I questioned and double checked the time which read 8:30.

"Of course Cougar," Cadence took me within her wing again and transported me from the Crystal Heart tower to the dining room.

"It's about time ya'll got here," Applejack breathed a sigh and began to wolf down her food.

* * *

**(Later that day. Cougar's POV)**

After breakfast had concluded, Cadence and Shining Armor took all of us down to explore the kingdom a little more. Although everyone else had been here, the trip was for my benefit to see the town and meet other ponies. It was actually a blast to see the stadium where the Equestria Games had been held. The stadium itself looked about the size of two football stadiums, but nowhere near as big as say Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Rainbow Dash had raced a few laps around the arena to stretch her wings out a bit and I got to try out what they called an ice arrow. Unfortunately, I had never received any formal archery training and missed the target by a country mile. Spike himself even told me the story of how he saved everypony in attendance from a giant icicle cloud during the games when a pony tripped over his quiver and launched an arrow into a cloud.

Once the Equestria Games Stadium was checked off the list, the Prince and Princess took us to a small diner rather than the kitchen at the castle for lunch. Since it was just a small family owned diner, they didn't have meat substitutes, but that was fine with me. Instead I ordered an egg salad sandwich with regular fries. Cadence insisted that she pay for my meal, but I took out my own bits and practically shoved them into the waitress' apron pocket. Not my smartest idea as she thought I was 'getting fresh' with her and she smacked me across the jaw. "I told her I was sorry," I rubbed my cheek in front of Shining Armor.

"You should have just let Cady pay for your meal," the unicorn held an ice pack to my jaw with his magic. "That mare sure can pack a wallop though right?" He laughed at my pain. Once lunch was done, it was about 2:30 and we were still looking for something to do. As luck would have it, there was a theatre near the diner with a play starting up at 2:45. Having never been to a play before, this piqued my interest enough to where everyone was okay with attending. The play was titled _Hinny of the Hills_, and judging from the poster in the poster box outside, it was a musical.

"You'll love this play Cougar!" Rarity patted my back while Shining Armor paid for our tickets, "its musical numbers and story lines are so joyous and uplifting. The play also won several _Thoroughbred _awards when it first came out and has been a sensation for several years!"

"I'm not really big on musicals, but what the hey," I took a seat next to Applejack and Applebloom. Going to see the play was a very good idea in fact as the songs were uplifting and very catchy that I almost didn't want to get out of my seat. I even stood up and applauded once the play was over, prompting everyone else in my row to applaud as well. The Crusaders went absolutely nuts and begged their elder sisters to go try and meet the cast. Giving in, Rarity, Rainbow and Applejack managed to keep their little sisters from rushing the stage in a frenzy. Luckily, Cadence and Shining Armor talked the play director into getting the cast to have a special autograph session for the Crusaders.

Not only did the Crusaders get to meet the cast of the play, the cast itself was pretty interested in talking to me. We talked for a few minutes while the director chatted with Rarity, something about costumes for his next big idea. Finally the theatre owner had to kick us out so the cast could have some downtime before the next showtime. We all found ourselves in the streets of the Crystal Empire at 5:00, still not time for dinner. Cadence on the other hoof, had an idea for all of us. "How would you all like a trip to the spa? My treat of course?" She asked.

"Yeah, no thanks," I refused, crossing my arms.

"Come on Cougar, it's so relaxing to soak in a mud bath and a sauna and have somepony massage your stress away," Fluttershy coaxed me. "Have you never been to a spa before?" She asked.

"No, of course not Fluttershy. Why would I want someone else touching me all over? It's kind of creepy if you ask me," I replied, shaking my head. Applebloom was interested in going to the spa as well and tried to get me with her puppy dog eyes, but I didn't budge an inch. A cyan foreleg wrapped itself around my neck, temporarily cutting off my oxygen. Rainbow Dash squeezed my neck tighter and shook me all around.

"FINALLY!" She cheered, "somepony who speaks the truth. I'm glad you see the truth about those creepy spas Cougar; who wants to have some stranger touching you for a few hours?" She asked the rest of the group.

"Hey, I find it's a really nice way to unwind after a hard day's work moving thousands of books around for mom," Spike defended the spa. I reached up with my hand and removed Rainbow from my neck before I blacked out.

"Spike, not you too!" I sputtered, "I thought you were a guy." Rarity furrowed her eyebrows at me and hmphd.

"The spa is not an endeavor just for females Cougar. Why I've seen plenty of stallions purchase memberships to get discounts on their weekly massages," the seamstress spat at me. I rolled my eyes, sighing sadly.

"More than likely scoping out mares for one night stands or a happy ending," I said sarcastically. Twilight, Rarity and Applejack covered the ears of Spike, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom at my explanation. As for Rainbow, she burst out laughing and fell to the ground, pounding away at the crystal sidewalk with her hoof.

"Is that all your species thinks about Cougar?" Twilight angrily asked, her hooves still around Spike's ears. "Just sex and food huh?"

"Some of us yes, but me, I like to think about sex _jokes_ and keeping in shape," I replied, not really caring that she was mad at me.

"Well don't you know how completely immature it is to talk about that subject in public and how uncomfortable you make everypony?" She asked me, her eyebrows growing angrier by the second. "Maybe you need a little matureness lecture?" A scroll and a feather pen appeared in front of me.

"Now Twilight, Ah know it wasn't very appropriate, but lighten up a little," Applejack somewhat guarded me from the wrath of a boring lecture. Now Twilight was starting to annoy me.

"Something like that is no laughing matter. I had to give Spike 'The Talk' the same night he grew, do you have any idea how awkward that was for the both of us?" The purple alicorn shuddered.

"Twily, just calm down and go with Cadence and your friends to the spa," Shining Armor hugged Twilight, finally shutting her up. Pushing him away, Twilight gave her older brother a pleading look.

"You don't want to go either Shining Armor?" Twilight asked.

"Pfft, no way Twily," the white prince shook his head. His blue mane waved back and forth in front of his eyes. "As a matter of fact, I was going to invite Cougar here to join me in the workout room back at the castle. You up for pumping a little iron Coug?" He turned to me.

"Best damn idea I've heard in the past five minutes, no offense Cadence," I looked back to the pink alicorn princess whom shrugged.

"Eh, everypony has different tastes," she replied.

"Hey, count me in to that action! I could use a good sweat," Rainbow shoved me out of the way, waving her hoof in front of Shining Armor. The unicorn nodded, allowing her to join us.

"Anypony else want to join in?" He asked the rest of the group. I was hoping that AJ or Applebloom would ditch the spa and join us for a sweat breaking workout, but the only one that did ditch the spa was Scootaloo, and that was fine with me. As Scootaloo hopped over and landed on Rainbow's back, the four of us waived goodbye to the others while they entered the spa, leaving us heading back to the castle to get a little exercise.

The four of us soon arrived back at the castle where we were greeted by the two guards standing outside the main castle doors. "Good evening your highness," the guards said in unison, holding the doors open with their magic. Shining thanked them while Scootaloo, Rainbow and myself waved to the duo.

"So Cougar, did your Air Force make you work out a lot?" the prince asked me when we arrived at the private workout room where about half a dozen guards were using the various equipment. Rainbow immediately grabbed a barbell with her wings and began to pump them up. Scootaloo put on a sweatband and began to do pushups with a ten pound weight on her back.

"When I was in training, you bet they did," I grabbed two eighty pound dumbbells and began to alternately pump them. "But after training was over and I was a full-time pilot, it became optional for me, yet I still worked out pretty much all the time I wasn't flying," I replied, controlling my breathing. Shining Armor sat on what appeared to be a rowing machine and began to row, keeping his biceps and pecs rock hard. A few of the guards gave me uncertain looks which I had now become accustomed to, but one of them sneered and trotted over to his prince. He didn't even bother keeping his voice down as I could hear every word he said.

"Your highness, I rarely question the decisions you and your wife make, but are you certain you wish to open our workout room to, uh, outsiders?" He asked the white unicorn. Shining Armor set the rowers on his rowing machine back in their holsters and stared at his guard. "I don't mind the hairless monkey in here, it's just we don't normally open our workout room to anypony besides you and the rest of the guards," he added. I switched pumping up and down with the dumbbells to holding them outwards and hoisting them above my head.

"Corporal," Shining leaned onto the end of the rowing machine, "these are personal friends of mine," his hoof motioned from me to Scootaloo and to Rainbow Dash. "I wanted to loosen up a bit tonight by working out and I personally invited them all to join me since my wife, sister, brother and their friends all decided to go the spa for the evening," Shining told the guard.

"Apologies your highness, but I still maintain that this should stay a private workout room for yourself and the Crystal Empire guards," the Corporal pony firmly stood his ground. I continued to hoist both eighty pound dumbbells above my head, amused at the guard defying Shining Armor's orders.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but they're here to stay and have a nice workout," Shining said grimly to the crystal unicorn. "Any other guards have a problem with my friends here?" he raised his voice. He was met with a resounding, "_No Sir!" _from the five other guards in the workout room. Smirking, Shining Armor shook his head at his Corporal.

"Just throw the all the rules out why don't you?" The guard grumbled, going back to a punching bag in the corner, punching it extremely hard.

"Yo Scootaloo," I called out, "you want a heavier weight there?" I asked her. She nodded, wriggling out from under the ten pound weight and grabbed a twenty pound weight, putting it on her back and continuing to do pushups.

"How much can you bench Cougar?" Shining Armor resumed utilizing the rowing machine.

"Last I checked, maybe 250 pounds, why?" I quested, pausing my workout. The unicorn motioned with his head to a bench press sitting right next to his rowing machine. His magic surrounded the pin in the workout equipment and inserted it into the 250 pound block.

"Let's see what you got," he winked at me. I set my eighty pound weights onto the rack and walked over to the bench press. "I'll even spot ya," he added with a challenging grin. Taking off my shirt and tossing it into the corner, I laid down on the bench and curled my fingers around the handles that looked to be formed to fit hooves. Grunting, I pushed upwards with all my might, easily moving the 250 pound blocks upwards.

"Got a challenge for me Shiny?" I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Only Cadence can call me that Cougar," Shining's magic pushed downward onto the blocks of weight. I laughed as I easily countered the extra weight and pushed the weight back up. "Alright smart guy, try this on for size," Shining inserted the pin into the 300 pound block.

"Come on Shining, what am I lifting here, parchment?" I teased the prince. Sweat began to drip from my forehead and biceps as my body began to tire out, but I wasn't backing down from the challenge.

"Alright, alright," Shining finally held down the weight blocks permanently. "How about a little spar huh? If you're so tough?" He lifted me up from the bench. "Just a friendly little spar, I promise no injuries," he put green sparring gear onto his head and hooves.

"You sure about this Shining? I was specially trained in hand to hand and up close combat besides flying," I warned the unicorn as I put on orange sparring head gear and gloves. By now, the guards, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo stopped what they were doing for a workout and formed a circle around us. "And no magic, just use your hooves and your wits," I added.

"Wasn't planning on any magic Coug," Shining began to move about in a circle. I raised my fists up, ready to block a punch that came my way.

"Kick his flank Cougar!" Rainbow cheered me on.

"Show 'em what the Crystal Empire is made of sir!" One of the other guards cheered Shining Armor. My eyes locked eyes with the unicorn as we started to move in a circle around each other. I suddenly felt an immense amount of pressure on my cheek as his hoof struck the side of my head, sending me sideways and a shot of saliva spat out of my mouth.

"Gotta keep your guard up Cougar," the pony teased me, wriggling his eyebrows. "Don't keep focused on your opponent's-" he tried to explain how to fight, but I decided to make my move and punched him in the ribs. "OOF!" He exclaimed and nearly fell to his knees.

"Less talking, more fighting," I chortled. "Come on, you're the big bad unicorn and I'm just a human," I jumped around him. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were whooping and hollering for me as the guards where jeering me for hitting their prince.

"Boy, you've got one heck of a punch Cougar," Shining caught his breath and got back into his fighting stance. He then jabbed at my own gut, forcing me to dodge to the left, but he anticipated that move and he hit me in the side of the head again. This time, the guards were cheering. Instead of punching back, I kept my stance and waited for the unicorn to punch again.

"You've gotta have more in the tank than that, _Shiny_," I pestered Shining Armor again. He growled and tried to punch me again, but I blocked his attack with my own gloves before jabbing my glove into his cheek, sending his own flume of saliva out of his muzzle. "Keep focused Shiny, keep focused. Don't let your anger get the best of you," I danced around him as he tried to punch like crazy.

"I've never lost a hoof fight Cougar," the unicorn tried to talk smack back to me. "If you think I'll lose to you," he once again caught me off guard with his talking and got a shot in under my chin, sending me reeling back into the forelegs of Rainbow Dash.

"Get back out there!" She shoved me back in front of Shining Armor.

"Bring it Shining," I shook the pain off of my chin. The fact that I had already been punched there earlier today from the diner waitress didn't help. But I pushed that into the back of my mind and kept focused on the spar between myself and Twilight's big brother. Rearing my left fist up, Shining got ready to block it, but instead I had my right fist at the ready and punched him in the gut again. His hooves fell from the block he had prepared and I attacked.

"Good shot Cougar! Hit him again!" Scootaloo jumped up and down as I sent a barrage of punches into the side of Shining Armor's headgear and into his chest. He was 'oofing' and grunting a lot from my punches. He then raised his hooves back up to block as I continued my assault like crazy.

"Come on sir, don't give it up yet!" The Corporal pony encouraged his prince. Shining roared and grabbed my shoulder with his left hoof, surprising me enough to where he used his right hoof to take several blows into my ribcage. My body jumped with each shot as he punched me over and over again. My right arm lifted up and laced itself around his neck, trying to push him away from me, but damn this stallion could hold his ground.

"Haha," Shining chortled, "I've got ya now Coug!" He declared. He sent one final shot into my chin, sending me spinning back into the wall which I hit flat with my back. "Are you sure you're the same one who killed two timberwolves?" the stallion joked. I spat some blood out of my mouth onto the floor and cracked my neck.

"If that's what you want pony," I slammed my fists together and ran towards him. I used my left hand to punch his face while using my right hand to uppercut his gut, and this worked. His forelegs flailed to and fro, unable to block my punches at all as I kept pushing him back into his wall. The cheering of Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash and the jeering of the crystal guards were drowned out by my grunting from punching Shining and his grunting from being punched by me. I finally pinned him to the wall, still giving him jabs to the face as his forelegs became useless.

"Okay, okay, I give," Shining sputtered out in between my blows. "You win," he wheezed as I stopped my barrage of punches and helped stand him up.

"Let's sit down Shining, you'll be fine," I said to the stallion. "Hey, get us some water over here!" I barked. Scootaloo saluted me and dashed over to the mini-fridge that was stocked with bottles of water. "Drink some of this," I ordered Shining Armor when I unscrewed the cap. His lips curled around the tip of the bottle and he drank some of the liquid.

"You're one tartarus of a fighter Cougar," the stallion coughed out some of the water.

"Thanks for the opportunity sir," I quickly shared a hug with him.

"I've never faced an opponent like you in a spar," he removed his sparring gear, leaving himself with helmet mane. Though I had a gut feeling that Cadence would like that look. "I don't bruise easily, so Cady won't find out," he stood up and stretched.

"Find out about what Shiny?" Cadence's voice asked. Had we really been working out and sparring for an hour? I guess the fifteen minute walk cut into that. The pink alicorn trotted to her husband and shook her head. "You know how I feel about you sparring like this Shiny," she scolded.

"It was my idea," I lied for the stallion, hoping that Applejack wasn't around to hear that. "I wanted to show him how tough I was and he told me to not hold back," I explained. Cadence looked from me to Shining before nuzzling her husband.

"You killed two timberwolves, so please go easier on my Shiny-Whiny next time Cougar," Cadence said in a baby voice.

"Don't say that around the guards Cady," the white stallion whined, inciting a guffaw from each of us in the workout room. Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash stood at my sides in victory as my fans for the moment. I dumped the rest of the water on top of their heads, telling them that they were a little too sweaty. I grabbed my shirt and flung it over my shoulder like a towel as sweat poured off me like a waterfall, making my whole body glisten.

"Cougar, are ya in here?" Applejack asked into the room. Cadence and Shining Armor parted from the doorway to reveal Applejack. She was wearing her mane just like she did at the Gala, except with her normal hat. "Rarity insisted Ah try this look again, Ah just wanted ta shut her up," Applejack rolled her emerald eyes. There was a tapping at the glass window of the workout room, causing me to turn to my left. Rarity was smiling and pointed her hoof towards Applejack, winking in the process. "So Cougar, how'd ya enjoy yer workout?" The orange mare finally approached me.

The stench of sweat and determination left my nostrils as Applejack's scent of apples and cinnamon entered. She looked incredible with her mane in that style, and her emerald eyes shined brilliantly in the lights of the room. "You okay there Cowboy? Ya didn't push yerself too hard didja?" She asked me.

"N-no, just a little sparring session with Shining Armor," I motioned to the unicorn. I could've sworn she stole a glance at my sweaty torso, but I thought I was seeing things as I had just been punched silly by a horse.

"Ya'll look like ya had fun, Ah wish Ah had gone with ya instead Cougar," the mare stood closer to me.

"Yeah well, I still wouldn't have gone to the spa AJ," I replied, wiping the sweat from my forehead. I couldn't tear my gaze away from her face; it was like looking at a face carved by angels, and it belonged to a pony.

"Are ya sure yer okay Cougar? Ya seem a little, out of it," She placed a hoof on my arm. Her hoof felt soft instead of hard like I had expected, but that didn't stop my body from jolting slightly.

"Excuse me your highness," a maid stepped into the room, "I hate to break up your conversation, but dinner is served," she announced.

"Whoo-hee, Ah'm starvin'! C'mon Cougar, let's go grab a bite!" The orange mare led me out of the workout room with the others.

* * *

**(Midnight. Cougar's Room 3rd Person POV)**

The human lay on his bed silently as a small fire crackled in his fireplace. A scowl plastered onto his face as he intertwined his fingers together atop his stomach. There was a feeling going on inside of him that he tried to keep down, but it found a way to fight back and make itself known to only him. Cougar tried and tried and tried to go to sleep, but every technique and every sleeping pill didn't help as the sandman evaded him. Dinner had went swimmingly as it was delicious and everypony had enjoyed it. What had him so pissed off was something that happened in the library of the castle where everyone hung out until bed time.

Tossing and turning, Cougar shut his eyes to try get some shut-eye, but all he saw was _her._ No matter what, his mind always drifted to a certain pony that he knew. Even music couldn't help drown out the thoughts racing through his mind at a thousand miles per hour. He was angry, not too livid, but angry nonetheless at both himself and this certain pony. The clock in his room had stopped chiming, indicating that midnight had arrived along with the promise of a new day. How could he let her get to him like that? He was an Air Force pilot. Physical and mental strength was his bread and butter, but she broke through those barriers as if they were made of graham crackers.

Luna's silvery moon crept though the window of his balcony doors, drenching the room and his bed in a bright hue. Cougar also felt bad that his friends tried to question what was bothering him in the library, but he ignored their offers to help. It shouldn't have been this hard to get her off his mind, but dammit every thought that appeared in his brain, she wasn't too far behind. Groaning, Cougar removed the covers from his bed and swung his legs over the side, scratching his back. He hopped down onto the flooring and his bare feet smacked loudly against the crystal flooring.

He knew that the only way to get this off his chest was to talk to somepony about it; the one pony who could help him was staying in the room at the end of the hallway. Thankful to not be scared of the dark, the human used the flashlight function on his phone to guide him down the narrow passageway in the quietness of night, being sure to avoid the statues so as not to create unnecessary noise. He prayed he wouldn't run into anyone else, especially _her_; if he did, he didn't know how it would end up. Cougar hadn't really talked about his feelings before with anyone, even his friend Reaper, but he had to make an exception before his brain exploded from conflicting feelings.

"Here goes," Cougar said softly as he raised his hand and softly knocked on the crystal door in front of him. The snoring behind the door stopped as a snort took its place. Fearing that the pony behind the door didn't fall back asleep, Cougar held his breath, waiting to see what would happen. The clopping of hooves on crystal met his eardrums from behind the door as the pony inside the room came closer and closer.

"_Eeyup?"_ Applejack tiredly yawned when she opened the door. "Cougar, what're ya doin' up so late Sugarcube?" She blinked several times, trying to stay awake. The human put his phone in his pocket to not blind the mare.

"Applejack sorry that I woke you, but there's something I need to talk to you about," he admitted to her.

"What do ya mean?" She yawned again. Cougar shuffled his feet atop the crystal floor of the hallway, knowing that if he told Applejack, it could spell disaster for them. "Here, you can come in if ya want ta," she opened the door wider, allowing her friend to walk in and sit down in front of the fire on a couch.

"Are you sure you're not too tired?" He wanted to make sure she was okay.

"Yeah, if one 'o my friends needs somepony to talk to, Ah'm always there," she closed her eyes and rocked back and forth, gently patting the humans' arm. "Now, what's on yer mind Sugarcube?" she propped her chin up with her hoof. He gulped, realizing that he didn't even think of what he wanted to say to her. The human decided to wing it.

"Applejack, this is a personal issue of mine, and it was important that I tell_ you_," he said quietly, putting his hand on her hoof. The mare blushed a bit as his soft hand curled around her hoof. "But I'm a little scared to tell you; I don't know how you'll react or if you'll even want to be my friend," he sadly admitted. This jolted the mare wide awake, sleep was completely gone from her mind.

"What? Why on Celestia's earth would Ah not want ta be yer friend anymore?" Applejack felt a little hurt that Cougar assumed she'd cease being his friend over something he had to say.

"Because I don't know how you'll take what I have to say. It's something that's been eating away at me for several weeks now, and _you're_ the only pony I can trust to tell without freaking out," the human continued.

_'Is this really happenin'?' _Applejack asked herself mentally as a blush appeared on her cheeks. _'Or is this some kinda sick dream?'_

_"_You can tell me anythin' Sugarcube, Ah promise Ah won't freak out at ya," she replied, still loving the feeling of his hand on her hoof. The distance between them on the couch began to close as they scooted closer and closer.

"It's just something that's hard to admit to somepony close to you, you know?" Cougar asked her, squeezing her hoof tighter.

_'Just tell me Cougar, Ah promise Ah'll feel the same way!'_ Applejack shouted in her mind.

"Eeyup," Applejack responded, gulping hard when the duo was nearly nose to nose. The popping of the fire filled in the gap of temporary silence as Cougar dug deep down and revealed to Applejack what he had been feeling for a long time.

"AJ?" He asked.

"Yeah, Cougar?" Applejack's emerald eyes shined with hope and love, ready to take in Cougar's confession.

"I really, really don't like Twilight," the human admitted.

_'COME ON!' _Applejack roared inside her mind.

"What did ya say Cougar?" Her mouth luckily didn't sound as angry as her voice inside her head. Cougar moved away from her face, but still held her hoof in his hand for support. "Ya don't like Twilight? But why Sugarcube?" She asked with concern.

"Why? What do you mean why Applejack?" Cougar said, "she's bossy, a know-it-all, has to correct everyone on every little freaking detail, won't leave me alone because I'm choosing to withhold information from you guys, and she never, shuts, up," the human revealed the reasons why he couldn't stand the purple alicorn.

"Come on Cougar," the mare put her other hoof on his arm, "Ah know she seems like that ta some ponies, but she's really a sweetheart once ya get ta know her," Applejack tried to bring down his claims, but Cougar wasn't having any of it.

"I've tried Applejack, but that mare has a pole up her butt about twenty miles long. Does she even know how to loosen up and have fun?" He questioned the farming pony. "I-I-I just can't take her anymore. Every time she goes into her OCD mode and tries to take control of everything, I feel like punching a brick wall." Applejack took into consideration everything Cougar had told her.

"That is surprisin' Cougar, but Ah assure ya that Ah'm not mad at ya," she smiled to really let him know that she wasn't upset. Cougar looked down at her smiling face and smiled back at her. "Everypony has the right ta their opinion, 'n not everypony will like one pony," she added.

"But how will everyone else take this? Won't they think I'm a jerk for not liking Twilight? You all really value friendship and I wouldn't want to ruin anything for you guys," the human worriedly asked.

"Trust me Cougar, they're more understandin' than that. 'N besides, who said we had ta tell anypony else? This can be our little secret," she tiredly laid her head onto his arm and nuzzled it.

"Yeah, I guess I was getting myself worked up over nothing," Cougar laughed. "But she really annoyed the hell out of me in the library with her constant questions that I'm not ready to answer," Cougar said.

"If ya want, Ah can talk ta her 'bout leavin' ya alone 'till you are ready to tell us more 'bout yerself," the mare laid her head down again on his chest, her green eyes looking up at his pale blue ones. She tried in vain not to look disappointed at Cougar just because he didn't say what she wanted him to say.

"That would be nice, thanks Applejack," Cougar wrapped his arms around her body and hugged her.

"It's my pleasure ta help ya Cougar," the mare yawned.

"Sorry for waking you up though," he started to get out from under body, but her foreleg stopped him. Confused, Cougar looked back down at her, staying in place on the couch. "Is everything alright?"

"It's pretty late, ya'll can stay in my room if ya want Cougar," the mare gave him the puppy dog look that had grown accustomed to seeing from Applebloom. The offer surprised him to say the least. Staying in the same room as Applejack? Why that hadn't occurred since that night with the timberwolves.

"Well, if it's okay with you," Cougar replied nervously.

"It sure is," Applejack hugged him tighter.

"Um, do you want me to move so you can get up and back to the bed?" He offered. Applejack was far too comfortable in this position to move even an inch, but she had to give Cougar an explanation so he wouldn't feel like he was doing something wrong. "I'm fine with the couch," he concluded.

"No, Ah'm comfortable like this Cougar, if that's okay with you," Applejack bit her lower lip, unable to look at Cougar's face after she had said that. She was scared she had weirded him out and that she had blown her chances with him.

"You are pretty warm," he chuckled softly, pulling a spare blanket over the two of them. Due to how tired she was, Applejack practically fell asleep immediately. Cougar on the other hand, stayed awake, listening to her rhythmic breathing and taking in how adorable she looked all curled up like this. "AJ, if only I could tell you how I felt about you," a small tear escaped Cougar's eye as he nuzzled her cheek with his. Looking down at her comfortable face, Cougar leaned forward and lightly pressed his lips onto her forehead, not daring to even go near her mouth for fear of waking her up and angering her.

_'That's probably the closest I'll ever get,'_ Cougar thought to himself before succumbing to the sandman finally and allowing his eyelids to close and his head to rest atop Applejack's.

**End Chapter 25**


	27. Chapter 26: Top Bolt

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 26: Top Bolt**

_Oh, my, gosh guys. Thank you SO much on getting this story to 100 favorites! Triple digit faves, follows and __reviews?! Every time I upload a chapter, you guys blow my expectations out of the water. _

_And before we get to the story, I just want to say thank you to specific author: Sassymouse. Thank you for allowing me to use your OCs from Dashing and Soaring. It was a ton of fun getting to use them in Fallen Eagle. And if you guys are not subscribed to her story, GO DO IT NOW! Or you know after you read this chapter lol. I promise, you will not be disappointed with her story._

_Sorry guys, I'm really short on time, so no replying to reviews this time. I will however, do that next time, promise! If you have any questions, just PM me._

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The second and final day of our trip in the Crystal Empire was not as eventful as the first day. In fact, I can barely remember anything about our second day besides prying Twilight away from Cadence when it was time to leave because she couldn't stop talking, or waking up cuddling with Applejack. Thank God nopony else knew about that, or else Cadence and Rarity might flip out and beg me to tell AJ how I felt. Speaking of the white unicorn, I do sometimes get nervous when I see her talking with Applejack since she was the first pony who saw my attraction to the orange mare. However, as far as I could tell, she kept my feelings a secret, but for how long could she do that? I had no clue.

As for now, it's been about a day since we arrived back in Ponyville and I had decided to do a little Fall Cleaning of my shack, mainly because it had gotten _really_ dusty and I had wanted to secure the door and window and fill any cracks in the walls to keep the heat inside. Plus, the parts for my wood stove would be arriving soon and AJ and I had to plan where to install it. "Ah thought yer military trainin' would make ya keep yer barracks less dusty," the farm pony teased me with a stuck out tongue while she utilized a wet rag to clean my little window.

"Hey, at least I don't have dirty clothes just scattered about," I smirked back, sweeping some dust on the floor into a dust pan and dumping the contents into a trash bin. I mentally agreed with the pony though; I had been getting a little lazy with keeping my shack clean. Yet, it was in no way a disaster like I had seen Rarity's 'inspiration room.' I call bullshit on the fact that she believes 'organized chaos' helps get her inspired. "Although, you're probably not used to clothes right?" I paused my sweeping momentarily, looking over at the orange mare.

"Eh, with how much Rarity designs, Ah've gotten used ta seein' clothes more often," she responded, taking off her hat and wiping her forehead. "'N Ah'm proud 'o ya fer keeping yer room smellin' nice. Ah can't tell ya how many times Ah've just walked by my big brother's room 'n thought my nose was gonna shrivel up 'n fall off my muzzle," she chuckled. I snickered, knowing what she meant, but that didn't irk me. Guys usually have smelly rooms, but we don't care as long as we can find music, the TV remote or the bed.

"I wish Applebloom was here," I poured another dustpan full of dirt and dust into the trash bin, sighing and wiping my hands. Applejack tossed her wet rag onto her back for a short storage area and turned back to face me. "Not that you're not fun enough to be around," I assured her.

"Yeah, but she's doin' really well in school. 'Specially in chemistry thanks ta Twilight's tutorin'," she grinned. "Speakin' 'o school, be prepared fer her askin' fer help on math 'n writin'. Applebloom may be doin' well in chemistry, but math still confuses her sometimes," Applejack explained.

"I won't mind helping, I mean I _did_ help her get over an important step in becoming a mare," I reminded Applejack teasingly. My friend's cheeks flushed pink and she looked away.

"Again, Ah'm sorry 'bout that Cougar," Applejack apologized for about the thousandth time on the subject.

"Yeah, I get that AJ, but I'm just letting you know Applebloom's never annoyed me and I don't think she ever will," I explained. Applejack smiled and took the wet rag off her back, soaking it in her water bucket and began to wipe down my tiny bookshelf.

"Have ya ever even gone up ta that there loft?" the mare asked me as she wrung out the rag and continued to wipe dust off anywhere she could find. "It looks like ya haven't even touched it since we fixed up this shed," Applejack added. I looked up at the ladder that was caked with dust and the darkened loft where light seemed to never exist. I have been up there only once, but that was awhile ago. The only time I ever even went up to the second story was when I stored the surprise from my F-15 under a brown tarp on top of the loft.

"Maybe once when we first fixed up this place," I casually turned back to her before returning to sweeping under the loft. "I don't have that much stuff with me; it doesn't really make sense to go up there," I explained.

"Well, ya could clean the loft out 'n use it fer a guest bedroom or turn it into yer personal bedroom 'n use this space down here as a livin' room or somethin' else," AJ said. I was only half-listening to AJ as my mind drifted back to the jetpack. Nopony but Luna, and maybe a few dungeon inmates, knew of the device's existence. Naturally I _did_ want to tell her and Applebloom, perhaps Rainbow Dash, but how would I explain what the hell it is to them and how it works or even what it's for? I kept the notecard from Stinger tucked away as a bookmark in one of my three _Daring Do_ books and read it once in awhile, but even I still couldn't figure out how the jetpack worked.

"Sounds good, but just a reminder AJ, the cot is good enough. I don't need a regular bed anymore," I replied, "the last time I even slept in a regular bed was when Luna 'invited' me to stay at the castle during the heat season."

"It'd be no trouble at all Cougar ta make ya yer own bed," she assured me with those shiny emerald eyes, practically trying to butter me up. "All Ah need is yer say so, 'n Ah could whip it up faster than Winona chasin' after Angel," she giggled. Sighing, I set my broom against the wall and put my full attention back to Applejack.

"Applejack, you and your family have already done so much for me. You don't need to waste your time and energy on something as frivolous as a bed when I have a nice and comfy cot to sleep on." Applejack was about to retort, but I continued to speak. "And if the cot ever busts or breaks, I'll sleep on the floor until I've acquired enough of my own bits to buy a new cot." The mare patted my back with her hoof, chuckling softly to herself in the process.

"Oh Cougar, sometimes yer just too modest fer yer own good," she started to wipe off the ladder with her wet rag, going up the rungs every few seconds. I gulped, silently praying that she wouldn't go all the way up to the actual loft. The brown tarp was just in front of the ladder, but not really visible from the bottom floor.

"And is that a bad thing?" I continued the conversation, hoping that it would distract her from the secret.

"Course not Coug," she looked back down at me from halfway up the wooden ladder, "ya've just done plenty 'o good things here 'n you deserve ta treat yerself ta a reward every now 'n then," she turned back to her task at hand and continued wiping down the wooden rungs. When she surpassed the top rung and I heard her hooves clopping on the loft floor, the sound of a tarp rustling made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "Cougar, what the hay kind 'o backpack is this thing?" Applejack asked as the rustling sound of the brown tarp faded away. Looking up at the loft, the mare had the jetpack in both of her hooves as she showed it to me. "It sure is heavy," AJ added.

"Right, that," I exhaled, putting the broom up agains the wall and the dustpan right next to it. Ever so carefully, Applejack began to crawl down the ladder, trying hard not to slip or drop what she thought was a regular backpack. "AJ, let me take that," I grasped the device in my hands and took it from the pony so she wouldn't injure herself by falling or whatever.

"Ah'm very capable 'o carryin' heavy objects," she dusted her forehooves off when she got off the ladder. I took the jetpack that still looked brand new thanks to the tarp and set it in the corner near my tiny bookshelf. "Now, what in the wide, wide world 'o Equestria is that Cougar? Ah've never seen a backpack like that before," she asked me for the second time. My cot creaked as I sat down, propping up my head with my right fist.

"That's not a regular backpack," my hand softly patted the empty space on the cot next to me. Without hesitation, Applejack turned around and plopped right down next to me, though still confused about the device in the corner. "Do you remember back when I Luna invited me to stay at her castle for a weekend?" I asked. AJ nodded her head, pursing her lips a little at the memory. "Well, Luna took me down to the dungeons where she and Celestia had stored my jet that is pretty much useless now. Just for a trip down memory lane, I took a seat inside the cockpit, trying to recapture that feeling of soaring through the air."

"Didja find it inside your jet?" Applejack questioned.

"Yeah, I climbed from my cockpit, but I saw an open compartment door behind where my seat used to be and this was sitting inside. Apparently, the Air Force was experimenting with using what us humans called 'jetpacks' and pilots would use them if we had to eject for whatever reason behind enemy lines or if the rescue chopper couldn't reach us in time, we would fly back to base or to the nearest allied base," I explained. Applejack shook her head, shocked at my explanation.

"Hang on here a second, are ya sayin' that you can _fly_ with that there jetpack?" her jaw dropped and her hoof pointed to the jetpack.

"That's the idea," I replied, "but I have no idea how to use it, what I would use it for here or even how it works. I'd probably get killed trying to fly it, so here it sat gathering dust for about a month until you found it."

"It didn't come with instructions? Hmm, Ah'd think the military'd care enough 'bout ya ta at least give ya instructions on how ta use it," she scratched her chin.

"Well, it came with one little notecard from my superior," I corrected the mare. "In it, he said that it uses a special power cell that helps it last for 120 years before dying and that when I wear it, tiny scanners scan my arms' positions, relaying the information back to the CPU which speeds it up and slows it down." Applejack gave me the ever so classic deer in the headlights look, and I would've been shocked if she hadn't. "Don't worry AJ, I don't know how the hell that works too; I'm no physicist or scientist."

"So what are ya gonna do with it?" She asked me, taking peering back at the corner behind us.

"I don't know, I'll probably keep it under the tarp or gut it and keep it as a wall decoration," I grunted as I stood up from my cot. Applejack hopped off my cot and opened her mouth to say something in return when we were joined by another pony.

"Good mooooorning Applejack!" Rainbow Dash poked her head through the door with a cheesy grin on her face. "Morning to you too Cougar," she added, trotting into my shack casually.

"Oh good, you're here to help us clean?" I joked.

"Nope, I heard you guys talking and I thought I'd grace you guys with my awesome presence!" She replied, leaning against the doorframe.

"Ya weren't eavesdroppin' on us were ya Rainbow?" Applejack's right eyebrow slowly rose up. The cyan pegasus gave a mocking scoff in reply, putting on an innocent display that only Discord could rival.

"What? No, I'm just here to see if you have any spare cider I can take back to the Academy tomorrow. The recruits and Soarin' can't get enough of it," she explained, licking her lips in thirst. "That and I overheard you talk about flying, Cougar," the pegasus turned to me with a smirk.

"And what's your point?" I questioned.

"If anypony's talking about flying, I'm gonna drop in my two bits," she stuck her tongue out at me. "So were you talking about flying your jet thingy in the past or maybe seeing if Luna will take you for a flight sometime?" Rainbow trotted over and stood next to Applejack. AJ had rolled her eyes when Rainbow revealed she had in fact been eavesdropping on our conversation.

"Firstly, I'm not sure Luna can support my weight," I began.

"Yer all muscle Cougar," AJ countered, "Ah'm sure she could handle ya."

"Wouldn't that make her look very demeaning?" I crossed my arms. Rainbow and AJ looked at each other before sort of agreeing with me. "And to answer your question Rainbow, I was explaining to AJ here that the Air Force gave me an experimental device that allows me to fly in emergency situations," I pointed my finger over to the corner yet again. Maybe I should build a big trophy case and put it on there so ponies can stop asking.

"How in Tartarus is a backpack going to help you fly?" Rainbow glowered at me as if she was telling me, _'Do I look stupid to you?'_ Grumbling, I picked up the jetpack, swung the straps over my shoulders, unfolded the arm bracings that housed the scanners, and pushed the red button on the right strap. Suddenly, the wings opened up with a FWOMP from the core of the jetpack and the engine kicked on, lifting me off the ground only by a few inches. Rainbow's eyes bulged out of her skull and her jaw dropped from the site before her. Rainbow grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and shook me violently.

"RACE, ME, NOW!" She exclaimed, her wings flapping like crazy. Shoving her away and pushing the red button again, the jetpack engine slowly died and the wings folded back up into the core.

"Sorry Dash," I folded the arm bracings back up and took off the jetpack, setting it on my cot this time. "But I don't know how to fly this damn thing. I'd probably get killed if I tried. And even if I did magically know how to fly, tell me what use it'll be useful here in Equestria," I demanded. "Also, I have no idea how fast I can even go." Rainbow's face twitched slightly before her wings slowly calmed down and she gently touched her hooves to the wooden floor.

"That's a good way to piss a pony off Cougar," the pegasus grumbled.

"You think I knew you were gonna challenge me to a race? I figured you'd twist my arm and insist that you teach me how to fly with this thing," I said sarcastically. Rainbow did a double take before her eyes lit up again and she got a really creepy smile on her face. I wanted to tell her that I was joking and that I had no intention of ever using the damn thing, but Applejack unfortunately took what I said to heart as well.

"Actually, that sounds like a pretty good idea Cougar," the orange mare grinned, shoving my arm a little. "Ya got Rainbow 'n Soarin up there at the Academy that can teach ya. Why Ah reckon they can have ya flyin' like a bird by tomorrow evenin'," she added.

"I think you girls need a lesson in sarcasm," I muttered.

"Yeah! I can talk Soarin into helping me teach you all you need to know about pitching your body, doing barrel rolls, recovering from spin outs, all that good stuff!" She beamed, standing on her rear legs and squeezing me with her left foreleg.

"Ah don't think he needs ta learn _all_ 'o that Rainbow Dash," Applejack clapped her forehooves in front of Rainbow's face, snapping her from her daydream. "'Sides, Ah think Cougar done learned all that in the Air Force, right?" She winked at me, causing my body to jolt slightly.

"Right," I sputtered out after blinking several times, "but can we think about this realistically please?" I begged. The two mares in front of me now gave me their full attention, waiting for me to get to the point. "If I do go and learn how to maneuver my body with this damn thing, tell me this: When in the hell will I _ever_ need to use it realistically? Sure I miss flying, but between this and my jet is like comparing an apple to ice cream. They're both food, but completely different!" I exclaimed.

"You can perform air shows with us!" Rainbow Dash radiated excitement.

"You didn't hear anything I just said did you?" I said flatly.

"Well, ya could use it ta get apples out 'o the tops 'o the trees faster," Applejack explained, "or haulin' hay bales up ta the top floor 'o the barn," she smiled. "Ah know yer strong enough, but haulin' bales 'o hay still takes awhile."

"I don't want to get lazy," I quickly shot down the idea.

"Pfft, lazy ain't in yer dictionary Cowboy," AJ playfully shook her head. I face palmed, getting slightly aggravated that the two ponies were completely missing the point that I saw no need or use for learning how to use this thing.

"Hey, why are you so against this? Didn't you want to see the Academy at some point or the whole Wonderbolts Team face to face because we remind you of your Bluebirds or whatever?" Rainbow Dash demanded like a private investigator.

"_Thunderbirds_ thank you very much," I got a little defensive about my branch's flight demo team. "And to answer both of your questions: Yes. But to actually fly without the aide of my jet? That's just too outrageous for me. And why are you so bent on getting me to go?" Rainbow Dash bit her bottom lip so hard that I thought she would draw blood, but she groaned and growled in annoyance.

"Maybe it's because I might wanna hang out with you a little more. You're one of the most badass creatures I've ever met and you _love_ flying if you've spent seven years in the Air Force," she explained.

"Oh God, you're not jealous are you?" I asked stoically, hoping that she wasn't. In the back of my mind, I was pretty confident that she wasn't jealous that I wasn't spending time with her; she had Soarin, Fluttershy, Scootaloo, Pinkie Pie etc. to hang out with. Maybe I _should_ try to spend a little more time with the others like AJ wants. Besides her, Luna and the Crusaders, I really didn't hang out with anypony else. Lyra and Bon Bon I've only really talked to so they didn't count. Although, I guess I could count the camping trip as hanging out with Rarity and Rainbow Dash.

"Please, _I _don't get jealous. This is just a golden opportunity for us to connect a little more and for you to meet some of the most amazingly awesome ponies in Equestria!" She shouted into my face. Applejack grabbed Rainbow's tail with her mouth and yanked her away from my face.

"There's no reason tryin' ta make the guy deaf Rainbow, although Ah agree that ya bring up some good points," Applejack concurred with her friend. She then turned her gaze back to me, "Is there another reason yer so against this Cougar?" she softly asked me.

"No, not really," I sighed in defeat. "It'd be great to hang out with you Rainbow, but like I said before, this would more than likely be a one and done deal. I can't for the life of me figure out what else I could do with it." I jabbed my thumb back to the jetpack.

"Catching bad guys faster?" Rainbow shrugged.

"I'm not a cop," I replied, "or a guard," I quickly added.

"What about that one pony ya caught and beat up fer tryin' to kill Princess Luna?" Applejack placed her hoof in my hand.

"I would have to wear it 24/7 then; I'd look ridiculous taking Bloom to school or going to see Luna with that thing strapped to my back for no other reason," I gulped, slowly moving my hand away from her hoof.

"Put it on with your helmet and your sunglasses and you'd look like the second coolest thing in Equestria," Rainbow persuaded. I briefly imagined myself with the jetpack, my helmet and sunglasses on; what came out was a white version of the Falcon from Captain America 2. "Come on!" the cyan pegasus was practically in begging and groveling mode, "don't you miss just zipping through the clouds at Celestia knows what speed with nothing higher in the sky than the sun on your back?" Fuck, _that_ was the biggest thing I did in fact miss about flying my jet, other than with Reaper as my wingman.

"If it's to hang out with you and Soarin, then sure, why not?" I gave in. "Plus, I've kind of wondered what it'd be like to fly like some of my favorite super heroes," my inner child bloomed for a second.

"YES, YES, YES!" Rainbow pumped both her forelegs in the air in victory. "I'll come by tomorrow morning at 0500 to take you up the Academy myself. You'll just need Twilight to whip up the cloud walking spell for you," she was about ready to burst with excitement.

"Hold on a second," I stopped her little happy moment. "_You,_ Rainbow Dash, are aware that there's a 5:00 A.M.? I guess miracles do happen!" I teased the pony. Applejack had told me that Rainbow loved napping just about as much as flying; I've even found her snuggled up in some of AJ's trees occasionally.

"Just for that, your first piece of training tomorrow is gonna be on the dizzitron," she growled at me. '_What in the hell are you talking about?'_ I mentally asked myself before she turned back to Applejack. "And don't think I've forgotten why I came here in the first place Applejack," Rainbow Dash held out her hoof.

"Ah've got some spare cider in the cellar," AJ rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Come on Cougar, Ah need ya ta watch Rainbow so she don't take more cider than Ah give her," she shot a questioning look to her cyan friend whom innocently whistled. I followed suit, but not before realizing what else Rainbow had said to me.

"What exactly do you mean by a cloud walking spell?"

* * *

**(The Next Morning. Cougar's POV)**

As Celestia's sun peaked over the mountains on the horizon, a steaming mug of hot coffee was brought to my lips as I sipped the delicious drink. Applejack had taken me to Twilight's castle for the cloud walking spell after we gave Rainbow some apple cider for the Academy. So apparently only alicorns and pegasi can walk on clouds without the aide of the spell; how was I supposed to know that? It certainly wouldn't have surprised me if _all_ pony races could walk on the clouds with all I've encountered here so far. But nonetheless, I received the spell so I wouldn't die from falling through the clouds. I was expecting a pinch or some kind of quick pain, but it was actually rather tingly, sort of like all my nerves within my central nervous system lit up at once and then went numb for a second.

My jetpack was currently strapped onto my shoulders, though I had the arm braces folded against the pack so I wouldn't accidentally bump the button and send myself flying through the wall. I also had my sunglasses tucked into my shirt collar and my purple helmet sat on the tabletop next to my plate of buttered toast, the sun's morning rays were gleaming off the purple surface. Taking a small bite, I wiped my hands of the crumbs and took another sip of my coffee. Checking the time on the clock above the door, I sighed, expecting Rainbow Dash to be a few minutes late, but it was already a quarter after 5:00 A.M.

"Ah figured ya would've been gone by now," Applejack yawned, pouring herself a cup of coffee and sitting down next to me. I've gotten so used to seeing her in her hat that whenever she woke up without it, she almost looked like a different pony. "Yer not too surprised are ya?" Her voice brought me back from my thoughts.

"No, not really," I chuckled, setting my mug down and pushing my plate of toast over to the mare. "You can have a bite if you want, I promise I'm not sick or anything," a smile spread across my face. AJ looked down from the plate of toast and back to me with a smile all her own as she reached her hoof down underneath the toasted bread with butter and brought it to her mouth, taking about half the toast in one fell swoop.

"Thank ya kindly," she swallowed and thanked, "oops, 'scuse me," she blushed as a tiny belch escaped her mouth.

"I'm a little surprised no one else is up at the usual time," I took the other half of the toast and took my own bite. Applejack had left the tiniest hint of apples on the edge of the toast, making it taste even better than before.

"Welp, since the usual apple season is over, we do normally sleep in till 'bout six or maybe seven durin' the fall 'n winter months," Applejack explained, taking a nice, long sip of her coffee.

"So then what are you doing up at this time?" I questioned, getting up from my chair and setting my plate in the sink. I ran water over it to wash off all the crumbs and little globs of butter so Granny Smith or Big Mac wouldn't have to wash it themselves. There was a faint _thunk_ as AJ set down her red mug on the wooden tabletop.

"Ta be honest, Ah wanted ta see ya off myself," smiled warmly at me. "Ah wouldn't be much of a friend if Ah just let ya leave without somepony sayin' goodbye, even if it's just fer a day," she said gently. Before I could reply with a thank you, albeit a stammering one, AJ yawned mightily again, stretching her forelegs up in the air.

"You didn't have to lose any sleep over me," I quickly refreshed her coffee mug.

"Ah know fer a fact ya'd do the same fer me," her hoof softly laid atop my hand as I reached for my own coffee mug. My pale blue eyes looked up from her hoof and into her own emerald green eyes. Looking into her eyes reminded me of the old tails sailors being drawn by the call of mythical sirens from their songs, but with me however, AJ's trusting and kind eyes seemed to work the exact same magic. The sound of her chair scraping across the wooden floor made me realize that she had released my hand from my hoof. Shaking my head, the mare turned on the kitchen sink, splashing cold water on her face.

"Y-yeah, I would," I agreed with her statement. Suddenly, the kitchen screen door flew open, revealing Rainbow Dash standing on the porch. The pegasus mare stumbled inside and grabbed the entire coffee pot with both hooves, bringing it to her mouth and downing the rest of the caffeinated goodness.

"Ah'll clean that first 'fore Ah brew another batch," Applejack ran warm water over the lip of the coffee pot.

"Sorry I'm late Coug," Rainbow grumbled and burped at the same time. "My stupid alarm clock didn't go off this morning, and my coffee pot wasn't plugged in and I'm too cheap to buy coffee from one of the convenience stores," she explained with a groan.

"Oh, it's not a problem Rainbow," I assured her. "AJ and I were just enjoying some coffee," I gestured to the farm pony that was busy cleaning out the pot of coffee that Rainbow Dash drank from.

"Good 'cause we got a _lot_ to do today Cougar," Rainbow nudged my elbow with her hoof. "come on, we gotta get going so we can have as much time to whip you into cadet status by dinner time," she got behind me and tried to push me out of the kitchen.

"Hold on now Rainbow," Applejack produced a pie from the refrigerator, "don't forget Soarin's pie now ya hear?" She slid the apple pie across the countertop towards Rainbow Dash. The pegasus took the pie and set it on her back.

"Thanks Applejack, good thing you reminded me. Who knows what Soarin' would be reduced to without his mid-week morning pie?" She joked. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I grabbed my helmet from the table and held it upside down in my hand, ready to leave.

"Ah guess Ah'll see y'all tonight then?" Applejack asked us. Rainbow Dash nodded and held the door open for me to leave. Taking a look back as I stood in the doorway, Applejack leaned against the counter, waving her hoof at me.

"Hot air balloon leaves in ten, let's get a move on!" Rainbow demanded. Ignoring her for only but a moment, I walked back into the kitchen and stopped in front of Applejack. Curious, the mare braced herself on the counter and used it to help steady herself on her hind legs. Wrapping an arm around her neck, I pulled her in close for a goodbye hug. Thankfully, I didn't catch her by surprise or anything as she returned the hug and seemed to nuzzle her head into my chest.

"Keep an eye on Applebloom AJ," I winked at her as Rainbow bit my pants leg and yanked, telling me to get my ass in gear.

**(One Hot Air Balloon Ride Later)**

You're not nervous about walking on clouds are you Cougar?" Rainbow teased me as she paid the hot air balloon pony a few bits. The Wonderbolt hovered above me with her forelegs crossed, impatiently waiting for me to exit the balloon basket. I still had my helmet in my hand and I now had my sunglasses over my eyes since we were now above the clouds.

"I'm more scared of falling through the clouds to be honest," I gulped in reply. Sure, I trusted Twilight enough that she wouldn't give me a bum spell on purpose, but what if it didn't work on me specifically? And I'm not sure Rainbow could support my weight if she tried to catch me.

"Don't worry, the cleanup crew is fast and efficient at cleaning up splattered gunk," Rainbow leaned against the basket with the very definition of a shit-eating grin on her face. Narrowing my eyes, I grabbed her Wonderbolt goggles, stretched them back, and snapped them onto her face. "YOWCH!" She cried in pain and rubbed her eyes to soothe her agony.

"You do know I'm actually serious about this Rainbow?" I asked her, not caring that she was still in a little bit of pain.

"Of course I know, just trying to lighten the mood Mr. Buzzkill," she put her goggles back over her eyes. "Now come on, Soarin and the cadets should be up in about fifteen minutes," she exclaimed. "Not to mention you're costing the balloon pony some bits for not leaving," she added. Indeed as I looked over at the balloon operating pony, the yellow pegasus with a Scottish golfing hat atop his head was giving me an icy glare.

"Hurry it up laddie," a thick Scottish accent penetrated my ears, "I can't have any lollygaggers taking up me precious business that feeds me wee ones," he gave me a mighty kick in the ass, making me stumble like a drunk out of the purple basket. I braced myself for the feeling of free falling into the ground below, but it never happened.

"Alright, you're not falling to the ground on your flank, now let's move it," Rainbow nudged me forward. Clearing my throat, I got ahold of myself knowing that Twilight's spell did in fact work and Rainbow began to escort me through Cloudsdale. I had to admit, it was pretty beautiful up here with Celesita's sun shining off the white columns of clouds that were layered all over the place. "So, do you like everything so far?" The pegasus and I crested a small cloud hill to reveal the heart of Cloudsdale. If real life had sound effects, a cash register sound would've played when my jaw dropped at the scenery sitting before me.

There were numerous huge buildings scattered around, and each of them were built with cloud columns as supports all around their circular cloud foundations. All of the buildings reminded me of artist renditions of ancient Greece and Rome from the architecture the pegasi had adopted. An old memory clicked on in my brain of Pegasus from _Hercules_ the Disney movie. The little kid inside me expected to see Zeus walking around with his lightning bolts in front of Mt. Olympus. "That over there is the Cloudeseum where I won the Young Flyers Competition by saving Rarity, The Wonderbolts and performing my second ever Sonic Rainboom," Rainbow Dash bragged as she snapped my jaw back into place. Okay maybe she _could_ support my weight if need be.

"This is _beautiful_ Rainbow Dash!" I exclaimed, wishing I had brought my phone to take pictures.

"Yeah, it isn't called the greatest city in the clouds for nothing!" She declared. Apparently waking up early was a habit adopted by the majority of pegasus ponies. A few pegasi that I had never seen before stopped flying or walking on the clouds to take quick looks at me. _'I hope we won't have any scream teams,' _I thought to myself. As if by chance however, the pegasi either just pointed at me with their hooves and flew off or just didn't say a thing and went on their merry way. Being pointed at didn't bother me a bit, I _was_ point worthy after all. "If we had more time, I'd show you more of the weather factory over there," she turned my head to a large cluster of clouds surrounded by black storm clouds, a few real rainbows and what appeared to be rainbow waterfalls.

"Oh well, maybe next time when I have my camera," I said in a disappointed tone; that tour would've been really interesting. A few construction noises, mainly jackhammer sounds, nearly drowned out Rainbow's voice as she talked to me.

"What in Celestia's name is that?" A gruff construction worker's voice asked.

"It looks like that primate that's all buddy-buddy with the Elements of Harmony and the royal sisters!" Another voice explained as I walked by them. '_Better than being called a freak or a monster,' _I shrugged off their comments.

"And just over here, is the greatest place where only the top 1% of pegasi go to become the most daring, amazing and spectacular flyers in Equestria: The Wonderbolts Academy!" Rainbow excitedly announced like Viper from Top Gun to me, grabbing my neck with her foreleg and pushing my cheek against hers as she motioned to a large cloud area just off the outskirts of Cloudsdale. A huge cloud building with the words _Main Hall_ greeted us as we passed through a gate and under a sign that read _Wonderbolts Academy._

"Good morning Rainbow Dash," a guard pegasus greeted us and granted us permission to enter the grounds.

"The obstacle course and training grounds are on the other side of the main hall, the mess hall, the gym, the weight training room and the barracks," Rainbow actually planted her hooves on the clouds and trotted along next to me. "Bugle call should be in three minutes, just made it," Rainbow congratulated herself as we entered the double doors of the main hall.

"Oh hello Rainbow, didn't expect to see you back this early," a dust colored mare approached us from the mess hall with _two_ plates of food on her right foreleg. "And, is this the Cougar guy you keep talking about on your free time?" She tilted her head me as if she was studying an exhibit in a museum.

"Darn right, this is the coolest human you'll ever meet Feather Duster!" Rainbow shook me around like a trophy, causing me to drop my helmet. "And the only one," she added. I bent down and picked up my helmet before tucking it under my arm. _'Feather Duster? Doesn't sound like a Wonderbolt material name to me,'_ I pondered mentally.

"Don't worry, my real name isn't actually Cougar, it's just a call sign," I assured Feather Duster when she had a weird look on her face at the mention of my name. I guess we both had something in common.

"Nice to meet you," she said, not having enough forelegs to shake my hand. "What did Rainbow bring you for?" She questioned.

"To teach him how to maneuver his body in the air and to test out his jetpack," Rainbow said for me, turning me backwards to show the device to the pegasus.

"Interesting technology," she said, impressed. Well, it's good to meet you Cougar," Feather Duster smiled, "with what Rainbow's told us about your love for speed and flying, you'll fit right in here," she winked. "Now if you don't mind, I have to eat my breakfast before my janitorial duties call," Feather Duster explained before walking as carefully as she could on three legs. "Just please don't make too much of a mess if you do!" She shouted from down the hallway, stopping in front of an office door.

"Seems like a lot of food for such a small pegasus," I commented. She seemed to be in between Scootaloo and Rainbow's size, pretty small I had to admit. Rainbow Dash chuckled and patted the back of my jetpack.

"Oh, she hides it really bad, but Soarin and pretty much all of the guys told me she has a thing for Fire Streak," she told me, "except Fire Streak of course. But his twin bro Lightning pretty much confirmed it." I drew a blank face when Rainbow told me the names of her fellow Wonderbolts, making me feel sort of like an idiot. "Rrrrrrriiiiiigggggghhhht," Rainbow said slowly, "I've gotta introduce you to everypony before we begin any of your training," she gazed at the clock in the hallway. "The bugle is gonna sound any second. Let's head to the mess hall where Soarin and I can introduce you to the cadets and the rest of squad," Rainbow ordered me just as a loud bugle horn blasted through the loudspeakers of the academy.

"They're expecting me right? I don't feel like explaining about my name again," I said, holding the door to the mess hall open for Rainbow Dash. She flew in quickly, making a few banners above flutter in her breeze.

"Yeah, though you're used to being stared at right? Oh and I should warn you, there's a Wonderbolt here named Surprise, and she's sort of a, _second Pinkie Pie_, in pegasus form," Rainbow blushed, embarrassed that she forgot to tell me.

"Dear God," I said to myself as if time had stopped. "_That's_ something that you should have told me about last night so I could be better prepared for a storm like that!" I scolded the mare.

"Also," Rainbow tried to change the subject on me, "stay _away_ from the cookies until Rapidfire gets his own, unless you want to wake up in the dumpster out back," she warned me again.

"Cookies for breakfast?" I asked in disbelief. Rainbow nodded her head and gathered up a plate of food and some more coffee. Apparently, there was but one chef in the entire Wonderbolts Academy. This perplexed me until I realized there was probably less than thirty pegasi here, so one chef could easily prepare meals large enough. Speaking of the chef, a green stallion with a pot of vegetables as his cutie mark was eyeing me as I walked by the breakfast bar, grabbing a few doughnuts. "Morning," I smiled as I slinked my way down the bar.

"Don't worry about Steamed Vegetable, he's just all bark," Rainbow assured me when I sat down at the table next to her. Right then, the Mess Hall doors flew open as numerous other pegasi either glided in or trotted inside looking for food. Soarin was leading the group of Wonderbolts and cadets into the Mess Hall with a tired grin on his muzzle, though everypony maneuvered around him like a river going around a rock. The light blue stallion smiled even bigger as he waved to the both of us and flew over to our table.

"Hey, good to see you make it here Cougar," Soarin proclaimed, sitting across from me but next to Rainbow Dash. "What do you think of Cloudsdale so far?" the Captain of the Wonderbolts inquired. I could feel a few pairs of eyes staring at me from behind, but I paid no attention as I stuffed a doughnut in my face.

"I wish I had more time to tour Cloudsdale, I can tell you that," I swallowed my bite of doughnut. A few cadets sat down at the table next to us, eating their food and watching me.

"Well, you'll have to come up more often then," Soarin smiled. "To be honest Cougar, when Dashie here told me that you could fly with artificial wings on your back, I thought she had too much cider to drink," he joked, earning himself an icy glare from Rainbow. "But, I think this could be one of the greatest accomplishments not only for the Wonderbolts, but if our scientists can harness your technology, other pegasi that can't fly due to wing injuries or wing deformities _can_!" He declared.

"Soarin, did you steal a dictionary and a thesaurus from the library?" Rainbow lightly tapped his noggin.

"Uh no, why?" Soarin questioned.

"No reason," Rainbow Dash ate up some of her eggs. The clopping of hooves drew my attention over to my right where four pegasi were munching on food and staring wide-eyed at me. One mare in particular had white fur and a mane that looked _exactly_ like Pinkie's, except it was yellow- oh shit.

"SURPRISE!" The mare screamed right in my face, scaring the shit out of me. My plate went sailing behind me, crashing into a million pieces on the cloud behind me.

"Celestia dammit ya buckin klutz!" The chef yelled at me, "do you have any idea how hard it is to find porcelain plates up here!?" After getting my pulse down to non-threatening levels, I turned to the Pinkie clone who was grinning at me really big.

"What in the hell was that for!?" I yelled back at her, though it didn't seem to faze her at all. Instead, the mare hopped up and down on her legs, giggling.

"That's my name silly!" She noogied my head, "I thought I'd skip the boring part of you asking my name and get right to me telling you my name!" She explained. "One of my bestest friends, Pinkie Pie, talks about you all the time in her letters to me," she didn't stop bouncing up and down.

"Lay off the damn sugar kid," I mumbled. "How did you guys pick her to be a cadet?" I asked Soarin. He and Rainbow Dash looked at each other before chuckling to themselves.

"She's actually a Wonderbolt Cougar," Rainbow correct. "Yeah, she's a pegasus Pinkie Pie, but she's also a really good flyer and takes her job seriously," the cyan pegasus explained.

"Just give me a cupcake and I'll fly for the next week!" Surprise stuck her tongue out as she smiled. "And if you want to know the best places in Cloudsdale to get goodies, just give me a holler Cougar!" She gave me a bone crushing hug.

"Cougar's here to fly Surprise, not die from your affections," Soarin pried the mare off of me. She waved goodbye and Pinkie-hopped away to the breakfast bar for more sugary snacks. "SURPRISE, WHO SAID YOU COULD HAVE MY COOKIES?!" A thick Austrian-like accent bellowed.

After making sure my arms were still able to move, I looked over at the other two pegasi standing next to me. One was a stallion pegasus with fur very similar to Soarin's and a spiked up dark and light blonde mane. The second pegasus was a pink mare with a dirty blonde mane and tail and a sneer across her face. Standing next to her was another pegasus mare that was purple in fur color and had orange and blue stripes in her mane, sort of resembling the colors from NERF darts. And the fourth pegasus was another stallion who looked exactly like the other stallion of the four pegasus group, except he had white fur and his mane was orange and cream colored.

"Name's Lightning Streak," the light blue pegasus extended his hoof to my hand, "I've been wanting to meet you for awhile now to talk about how you were able to fly in your world," he introduced himself. The second pegasus rolled his eyes and grumbled.

"Oh shut up Lightning," he ordered, "you just wanted to meet him to see if he was smart enough to play checkers." Lightning turned to his twin and growled, holding up his hoof like a fist.

"Mind your own business bro," Lightning retorted.

"Name's Fire Streak, unfortunate big brother of this moron," Fire shook my hand. "You'll have to excuse him; he's a few arrows short of a quiver if you catch my drift. And very immature," he added. "Glad to finally meet you though Cougar," he greeted.

"Nice to meet you too Fire Streak," can't wait to get back up in the air," I replied. "And I don't like checkers, I'm more of a chess guy," I looked over at Lightning Streak.

"Buck that; it hurts my brain too much," Lightning shook his head. My gaze focused on the purple mare that for some reason couldn't keep her eyes on me for more than three seconds at a time. She was probably afraid of me; she was a smidge shorter than a few of the others and she looked like a quiet pegasus, kind of like Fluttershy.

"What's your name miss?" I asked the purple pegasus. She looked away, not saying a word before looking back up at me. Yep, shy as hell, not that it bothered me or anything. "I know I'm a very different creature than you're used to seeing, but I'm a nice guy," I tried to placate her fears.

"L-Lullaby," she whispered meekly in return. And like Fluttershy, her shyness was actually pretty damn cute.

"She a Wonderbolt too?" I leaned back to Rainbow Dash. She shook her head in reply, telling me she was a cadet. "Ah, well hope to fly with you today," I winked at her, "maybe you can show me a thing or two?" I asked. Lullaby 'eeped' and turned around, trotting over to the breakfast bar.

"Great, you managed to scare Lullaby," the last pegasus that bothered to see me rolled her eyes. The smug look on her face never once left during my introductions. "Is there anything useful you can do?" She asked.

"Knock it off Spring Song," Rainbow sounded just like Stinger when Boa would mouth off to everyone. "Remember, he saved me and my friends and sister from Timberwolves," she reminded this, Spring Song. The mare leaned against the table, getting into my face.

"Look, I don't care what you've done while you've been in Equestria. And frankly I don't have a problem with you," she assured, "just don't get in my way today; my official tryouts to join the Wonderbolts are soon and I need all the time to practice."

"Okay," I swallowed another bite of doughnut.

"I'm the best flyer here; I don't need some incompetent monkey ruining anything for me," she playfully yet in a bitchy way smacked my cheek with her hoof. Soarin groaned, setting his elbows on the table.

"Sorry about Spring Song, she's just a little full of herself," he said.

"A little?!" Rainbow's hooves slammed on the tabletop.

"Dashie," Soarin cut her off, "you know she's not worth it," he soothed her anger. "These two were at each other's throats for a long time until Rainbow was offered to join the 'Bolts. I thought Spring Song would take it hard, but she somehow found something good about it and proclaims she's now the best flyer in the reserves," Soarin delineated. "But she does have the skills, you have to admit Rainbow," Soarin turned back to his girlfriend whom nodded reluctantly.

"Ah, a combination of Maverick and Iceman, interesting," I polished off my doughnuts. "Boy, I really need to show you guys _Top Gun_," I replied to Rainbow and Soarin's blank stares. "So, am I gonna meet any of the others or is that it?"

"Well, breakfast is almost finished," Soarin stretched his wings, "and some of the cadets and squad members don't get a move on until afterwards, which is right about now actually. You ready to start practicing Cougar?" He asked me. Feeling a little more confident than last night, I stood up and pushed the button on my jetpack strap. Rainbow got an evil grin on her face and floated her way up to my eye level.

"First stop: The Dizzitron Cougar," she grinned.

**(Outside at the Training Grounds)**

I was staring at a green version of what looked like those cartoon hypno patterns outside at the training grounds. Soarin, Rainbow Dash and I were joined by the few cadets that wanted to watch and Surprise, Rapidfire, the Streak Twins, Spring Song and Lullaby joined us as well. "Okay, what the hell am I looking at?" I asked Soarin whom chuckled.

"First thing the cadets go through here at the academy is the dizzitron Cougar," the stallion proudly patted the side of the large saucer-like device. "It helps us get a measure on how well they can recover from a spinout," he explained.

"So, you purposely make them spin themselves off course with this thing?" I asked. I tried to imagine rookie NASCAR drivers purposely wrecking in order to practice recovering from a real wreck, or the Air Force putting me into a flat spin to see if I can pull out.

"Gotta learn it somehow!" Rainbow grabbed me and strapped me into the device. "Ya might wanna put your helmet on now," she advised as she double-checked everything on the dizzitron. I slid the arm braces over my arms, making the engine of my jetpack roar to life as the wings popped back out. I buckled my helmet on and tightened it so it wouldn't fly off and hit some poor pony in the head.

"Careful, some ponies are known to barf their first time around," Soarin warned me.

"Fifty bits says he upchucks all of those doughnuts bro," Lightning held out his hoof to his brother. I grinned as Fire Streak slapped his twin brother's hoof away, shaking his head.

"The record is held by yours truly, can you beat it?" Rainbow bopped my nose. She gave Soarin the okay to turn it on and test my ability to recover from a spinout.

"I wish I had some popcorn," Rapidfire licked his lips.

"Beat ya to it buddy," I heard Surprise munching on the buttery treat. The red stallion's jaw dropped at the bucket of popcorn that appeared literally from Surprise's mane. "Come on Cougar, you can do it!" She cheered me on. The machine turned on and I began to roll in circles, the image of the ponies in front of me began to go in circles as well. I shut my eyes and pretended I was doing a barrel roll in my old F-15 so I wouldn't feel sick, but it didn't work very well.

_'I probably shouldn't have eaten anything,' _I thought. The spinning started going faster and faster. I had forgotten my sunglasses, so my eyes were watering like crazy as I rolled through the air.

"RELEASE!" Rainbow Dash shouted to Soarin. All of a sudden, my restraint let go and I felt myself flying through the air at about 100 miles per hour. I opened my eyes to see the runway below me disappear, giving way to how high in the air we were. My mouth refused to open so I could scream; this was a pretty scary ordeal.

"FLY! FLY CELESTIA DAMMIT!" Rapidfire's thick accent shouted. Not having much time to think, I flung my arms to my side and the wings of my jet pack followed suit with a huge burst of acceleration from the engine. My speed picked up dramatically as I flew threw a few straggling clouds at God knows what speed. My arms flailed up as the jerkiness of everything at once had caught me off guard, and my wings spread out, slowing me down almost immediately. It was like hitting a brick wall, and I felt the sensation of dropping like a lead balloon.

"RECOVER! YOU CAN DO IT!" Rainbow encouraged me. My arms seized up, unable to swoop back to get my speed up to where I would stop falling and fly back to the group. "COME ON! DON'T GIVE UP!" She shouted.

"OOF!" I shouted as my body hit the ground, or the cloud, below pretty hard. I bounced up and forward, somewhat rolling in mid-air. You'd think the soft, fluffiness of a cloud wouldn't hurt that much. But with Twilight's spell, it actually did hurt, yet not as much as if I were hitting real ground.

"OOOOH," the pegasi viewing me grimaced as I kept hitting the cloud. I felt my momentum slowing down as I kept bouncing off the cloud, but my eyes widened in fear as I saw how close to the edge I was getting. Outstretching my arms, I managed to twist my body around so my legs were dangling off the edge of the cloud rather than my arms. My arms gripped the cloud as hard as I could command them, trying to keep from falling. My jetpack was humming along, having not taken damage from the crash.

"Cougar!" Soarin screamed as he and Rainbow jetted towards me. I looked down at the ground that seemed lightyears away, but it didn't bother me thanks to my love of flying. The two blue pegasi landed in front of me and wrapped their forelegs around my arms, yanking me up onto the cloud. I had to catch my breath before doing anything except dropping to my hands and knees. Needless to say, my head was spinning from falling with style as Woody would put it. "You okay bro?" Soarin placed his hoof on my back.

"Yeah, that was a nasty tumble you took," Rainbow agreed while Lullaby, Rapidfire and Fire Streak trotted over to us. My body began to shake as a new sensation began to well up within me. Whether or not I had a concussion or I bruised a few ribs was left to be determined as I whirled around with my head sticking over the edge of the cloud.

"Is okay?" Lullaby softly asked Soarin.

"BLEEERRRGGH!" my morning coffee, toast and doughnuts were emptied from my stomach and out of my mouth. "And I thought my test flight in the F-15 was bad," I groaned, clutching my stomach as more contents were expelled out of my mouth.

"Those poor ponies on the ground," Fire Streak shielded his eyes.

"You done bro?" Soarin helped me to my feet. I shuddered, wiping off my mouth with my arm and stretching out my arms and legs that had cramped up. My response was a quick nod as I began to walk back to the dizzitron.

"Woah, maybe you should rest first?" Rainbow suggested as I was limping slightly while walking.

"Yeah, maybe you really hurt something internally," Rapidfire pondered. Holding up my hand in defense, I waved them off and got back in the dizzitron.

"I'm doing this until I get it down," I said with a few sharp breaths. "Just got the wind knocked outta me," I added. Surprise on the other hand had dropped her bucket of popcorn and was staring in shock at me.

"You're like a crash test dummy!" She exclaimed, earning angry glares from Rainbow, Soarin, Lullaby and Rapidfire. "I mean, you were just all zoom, shoo, crash, bang, crack and bleeeerrggh!" She imitated me throwing up. "At this rate, I'm gonna need more popcorn!" I'm pretty sure she didn't enjoy me getting injured and tormented, instead she probably marveled at the fact that I managed to get up after taking that punishment.

"Let's do this," my jetpack engine ignited once again as I pushed the red button. I had figure out a way to keep the engine off, but have the braces still on my arms. In a weird way I couldn't comprehend however, the engine could run without taking off if I moved my arms, even with the braces in their flying positions. There was a small probability that I had to thrust my arms back in order to take off, a theory that I had to test at some point. The machine whirred to life, and the background began to circle and spin once again.

**(6 hours later)**

After about my 15th attempt solo, Soarin decided that the strongest Wonderbolts, Fire Streak and Rapidfire, would follow the path the dizzitron sent me so I would stop busting my ass. We had been at it for hours, but luckily everypony here was determined as I was to help me get this down. Unfortunately, I had lost count of how many times I had tried this, but I didn't care about that fact; I was looking at it like Thomas Edison had when he created the lightbulb. I've figured out how to not recover from a spinout dozens of times. And the one time it will take me to do it properly will be a sweet emotion.

"We'll try one more before breaking for lunch," Rainbow bit her lip at the cadets and Wonderbolts that were losing patience and energy. At least Lullaby offered to bring me water and creme to dull the pain from the bruises.

"Need, pieeeeeeeee!" Soarin whined as he clutched his stomach.

"Ask Rainbow Dash, Soarin," Lightning Streak joked, nudging Fire Streak in his ribs at his 'joke.' Rainbow and Soarin glared spears at their fellow 'Bolt. As for Fire Streak on the other hand, he reared his hoof back and punched his brother upside the head, knocking him to the ground.

"For Celestia's sake Lightning, we're 24 years old!" He spat at his immature twin. Lightning Streak scoffed, dusting off his uniform as he picked himself up off the ground. "Grow up a little okay?" Fire Streak offered a little brotherly advice.

"Just because you have a fancy office doesn't mean you can be a bully bro," Lightning refused to look at Fire Streak.

"Are we really bringing up that nonsense again!?" As the twins began to bicker back and forth, Rainbow rolled her eyes and floated upwards to talk to me. She rested her cyan hooves on the restraint, making sure it was secure.

"You know Cougar, don't you think you should go home soon? I mean, I know you want to do this, but should you really risk broken arms and legs over defeating the dizzitron? " She asked me.

"Rainbow, you and Applejack _wanted_ me to try this, remember?" I reminded her. "Sure I'm a little sore, but that's the military life. Keep picking yourself up until the job is done, and my job today isn't done," I refused to give up. Shrugging, Rainbow jetted down to the control panel and pulled the lever down to start up the dizzitron one more time. Securing my sunglasses, I held my breath when the machine reached full velocity and Rainbow activated the second lever, releasing me from the machine.

As I saw the group leave my eyesight from getting launched like a cannon ball, I took a few deep breaths as I thrust my arms back hard, reactivating my wings and the engine of the jetpack that hummed and then began to rumble. Keeping myself straight as I stopped rolling in the air, I began to zoom across in a straight line with my arms outstretched like the wings of an F-14.

"YOU'RE DOING IT BRO!" Soarin exclaimed from down below. Looking around after getting my eyesight back to normal, I saw that I was not spinning anymore; I was flying, with a jetpack, fulfilling childhood fantasies of superhero fans. Feeling excited, I thrust my arms back again hard, causing the wings to follow suit, shaping me like a bullet through the air and gaining me speed.

"DON'T GO TOO FAR!" Rainbow warned me as I was getting a little carried away with seeing how fast this thing could take me. However, who could blame me? Flying was my passion for so long and even though it was only four and a half months of being grounded, this was so refreshing to feel the wind on my face. Deciding that I had gone fast and far enough, I swept my wings forward, slowing me down to a relatively normal speed. I then realized that I had no clue how to turn, so I did my best by trying to bring as much weight as I could onto my left arm to bank my way around.

Banking and turning around was kind of wobbly, but I expected that would be my next lesson to work on before tackling the obstacle course. The pegasi below were clapping their hooves on the cloud and cheering as I approached them and prepared to land. However, the child within me surfaced again as I outstretched both of my arms, leaving my wings still perfectly straight, and flew over the group, but not before exclaiming one of my favorite quotes of all time, "To infinity, and BEYOND!" I shouted as I flew over the group and slowly descended until my feet touched the runway and I ran, jogged and finally walked my way back to the group.

"That was awesome!" Rainbow jumped up and hugged me.

"I knew you could do it bro, nice work!" Soarin patted my back.

"Congratulations, you stopped using your ass as a landing pad," Rapidfire joked. I managed to let out a little chuckle as I shook his hoof. I kinda felt like Maverick and Merlin at the end of _Top Gun_ as everyone on their carrier congratulated them for a job well done.

"Okay, yes it was nice that you finally stopped sucking, but can we eat lunch now?" Spring Song crossed her forelegs. "It's two hours past the normal lunch hour," she whined. Soarin's belly growled in agreement with the whiny cadet.

"Break for lunch cadets!" Soarin announced as he nearly got run over by both cadets and squad mates as they flew past him to the Mess Hall. "You coming Coug? Steamed Vegetable makes killer pies," he licked his lips.

"Yeah, but just bring out to me, I need to sit down for a minute," I sat down at a table next to the Mess Hall doors.

"Are you sure you're okay dude?" Rainbow asked in a very concerned tone.

"I'm fine, just still trying to catch my breath," I replied, leaning against the table I was sitting at. Rainbow and Soarin exchanged worried glances before trotting into the mess hall. Removing the arm braces, I reached up and unbuckled the jetpack, letting it fall off my arms before setting it up on the table. "Ah," I grimaced in a little bit of pain while trying to stretch my arms. My torso was extremely sweaty, causing my shirt to stick to my skin. There wasn't too much pain radiating off my muscles, but it was still noticeable.

"N-need some more creme?" A sweet voice asked me. Lifting my head up, I saw the purple fur and orange and blue mane of Lullaby as she sat down across me with the tube of muscle relaxing creme.

"Uh, sure I guess," I removed my blue Air Force shirt. A few blue and purple bruises were tattooed across my arms, chest, abs and back, scaring Lullaby a bit by the looks of it.

"Oh wow," she said as her eyes darted away and put some of the creme on her hoof and began to apply it to my sore muscles. She seemed to be a little nervous around me still, I guess I'm gonna have to fix that. "You really took a nasty beating today," she added in her meek tone as her hoof softly traced over my abs with the creme.

"You don't have to be afraid of me Lullaby," I smiled down at her, "I'm a nice guy; I won't do anything to hurt you," I assured her.

"It's not that I'm afraid," her hooves began to rub over my biceps. I could feel her hoof trembling as she continued to rub the soothing creme all over my bumps and bruises. It wasn't cold out and I don't think she was sick or anything. Could she be angry?

"Well, then what's wrong Lullaby?" I asked her. She ceased massaging the creme onto my skin, dipping her hoof into the jar again and rubbing it over the side of my ribcage.

"N-nothing, it's stupid," she quickly stammered. "Spring Song just thinks she knows everything," Lullaby added, putting a little more pressure on my ribs, making me wince in pain. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" She apologized, taking her hoof off of my ribs.

"It's cool," I seethed as the pain vibrated throughout my ribs. "And what's this about Spring Song?" I asked her. The purple mare sighed, setting the jar back down and wiping her hooves off on the cloud below.

"Spring Song kept being rude to you while you were trying to fly," Lullaby revealed, sitting back on her haunches next to me. "She wasn't cracking immature or rude jokes like Lightning Streak, she was just mocking you every time you crashed. It made me so mad because I knew you were trying your best," the mare gripped the tabletop with her hooves. Oh boy, the asshole squad mate, I knew that all too well from my early days in the Air Force and from _Top Gun_ naturally. "I mean, you could've been seriously hurt and she was talking about how much you sucked and that you'd be a danger to every pegasi in the air if you kept trying to fly." I placed my hand on Lullaby's shoulder, making her freeze.

"Lullaby, you can't let somepony's words get under your skin," I advised, "you'll only make yourself miserable listening to hurtful things. So Spring Song thinks I suck, so what?" Lullaby sighed, looking down at the cloud and back up at me.

"It's not that her words got under my skin, it's the fact that she didn't care one bit that you could've been seriously injured. Instead, she kept mocking you and reminding us that you might break your neck." She laid her chin on top of her forelegs. "I'm used to her ego around the academy, but to say those awful things about somepony as brave and nice as you just hurts," she admitted. I wrapped my arms around her torso, which wasn't hard since she was a little bit smaller than the normal pony mare, and squeezed her lightly. She squeaked like Fluttershy did when I would hug Fluttershy.

"You're too kind Lullaby," I chuckled. "I thank you for being concerned for my feelings and health, but what Spring Song thinks, I don't give a shit about," I swore. Lullaby's golden eyes looked up at me, kind of like a puppy dog would look up at its master. "It doesn't matter what Spring Song thinks of me, what matters most is what I think of myself. Trust me, you'll be a lot happier if you only focus on your own opinion," I smiled. Still trembling, the purple pegasus gulped.

"I-I think you're one of the sweetest creatures I've ever met," she sheepishly smiled, climbing down from my hug.

"Woah, what's going on here?" Soarin asked as he belched. Some red goo coated his muzzle, probably from strawberry, cherry or raspberry pie. "We leave for a few minutes and you're trying to hook up with one of my cadets?" He joked. Lullaby blushed like crazy and denied it.

"N-no! I was just helping him with his pain creme and we started talking about Spring Song acting mean about him," she explained.

"At ease Cadet Lullaby," Soarin laughed, "I'm just teasing ya," he ruffled her nerd colored hair. The purple mare started to breath heavily and looked away from all of us. "Hope you like vegetables and pie," he announced, dropping food in front of me. I picked up a piece of celery and began to munch on it.

"So, we were thinking that after lunch, we could take you to the race track on the academy grounds and teach you how to turn without, you know, flying a hundred miles off course," Rainbow explained, taking a huge bite out of a hay sandwich.

"Race track?!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, we use it to make the cadets run laps," Soarin replied. "Or, fly laps in this case," he corrected himself, digging his whole face into a pie.

"Okay then, who's gonna be the lucky one to help me with that?" I questioned, taking a sip of water to wash down the celery. Rainbow looked at Soarin who then looked around at a few of the pegasi that were hanging around outside. The two then looked across the table at Lullaby whom was nibbling on a carrot.

"Since we're not gonna teach you anything about speed just yet, I'm sure Lullaby can help you with that," Soarin said, swallowing a huge bite of pie.

"Wait a minute, you mean one on one with Cougar?" Lullaby asked, darting her golden eyes from me to her commanding officer. Soarin nodded in response, causing the purple mare to hide behind her hooves.

"Well, more like you'll fly next to him and teach him how to turn while we watch," Soarin tossed his empty pie tin into a nearby garbage.

"CUPCAKE!?" Surprise jumped out from under the table, holding a huge tray of cupcakes.

"Dammit, stop that surprise!" Rainbow pounded her chest, coughing up a piece of her sandwich. The white pegasus ate a cupcake in one bite, still offering us the tray.

"What? Surprises are good for the soul! They keep you on the tips of your hooves, sharpen your nerves and make you prepared for anything!" She struck a dramatic pose. "So, anypony want a cupcake? I made them myself!" She sang.

"Whatever," I grabbed a cupcake with red frosting and ate it. "Now can we get a move on with my training?" I asked the group.

**(Soarin's Office. Cougar's POV a few hours later)**

"Congrats, you learn fast bro," Soarin allowed me to enter his personal office. The blue pegasus flapped his wings as he landed at his desk. Needless to say, his desk looked nearly identical to Stinger's desk in his own office. "Though you're still rough around some areas, but if you come here on a regular basis, you'll get it down quickly," he offered me to sit down.

"Thanks Soar," I took up his offer and sat down. "Though I have to thank Lullaby for being patient with me when I kept crashing into poles and going off course," I admitted, crossing my leg over the other. Soarin's chair creaked as he leaned back in it, the room growing quiet as we didn't have much else to say.

"Yeah, she's a good mare," he finally replied. "I'm really hoping she can keep it up and be an official Wonderbolt soon," he grabbed a pen in his mouth. "I'm thinking you can come and train whenever you're available," he piped up after scribbling something on a sheet of paper with his mouth. "My only concern would be that you'd try it alone. I can't allow a bud to get hurt, so if you do come to train on a regular basis, be sure to check in with Fire Streak, Fleetfoot or Rapidfire if Dashie and I aren't here; I take safety very seriously," his green eyes did in fact turn serious for a minute.

"Gotcha Soarin. It's kind of like the gym rules back in the Air Force to always have a spot when working out," I replied. Looking outside from the window, I could see that dusk was beginning to arrive, meaning that it would get dark soon. "Hey Soarin, can I ask you a question?" I inquired. The pegasus' eyes turned back to his normal, laid-back demeanor.

"Shoot," he gave me permission. I've been wanting to know how he's been doing for awhile now after Rainbow told me about, the _incident_. And I knew that it would be a sensitive subject for him, but like I've learned here, some things are better to get off your chest.

"How're you holding up after what happened with you and, well Spitfire?" I questioned, leaning forward in my chair and folding my hands together. Soarin's face contorted into a very powerful glare the memories came rushing back to him; I've seen that look on my face many a time. He looked down at the floor, letting out a depressed sigh before looking back up. Now, his face wasn't angry or glowering, it was a sad face.

"I-" he tried to say before a few tears slipped out of his eyes.

"You miss Spitfire, don't you Soarin? Even though she tried to ruin your name, career and beat up your girlfriend?" '_You fucking numbskull,' _I thought to myself for making painful memories resurface for Soarin. The pegasus wiped a few tears from his green eyes.

"Call it pity, remorse or emptiness, but you don't know how much I've been through with her Cougar," he began a trip down memory lane for me. Soarin stood up from his seat and turned around to face the window, placing a hoof on the glass. "We were both trained by Captain Nighthawk in our Academy and reserves days, and that was special; he never took on more than one protege at once before. I looked out for her and she looked out for me. And even with Braeburn's help, I was still pretty irresponsible in the Academy, but Spitfire would give me the flank kicking I needed to bring me back to my senses."

"Did you have special, feelings for her?" I stood up and slowly walked over to the downtrodden pony.

"No, she was like my older sister," Soarin reached into his pocket with his mouth and pulled out a wallet-sized picture. He gave it to me, dropping it into my hand from his mouth. The picture was one of him and Spitfire on the day of their graduation. The black pegasus behind them I assumed was the old Captain Nighthawk. "None of this makes a lick of bucking sense," Soarin muttered, squeezing his eyes.

"What doesn't?" I set the picture back on the bookshelf below the window. Soarin sighed sadly again, beginning to pace around his office, looking at all of the Wonderbolts posters, books and other memorabilia.

"What she did and why she did it," Soarin turned back around and swatted the picture into a desk drawer. "The Spitfire I grew up and trained with would never let something as frivolous and trivial as sponsors get in the way of our friendship," he said angrily, slightly scaring me. He slumped over another bookcase in the office, looking at the cover of a Wonderbolts History book that featured himself and Spitfire on the cover.

"So what do you think happened Soarin?"

"I don't have a bucking clue Coug. I don't believe for a second that she would snap like that. I've been over everything at least a million times in my head; what she did, the old Spitfire would never do."

"Maybe the stress got to her?"

"She handles stress like Celestia handles cake: Swift and aggressive. Sad thing is though, there's really nothing I can prove to show that she wasn't acting like herself," Soarin

"Well, she wasn't. She was being selfish." Soarin glared daggers at me for saying that, a sentence I wish I could take back. Yet, Soarin did nothing as he slumped back in his chair, hooves covering his eyes.

"Maybe I'm just having a hard time letting go of my friend. We haven't had an airshow since then, not even a private one for the royal sisters. We've had to deal with other sponsors threatening to leave, trying to figure out new stunts to perform, and we're cracking down on our newest recruits. I've never been under more stress in my entire life Cougar; I just want my friend back."

"Have you tried visiting her in jail?" I asked, leaning down to his level from the other side of the desk. "You know, trying to talk to her about it?"

"I've tried so many times, but I'm just afraid she _won't_ be the same as I remembered her before the incident. I guess you could say I'm scared, but how _can_ I face her if she still wants me gone?" He asked me.

"Soar, I can't answer that on the account of I've never had someone try to do that to me," I retorted. "But you need _closure_ on this, whether or not she still is your friend. Trust me, if you want to clear your head of this, you're gonna need to talk to her," I advised.

"B-but," Soarin stammered.

"Quiet," I quickly shut him up. "I understand the pain you're going through of uncertainty and stress, but not knowing is what's really killing you on the inside, talking to her, even if she's in jail, can rustle you up some answers. And if she's truly changed the way you fear she has, you still have Rainbow, your cadets, your fellow squad mates, and a horde of friends in Ponyville to support you," I assured him.

"Spitfire would know what to do," Soarin sighed sadly yet again, "she always had the answers for everything." There was a knock on the door, drawing us away from our conversation as Rainbow walked in.

"Hey guys, just letting Cougar know the final balloon of the day leaves in a few," she warned. "What were you guys talking about?" She nuzzled Soarin's cheek. The two of us looked up at each other, knowing that bringin up our conversation around Rainbow was a bad idea.

"Oh, nothing Dashie," Soarin returned the nuzzle, "I was just telling Cougar he can come back at any time to practice with his jetpack," he placed a hoof on her back, "so long as he has a Wonderbolt watching him," he winked at me.

"Yeah, I was thinking maybe two or three times a week in the morning?" I asked.

"Sounds good, as long as you also bring a pie for me ever time," he lightly punched my shoulder.

"I'll see what Applejack can do," I replied. Rainbow and Soarin released their hug and escorted me to the gate outside of the academy. It was really starting to get dark out; visibility was dropping until Luna could get her moon up in the sky. Luckily though, the hot air balloon pony was accepting one more trip for the night, albeit for a hefty price which I could cover.

"Well, guess we'll see you soon Cougar," Soarin tossed my helmet into the basket of the hot air balloon. I climbed into the mode of transportation as the operator counted the bits I handed to him.

"Yeah, Luna mentioned something about Nightmare Night coming up soon, you guys take part in that right?" I asked.

"I'm the best Nightmare Night prankster in Equestria, of course I'll be there!" Rainbow bragged, bumping her hoof into my fist.

"Thanks again for this opportunity guys," I smiled when the operator flipped on the propane and the balloon rose from the clouds. The two blue pegasi waved good bye as the balloon drifted through the clouds and out of sight, heading back towards the ground. Thinking about the day, I thought I had made great progress in not only learning to fly, but also expanding my comfort zone in Equestria. It took me months to be able to just leave Ponyville and Canterlot to visit another town, or Empire in my previous case. And just a few days after that, I was willing and able to leave Ponyville again to Cloudsdale, a completely different experience.

Now, I wanted to see EVERYWHERE in Equestria. I wasn't getting sick of Ponyville, but there were so many more places to visit and meet new ponies, explore new philosophies and ideas that I couldn't wait for the next opportunity to spread my wings.

**End Chapter 26**

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_Join me next time for when Cougar has to substitute for Ms. Cheerilee at the Crusaders' school!_

_I do not own, Spring Song, Lullaby, Feather Duster, Surprise or the Streak Twins_


	28. Chapter 27: Mr Cougar

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 27: Mr. Cougar**

_Just checking up on the story to find 40K views?! Thank you guys so much! And 125 follows and 104 faves? Just amazing guys. I know a few of you were curious as to what Cougar will teach the class, well he won't actually teach them, but just find out what he tells them. On the surface, this does just look like an intriguing chapter, but this is an extremely important chapter to the story, you'll find out why soon._

_Also guys, I do need a smidgen of help. Please give me ideas on what the Mane 6 could be for Nightmare Night. I don't want to be lazy and have them reprise their same costumes from Luna Eclipsed in Season 2._

**Sassymouse: **_I tried my best to make you proud, and I'm glad you loved it. Hoping I can use them again in the future if needed._

**mlp brony fifer:** _Thank you. And it's cool, I understand how awesome it is to spend time with family. Hope you had fun with them._

**OBSERVER01: **_Yeah, and I think Surprise is a canon character, but her personality is Sassymouse's creation so that's why I called her an OC._

**KillerWoW: **_Just wait until he actually needs it... And well, subbing a class can't be that hard, right?_

**Dixie Darlin: **_To be honest, I had to re-watch Sonic Rainboom again because I forgot what Cloudsdale looked like. And as for Lullaby, maybe a teeny crush..._

**Tycser: **_Good to hear from you again! And Dashing and Soaring is awesome which is why I wanted to use the characters from the fic. As for teaching the kids, he'll tell them an important part of his life. _

**UpgraderIsAwesome: **_Thank you!_

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**(Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)**

Have you ever been sleeping peacefully when all of a sudden it feels like someone is performing CPR on your chest? Or possibly stomping heavy work boots on your chest? That's what I felt a few mornings after my trip to Cloudsdale and the Wonderbolts Academy. Something or somepony was punching my chest, causing me to snap my eyes open and to raise my hands in a defensive position. Upon opening my pale blue orbs however, I was met with a yellow face, orange eyes, red hair and a pink bow. "Wake up Cougar! It's almost time fer school!" Applebloom joyfully and excitedly kept hopping up and down on my chest.

"OOF!" I exclaimed as it felt like she was trying to squeeze food out of my esophagus. "What's going on Applebloom?" I asked as she finally jumped off my chest and landed with a tiny _thump_ on the wood floor of my shack. The filly had a green backpack on her back and a cheesy grin on her face, anticipating something. Looking up at the clock, the time read 7:20 A.M. "Is there something important going on this morning?" I asked, getting up from my cot and stretching. I didn't care that I slept in yesterday's T-Shirt; it didn't smell or anything, so I decided to keep it and just threw on a pair of blue jeans.

"Aw, don't tell me ya forgot Cougar?!" Applebloom asked with a tiny hint of worry riding on her voice. The yellow pony jumped up onto my cot and bounced up and down as if it were a trampoline so she could talk eye to eye as best as she could.

"Forgot what exactly?" I put on my black and red NASCAR cap and headed out to the house for some grub with Applebloom following on my heel. The brisk fall air felt good as I took in a deep breath through my nose. A light breeze flowed by, swirling red and yellow leaves up into the air. "Morning Apple family!" I greeted Granny, Applejack and Big Mac whom were already eating at the table.

"Mornin' Cougar, sleep well there youngin'?" Granny asked, pouring her coffee onto a plate instead of her mug until Big Mac quickly swapped the two pieces of dish ware. I took a seat right next to Applejack, but right as I did, there was a tugging at my pants leg from Applebloom.

"Don't ya remember Cougar?" The filly's orange eyes blinked sadly at me. "Ya promised last night that ya would walk me ta school this mornin'," she sat on her haunches with a pouty look on her face. '_Oh crap, that's right. How could I forget that?' _I mentally berated myself. Bending down in my seat, I picked Applebloom up and sat her on her haunches on my lap.

"Sorry Applebloom," I apologized, softly stroking her mane behind her bow, "I went to bed really late last night and it just sort of, slipped my mind," I explained, still petting her mane. Her face lit up as she believed my explanation, which was true by the way, and she hopped back down onto the floor.

"So, does that mean ya still wanna walk me ta school?" She clapped her forehooves together.

"Of course AB," I chuckled, tickling her chin with my index and middle fingers. The filly giggled, ducked away from my tickling and galloped her way over to the kitchen door, holding it open for me to follow her.

"We better hurry up then Cougar," she declared, "school starts right at 8:00; Ah ain't never been late before 'n Ah don't wanna start today!" She urged me to leave now. Double checking the clock in the kitchen, my eyes squinted in confusion as the kitchen clock read 7:26.

"You've still got 34 minutes before school starts Applebloom," I turned back to her. "Do you really want to get there that bad?" I asked.

"Well, usually Sweetie Belle 'n Scootaloo meet up with me halfway ta school 'n we chat on the way ta school," she replied, trotting back over to me. "Then we sit 'n talk with Ms. Cheerilee 'fore school actually starts. Or we chat with a few other ponies like Rumble or Pip," she added. A sly and devious smirk spread across my face as a tease welled up within me that I couldn't refuse.

"Do you chat with _Featherweight_ too Applebloom?" I taunted the poor filly. Big Mac snorted and looked in our direction while Applebloom's cheeks turned from yellow to red in the snap of a finger.

"O-only 'bout his pictures he takes fer the school paper," she looked away from me meekly. I'm mean, yeah I know, but how could I resist the temptation. It's not like I was intentionally trying to hurt her feelings. At least Granny Smith chuckled as well.

"Hold on now Cougar," Applejack spoked out, "Ah don't mind my little sister growin' up, but Ah don't want her _that_ grown up just yet," she warned me. Holding up my hands in defense, I quickly patted the filly's head and scooted my chair out.

"Fine, we'll go," I started, pretending to head to the door before turning to the left, heading for the food on the counter. "After I've eaten breakfast," I stuck out my tongue at Applebloom, causing her entire face to droop in annoyance. Applejack wrapped a foreleg around my shoulder as I stood next to her chair. Unfortunately, she squeezed the one still sore spot on my shoulder where I body-planted the cloud a few days ago at the academy. "Gah," I quietly yelped when her hoof squeezed.

"Oh sorry Cougar," the orange mare apologized and immediately relinquished her hold on me. I had shown Applejack and Applebloom my bruises when I returned back home after my day with Soarin and Rainbow Dash, deciding that it would be best if I told them and didn't try to hide them. Of course, Applebloom was really worried that I was hurt, yet at the same time was impressed I could take such a beating and still be standing. AJ on the other hoof didn't seem too worried since she's seen me take a worse beating from timberwolves. "Anyway," she said after the reverberating pain in my shoulder dissipated, "Ah was just sayin', go on 'n take Bloom ta school; it shouldn't take too long, 'n breakfast will still be here," she grinned.

"Unless 'o course ya eat it all as soon as he leaves," Big Mac said jokingly under his breath. AJ ignored him with a head shake and roll of her emerald orbs before lightly pushing me towards the door.

"Ah'll see ya in few?" She asked me. I replied with a simple smile, nod and a quick hug before setting off with Applebloom for school. "Have a good day at school now ya hear?!" Applejack shouted to us, although we were still right in front of the porch.

"I will mother!" I waved to the mare. Applejack heartily laughed as she backed up into the kitchen and let the screen door shut. In front of me, Applebloom was running in circles, kicking dirt into the air, anxiously and impatiently waiting for me to walk her to school.

"Did you finish your homework AB?" I stuffed my hands into my pockets, sounding like a parent. The yellow filly slowed her pace so I could walk side by side with her as she patted her green backpack.

"You betcha! The math was a lil challengin', but Ah'm sure Ah got at least a B+!" She beamed proudly. I recalled from the previous few days Applejack telling me that Applebloom would start asking me for help now that the new school year had begun, yet the youngest member of the Apple clan hadn't asked me for help on anything.

"What were you learning? Adding, dividing, multiplication, subtraction?" I questioned as we entered the town.

"Square roots 'n fractions," Applebloom shuddered.

"Ooh," I seethed, "math sometimes is a harsh mistress Applebloom, especially once you start getting into fractions and algebra," I shuddered along with her. "I can help you pretty easily on those, but I wasn't too bright with algebra and geometry," I explained. "Frankly, those should be elective math classes."

"Ah know right!?" Applebloom agreed. "The four basics Ah think are good enough. Plus, Ah know Ah need a little advanced math fer my chemistry studies, but Twilight helps me learn without too much complicated math, that's why Ah find it enjoyable 'n easy," she explained.

"You're gonna make a great chemist someday Bloom, or pharmacist," I picked her up and placed her on top of my shoulders just like I did back in the Crystal Empire. A few ponies in town smiled at the display as Applebloom propped her front legs on top of my head. Looking to the side, I saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake waving us over from their bakery window. "Hey Bloom, how about a quick doughnut?" I offered. The filly in question licked her lips and patted my head, urging me to go forth.

"Good morning Applebloom, Cougar," Cup Cake opened the door for us. Applebloom had to jump down from my shoulders so she wouldn't be knocked off from the top of the doorframe. "Taking this one to school I see," the bakery mare cooed, trotting behind the counter while Carrot Cake wiped down a few tables and windows.

"Yeah, Applebloom wanted to spend as much time as she wanted in the morning," I smiled down at the pony whom had her face pressed up against the glass cabinet full of goodies. A little drool dripped from her tongue as her eyes scanned the contents before her.

"Have you been to the school house before Cougar?" Carrot Cake asked from across the room, wringing out his rag before wiping down another table.

"No, but I guess it'll be interesting to see," I replied. "Pick what you want Bloom," I scratched the filly's neck.

"Ah want an apple fritter please!" her yellow hoof tapped the glass in front of the treat she desired. Cup Cake giggled at her enthusiasm and put the doughnut in a white paper bag, giving it to the filly.

"And for you Cougar?" She turned to me. I licked my lips while my mouth started to water at the biggest glazed doughnut in the glass cabinet.

"I'll take that huge glazed doughnut please," I requested politely. Cup Cake put the goodie in a paper bag and set it on the counter while she tallied up the total. My pale blue orbs quickly scanned the array of breakfast foods once again, landing on a lemon muffin. "Cup Cake, could I get three of those Lemon Surprise Muffins please?" I added.

"Well, since you asked so politely," she teased before grabbing three of the muffins and adding them to my giant bag. I thanked her once again when the cash register revealed the total. "Comes to 6 bits please," Cup Cake announced. I dug around my pocket until I found a five bit piece and a single bit.

"Here you go, and here's a little something for you and your adorable kids," I winked, placing another five bit piece in the tip jar.

"Thank you so much Cougar! Enjoy your day at school Applebloom," Carrot Cake waved us goodbye as we exited the store. The yellow pony briskly gobbled down her goodie, tossing the now empty bag into a nearby trash bin.

"Who are them muffins for Cougar?" she curiously asked. Right before I could answer, a shrill voice called us over.

"Applebloom, Cougar!" To our left, Applebloom and I saw the familiar faces of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle trotting over to us with huge smiles on their faces. "Since when did you get a cool ride to school?" Scootaloo craned her neck up at the filly on my shoulders.

"Since he promised me he'd walk me ta school last night," Applebloom leaned her elbow on my head. "Rainbow still up at the academy?" She asked her friend. The orange pegasus nodded sadly, missing her sister, but perked right back up.

"I can go a few days without being flown to school by the coolest flyer of all time," the filly shined her hoof on her chest fur. Sweetie Belle and I rolled our eyes at the same time as the other two bragged about who had the better ride to school.

"Do you girls have any school projects coming up?" I questioned the trio.

"No, not that Ms. Cheerilee has told us anyways," Sweetie Belle replied. "Besides, it's only the beginning of the school year," she added. We rounded a corner and I saw the red schoolhouse at the far end of the road.

"True, but when I was in fifth or sixth grade, my teacher paired my whole class up on like a photo collage or a written report on what we did over the summer, just a fun project to kick off the school year," I mentioned.

"We actually did that last year," Scootaloo exclaimed, "and thanks to Featherweight constantly taking pictures, we had enough photos to fill in our own personal yearbooks!"

"Eeyup," Applebloom agreed, "we had the best project out 'o anypony. Boy were Diamond Tiara 'n Silver Spoon mad!" She giggled at her rival's misfortune. As the schoolhouse grew closer, the playground brought back fond memories of Reaper and myself playing Star Wars, tag, hide 'n seek or soldiers on our old elementary school playground. In fact, for a brief second, I could have sworn I saw little ten year old versions of me and Reaper racing across the monkey bars.

"Well, what do you expect when your whole report is '_What our Butlers did for us over the summer'?"_ Scootaloo said in a smart aleck tone, crushing my daydream. "Too bad Ms. Cheerilee didn't have a grade for 'most boring report in the world,' or else they would've won it hooves down."

"Hey, why is the door locked?" Sweetie Belle asked when her magic aura glowed over the door but it wouldn't open or even budge. The worrisome unicorn knocked several times, yet no answer was given, nor was the door unlocked.

"The lights aren't on either!" Applebloom stood her hind legs on my head and peered into the window of the darkened schoolhouse. "It's not like Ms. Cheerilee ta be late!" she exclaimed with fear.

"Ms. Cheerilee and late go together as well as Snips and Snails and intelligence," Scootaloo peered into another window.

"Has she ever been late before girls?" I asked as I bent down, allowing Applebloom to join her friends on the ground. I was met with head shakes from the trio as Applebloom bit her lower lip. "Is today an inservice day she forgot to tell you about?" I scratched the back of my neck.

"Ms. Cheerilee ain't forgetful Cougar," Applebloom danced around. Suddenly, a loud sneeze made us jump about three feet in the air. On the opposite road was a maroon earth pony, walking along slowly, and she looked sicker than anypony I had seen before. Her face was completely pale, her eyes were watering and she had a tissue practically glued to her nose.

"_Good, morning, ACHOO, girls, Cougar,"_ she weakly greeted us with another powerful sneeze.

"Are you feeling okay Ms. Cheerilee?" Sweetie Belle gasped at her teacher's condition. The earth pony groaned, shielding her eyes from the sun while unlocking the schoolhouse door, allowing the four of us to enter.

"Ma'am?" I asked her with concern riding on my voice. Cheerilee weakly turned on the lights and sat down at her desk, moaning and groaning all the way. Her saddlebags drooped sadly down to the floor; she didn't seem to notice as she laid her head onto her desk.

"I-I'm, _ACHOO,_ fine, just a tiny case of the sniffles," she sneezed and loudly blew her nose.

"A LITTLE!?" Scootaloo exclaimed, causing the maroon teacher to clasp her hooves over hear ears. "Oops, I'm so sorry Ms. Cheerilee!" She apologized. The four of us had surrounded the desk, watching like hawks over the sickened teacher.

"Ya better not let my big brother know yer walkin' around sick like this," Applebloom advised the pony.

"It's just a stuffy nose, nothing to-" Cheerilee tried to brush the accusations aside, but stopped and dove her head into her trash can. "BLEERRGH!" she vomited into the bin. None of us could utter a word as the poor teacher vomited for about three minutes, off and on.

"Okay, you shouldn't make yourself suffer like this," I held her mane so she wouldn't get her bile all over. "Case of the sniffles my white butt, you've got the flu," I broke through her lie.

"B-but, the children need to learn," the teacher defended, "th-they can't afford to miss a day on account of me," she peered up at me before sticking her head back into the trash can.

"Yeah!" Scootaloo agreed, "or else we'll have to waste a day of summer next year to make up for the lost day!" She exclaimed. Sweetie Belle looked over at her friend with perhaps the greatest '_Are you freaking serious?'_ look of all time.

"Right Scoots, because us missing _one_ day of summer is more important than our teacher's health!" she shouted.

"Calm down you two; I'm trying to think," I growled, shutting up the bickering duo.

"I have a list of substitutes, but it'd be- BLERGH, rude to ask them on such short notice," Cheerilee continued her off and on upchucking. The maroon educator then lifted her head out of the trash can, causing me to almost throw up as the can was nearly full of vomit. "C-Cougar, you're already here, would you mind going to ask Fluttershy if she's available to sub for at least until noon? Then the half day would count as a full day and the children wouldn't have to miss any summer," she explained.

Fluttershy, a sub? I could see Cheerilee's logic with how kind Fluttershy is and how good she can be with kids, but knowing Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, I feared poor Flutters would get eaten alive by those two. "Wait a sec Ms. Cheerilee!" Applebloom burst with an idea. Cheerilee managed to gather the strength to look over at the filly practically jumping up and down. "Why don't we just get Cougar ta sub for ya?" _'What?!'_ I thought in response.

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Scootaloo's wings fluttered in agreement.

"How the hell is that a great idea?" My hands let go of Cheerilee's mane right as she upchucked again. "I've never taught a class before," I explained.

"So?" Scootaloo jumped on Cheerilee's desk, leaning against me ever so casually. "It can't be that hard to be a sub."

"Besides, we like you," Sweetie Belle smiled, "and you're good with authority and responsibility. Most of the class I'm sure would respect you."

"Not ta mention yer military background. Ah bet ya wouldn't take no crap from certain fillies," Applebloom deviously smiled. I looked down at Cheerilee whom had stood back up on all four legs, albeit still a little woozy.

"I can't argue that, but it's up to you Cougar. I would trust my class with you for half a day," she held her head. _'Oh, unfair!'_ I mentally complained as the Crusaders fell to their knees, holding their forehooves together, begging me to agree.

"Cheerilee," I began, "I wouldn't be good at explaining a lot of things," I said.

"Oh, no need to, _ACHOO,_ worry," she sneezed again, reaching into her saddle bag on the floor, "just take in homework from last night and set it into my to do pile; I'll get to it when I return. Then just give them these math and writing worksheets, have them read Chapter 3 of their history textbooks and have a short discussion about it. Don't worry, Chapter 3 is only about seven pages long," she assured me. My eyes went over the math worksheet which was only about thirty questions long while the writing worksheet had a prompt about the kids writing about anything they wanted to.

"Are you sure you trust me to do this? What if we can't cover all of Chapter 3 or what if we don't get to it at all?" I asked worriedly, not wanting to mess this up for both the kids and Cheerilee.

"Of course I do Cougar," she weakly smiled at me, "and don't sweat it. As long as you at least get those worksheets done, it'll be fine. As for the writing worksheet, I find that having the kids write about whatever they want gives them room to grow and improve on their writing rather than having to write about a specific topic they do not enjoy. So what do you say?" She asked me. I took one final look at the lesson plan and the kids before turning back to Cheerilee.

"Just call me Mr. Cougar for the day," I smiled at the teacher.

"BEST SUB EVER!" Scootaloo jumped for joy. All three of the Crusaders jumped and hollered before remembering their teacher was in distress. "Sorry," the orange pegasus meekly apologized again.

"Now as for you Cheerilee," I started, "we _have_ to get you home and in bed," I placed a concerned hand on her shoulder.

"But school starts soon, how will we get her home in time?" Sweetie Belle asked. Just then, the school door opened again to reveal Derpy walking in with a purple unicorn filly.

"Good morning- MS. CHEERILEE, YOU LOOK AWFUL!" Derpy exclaimed.

"Shhh!" I advised the grey pegasus, getting her to quiet down. "Yes, Cheerilee is sick, but she's entrusted me to sub the class for half a day," I gave Derpy the play-by-play explanation.

"Oh, that's terrible!" Derpy gasped, "the Ms. Cheerilee is sick part, not you subbing," Derpy reassured me. "Dinky, are you okay with Cougar being your teacher today?" Derpy asked the purple unicorn. The unicorn known as Dinky apparently looked between myself and her mother.

"I haven't actually met him before mommy," the unicorn replied to Derpy.

"Right! Cougar, this is the muffin of my eye, Dinky Doo, my cute little daughter," Derpy proudly announced, shoving Dinky forward. The unicorn studied me for a brief moment, cocking her head from side to side before reaching out with her foreleg.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Cougar," she greeted. Sure, seeing the unicorn daughter of a pegasus was a little strange, but there were two conclusions I drew from the circumstances. Either Dinky was the blood daughter of Derpy and the pegasus had unicorn ancestry, or Dinky was adopted. Which ever one was the correct option I have no clue; it is none of my business.

"Ah can't believe we never introduced ya ta Dinky before Cougar," Applebloom acknowledged our first meeting.

"At least I met your boyfriends," I winked at the Crusaders. The trio froze and hid their faces behind their backpacks. Dinky trotted on over and stood with the Crusaders as Cheerilee slowly put on her saddlebags and tried to head out of the door, but she was walking on jelly-like legs from what little energy she had left. "Hey Derpy, do you have any mail duties this morning?" I asked the mail mare. The dirty blond maned pegasus looked up in my direction and nodded.

"I always take my little muffin to school first!" She took a mail cap out of nowhere it seemed and placed it atop her head.

"Well would you mind helping Cheerilee home?" I asked, "I don't think she has the energy to get back," I said, looking sadly at the maroon earth pony that struggling just to keep her eyes open. Derpy took one glance at Cheerilee and nodded, placing the earth pony's foreleg over her neck to guide her back to her house.

"Come on Cheerilee, Derpy's gotcha!" The grey pegasus began to walk the maroon teacher out of the schoolhouse. "Oops, sorry!" She apologized when Cheerilee's head hit the doorframe. "Now you be good for Cougar Dinky," the cross eyed mare instructed her daughter.

"I will mommy! See you at noon," Dinky took a seat at a desk near the Crusaders as the clock grew ever closer to 8:00 A.M.

"Wait, one more thing Derpy!" I just remembered the treat I had bought for her in case I ran into her on the way back to Sweet Apple Acres. Reaching down, I took the three Lemon Surprise Muffins out of the bag and her eyes grew until I thought they would make her head explode. My action was quickly regretted as the pegasus ditched Ms. Cheerilee against the wall and zoomed up to me, eating all three of the pastries in one bite.

"YOU'RE THE BEST HUMAN I'VE EVER MET!" She shrieked. I was about to correct her on the fact that I was the _only_ human she'll ever meet when she pressed her lips against my cheek and gave me a big slobbery kiss. The Crusaders and Dinky giggled while Cheerilee still groaned in misery.

"Thanks, you're too kind," I wiped the slobber off my face. "Can you let AJ know I won't be back until noon?" I requested Derpy.

"Sure thing Cougar!" She saluted, "and I'll drop by all the parents' houses and let them know the up and up to get their kids at noon!" She reattached Cheerilee's foreleg to her neck, walking her out of the schoolhouse. Sighing from the immense responsibility Cheerilee trusted me with, I softly sat down in her chair and waited for the rest of the student body to arrive. And one by one until 7:59, students began to enter the classroom to sit down, albeit puzzled that I was sitting in place of Cheerilee.

_RRIIIIIIINNNNBRRRRNNNNGGGG!_

The school bell rang several times, indicating that classes had started. From what I could tell, every student was presently at school given that all of the desks were filled. I took the liberty of writing my name on the chalkboard because I couldn't think of any other reason to use the chalkboard today. Once the bell ceased ringing, I cleared my throat to begin talking. Luckily, all of the colts and fillies sat quietly, albeit some were very confused. "Good morning class, it's good to see all of you this morning," I stood up from the desk and walked in front of it, leaning backwards against he front.

"What've you done with Ms. Cheerilee?" Silver Spoon didn't even bother to raise her hoof, instead glaring at me like a police detective.

"Why do ya gotta assume he did somethin' ta her?" I heard Applebloom mumble.

"Now, now, settle down you two," I politely advised the bickering duo. "Although that is a rather brash assumption, Ms. Cheerilee unfortunately has a nasty case of the flu and asked me to sub for you guys until noon so you would not have to use a summer day to make up," I explained to Silver Spoon. The grey pony seemed to buy the explanation and slumped back into her chair. "And as for formalities, you can either just call me Cougar, or you may call me Mr. Cougar if you prefer, I don't really care which." Pipsqueak courteously raised his hoof in the air, waiting to be called upon. "Yes Pip?" I pointed to the colt.

"So, do we get a free day Mr. Cougar?" he asked me. I couldn't help but grin at the colt's gentleman qualities.

"To answer your question Pip, no," I replied, pushing myself up from the desk. "Cheerilee has asked me to gather up your homework and to leave it on her desk until she can come back and grade it." All of the kids, most of them anyways, shrugged in agreement and got their homework out of their backpacks or saddlebags.

"Ms. Cheerilee made the right decision," Diamond Tiara snickered while I collected the sheets of homework, "you'd probably give automatic A's to your blank flank friends, especially the hillbilly whose sister keeps you as a pet!" the pink earth pony insulted, resulting in a round of giggling from her and her goon. I froze as my hand grasped her homework sheet, nearly crumpling it up. I had to watch my anger; no one is going to insult my fam- friends. "Hey! Watch what those disgusting monkey paws do to my homework. I will NOT get an F because of your bumbling around," she demanded.

"Would you tone it down Diamond, the dude's just trying his best!" Rumble growled at the spoiled bitch. Unfortunately, Silver Spoon continued talking for her boss.

"If you," she pointed a hoof at me while I gathered up Featherweight's homework, "or anypony else think you can just waltz in here and replace Ms. Cheerilee, you are sadly mistaken!" Silver Spoon exclaimed.

"He's not trying to replace anypony!" Scootaloo turned around and shouted at the grey filly.

"Ooh, girl fight!" An extremely slow sounding voice excitedly shouted. Looking up, a dark yellow unicorn colt with a green mane and a _snail_ for a cutie mark was smiling like an idiot. "Featherweight, get your camera!"

"Yeah," a light green unicorn colt agreed. This one had buck teeth and sort of a messy spikey mane and was rather round. "We've gotta document this for future generations to enjoy!"

"These two bicker on a constant bases, _imbeciles_," Featherweight rubbed his head.

"Shut your trap perverts," I groaned, taking their homework. I paused for a moment from taking in homework to lay a few ground rules. "Okay, before I continue, we need to all be on the same track understand?" The class, or the few that actually cared to listen nodded. "First, if you any of you have a question about your schoolwork or just want to talk to someone about something, I'll listen. Second, no passing notes amongst yourselves during class or interrupting somepony while they're talking. Third, if you have to go to the bathroo- Sweetie Belle, is he paying attention?" I pointed to a brown colt with a propellor hat on his head. His face was looking down at his desk and he didn't even have his homework ready.

Sweetie Belle looked over at the colt and rolled her eyes. "No, Button Mash always gets lost with that stupid JoyBoy of his," she explained. So that's his name huh? A gaming pony, guess I shouldn't be surprised. "Every day, he comes in playing his JoyBoy and forgets when class starts and Ms. Cheerilee takes it away from him." Getting the right idea, I stood next to the colt and placed my hand over the screen. Instead of shrieking or telling me to move, the little brat smacked my hand away!

"You, play time is over," I grabbed the blue portable gaming device and took it from Button Mash.

"HEY! I was about to- you're not Ms. Cheerilee, you're that human thing," he said, eyes growing big. "Is it snack time yet?" He asked, looking up at the clock. A few colts and fillies chuckled, apparently seeing this as a favorite pastime with Cheerilee.

"Yes, I am a human and NO it is not snack time Button Mash," I stuffed the little device in my pocket. "I hate to sound like the cliche teacher, but you'll get this back after class, or I can be an asshole and leave it on all day, draining the batteries until I give it back to you, DEAD," I swung the JoyBoy in front of his face.

"NO! If you do that, the save files will be corrupted! Three weeks will be wasted!" He cried.

"Then I will be a nice guy and give this back," I quickly tossed it back to him, "as long as you promise to keep it off until noon," I added. Naturally, I didn't trust the colt as I heard the _click_ of the on button being flicked upwards.

"Hey! You took the batteries!" He whined. I laughed, tossing the cylindrical objects up and down in my hand. The Crusaders laughed too, as did Rumble, Pip, Featherweight, those two idiot colts and Dinky.

"Gotcha didn't I? Now, back to the rules," the batteries were stuffed into my pocket. As for using the bathroom, just go if you have to since the bathroom is in the same room as the schoolhouse. I understand both colt and filly needs when using the lavatory," I explained. Fourth and FINAL rule: There is to be absolutely NO bullying while I am subbing in this classroom," I said sternly to the class. "You don't want to have to find out what I do to bullies," I cast my evil glare towards Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. "Anyway," my attitude switched back to my normal one, "how about roll call?"

"You already took our homework dude," Rumble pointed out, "isn't that enough to know we're here?" Fair point I had to admit.

"Nah, I want to make this official for Cheerilee," I replied, pulling out her attendance sheet and clearing my throat. "I already know the Crusaders, Dinky, Rumble, Pip, Featherweight, Diamond Tiara, Button Mash and Silver Spoon are here," I checked off ten names. "Okay then, Snips?"

"Here!"

"Snails?"

"Duh, is that me?" The dark yellow unicorn colt scratched his head.

"Okay then, well I guess that's good enough," I checked off the rest of the names as I again saw that every desk was filled. "Alright class, your teacher has given me these math and writing worksheets to fill the day along with reading Chapter 3 out of your history textbooks," I announced. "Dinky, would you please be kind enough to pass these around?" I kindly asked the pink unicorn. She nodded, hopping up from her chair and trotting over the big desk at the front of the room. Dinky took the papers in her mouth and passed them around to her fellow classmates. "Yes Featherweight?" I called upon the pegasus that had his hoof up.

"Are you sure we can finish all of this by noon? You're not gonna give us homework are you?" He questioned.

"No," I laughed, "subs shouldn't be allowed to give kids homework. Your teacher said get as much done as you can and she'll do a recap of chapter 3 with you guys tomorrow if she's feeling better." Featherweight wiped his brow and sighed in relief as Dinky placed both worksheets on his desk. "By the way, what time do you guys normally have recess?" I sat down in Cheerilee's big comfy chair.

"10:30 to 11:00 every day," Applebloom's orange eyes peered up from reading her math worksheet.

"An animal telling me what to do, my father will certainly hear about this," Diamond Tiara complained, scribbling down answers on her math worksheet with her mouth. Ignoring her, I stretched out my back, leaning back in the chair and just waited for a kid who wanted help.

**(11:00)**

The whole day pretty much went like a normal day for a substitute teacher. From 8:00 to 9:00, the kids used the hour to complete their thirty question math worksheet which was actually just a recap of long division and multiplying decimals. And of course, I went out of my way to help kids who asked for help. It didn't take long for me to realize I had to park a chair near Snips and Snails' desks with them asking every thirty seconds for help. After the math portion of class, the 9:00 to 10:00 slot of class time was used for the kid's writing.

It didn't matter to me, and I hope it didn't matter to Cheerilee, how much the kids wrote as long as they had fun and what they had written in the hour was readable. Once most of the kids were done, I had decided to take a few of the stories from a few of the students to read for them while the rest of the class finished. Out of the five stories I took from Dinky, Scootaloo, Rumble, Featherweight and even Diamond Tiara, Rumble's was by far my favorite. He wrote about a Wonderbolt in training that was tasked with saving the whole squadron of Wonderbolts when they went missing somewhere near Saddle Arabia. In short, it was sort of a short pony version of Iron Eagle, but much better. As for Scootaloo, I was intrigued that she wrote her own _Daring Do_ fanfiction, chronicling a new adventure she called: _Daring Do and the Demon at Phoenix Peak._

At 10:00, I had the kids read Chapter 3 of their History books, but since it was seven pages long, most finished within five minutes so I allowed them to sit and talk quietly until recess, nothing much really happened in that time either. However, now that it was 11:00, the kids were restless; there was nothing else to do and I couldn't think of anything for fear of ruining something Cheerilee had planned. "Anyone have an idea on what to do?" I asked the class, "I'm sure sitting and talking quietly for another hour would get boring."

"You could let us go home early, if you were smart that is," Diamond Tiara giggled up a storm.

"Tee hee," I rolled my eyes, unimpressed. "Did it take you all day to come up with that?" I shot back. Diamond's eyes shrank down as she hadn't prepared a comeback. "Ignoring that crap, come on, anyone have any ideas to pass the time? And no, a trip to the video game store is not gonna happen," I immediately crushed Button Mash's idea.

"Ooh, can we sing a song?" Dinky suggested, waving her purple hoof around.

"I don't feel like singing and how can one song last an hour?" I questioned the unicorn. She sadly put her hoof down and laid her head on her desk.

"Watch the _History of the Wonderbolts _Movie?!" Scootaloo practically screamed.

"Didn't Cheerilee's only copy melt on the projector?" Applebloom turned to her friend. The orange pegasus' eyes grew big as a few tears filled up her eyes and she brushed away her idea.

"Hour long recess?" Featherweight suggested.

"You just _had_ recess kid," I shook my head with a chuckle.

"Field trip to Sugar Cube Corner?" Snails exclaimed.

"The last thing I need is a room full of colts and fillies all jacked up on sugar," I rejected the idea, crossing my arms over my chest. When all hope was lost for an idea, Sweetie Belle's hoof slowly raised up and she politely waited for me to call on her. "Yes Sweetie Belle?" I allowed her to speak.

"How about you tell us a story?" She advocated with her usual sweet smile. My arms uncrossed and fell to my sides while thinking about the suggestion. The only story I've really told anypony here was my own version of the original _Halloween _film. A few of the students nodded and chatted in agreement at the idea.

"Well, I'm not much of a storyteller," I admitted, "besides, what kind of story would you like to hear?" I questioned. That was kind of a mistake; the entire class erupted with ideas.

"An action story with lots of high speed, punches and explosions!" Rumble demanded.

"A crime drama!" Featherweight exclaimed, "like a newspaper reporter who uncovers a diabolical plot and decides to use his reporting skills to bring the bad guys to justice!" Pipsqueak jumped on top of his desk to better grab my attention.

"How about a pirate story where a _kind_ pirate decides to overthrow his evil captain and becomes a pirate for hire and works under the Trottingham Armada?" He wished.

"Ah've got it!" Applebloom declared, "how about a tale of a hardworkin' farm pony that gets involved with the Royal Guard by goin' undercover to thwart a plot to steal millions 'o bits from a Las Pegasus casino?" _'Okay, that's somewhat the plot to _Ocean's 11,' I thought.

"Tell us a romance story where a handsome, muscular stallion sweeps a mare off her hooves and fights to defend her from a bad guy or an ex-boyfriend!" Sweetie Belle gushed. The light grey filly's eyes shrank to the size of dimes as she realized what she had requested. "I'm hanging out with Rarity too much," she shivered.

"Okay guys, one at a time please," I wished for the kids to calm down. Finally, the class did quiet down to a hushed murmur as the kids still thought of ideas. "Scootaloo, any ideas?" I asked the purple maned pegasus. Her light purple eyes were back to normal as the memory of her favorite movie being melted disappeared. I chuckled at her face that contorted into many different expressions while she tried to conjure up an idea.

"Well, I've always been curious about how you got the nickname 'Cougar,'" she began, "so, how about you tell us the story of where your nickname Cougar came from?" Scootaloo proposed. A vast majority of the kids ditched their own ideas in favor of hers and pushed for it to go through.

"Oh, great idea Scoots!" Applebloom patted Scootaloo's back. "Ah've been curious 'bout that myself. How does an animal get their name from the name of another animal?" The earth pony filly pondered aloud. A sly smile creeped along the front of my face as that day came back to me. For once, a memory in the Air Force that the ponies brought up wasn't a painful one; it was actually a pretty fun and adventurous memory of my career.

"Funny you girls should mention that," I started to walk around the schoolhouse. "This story has a tiny bit of what you guys wanted," I grasped their attention even more. "This story has your action," Rumble's face lit up like a Christmas Tree, "your wish of some military presence," Pip's muzzle grinned, "and your romance," Sweetie Belle blushed at her Rarity-like wish.

"Huh, this is kind of like when we asked all of the older ponies how they got their Cutie Marks," Scootaloo commented. I walked past her and patted her purple mane.

"Now, a call sign is given to a pilot based on either their last name or a stupid and/or embarrassing moment in their lives during training or when they officially get certified to fly jets," I explained. "And they are given by senior squad members or in rare occasions, like mine for instance, the whole squadron leader can give a pilot their call sign. But I don't think this is quite like your world's Cutie Marks," I laughed. "Some of you don't know, but my friend, Reaper, and I weren't exactly old enough to sign up for the Air Force," I begrudgingly admitted.

"So, you guys _lied _to get into the Air Force?" Rumble leaned forward in his desk.

"Yes, but we felt like we had to; our country was on the brink of war and we knew we had to do something to help prevent it or protect our country. And for the record, I do NOT condone lying at all," I made sure the kids understood. "Getting back to the story, Reaper had already earned his call sign from the pilots that helped train us. Yes, Dinky?" I saw the unicorn had her hoof in the air.

"Could you guys reject a call sign your squad mates gave you?" She questioned.

"Oh of course, if we were okay with getting one more embarrassing or annoying," I replied. "As for Reaper, he got his call sign when during the training simulator, he would be dead quiet because he didn't want to say something stupid when he shot down a simulated enemy. For that, a senior pilot commented, _'That kid's like the Grim Reaper, silent but kills pretty much everything in site.' _"Once his simulation concluded, the same senior pilot congratulated him and called him Reaper for the first time and it stuck."

"Okay, so how did your whole squadron leader come up for your nickname Mr. Cougar?" Pipsqueak propped his hooves onto his desk.

"It all started on a warm summer day…."

***Flashback. June 2016***

"Damn Adam, oops, I mean Reaper," a 17 year old version of me patted my friend on the back as we walked down the halls of our training facility. Reaper, another 17 year old caucasian male grinned at being called his call sign instead of his real name. "You really killed at the simulator, again," I congratulated my friend.

"Come on now, you're the one with the highest score in the history of the academy," Reaper encouraged me, "I may bag a few more bogeys, but you're way more precise, smooth and consistent which is what the simulator measures. We just need to come up with your call sign," Reaper slung his arm over my shoulder. The senior pilots that were overviewing our simulations had given us the rest of the day off, leaving us to rest until tomorrow. Soon, we would be ready to start going up in T-38s to get us ready for our permanent jets.

"Just don't try what all those other recruits did," I looked behind us at another trainee in our squadron. His call sign unfortunately was _Twinkle Toes_ since he originally got the name Klutz for spilling Stinger's coffee all over his uniform. He whined about getting that name, so in turn, Stinger gave him the new name Twinkle Toes, poor guy.

"Reaper, Private!" Speaking of Stinger. The two of us turned around to see a man in his early fifties with his arms crossed and a pair of folders in his arms. And Stinger did _not_ look very pleased with us.

"Something the matter sir?" Reaper and I quickly saluted him.

"Actually, I found something very troubling about your enlistment forms," he showed us what the folders contained. Instantly, our hearts stopped and we both looked at each other as the color drained from our faces. It was true, we _had_ lied about our ages to get approved for the Air Force, but we weren't going anywhere just being stuck in High School. To our honest to God shock, we were accepted in February and had been training ever since. If anything truly surprised us, it was how long it had been that we hadn't been caught.

"And what would be the problem Stinger sir?" I gulped, releasing a shaky hand from Reaper's shoulder. The senior officer stuck the folders under his left arm and motioned with his right arm to have us follow him.

"We'll discuss this over a bite at the Flyer's Club," Stinger turned around and walked away with us in pursuit, albeit scared to death. The Flyer's Club was a local off base restaurant with a bar on the second floor which allowed us to eat below. Most of the pilots and staff members on base actually preferred to eat and drink here over the bar on base; there were better chances of meeting women. "Sit down," he ordered us once we strolled into the restaurant and sat down at a booth. "Order whatever you'd like; it's on me," he gave us a smile.

"Oookay," Reaper cast a worried gaze at Stinger, scooting me closer to the wall so he could sit down as well. The all too familiar _clink_ of a quarter dropping into the jukebox at the back of the restaurant seemed to overpower the small talk going around. Since it was only four in the afternoon, the place wasn't too crowded. Kenny Loggins' _Danger Zone _began to play over the jukebox right as Stinger was going to deliver his speech.

"What can I get you boys?" A woman's voice asked us. All three of us looked to the side to see a _gorgeous_ 21 year old waitress with the name tag _Emma_ on the left side of her waitress uniform. "Hello Reaper," she greeted my friend in her flirtatious voice. The two had a playful banter they cooked up a few months ago and they seemed to enjoy it.

"Hey Emma," Reaper said ever so casually, "excited for College graduation next week?" He asked.

"Oh you know it, four long years are about to pay off, then I can go on and be a vet!" She contained her excitement. "Anyways, what can I get for you nice gentleman?" She asked, whipping out a pen and pad. The three of us recited our drink and food orders which Emma scribbled down faster than any known doctor could and delivered the ticket to the kitchen.

"Alright boys," Stinger opened up both files and turned them upside down so we could read them. In said folders were pictures of Reaper and myself that were paper clipped to our dossiers containing nearly everything about us. Sweat began to form on our palms as on the front page of both of our dossiers circled in red Sharpie were our birth dates and photocopies of our Alaska State driver's licenses. "Would you two care to tell me what is wrong with this picture?" His fingers softly tapped the pages where the Sharpies had circled.

We gave one final look at each other that read, _'We're screwed. No turning back now.'_ "Um, those would not be our real driver's licenses sir," I nervously gulped down my root beer that Emma had brought.

"Well, no shit," Stinger's icy glare never left us, nor did his eyelids blink at all. "I would like to see your _REAL_ licenses if you don't mind," his right hand overturned to show an empty palm. Wasting no time, we dug our licenses out of our wallets and tossed them into his awaiting palm. I shamefully held my hands over my eyes, daring not to look at my Commanding Officer's face while he checked over our real licenses. "Just as I suspected boys, you're one year _younger_ than you claimed to be on your enlistment forms," he said sarcastically, already knowing our real ages. "You are aware that it is a federal crime to falsify those forms, correct?" he sat our cards back onto the table top and closed our folders.

"Yes Stinger sir, we are completely aware," Reaper admitted.

"You were aware of the risks, yet you still falsified federal documents, why?" His voice never rose and never sounded angry. Stinger still sounded like a caring grandfather asking his grandkid why he stole a piece of candy.

"Stinger sir," I dropped my hands from my eyes, "Reaper and I have wanted to serve our country in the Air Force or the Navy, and as fast as possible. So we made sure to gather enough High School credits to graduate a year early so we could have a better opportunity to join," I explained. "We did consider dropping out, but Reaper made the point that it would look suspicious that high school dropouts wanted to join the military and that if we did get rejected, having no diploma would hurt us in the long haul."

"We meant no disregard or harm sir," Reaper assured our C.O. "But the reward of serving our country outweighed the risks of getting caught." The elder officer leaned forward in his bench seat, folding his fingers together.

"You two know that if I turn you in for this, you'll be going to federal prison for a _long_ time and you can kiss the military and any good career goodbye?" He asked us. Just as we were about to answer, the front doors of the restaurant slammed open to reveal four bikers, all looking drunk and ready for a brawl.

"Oh God, not these guys again," Emma groaned from behind the counter. The supposed leader of this gang grinned, showing that he had missing teeth and that the remaining teeth were all rotted and nasty. "Look, my manager told you guys that you're not welcome here anymore, not after you smashed that beer mug on the pool table," she gestured to the pool table where a huge chunk of the green felt was missing.

"I haven't been here in awhile," Stinger completely forgot about our current conversation. "These guys common trouble makers?"

"Yeah, but most of the time they just try to look intimidating," Reaper replied, his eyes never leaving Emma as the leader of the gang was eying her up and down several times.

"They're mainly rude and loud," I added for Reaper taking a short sip of my soda. "These four have never really done anything illegal, but I've kept on my toes with their behavior, especially with the number they did on that poor pool table," I explained. One of the other bikers went over to the jukebox and punched it, switching the song from _Danger Zone_ to some death metal song. Reaper's grip on his glass mug tightened as the leader of the biker gang began to trace his finger up and down Emma's arm.

"Hey baby," he said in very creepy voice, "what say you and I ditch this dump and head back to my place?" He tried to purr seductively, but he only began coughing. The waitress uncomfortably sidestepped away.

"You want me to get the manager?" I could hear the cook ask loudly. I suspected he said it loud on purpose to try and scare the bikers away, but it didn't quite work out. The leader kept his hand on Emma's arm, not willing to let go.

"Come on," he gripped her arm, causing a painful squeak to emit from her mouth. In an instant, Reaper and I were on our feet in case anything did go wrong. Stinger on the other hand whipped out his cell phone, ready to call at least the Military Police since the restaurant was literally one hundred feet from the gate. "I haven't had any in months, and you're just fine enough," he growled.

"Sir, please let me go before I call the cops!" She exclaimed. We couldn't see what she had done because of the counter blocking our view, but from I pieced together, she had used her heel to stomp him on his foot.

"YOU DISRESPECTFUL LITTLE!" The creep yelled and slapped her across the face. That finally did it. Reaper burst full speed from our booth at about Mach 15 and was at the counter in an instant. He grabbed the pervert by his collar and yanked him right over the top of the counter while Stinger dialed the MP to come by.

"NEVER LAY YOUR HANDS ON A WOMAN!" Reaper yelled as he threw the guy on the ground, pounding in his face. A few other patrons ran outside to get away from the brawl that was undoubtably going to happen. The cook threw down his hat and exited the kitchen, punching one of the other guys in the face that was about to attack Reaper. Emma screamed so loud that the manager's door opened so fast that the hinges nearly broke off.

"I told you creeps to NEVER come back here!" He pulled the cook off the guy he was beating. Unfortunately, the third biker snuck up from behind the manager and put him in a headlock, yanking him to the ground while the second biker jumped the cook. There was a loud crash as Reaper's struggle with the gang leader rolled into a few tables, bringing them and all the utensils crashing to the ground. Finally deciding I couldn't sit idly by anymore, I leapt into action, literally. Using the downed table as a launching pad, I jumped up and pounced onto the guy beating up the manager, shoving him headfirst into the bottom of the counter and knocking him out cold.

"Thanks kid," I helped the manager to his feet. He briskly grabbed Emma and ran into his office, locking the door to keep her safe. Stinger jogged over to the front of the restaurant and sealed the exit to keep the brawlers contained until the MP force arrived. Pushing myself off the out cold biker, I turned my attention to the cook and his dispute. The biker on top of him had a switchblade and was ferociously swatting at him. Though I had to admit, the cook was doing a damned good job at holding him back. So to help, I kicked the switchblade out his hand, sending it flying to the wall behind him.

"Gotcha!" the cook used his opportunity and gripped the biker's throat with his hands, slamming his head onto the hard floor. Seeing that this was under control, I turned to see the fourth biker just sitting at table, watching his friends get their asses beat. Shrugging it off, I pried Reaper and the other guy off of each other before I began to wail on the pathetic loser. Reaper had a swollen black eye, a bloody lip and was looking like he was about to pass out; thankfully though, the cook steadied him and helped him over to an empty booth near the manager's office.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" I punched the biker in the nose, shattering it until streams of red, oozy blood seeped out of his now crooked nostrils. "You have the audacity to try that with a girl and then you beat up my friend?" I shook the creep like a rag doll.

"Yyyyyour ffffrriiiieend," he slurred his speech, "hit me firrsssst," he groaned. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my head as a pool cue broke against me, sending me and the biker to the ground. The fourth member of the gang cracked his knuckles and neck, ready for a brawl. The leader was on the floor, conscious, but not moving at all.

"Get up, pretty boy," the fourth biker growled. The pool cue was indeed broken, but he still had the blunt bottom end ready to beat me with. Standing up, I readied my fists for a tussle, but I instead grabbed the pool cue as he swung it at my head again. "Hey, let go!" He shrieked, jerking the stick around, trying to get me to give it up. Smirking, I yanked the cue so hard that I lost my grip and sent it careening back into the kitchen, knocking over pots and pans.

"Fists up, a-hole," I cracked my own knuckles. The biker clumsily swung his left fist at my chest which I caught with ease. I squeezed his hand so hard there was a faint _crack_ heard as he fell to his knees, begging for mercy. "This one is for my best friend," I growled, twisting his left arm around and swinging my left fist up and punched his jaw upwards. About three teeth flew from his mouth along with a little spittle and blood.

"FREEZE, MP!" A stern voice announced as the little bell above the front door was ripped from the doorframe. About five Air Force MPs jogged into the restaurant, picking up the four bikers and handcuffing them.

"Good work gentleman," Stinger saluted the men. "My two golden boys are going to need a little medical attention as well, see that sickbay is prepped," Stinger instructed the head MP. He gave a quick nod and radioed back to base. The cook of the restaurant, named Ernie apparently, walked a dazed but otherwise fine Reaper over to me.

"Glad to see you're okay dude," Reaper and I fist-bumped each other. "How the hell did you not black out from getting hit with a pool cue?" he wiped some blood from his lips.

"Adrenaline most likely," I replied, seething as I touched the now growing welt on the back of my head. Emma rushed over from the manager's office and pretty much tackled Reaper onto the back of the seat, hugging him.

"Thank you so much Adam!" She planted a huge, wet kiss on his cheek. My 17 year old friend was visibly shaking, reeling in from the kiss as Emma cleared her throat and let him go. "Pardon me, but I'm so grateful you came to my defense, you too," she pointed to me.

"N-no problem," Reaper touched his cheek. Emma whipped out her pen and pad and scribbled something down before placing it in Reaper's hand.

"Call me sometime, fly boy," she winked at him. Stinger chuckled at what had just occurred and sat down next to us, allowing us to catch our breath and calm down before going to sickbay for a checkup. It was then that I had realized what we originally came here for, completely draining the remainder of my adrenaline. Reaper looked like he remembered too as he couldn't look Stinger in the eye.

"So sir," I groaned, "about our enlistment forms?" I asked. Stinger responded by opening up the folders, taking out the copies with the red circles surrounding our falsified birth dates and tore them to little pieces, chucking them into a half-full beer mug.

"I have no clue what you're talking about, Cougar," he winked at me.

"Cougar? What the hell is that?" My brain couldn't comprehend so many things at once after going threw a brawl like that. Stinger placed his arm around me like a grandfather and pulled me close

"Your new call sign kid. You pounced on those little scums like a cougar pouncing on its prey," he explained. Reaper gave me a weakened thumbs up and a half-smile, encouraging me to accept the call sign that Stinger gave me.

"You like _Top Gun_, take it dude!" Reaper exclaimed.

***End Flashback***

"So after that, Stinger personally drove us back to sickbay where we were treated and released a day later. In fact, that same night after our release, there was a knock on our barracks door and a package was left in the hallway. The package turned out to contain our freshly painted helmets. Reapers was white, black and red with a scythe on both sides and dripping blood all over. Mine, well, most of you have seen it. And that's how I got my call sign," I concluded my story. Throughout telling said story, I had walked around the room and ended up on my knees in front of Sweetie Belle's desk since she was the one who asked me to tell the story.

I was met with a stunned silence before Silver Spoon raised her hoof. "What happened between Emma and Adam, or Reaper, no Adam. GAH!" She growled angrily. Diamond Tiara tried to get Silver Spoon to stop being interested in my story, but to no avail.

"Actually, those two began dating right after that, got married a few years later and had two kids," I replied. The wooden floors began to hurt my knees; I stood up and was met with applause from the class.

"You _totally_ earned that call sign dude!" Rumble congratulated.

"Somepony should make a movie about your Air Force life and call it _Danger Zone_ or something," Scootaloo exclaimed happily. I smiled, giving her a quick noogie before looking at the clock that told me we only had about two minutes left until the kids could go home. I swirled around when I felt a hoof tapping my hip, only to find Sweetie Belle with another curious look on her cute little face.

"Cougar, remember how you said that your call sign wasn't like a cutie mark?" She asked me. All I could do was nod in response, confused and puzzled to where she was going with this. "Well, you couldn't be more wrong," she stated.

"Sweetie Belle, from what Twilight and Applejack told me, a cutie mark represents _who_ you are, not _what_ you are. And I am no cougar in any way, shape or form. Sorry to burst your bubble," I apologized.

"Just hear me out," she held my hand down with her hoof. "Yes, I know just exactly what a cutie mark means despite not having one," she grumbled and shook her head. "What I'm getting at is a call sign is a representation of who you are. I think what Stinger also meant, but didn't mention, was how a cougar protects its young or territory. And in your case, the young was your friend Reaper, the innocent cook and Emma the innocent waitress. Your friends are also your 'territory,'" she air-quoted with her hooves, "which, from what Ms. Cheerilee has taught us, cougars are very protective of. In other words, like a cougar, you're sort of a protector," she concluded, folding her forelegs.

"Woah, that's deep Sweetie Belle," Applebloom's jaw went slack. I blinked a few times, digesting what Sweetie Belle had just explained to me. Have I completely overlooked exactly what my call sign actually meant for seven years? Looking back at the restaurant incident, the Bermuda Triangle fiasco, the timberwolves adventure and defending Applebloom, it all made sense now. In every single one of those incidents, friends have always been the common denominator, and I was the one trying to protect them. Of course, I'd gladly give up my life to ensure my friends were safe, but I never thought about my call sign like that before.

_RRIIIIIIINNNNBRRRRNNNNGGGG!_

The school bell brought me back to reality as the kids jumped for joy, grabbed their stuff and trotted out to their waiting parents. "Excuse me, Mr. Cougar is it?" A sweet voice asked me. Cocking my head to the side, I was met with a brown mane and tan fur mare with a heart and milk bottle on her flank. "My son would appreciate his batteries back," she politely requested.

"Ms. Mash I presume?" I handed Button his batteries.

"Yes, and I can't tell you how ingenious that was to give him the JoyBoy and take the batteries. I'll have to use that sometime," she praised my tactics. "Button wasn't too much trouble, was he?"

"Oh no, once I took away his batteries he quieted down and did his work," I shook her hoof. "Have a good day Ms. Mash!" I wished her while she escorted Button out of the schoolhouse. "Are you ready to go home AB?" I asked once the kids all emptied out of the schoolhouse and I locked up for the day.

"Nah, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo 'n Ah are gonna meet up at Sugar Cube Corner 'n talk about our next Crusaders idea," Applebloom replied.

"But before we go," Scootaloo added. The trio ran up and knocked me into the wall of the schoolhouse, hugging me tight around the torso. The hug lasted for about ten seconds before the Crusaders released me and hopped down onto the ground.

"That's for being the best sub ever!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

"Thank you girls, that means a lot to me," I replied, but unsure if they heard me as they galloped away. Stuffing my hands in my pocket, I sighed contently, thinking I had done a good job and hopefully pleased Cheerilee for the huge responsibility. My shoe kicked a tiny stone down the dirt road I was slowly walking down, kicking up small trails of dust as I walked along. I felt a small tapping on my back, causing me to turn around to see who wanted to speak with me. It was a red pegasus with a brown mane and tail, and she had blue eyes. "Yes?" I asked.

"Um, excuse me, do you know where Sugar Cube Corner is? I've got a pretty good craving for muffins," she asked me, licking her bottom lip.

"Go down that road, make a right, head straight into town and you'll find it near the market. Just look for a crazy pink earth pony and you've found it," I explained the directions to the mare. She thanked me and took off, nearly slapping me upside the head with her wings. Spinning around on my heels, I began to head back in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres when I saw a particular pony. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I saw Diamond Tiara not far ahead walking down the same road with her father. Instantly, the guilt from what I had done to him washed over me, even though I believed I was over it.

"And so he made us do work that Ms. Cheerilee already made us do!" Diamond Tiara whined, "then he told us a gruesome story on how he got his name by beating up and nearly killing four other humans with his disgusting partner!" She lied to her father. I didn't care that she was lying to her father; it was none of my business and at the moment, I had more urgent matters to take care of. Swallowing my pride and gathering up the courage, I picked up the pace until I was behind Filthy Rich and tapped his shoulder.

"GAH!" He jumped at the sudden tapping. "And what would you want Mr. Cougar?" He cocked an eyebrow, getting in front of Diamond in case it was necessary. "My little girl has just told me an interesting tale about what you did while subbing for her regular teacher," he revealed. Despite gathering up the courage to talk to him, no words could escape my mouth; I honestly didn't believe he'd want to hear whatever I had to say. "Well? I'm a very busy stallion sir and my time is too important to waste," he impatiently looked at the clock tower.

"Mr. Rich," I stuck out my hand, "I would like to offer my sincerest apologies for my behavior and actions a few months back," I declared. Filthy Rich looked as if he'd seen his own birth.

**End Chapter 27**

* * *

_Will Filthy Rich accept Cougar's apology or brush it off as a joke? Find out in a tiny reveal next time on Fallen Eagle where we tackle Nightmare Night and we find out what Cougar is __going as..._

_I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! It was a lot of fun writing in more Derpy and adding in Dinky Doo, Button Mash, and some more lines for Featherweight, Pip and Rumble. And the reason why I didn't use a name for Button's mom is because I don't know her name. If anyone can tell me, I'll gladly add it. _


	29. Chapter 28: Silence of the Fillies

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 28: Silence of the Fillies**

**NEW COVER, NEW COVER, NEW COVER!**

_Before I get onto ANYTHING else, I really hope you guys have checked out the new and final cover for the story. Back in March, I asked a good friend of mine in Tennessee if she could possibly draw Cougar for me and she said yes. Well, back on Sunday, May 31st, she emailed me the final version (which I added the tagline and title to) and I was blown away. I really hope you guys like the cover and the fact that Cougar now has a face. And I understand that the F-14 was never used by the Air Force, my friend did not know this but it's so trivial and unimportant that I didn't care to tell her. _

**mlp brony fifer: **_I'm glad you liked the story Cougar told and the ending. It took me awhile to come up with who should tell Cougar about the similarities between call signs and cutie marks. _

**Random Guy: **_Thank you sir; I hope you enjoy the future chapters_

**Dixie Darlin: **_Trust me, writing in the fillies and colts (especially ones we rarely get to see) was so much fun. I just used Button's personality from the f__animations I've seen on YouTube. And it was really good to write about Reaper again, that was fun. _

**Sassymouse: **_The best part of waking up would be a cute filly like Applebloom bouncing on your chest lol. I couldn't pass up using Derpy when using Dinky, that would be a crime and I would've had to punish myself. And I'm glad you enjoyed your OC!_

**adhdluke: **_Hey man! Haven't heard from ya in a long time. Good to see you're still enjoying the story. And I'm really glad you say this is your favorite chapter. If people are saying that with how many chapters I've written, I must be doing something right!_

**litestardt: **_I wouldn't have found it realistic if Cougar had mastered the jetpack right away, so I decided to have him bust his ass a few times lol. Also, FALCON IS AWESOME! Cougar teaching classes would be awesome, but alas, he doesn't have the proper certificates for that. And I think we can agree both Xbox and PS4 are better than the Wii U..._

**bronywells:** _Good to see some new fans here. I'm glad you like my story and hope you like what I have planned for the future! The backstory I was saving for a perfect flashback opportunity and having Cougar teach the kids was the best chance I had. _

**caleb200888: **_Bookmarked? That's awesome that you keep re-reading it bro. If you like CouJack, then stick around for two more chapters for that confession you've desperately wanted to see. _

**CorvusYT:** _Thank you good sir. _

_Okay people, this message is for all the fans that want to see Cougar and Applejack admit their feelings. I'm here to say it WILL happen, there's no secret about that. The confession is just merely two chapters away. I've been tinkering with a few things like what SONGS characters will sing and other ideas leading up to the inevitable confession. I'm going to work as hard as I can to bring you loyal readers the confession chapter that you all deserve! -Captain Alaska, out_

* * *

**(Late October. 3rd Person POV)**

Things had pretty much went normal for the few weeks after Cougar's stint as substitute teacher. Nothing of importance was going on in Canterlot that needed the Mane 6's or to a degree, Cougar's, help. There were no problems going on in Ponyville that required Cougar to lend his hand to fix, nor was there many chores for the Apple family to do since the nights were becoming longer and with Winter around the corner, most residents were trying to get a jumpstart on preparations. Speaking of Cougar, now that he had a little more free time on his hands, the Air Force pilot was taking advantage of the spare time by heading up to the Wonderbolts Academy to further sharpen his flying. But, every time Cougar sent Applebloom off to school or walked with her and the Crusaders, he had to admit he did kind of miss subbing for the class despite it only being for four hours.

Although a good majority of the colts and fillies in Ms. Cheerliee's class (even Silver Spoon to some extent) enjoyed having Cougar as their substitute teacher, they were more than thrilled when Cheerilee returned only the next day, all cured up and healthy from Fluttershy and Big Mac helping nurse her back to health. The students prepared their own welcome back card that they all signed quickly when Ms. Cheerilee allowed for a quick recess outside while she went over the worksheets Cougar had the students fill out during his subbing. Eventually, the rut that Ponyville found itself in completely filled up when the final week of October rolled around. Almost all over the town, horrifying decorations were strung about, featuring bats, spiders, skeletons of ponies and different frightening images. With the help of Big Mac, Ms. Cheerilee had turned the schoolhouse into a haunted schoolhouse for the week leading up to one of Ponyville's most favorite holidays: Nightmare Night.

Bon Bon and Lyra worked day and night for days on end to make extra candy for the citizens of the tiny town to purchase and hoof out for the children on the night of the holiday. The amount of profit that the candy would bring in was the leading factor for Bon Bon to continue making candy, no matter how late into the night she worked or how tired she grew, that and she enjoyed seeing happy colts and fillies running about. And not to mention, several different ponies had contacted Rarity to make them new costumes or to request she help touch up or repair older costumes. Nightmare Night wasn't a major bit making holiday for Rarity, but as an owner, every little bit helped keep her business afloat and popular. Normally, the seamstress would be creating away in her boutique, possibly with Sweetie Belle or Spike lending their time to assist her, but Rarity, along with the rest of the Mane 6, Spike and the Crusaders, was sitting down in Applejack's living room at Sweet Apple Acres. They were currently watching a movie on Cougar's iPad that he allowed Applebloom to borrow. And thanks to Spike's memory of watching the iPad with Cougar and Celestia at the castle, Twilight was able to replicate Celestia's spell to make the iPad as big as an actual projection screen.

A piece of parchment was floating in the air near said seamstress, her blue aura engulfing its edges as she took notes on everything everypony mentioned about the movie that was displayed in front of the group. Thanks to the movies, the Mane 6, Spike and the CMC had spent all day watching several of them, from morning until late afternoon and early evening. "Sweetie Belle," Rarity cleared her throat, "are you certain you and your friends want these to be your costumes?" The white unicorn moved the parchment out of her way to get her little sister's confirmation.

"Heck yeah Rarity!" Scootaloo quickly turned around and shrieked, surprising Rarity so much that a huge black streak of ink now appeared across the front of the parchment when she jumped. "Hehe, oops," the orange pegasus chuckled nervously, "sorry Rarity," she apologized.

"Rainbow Dash?" Rarity questioned the cyan pegasus whom was completely enthralled with the current movie on the screen. Grumbling, Rarity set the parchment down on a nearby table and called Rainbow's name again, only be replied with a rude '_shh.' _The white unicorn then hit pause on the screen of the iPad, only to be met with a resounding groan from everypony.

"Hey! We were watching that!" Rainbow turned around from the paused screen to glare at Rarity.

"You mentor Scootaloo and spend time with her more than anypony else, haven't you taught her what an inside voice is?" Rarity asked the rainbow maned pegasus pony. The Wonderbolt glared at the seamstress, flapping her wings to float above her friend, attempting an intimidation effect. Rarity, on the other hoof, wasn't the least bit threatened. "Now look, I have to restart my list. Nine hours wasted, and I have to start from scratch!" The unicorn whined.

"Come on, it's not like you can't read what we chose!" Rainbow tapped her hoof on the page of the parchment, "just copy what you wrote down before and keep quiet; we're still watching this!" she exclaimed, ending her mini-rant with a raspberry in Rarity's face. Her white cheeks turned red momentarily as she suppressed her anger that threatened to boil over in a shouting match between her and the pegasus.

"Be that as it may Rainbow Dash, your sister should learn to keep her voice down indoors," a new piece of parchment levitated in front of Rarity while her red glasses floated back onto her face and a feather scribbled down the contents of the previous list. "Ahem, so you girls are pleased with this particular choice of group costumes?" Rarity questioned while Spike hit play on the screen, resuming the movie.

"You bet!" Sweetie Belle responded with an excited yell and an extremely cheesy grin.

"Yeah, group costumes are the best!" Applebloom agreed, propping her head up with her elbows while lying belly down on the wooden floor, "'specially ones as cool as these!" her orange eyes expanded in utter glee. The purple maned unicorn scribbled down the Crusaders' choice for their Nightmare Night costumes and sighed happily, sitting down on a chair and mentally patted herself on the back, proud of a job well-done and glad to begin a new order for all of her friends.

"When did this place turn into a movie theater?" A male voice asked, surprising everypony that didn't hear him enter the room.

* * *

**(Cougar's POV)**

I had just arrived back from another hard training day at the Wonderbolts Academy and was eager to relax with a cold shower and eat supper with the Apple family. My jetpack was stored inside my shack before I trekked over to the farm house to let AJ and Applebloom know that I was back. There were a few new things I had discovered about my jetpack: One was I could get quick bursts of acceleration by bringing my arms forward and swinging them back quickly, sort of like an olympic swimmer. Another part of my jetpack that I had found out about was I could have the engine on without the arm braces and I wouldn't hover, but pumping my arms up and back would automatically snap the braces into place, allowing me to be prepared to fly quicker.

Walking into the farm house, I had a cocky smile on my face and expected to see Applebloom and possibly Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo watching something on my iPad while AJ was reading a novel or something. But what I didn't expect was to see all three of the Crusaders, AJ, Spike, Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash all sitting in the living room, watching my iPad that I suspected Twilight enlarged for all of the group to enjoy. What was even stranger was Rarity was studying the movie and talking with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle while writing down what I guessed was their responses on a piece of parchment. "Ahem," I softly coughed, trying to get somepony's attention.

"Yeah, group costumes are the best!" Applebloom exclaimed, completely ignoring me standing in the doorway. Looking at what movie the group was watching, I quietly chuckled to myself, knowing that _Ghostbusters_ was indeed a movie that grabs one's attention. "'Specially ones as cool as these!" she added, clapping her yellow hooves together as her orange eyes expanded. The white unicorn then scribbled down something else on her parchment and sat down on an empty chair, sighing contently. Finally, I wanted to say hello to my friends and spoke up.

"When did this place turn into a movie theatre?" I joked, causing everyone else in the room to whip their heads around in my direction.

"Cougar!" Applebloom cheered, getting up from the floor and ran towards me, leaping up into my chest as I caught her. "How was yer day at the academy?" She asked after nuzzling my chest.

"Well, I'm busting my ass less and less, so that's something," I kissed her forehead before setting her back onto he floor. "I see more ponies and a dragon than I anticipated are enjoying my movies," I cracked a small smile.

"Oh, sorry Cougar," Twilight apologized, "it's just, one by one we all showed up for different reasons and became intrigued with your movie playing machine," she explained to me, gesturing to my tablet with her hoof.

"iPad," I corrected the alicorn, "and it's no big deal as long as you guys don't accidentally delete any of my movies." The group shook their heads, telling me that they were careful in selecting which movies to watch. "Let me guess, you guys were hypnotized by the pretty colors right?" I said in a smart aleck voice.

"I admit color movies are _awesome!_" Rainbow shouted, "but you know, that wasn't _everything_ we liked about the movies you have," she insisted.

"And I wouldn't say hypnotized either," Rarity rolled up her parchment and stuffed it into one of her triple diamond embroidered saddlebags. "Though some were very thought provoking and at times, very intense." Placing my hands together and cracking my knuckles, I walked further into the living room, stopping in front of the 35" iPad screen.

"So, group costumes huh?" I turned to the three little fillies in the living room. They nodded as if they were bobble head dolls springing back and forth. "Any particular reason you guys need group costumes?" I questioned.

"Nightmare Night's comin' up soon Cougar," Applejack explained to me, sitting up from her haunches and walking over my way. '_Nightmare Night? That sounds vaguely familiar, where have I heard that before?' _I mentally asked. "'N we were all thinkin' 'o dressin' up as some 'o yer favorite movie characters ta make ya feel a bit more comfortable fer yer first Nightmare Night," the orange mare explained further.

"Is that the holiday you guys told me about on our camping trip way back?" I asked, thinking that's where I first heard of the holiday.

"Yep," Sweetie Belle smiled, "and you said that it reminds you of your own holiday Halloween," she reminded me. Right, now I remembered that Nightmare Night was exactly the holiday I was told about from the camping trip.

"Sweet, free candy. Only a complete moron would pass that up," I chuckled, prompting Pinkie Pie to squeal and give me a bone crushing hug, again.

"That's the smartest thing I've ever heard anypony say!" She complimented me as she squeezed me tighter. Right before I could turn blue and start gasping for air, the pink hyperactive mare released me and dropped me to the floor. "Hey that reminds me, have you been planning your Nightmare Night costume? I bet it's something so spectacularly scary or amazingly awesome or greatly gross!" She exclaimed, counting off ways she could describe a costume.

"Um, no Pinkie I haven't," I coughed, "you guys just reminded me about Nightmare Night; I can't come up with a costume that quick," I snapped my fingers. Pinkie gasped and grabbed my shoulders, shaking my head violently.

"Then we need to start planning! Come on, you've got oodles of movies on this thing; we'll find you the bestest costume that your people have come up with! And I'm sure it'll wow everypony in town!" She clapped her hooves with glee.

"Woah there Pinkie," I put my hands up and out, "I'm gonna need a little time to think about it; I don't work very well just being thrust into choosing something, unless the situation is dire enough," I explained.

"And picking the perfect costume for your first Nightmare Night _isn't_ a dire enough situation?" She countered with a questioning stare.

"Now Pinkie," Fluttershy began, "I'm certain that if we give Cougar enough time, he can pick the best costume all on his own. I know I'd hate it if it were _me_ being put on the spot for picking a costume," she admitted. I stroked Fluttershy's pink mane like a dog as a thank you for getting Pinkie Pie off of my back, though if that pink mare can rake in enough candy to feed an army, she can annoy me all she wants.

"Thanks Fluttershy. Speaking of costumes, what are you guys going for Nightmare Night?" I asked, "what movies did you guys watch all day?" I added. The entire group rubbed the back of their heads before shaking them back and forth.

"Sorry Cougar," Applejack apologized, "but we decided we all wanted ta keep them a secret fer a nice surprise fer ya," she said. "Ah hope ya understand; we want ta make ya as welcome as possible ta Nightmare Night," she grinned wrapping her arm around my waist in a hug, which made my cheeks heat up for a second or two.

"Well, that makes sense, and makes me feel a little special," I cracked another sly smile, "though I'm not sure how you're gonna get famous movie costumes perfect in just a few days," I intentionally got Rarity riled up. The white unicorn gasped and marched up to me, sticking her head up and glaring at me through her red glasses.

"Do you have any idea what pony you're talking to? I've made half a dozen gala dresses in a matter of two days and an entire new fashion line in 45 minutes!" She said as a matter of factly. "Simple little Nightmare Night costumes are filly's play darling," she said teasingly, flicking her tail across my nose in a slap I'm guessing. "Even if you took until an hour before Nightmare Night festivities began, I could create your costume with my horn broken in half!" She declared.

"That reminds me Rarity," Applebloom spoke up, "do ya think you could sew our name patches on our Ghostbuster costumes instead of the movie characters' names? I can take care 'o the backpacks they wear 'cause Ah know a pony who can loan us a few Twittermite vacuums," the yellow filly asked and explained. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle gasped and groaned at Applebloom accidentally revealing their costumes.

"Applebloom!" They both exclaimed, "there goes our surprise," Scootaloo kicked her hoof on the floor.

"Guess we'll have to to go with a different group," Sweetie Belle tapped her chin. Applebloom blushed in embarrassment and looked sad for ruining the surprise they had set in store for me. I bent down and lightly petted her head to comfort her.

"Come on girls, go as the Cutie Mark Ghostbusters," I encouraged, "you already picked it and I think you'll be awesome as the only Ghostbusters in Equestria," I said, lightly pushing all three together. "I can imagine all of you shouting _'Cutie Mark Crusader Ghostbusters!'_ all over Ponyville on Nightmare Night, getting insane amounts of candy for having original costumes."

"Ya still want us ta go as our original idea even though Ah ruined the surprise?" Applebloom actually looked like she might cry from embarrassment. I chuckled again and scratched under her chin with my index finger, tickling her.

"Well, there wasn't much of a surprise Bloom," I revealed, "you girls left the movie on and you were mentioning group costumes and pointing at the screen when I came in," I motioned to the iPad in the living room. The screen was still paused, but it showed a scene with all four Ghostbusters in action.

"Hehe, oops," Sweetie Belle blushed and hid her face behind her hooves.

"As for the rest of you guys, I look forward to see what tickled your fancy enough to be your costumes," I turned to the older members of the group. Apparently not believing me, Rarity added a lock to her saddlebags to prevent me from ever seeing the list of ideas. "Um Rarity, don't you need pictures of the costumes to replicate them?" I crossed my arms.

"Two steps ahead of you Cougar," Rarity laughed, "Applejack allowed me to borrow her family camera and I took pictures of the movies on pause to get the images I require for creating," she flicked her mane with her hoof.

"I guess that settles all of that then," I placed my hands on my hips, clicking my tongue. "Tell you girls and guy what," I winked at Spike, "whenever I find out my costume, I'll keep it a secret too, except from Rarity of course since I need her to make it," I turned to the seamstress whom nodded in approval.

"BELCH!" Spike burped as a massive ball of brilliant green fire erupted from his mouth. I will probably never get used to that; I had my arms up in front of my face, ready to attack nothing. A scroll with a dark blue ribbon tied around its middle landed in his claws as he opened it up. "It's from Princess Luna," Spike announced before clearing his throat. _"Dear Twilight Sparkle, whenever you receive this message, please relay it to Cougar, for I require his audience tonight after I raise the moon. There a few matters that I wish to discuss with him and they are of the utmost importance. He is not in any trouble and neither is anypony else, but I must speak with him as soon as possible. Yours truly, Princess Luna of Equestria." _Spike ceased reading and looked up at the rest of us.

"Hmm, the moon is going up be raised fairly shortly," Twilight looked outside to see Celestia's sun getting lower and lower on the horizon in the far distance. "I wonder what Luna wants to talk to you about?" She pondered to herself.

"Aww, I don't mind going to see Luna, but I just got home and wanted to relax a little," I groaned, sitting down on the floor with my back to the wall. "Not to mention I'm starving too," I added, my stomach grumbling loudly.

"Ah'll save ya some leftovers Coug, don't ya worry none," Applejack patted my shoulder. "Are ya gonna fly, or are ya gonna take the train?" She asked me. I stretched my arms and back a bit, popping my muscles in the process.

"Train," I replied standing up, "I'm still getting used to using my muscles with my jetpack," I explained.

"Well you better hurry Cougar," Spike informed me, "the last train leaves in ten minutes," he urgently said. Sighing, I took off my red and black cap, running a hand through my hair and tapping said hat against my leg. I didn't mind having long hair like an 80s hair band, but it was starting to get a little long.

"Rarity, before I go, do you think you can set me up with a barber or something for my hair? It's getting a little long for me," I asked politely. Grinning, Rarity produced a pair of red scissors from her saddlebags and in a few strokes around my head, all my long hair was lying on the ground and my head felt a little lighter. "Oh, thanks," I smiled, looking into a nearby mirror. "I'll see you guys as soon as I can," I waved to AJ and Applebloom.

"Wait Cougar!" Twilight's aura yanked my arm back, "I just have one question regarding this Ghostbusters movie," she said.

"And that would be?" I asked, holding the door open with my hand as I didn't want to miss the train.

"Were ghosts this much of a problem in your world? I know that this is just a movie, but is it based on actual fact?" She asked me. My left eye sank and my right eyebrow raised itself up to about my new hairline.

"Uhhhh, nooooo," I said slowly. "Ghosts aren't real Twilight," I laughed at her question before leaving the farmhouse and heading to the train station.

* * *

**(3rd Person POV)**

Right as Cougar left, pretty much everypony that didn't live with the Apple family decided that it was time to return to their respective homes for supper, but not before Applejack had something to ask of Rarity. The seamstress' blue aura surrounded Sweetie Belle, lifting her off the floor and onto her back to carry her home. "Hey Rare, can Ah speak ta ya fer a quick second?" Applejack requested.

"Oh of course Applejack," Rarity smiled. "What do you need darling?" She asked. Intrigued, Sweetie Belle put her forelegs on Rarity's shoulders, standing up closer to better hear what her older sister and Applejack had to talk about. "Sweetie Belle, what have I told you about eavesdropping?"

"Hey, you were the one who lifted me onto your back," Sweetie Belle pointed out. Rolling her eyes, Rarity then lifted her little sister off her back and set her down next to Scootaloo and Applebloom.

"Now then, what did you need to talk to me about Applejack?" Rarity politely asked her country friend. Applejack bit her lip, swinging one of her front hooves back and forth, clearly nervous about what was on her mind.

"Uh, ya know 'bout the costume Ah want ta wear right?" She said. Rarity replied with a nod, willingly listening, but curious as to why Applejack was reminding her of the costume choice. "Well, uh, do ya think you could also do my mane in the same hairstyle as in the movie? It's kinda important," She questioned.

"That shouldn't be a problem Applejack, but is there any special reason why this was an important request?" Applejack gulped, looking around and blushing, making sure nopony else could hear her while she whispered.

"_Well, Cougar told me that's one 'o his favorite movies 'n Ah was hopin' that Ah could uh, get his attention a lil by dressin' exactly like her," _she whispered as her cheeks continued to grow a more deep shade of red. "Stop lookin' at me like that," Applejack embarrassingly pursed her lips. Rarity had a cocky smirk on her face as she stared at the farm mare.

"Get his attention how Applejack?" Rarity teasingly asked.

"Ah'm not sayin' Ah wanna seduce him or anythin'!" AJ defended, trying not to raise her voice too loud, "Ah just wanna subtly let him know Ah'm interested 'n look maybe a little," Applejack paused, knowing what she wanted to say but felt a little too modest to say it until she mustered up the courage, "_sexy fer him, can ya do that?" _

"Sending signals eh Applejack?" Rarity grinned, "not the way I'd imagine you wanting to let him know of your feelings, but I completely understand how hard it must be for you to admit you have feelings for another species," the unicorn turned her gaze briefly to the purple dragon talking with Twilight, "I know how hard it was for Spikey to deal with his feelings," she said softly.

"Rarity, Cougar bein' a different species don't bother me, my feelin's come from knowin' how selfless, kind, carin', protective 'n well, handsome he is," AJ explained. "Ah love who he is, not what he is," she added.

"Aw, that's so sweet Applejack," Rarity hugged her friend. "Of course I'll help you look your best for him, you can count on me," she patted AJ's shoulder. The orange mare smiled and returned the pat.

"Thanks Rare, Ah appreciate you bein' there fer this kinda help," Applejack thanked as Sweetie Belle tapped Rarity's leg, letting her know that she wanted to go home. "It's time ta get supper ready anyway, nice seein' everypony!" She called to everyone that was leaving. "Applebloom, can ya please sweep up this hair 'fore helpin' with dinner?" she took off her cowpony hat and set it on a hatrack.

* * *

**(Nightmare Night, Nightmare Moon Statue. Cougar's POV)**

This was it, Nightmare Night had arrived and I was right: it looked exactly like Halloween had hit Ponyville. It brought so many smiles to my face to see little colts and fillies all excited and dressed up in so many different costumes that I lost count. Sure, there were the classics like mummies, zombies and vampires, but there were also interesting costumes like vikings, some Daring Do costumes and even a pony with a shark biting his ass. I'll give him props for creativity on that one. Luna had taken me on a quick stroll through the town to show me the different games that were setup along with all of the finalized decorations that looked badass.

I wasn't in costume yet, and neither was she, though I hadn't seen her costume at all because she wanted to save it for her grand entrance that she performs every year, although she told me the whole history of Nightmare Night and that she was Nightmare Moon over a thousand years ago. She was the also only one who knew what my costume was; I had to show her a picture of what I wanted on my phone during our chat about Nightmare Night. The word nightmare had sparked an interesting idea for my costume and Luna went above and beyond what I had expected: Instead of producing a costume for me identical to the movie character I wanted, she actually _turned me into _the movie character of my choice, albeit with my own voice because the character's voice was too gravelly and scary for the younger crowd.

So, here we stood in the woods near the Nightmare Moon statue, awaiting for everyone to hear the legend of Nightmare Moon and to sacrifice their candy all in good fun for a good scare. "Hey Luna, thanks again for helping me with my costume," I thanked, checking out the area again so we wouldn't miss our cues. "And for letting me in on the fun,: I added, nudging her shoulder with mine.

"Please, do not mention it Cougar," she smiled, quickly hugging me with her left wing, "I've always wanted to tryout a partner for my little Nightmare Moon stunt, and your costume will be perfect for the icing on the doughnut," she grinned.

"I can't believe you thought I would be afraid of you for your whole alter ego debacle from 1000 years ago," I chuckled, leaning against a tree, eyes still focused on the statue in the moonlight.

"Well, I'm sure it's not everyday you're told about a tyrannical alicorn that transforms into an evil alicorn bent on permanent darkness," Luna joked, blushing and rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, that's true Luna," I shoved my hands into my pockets, "maybe trying to overthrow your sister was a bit much, but you just felt unappreciated compared to your sister that was put on a pedestal, neither of you could help that," I pointed out.

"Yes, but my actions cost me 1000 years with my sister and subjects, something I regret with a passion," the alicorn looked back up at me. "Oh well, no use trying to change the past," she cracked open a quick can of Coltweiser. A twig snapped behind us, making us jump and turn around. "If thou are attempting to frighten us, thou do not know whom you are messing with!" Luna warned.

"Moon Pie, it's only me!" A voice called, waving his hoof.

"Checkered! What a wonderful surprise!" Luna threw her forelegs around her coltfriend. The Earth Pony champion chuckled and returned the hug before kissing Luna's cheek softly.

"This is like your second birthday Luna, and I wouldn't miss this for anything else," Checkered was rewarded with a nuzzle from Luna. It was really sweet to see how much Luna and Checkered cared for each other despite the fact that Checkered was a normal citizen of Equestria and Luna was royalty.

"And what are you dressed as?" Luna questioned, casting some more light over Checkered Flag. "Is that what I think it is?" She asked again. I noticed her mouth dropped open slightly and her wings started to quiver. The racing pony did a few poses for Luna so she could see everything about his costume which from what I could tell was a single piece of spandex.

"Do you like it Lulu?" he asked with hope, "I had a nice designer named Coco Pommel make this just for you. I'm pretty much the night sky Luna," he grinned. "See? I had her add stars, planets, galaxies, comets and a super nova or two. And finally, your moon, right here over my heart," the light grey pony took her blue hoof and placed it over his chest. "Do you like it?"

FWOMP

Luna's wings erupted from her sides, slicing two small trees in half, toppling them over as I dove out of the way. Both of the trees hit the ground with not a loud crash, but one that would definitely gain some good attention. "Geez Luna," I dusted off my shirt and stood up, "you're gonna put lumberjacks all over Equestria out of business with those things," I exclaimed jokingly. However, she ignored me and reassumed control of her wings, wrapping them around Checkered's body in a tight hug.

"I love it, and you Checkered," she planted a kiss on his nose, getting a chuckle from him in reply. "This is the best surprise I've gotten in over a thousand years," she added. "So, I take it you are here for the free candy?" She asked, finally releasing him from her wing hug.

"That and to see you of course Moon Pie," Checkered winked. "And it's good to see you too Cougar," the stallion stuck out his hoof which I graciously shook. "So, not meaning to sound rude, but shouldn't you be with your friends?" He asked me.

"I should be, but Luna helped me pick out my Nightmare Night costume and she liked it so much that I'm now apart of her Nightmare Moon act," I explained. "And I don't mind anyways; I like hanging out with Luna from time to time and I enjoy giving friends a good scare," I winked at the pony. He smiled and nodded, understanding what I meant and explained. Luna offered him a sip of her beer which he accepted and finished off since there was literally only a small gulp left.

"Luna, is there a set time that the kids are supposed to arrive?" Checkered asked his marefriend.

"Hmm, no, I just usually wait until they're close and I get into position, why do you ask?" Luna turned to Checkered. The light grey stallion shrugged and gave the empty can of alcohol to Luna whom made it disappear.

"They're probably hitting a few houses on a test run for candy before heading out here," I guessed. "Remember, Pinkie Pie of all ponies is with them, so they probably have the sacrificial candy plus extra candy for themselves," I reminded the blue alicorn. She nodded in agreement and squinted her eyes. The three of us stayed quiet while crickets chirped away and the occasional bat for Nightmare Night flew by. Things stayed pretty silent until something happened.

"Come on guys, we can't keep Princess Luna, I mean Nightmare Moon waiting forever!" A squeaky British-like accent announced off in the distance. Luna and I easily identified it as none other than Pipsqueak leading the charge of the group of fillies, colts, the Girls and Spike as they were prepared to give up their candy.

"Oh, places everypony!" Luna quickly blurted out to myself and her coltfriend. The stallion quickly tapped his hoof on Luna's wing, prompting her to turn around to face him.

"I thought I was just waiting in the woods until your little stunt was over?" Checkered asked, confused about what Luna wanted him to do.

"Of course you're not Checkered," she pecked his cheek, "you get out there and go along with the crowd until the show is over and then you can come with us as we get candy," she explained.

"Sounds good Moon Pie," Checkered returned the kiss and trotted out of the woods towards the group that was busy dumping candy at the foot of the statue.

"Luna, I'm no expert in relationships and I've never been in one, but I can tell you that you and Checkered work better together than any couple I've ever seen," I placed my hand on her shoulder. "I really hope you two have a long future together," I complimented the alicorn. Luna's blue cheeks blushed and she turned away, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Hey, Checkered Flag!" We both heard Applebloom exclaim happily, "did ya come here ta spend Nightmare Night with Princess Luna?"

"Th-thank you Cougar, and I hope you find your special somepony someday too," she replied to me, checking back over at the group to not miss her cue. "You'll make a mare very happy one day, I guarantee it," she grinned. "Now, are you ready for your transformation?" She asked as her horn glowed. "Once you hear the children scream, slink your way over and behind the statue," she ordered while I shut my eyes and nodded, not saying a word as her magic coarser through my body. The sensation was still fairly indescribable, but I guess I could say it felt like an under skin massage with a tickle in my spine. Just as soon as it began, the spell was over, and my transformation was complete. Opening my eyes, I could see Luna was gone and the wind picked up around area with the boom of a thunderclap and flash of lightning.

Even with the added light of the Moon surrounding the area, I decided to not pay attention to the costumes of everyone to keep them a surprise. My eyes peered around the tree I was hiding behind as Luna's Canterlot Voice boomed around the tiny clearing. "CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE, YOU WERE WISE TO BRING THIS CANDY TO ME! I AM PLEASED WITH YOUR OFFERING, SO PLEASED THAT I MAY JUST EAT IT, INSTEAD OF EATING **_YOU!_**_" _Luna's statue exploded into a million pieces with her new form standing on its hind legs, barring her fangs, growling and with her wings flared. I had not a second to admire her different form as the children screamed and ran away as the older ponies laughed at the little ones' fear.

I took my cue as Nightmare Moon turned around and gave me a wink while the others were distracted. Pushing aside the tree with my clawed hand, I sprinted behind the base of the statue and crouched, waiting for the group to return. "Princess Luna, you were perfect again!" Pip said to Luna.

"Yeah, I know it's all in good fun, but it's still pretty scary," Sweetie Belle agreed, standing close to her coltfriend as I peered around the corner. "Aren't you going to eat your candy Princess?" She questioned.

"Oh yes," Luna returned to her original form, "just, let me gather it all up," she tapped the statue with her hoof.

_Screeeeech_

"What the hay was that?" AJ asked while the four claws on my right hand scraped across the back of the base and a few sparks flew off the concrete and onto the ground. Getting into the character, I jumped up onto the back of the statue while Luna used her magic to lower the lighting. I'm not sure if they realized it was me at first (they should have since nothing else here looked liked me) or if they were too surprised and scared to notice. Standing as tall as I could, I extend my four claws and spoke.

"_How sweet, rainbow meat," _I cackled like Freddy Krueger.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" The children screamed and turned to run as well as a few of the older ponies. Luna zapped me with her magic again, transporting me in front of the ponies that were trying to run away.

_"I've heard my children have been naughty,"_ I scraped my claws together and grinned, showing off the bloody fangs inside my mouth. _"And I'm here to punish the naughty children!" _I announced, grabbing Applebloom with my non-clawed hand by her mane and hoisting her up in front of me. Her little legs flailed around in the air, trying to run away. Bringing her closer to my face, my glassy, pale eyes peered into her orange ones that were about the size of peas from her frightened state. My mouth opened up and my upper lip curled to show off more of my grotesque teeth.

"Lemme go!" Applebloom still squirmed and struggled within my grasp.

"Happy Nightmare Night Bloom," my claws took off the brown hat atop my head for a big reveal. Moving her down to my chest, I moved my hand to her little vacuum on her back and held her close for a hug.

"COUGAR!" She screamed at me and hit my chest a few times with her hooves. "Ya scared the apples outta me!" she shrieked.

"Out of all of us to be honest," Scootaloo was visibly shaking. Most everyone stood in pairs or groups of three, but they were still shaking from the shock and surprise of my addition to Luna's Nightmare Moon stunt.

"Sorry guys, I just wanted to have a hand in making Nightmare Night a little scary," I apologized, putting my brown hat back on my head. Luna and Checkered Flag stood next to me with smiles on their faces from my stunt. Applebloom stopped hitting my chest and finally returned the hug, looking up at me with her orange eyes.

"That was pretty fun Cougar, ya make a good horror monster or whatever," she nuzzled my chest before hopping down and rejoining Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle in their Ghostbuster costumes. "What are ya by the way?" She questioned.

"I'm Freddy Krueger, a horror movie villain that kills kids in their dreams," I explained to the absolute fear and horror of the ponies in front of me. "Kinda makes Nightmare Moon look like Fluttershy huh?" I asked.

"Hey," Fluttershy said meekly.

"Your skin is, quite, icky Cougar," Rarity held her mouth with her hoof.

"Well, Krueger was burned alive by angry parents, but that's besides the point Rarity," I actually looked at everypony's costumes for once instead of trying to frighten them. My six friends, the Crusaders and Spike all stood in sort of a semi circle in front of me as the other children stood off to the side. "Woah guys, nice choices!" I complimented.

"Why thank you Cougar," Rarity touched up her mane which was now blonde. She also had on a familiar white dress that showed off her curves pretty well that any stallion would be a fool to not take a quick peek. "I thought that Marilyn Monroe was the perfect choice for me. She seemed to be quite beautiful to the men in one of your movies and I couldn't pass up the opportunity," she bragged, popping a few poses.

"I'm glad you didn't either," Spike's eyes never blinked as they followed Rarity's every move. Twilight smacked him upside his head to teach him not to ogle mares. I did a double-take once I glanced at the dragon and alicorn. Twilight's mane was dyed a silvery white and frazzled up with different hairs sticking up in every direction and a white lab coat adorned her torso with obvious holes for her wings, looking like a spitting image of Doc Brown. She even had the injury on her forehead right below her hairline. Spike on the other hand was wearing jeans, a black and white button up shirt, a jean jacket and a red vest to look like Marty McFly.

"Woah, I didn't expect you guys to like Back to the Future," I said to the duo.

"Oh please, Doc Brown was a scientist Cougar," Twilight waved her hoof, "and although he was a tad eccentric and the science wasn't accurate, he was also brilliant and caring for his friend, so how could I not go as him?" She asked rhetorically.

"We also wanted to do a mother/son group costume, so that's why I chose Marty," Spike explained, "that and he's a pretty cool underdog, like me," he crossed his arms over his vest.

"Princess Leia, Fluttershy? I kind of expected you to go as a flower or an animal," I asked her.

"Well, at first I was going to go as a breezie, but after watching a few scenes from Star Wars, I think, I loved how fearless and independent Princess Leia was and how she cared for her cause and wasn't afraid of oppression from anypony else," she said. Her mane was styled just like Princess Leia's buns from A New Hope and she also had on the long white robe that she wore throughout the film. "And Rarity did excellent work on my mane," Fluttershy added, prompting Rarity to nod in pride.

"Just so you don't have to ask," Rainbow Dash floated into the air, "I thought you'd enjoy seeing an action explorer," she produced a whip from her side and grabbed some candy from the pile in front of the statue, whipping it back into her bag.

"Nice, I expected you to like Indiana Jones Rainbow. What with how similar he is to Daring Do," I grinned.

"Similar? More like an exact ripoff!" Rainbow glowered, "sure Indiana Jones is pretty cool, but it's clear whoever made the movie didn't have to work very hard on the character," she rolled her eyes.

"I doubt George Lucas has ever heard of Daring Do Rainbow," I muttered and wanted to see who AJ was going as when a pink hoof slapped my face, causing me to stumble backwards. "Hey, Pinkie, what was that for!?" I demanded.

"That's for scaring us like that you chowderhead!" She shook her hoof in my face, "I've got half a mind to bop you with a hammer," she added. The only thing she had on was a different mane style, she was pretty much Pinkie as she wore nothing over her torso.

"Moe? You chose Moe, really?" I asked.

"Yeah!" Her mane poofed back into its normal state, "I saw a few episodes of the Three Stooges and they were _so_ funny!" She danced around, "I mean Moe had to hit Larry and Curly for every dumb thing they did! It was like, bop, smack, '_Move it knucklehead,' 'Why I oughta!'_ And I thought since Moe was their leader, I could do the same thing and slap you guys for pointing out the obvious or doing something stupid!" Her mane poofed back to Moe's hairstyle. I'm not going to question how the hell she was able to do that; she's Pinkie, that's it.

"What do ya think 'o my costume Cougar?" AJ's country voice asked me. Turning away from Pinkie, I froze in my spot, taking in AJ's costume. The only way I could even tell it was still AJ was her orange fur and her accent; she looked different other than that. Her mane wasn't the tied up pony tail with the curl up front, instead it was all curled and _bouncy. _She also had on red lipstick and she was wearing a black suit jacket, a white blouse and a black skirt. "Ah thought you'd enjoy seein' Charlie from yer favorite movie," she winked her green eye at me.

I'm sure I looked like an idiot just standing there, just staring at Applejack and not speaking a word. But how could I; she was so beautiful in that outfit, and the fact that Kelly McGillis was already attractive in that outfit didn't help how I felt. "You look exactly like her AJ," I complimented, "if she were orange, standing on four legs and four feet tall," I joked, lightly brushing my hand on her shoulder.

"Hehe, Ah'm glad ya like it Cougar," she put her hoof in my hand. "Ah like yer costume too, pretty scary 'n, authentic," she grimaced at my burnt flesh. "Are ya ready ta get some candy?" she snapped me out of my trance from looking into her eyes.

"Y-yeah, of course!" I exclaimed, releasing her hoof from my hand.

"Well then, just stick with me," she bumped her shoulder into my leg, "'n we'll take ya ta the best houses ta get candy, then we can play some games like bobbin' fer some Sweet Apple Acres apples," she listed off the activities for the night, not moving away from me.

"Sounds like fun AJ, who's ready for some candy!?" I asked the group, getting back into my normal mood. A pink hoof slapped me again, causing me to rub my arm in pain.

"What kind of stupid question is that you lunkhead? It's candy, everypony is _always_ anxious to get some candy," Pinkie Moe asked me and trotted away with her bag.

* * *

**(Trick or Treating. Cougar's POV)**

We had been trick or treating for about 45 minutes now, and our bags were almost full, but there were two houses in particular we had yet to visit. Pinkie wanted to save these two for last because she claimed they gave out the best candy. "Remember Cougar," Twilight cocked her head to me after we knocked on the door of a house, "the chant is: _Nightmare Night, what a fright, give me something sweet to bite,"_ she reminded me, "you don't have to say it, but it would be nice to get into the spirit a little bit more."

"Can I just say the chant I grew up with?" I replied. Before anyone could ask, I just repeated it for them. _"Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something sweet to eat,"_ I recited. Everyone awkwardly looked away from me, apparently embarrassed that they had to hear that.

"Smell your feet? How abhorrent Cougar," Rarity sneered, "what does smelling feet have to do with receiving candy? You humans are such strange creatures," she muttered. Sweetie Belle shushed her older sister as the door opened.

"_Nightmare Night, what a fright, give us something sweet to bite!" _Everypony, myself, Luna and Checkered Flag included, chanted to Bon Bon.

"Hey guys!" Bon Bon greeted, "woah, sweet costumes!" She looked over everyone in the group.

"Thank you, I made them all myself," Rarity bragged.

"And, what are you three supposed to be?" Bon Bon asked the Crusaders suspiciously, "you look like janitor ponies," she giggled. The trio raised their 'Twittermite Vacuums' as Applebloom put them and aimed them at Bon Bon's pile of candy in her forelegs.

"Cutie Mark Crusader Ghostbusters!" They declared, switching on their vacuums and sucking in the entire pile of candy.

"HEY! One piece per pony," Bon Bon growled, "do you know how long it takes to make this candy?" She asked, holding out her hoof for the majority of her candy back. AJ and Rarity glared at their sisters, their expressions were more than enough to tell them to fork over the candy. Rainbow Dash however, just snickered and moved her Indiana Jones fedora back over her head.

Doing as they were told, the Crusaders spat the candy back into Bon Bon's arms whom then proceeded to hand the candy back out to all of us. "Thank you," she told the three fillies. "And, who or what are you supposed to be Cougar?" she asked me.

"Human equivalent to Nightmare Moon," I quickly replied, not feeling like explaining the whole A Nightmare on Elm Street again.

"Interesting, and nice to see you Princess Luna," the candy making mare bowed to the blue alicorn. Luna bowed back, graciously accepting the piece of candy from Bon Bon. "And, Checkered Flag! I'm a fan sir, you're the best racer ever! Here, take all the candy you want," she dumped half of her load into Checkered's bag.

"You're too kind Bon Bon, but thanks for the candy," the polite stallion thanked.

"Are you supposed to be Luna's night sky?" Bon Bon asked. Checkered replied with a nod as Luna's wing wrapped around his torso. "Oh my Celestia, that's so sweet!" the mare gushed before a voice behind us shouted.

"Hey, move it or lose it! We want candy too!" A pony dressed as a tennis player demanded. Putting her bag down, Pinkie Pie trotted over, picked up a rock and bonked the stallion's head with it. "What's the big idea?!" He asked, rubbing his head in pain.

"Don't you know you're talking to ladies, an Earth Pony racing champion and especially Princess Luna?" Pinkie Moe asked, "where's your respect and manners smart guy? Get outta here before I _really_ lose my temper," she kicked the stallion in the butt, prompting him to run away. Applejack tapped my arm, wanting to get my attention.

"Do ya think she's gettin' a little carried away with this costume Cougar?" AJ asked me worriedly.

"Maybe, or this is the funniest thing you'll ever see in your life," I clicked my tongue, nudging her with my elbow. Pinkie Pie trotted back to us, grabbed her bag and took the head point of the group. The next stop on our trick or treating tour was Sugar Cube Corner, or the Cake's house which was above the cafe anyways. Twilight took the liberty to knock on the door for us as everyone opened their bags.

"Are you sure they're not asleep from having a business to run and twins to take care of?" I asked Applejack.

"Ya'd think, but fer Nightmare Night, they love ta stay up 'n hand out candy ta friends 'n kids," she explained. I nodded in understanding just as the door opened up and the familiar jingling of the store bell rang over our heads, or in front of my face. We all recited the chant and received not candy, but cookies, muffins, doughnuts and cupcakes wrapped in cellophane to keep the frosting on the sweets.

"Oh my, Princess Luna, such an honor to have you at our store," Carrot Cake started to bow before Luna stopped him.

"I can see all of you put in a lot of effort for your costumes, especially you Cougar, I almost thought you were actually burned for a moment," Cup Cake's hoof traced over my non-clawed hand.

"You can thank Luna for that Cup Cake," I replied, laughing as her hoof tickled my hand a bit, "she actually turned me into my costume, I didn't put this on," I said as her hoof let my hand and dropped an extra cookie in my palm. I thanked the pony and dropped the cookie into my bag as she in turn dropped sweets into the other's bags.

"Pinkie Pie, don't worry about coming in tomorrow," Carrot Cake said as he dropped in extra goodies for the mare, "I know how much you love to binge sweets tonight, so you can just rest tomorrow," he smiled at his best helper.

"Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Cake, just leave me lots of play time for the twins tomorrow after work!" She exclaimed. A few ponies trotted by, drawn to the music from the string quartet that had gotten over their flu from last month, and the games that AJ told me about earlier.

"We've got enough candy here to feed an Army for three months," I scanned the contents of my bag and everyone else's. Rainbow Dash reached into her bag and pulled out a hoof-full of candy, shoveling it into her mouth.

"Yeah, the ponies around here know how to give out candy," Rainbow Dash munched on some chocolate. "And cookies," she added, tossing a chocolate chip one into the air and catching it in her mouth. "Hey squirt! Outta my bag!" Rainbow yanked her candy away from Scootaloo's vacuum as she attempted to steal her elder sister's candy. Blushing that she had gotten caught, the orange pegasus innocently whistled and backed away with her vacuum behind her back.

"Ooh, this way!" Rumble pointed his hoof at a house near the end of the street, "Button's mom _loves_ to give out candy!" He exclaimed.

"Especially with how much Button stashes near his NeighStation," Featherweight agreed. "I think his mom uses Nightmare Night as a way to ditch his load of candy," the pegasus pondered.

"Makes sense ta me Featherweight," Applebloom trotted closer to her coltfriend. "Not that Ah mind that he smells like peanut butter cups in class," she giggled. I had to admit that sitting next to someone that smelled like peanut butter cups sounded awesome at first, but then after a week or two the smell would be ruined for me forever.

"Sorry AJ," I apologized after accidentally bumping my arm into her side.

"No problem Cougar, just lost track 'o where Ah was headin'," she responded almost instantly. Thinking nothing of it, I followed the rest of the group up to the final house on our list. The six little colts and fillies raced to the front of our pack and ferociously pounded on the door of our final house.

"Yes?" Ms. Mash opened the door for us. Behind her, I could see the faint glow and hear the sounds of somepony playing a video game system. The presence of such technology here perplexed me when the ponies' most complex form of public transport was a steam train. "Oh, you're Button's classmates!" The mother exclaimed happily, "good to see you! Button, get out here and say hello to your friends before we leave for the festival!" She shouted into the house.

"What?" Button replied, "we don't have a dog to feed mom!" he shouted. Ms. Mash slapped herself with her hoof and excused herself back inside the house. We all waited outside as we could hear the sound of a TV shutting off and some mildly raised voices. "Hey guys," the door opened wide to reveal Button Mash standing in front of his mother.

"Hey bro," Rumble greeted, "how goes defeating the zombie apocalypse?" He asked.

"I have a traitor in my presence," Button whispered, only to get slapped on the back of his head from his mom. "Anyways, sweet costumes guys! Where'd you get them?" He asked us.

"My big sister made them for us because she's _sooooo _generous!" Sweetie Belle hugged Rarity's leg, sucking up to her. I couldn't help but smile as Rarity cooed and hugged Sweetie Belle in return for the compliment. I knew Rarity loved her little sister, but I wish she could've shown it a bit more than she did.

"What are you guys supposed to be?" Button asked the Crusaders, "pest control, janitors?" He pondered.

"Cutie Mark Crusader Ghostbusters!" All three declared, turning on their vacuums and pointed them at Button Mash. Scootaloo's vacuum sucked up his green propellor hat, causing the brown pony to freak. The orange pegasus quickly hit reverse on her vacuum and spat the hat onto Button's face.

"I agree," Ms. Mash ignored what happened to her son, "those are some very well done costumes Rarity, and Princess Luna, what are you doing here?" She asked in astonishment .

"Just accompanying my favorite group of friends on our quest for candy," Luna replied with a warming smile. "You have a wonderful son Ms. Mash, I have had to protect him from nightmares before, but he is a loving colt with a bright future ahead of him," she winked at the Earth Pony.

"Why thank you Princess, I try my best," Ms. Mash bowed her head to Luna. As she turned around to give all of us candy, she noticed Checkered Flag standing behind Luna. "Oh, what a very authentic Checkered Flag costume," she commented, "he's my favorite racer too," she gave extra candy to Checkered.

"But, I _am_ Checkered Flag ma'am," the light grey stallion corrected her.

"Of course you are," Ms. Mash giggled, "I love the dedication you have, especially the night sky outfit. You know, if you ever want to grab a cup of coffee or attend one of his races, I'm always available," she winked at the stallion. All of us held back our tongues as Checkered blushed and looked away from the mare in front of him. Instead of looking angry or threatening to behead Ms. Mash, Luna giggled and patted Checkered's shoulder.

"Come on Mom, I wanna go hang out with my friends!" Button pulled lightly on his mother's hair.

"Okay Button, just let Mommy lock up, and make sure you turn off your NeighStation," she rubbed the top of his head.

"Checkered, you're so adorable when you're confused and frustrated," Luna nuzzled his cheek to calm him down.

"Oh yeah, now we can PARTY!" Pinkie danced around with her sack of candy. As Button Mash and his mom joined us, our large group made its way over near town hall where the string quartet was playing a lively song, ponies were dancing and eating the goodies they had received and drinking punch that a purple mare with berries on her flank was serving.

"I bet I can beat you at the spider toss!" Scootaloo said to Rumble.

"Gimmie a break Scoots, you can't beat the master!" Her coltfriend replied, trotting ahead of her. Luna escorted Checkered over to the pumpkin catapult and coaxed him into giving it a try. Sweetie Belle and Rarity literally dragged Pip and Spike over to the stage where they danced merrily and drank punch together. Applebloom and Featherweight sat down at a table to talk and eat candy together, which looked adorable to me. Rainbow Dash rubbed her hooves together and flew up to the nighttime clouds, lassoing a few together and zapped ponies on the ass with lightning. Button Mash trotted away to play one of the arcade games set up at the festival while his mom went to converse with Derpy. Twilight spotted Cheerilee and trotted away for reasons still unknown to me. Probably to talk about lending her some new reading material for her class.

Pinkie Pie dragged Fluttershy over to a horror house which the Princess Leia dressed pegasus dug her hooves into the ground, refusing to go in while Pinkie was practically talking to herself. This domino effect left only AJ and myself standing alone together in the middle of the festival. We awkwardly stood next to each other as the laughter, screams and music flowed over us. "So, how long are ya able ta last like that?" Applejack referred to my costume.

"Luna says it'll disappear once I say a special phrase," I replied.

"'N what would that be?" She asked me curiously.

"She, actually didn't tell me, though I'm sure she'll remember at some point," I scratched my burnt chin with one of my claws. "Or maybe it'll wear off once Nightmare Night is over," I pondered.

"Any games ya wanna try out? Maybe bobbin' fer apples, or maybe the spider toss? That one's loads 'o fun," she offered. Scanning my eyes over both games, I didn't find anything that really grabbed my attention to go play. Sure it all looked like fun, but I just didn't have the spirit in me to play anything, but talking with Applejack was going along just fine.

"Sorry AJ, but I'm just not feeling it," I apologized.

"Aw, well that's okay Sugarcube. Normally Ah run the apple bobbin', but Big Mac volunteered ta run it after he's done givin' cart rides ta the little ones, so Ah've got nothin' else goin' on too," she responded. Casting my gaze over to the edge of town, I saw a tiny hill with a lone tree atop the crest. Luna's moon was high in the sky, but the hill offered front row seats to watch it move across the sky with Luna's help.

"You wanna go watch the moon and talk AJ?" I offered, "maybe split a beer while we're at it?" I added. The orange mare's eyes darted over to where my hand was pointing at the hill. She squinted her eyes to get a better view before a smile appeared on her muzzle.

"That sounds great Cougar," she replied and wrapped one of her forelegs around my waist, "Ah've got a cooler full 'o cider near the apple bobbin' game. 'N don't worry, we got a lock on the cooler," she eased my worry that colts and fillies would get into it. "Ah'll meet ya there how 'bout?" She asked. I nodded in compliance and hoisted my bag of candy onto her back which she offered to carry and set off for the small hill on the outskirts of town.

"I'll be waiting for you AJ," I called back as she was still trotting away. I sighed as I walked along an old dirt path that lead me up to the hill, kicking a few rocks out of the way while the silvery light of the moon lighted the way. "For me to tell you I love you," I added as I sat down with my arms folded across my knees and my back leaned against the trunk of the tree. A soft glow radiated from my body as my Freddy Krueger disguise vanished without a trace. I looked up to see Luna waving at me from a cloud and winking at me. I waved back to the alicorn before she floated back to the festival, just as the sound of a pop top broke into the silence of the night and Applejack sat down next to me.

**End Chapter 29.**

* * *

_I hope you guys enjoyed Nightmare Night. And thank you to everyone that voted to have Cougar go as Freddy Krueger for Nightmare Night. Join us next time for, drumroll please, COUGAR'S 24th BIRTHDAY!_

_For the fans wanting to see the confession. It's only two chapters away, and I promise you that it will be the best damn chapter of the story!_


	30. Chapter 29: A Ponyville Birthday

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 29: A Ponyville Birthday**

_Wow guys, just unbelievable. EIGHTEEN reviews for Chapter 28?! That's a new record for this story and I can't thank you guys enough._

_And I loved the 100th episode special. What a great shout out to the fans. Dr. Whooves may make in appearance in Fallen Eagle, that is if you guys think I'm good enough to write Dr. Whooves in lol. One thing I didn't like was the Bon Bon thing. I didn't find it funny and felt it was just too far out there for a joke or what the writers were going for. It's like if I had Checkered Flag reveal he's a bounty hunter or something. If you enjoyed that part of the episode, more power to ya, I didn't find it stupid, just too random. I'll still call her Bon Bon and she's paired with Lyra in all of my stories._

_Oh and one more thing. My good author friend Sassymouse just surpassed 200 reviews for her masterpiece, Dashing and Soaring. I'm so proud of her. Let's give her a nice round of applause ladies and gentlemen! *Insert Rock concert applause* _

**OBSERVER01: **_Thank you. It took me a LONG time to perfect the choices._

**MLP brony fifer: **_Hey no worries bro. Work is very important, I know _

**CorvusYT: **_Woah there! I didn't know people were THIS excited to see feelings revealed. It's okay, it's coming soon enough._

**Random Guy: **_Thanks, but I don't think I'm the best._

**Guest: **_Yes sir _

**UpgraderIsAwesome489: **_Thank you. I hope you're ready for the confession _

**Caleb200888: **_I don't know if I'll do a sequel. It depends on how I end this one _

**Sassymouse: **_A Luna featherection is ALWAYS funny! And I thought Ms. Mash would make a funny flirt _

**Bronywells: **_Well, you'd be the third person to do that and I can say it's an awesome feeling to see work out there inspired by your own. Good luck with that._

**Litestardt: **_Gotta love Ghostbusters _

**Dixie Darlin: **_I know it was longer than expected. But I'm glad you enjoyed it _

**KillerWow: **_I wanted to tell everyone about my favorite movies by putting them in my story._

**StacheKing: **_Wow, now that's the kind of review I like. Yeah, from the beginning I wanted an actual story with a coherent and fun plot, not just lemons everywhere. As for the Spike thing, I know I didn't mention it too much, but Twilight explained that he'll stay that big for awhile because of his actions of selflessness instead of selfishnes._

**Flamekaat:**_ Never heard that phrase before, but it's cool you like it so much _

**uss71823: **_1, 2, Freddy's coming for you_

**killersqueenalpha: **_Michael Myers was a voting Choice._

* * *

**(Ponyville. November 30th. Cougar's POV)**

"What can I get for ya Cougar?" Cup Cake asked me from behind the front counter of her business. "And are you buying treats for all of your friends?" She added. I nodded in reply as I picked Applebloom off of the floor and sat her atop my shoulders.

"Eleven hot chocolates please," I requested, "give one to Pinkie when she's off the clock," I added, handing Cup Cake a few bits.

"Ya don't have ta buy us all hot chocolate Cougar," Applejack placed her hoof on my arm, lightly shaking it to get my attention. Carrot Cake quickly went to work, filling up styrofoam cups with the heavenly dark chocolate drink.

"Of course I do," I grinned towards the orange mare, "hot chocolate is the perfect drink of choice during the winter," I winked to Applejack and then to Rarity. The white seamstress agreed whilst adjusting the scarf around her neck that perfectly matched her mane color.

"Ah still can't believe yer the only one not dressed fer the chilly temperatures," Applebloom playfully tapped the top of my head. It was true, everyone that was stopping by Sugar Cube Corner was mainly looking to get out of the cold by getting coffee, tea, hot chocolate or to just enjoy the toasty interior of the cafe. "Every time Ah go out it feels like Ah got locked in a freezer!" Bloom added, lightly hopping on my neck.

"Didn't you say you were raised in a cold climate Cougar?" Fluttershy stood next to me, patiently awaiting her hot chocolate to be prepared. Her little white bunny Angel was busy slurping whipped cream out of a tiny cup that the Cakes gladly gave him.

"Yep, it can be in the high 20s or low 30s and a t-shirt is all I need," I bragged, leaning forward against the counter.

"Then, why are you wearing the wind breaker?" Scootaloo yanked on my pants leg. "Not as tough as you say huh?" the orange pegasus joked, nudging my leg.

"Well, factoring in the windchill Scootaloo," I reminded her, "I don't want to catch a cold and miss out on some good winter time fun," I explained. "If you guys have snowball fights, I'll join, and I'll be sure to bundle up," I held up my index finger in front of Twilight's face, preventing her from telling me to dress more appropriately. Carrot Cake tapped my shoulder with his hoof, garnering my attention.

"Would any of you like whipped cream?" He politely inquired. I turned my head to see what everyone wanted, only to be met with a unanimous head nod from everyone in the group. Carrot Cake took the answer and unscrewed the cap off his whipped cream bottle. Finally, the eleven mugs were ready and Bloom and I were nearly mobbed as our friends swarmed to get their warm drinks. Luckily for Applebloom, she had no threat of being trampled, but I had to jump out of the way with our drinks so I wouldn't get run over.

"Delicious as always Mr. and Mrs. Cake," Twilight complimented, sipping away at her hot chocolate. Lucky for her, she and Rarity had their magic to float the cups in front of their faces as they walked. Rainbow could fly along side of us, using her front hooves to hold her cup, but AJ, Fluttershy, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had to walk on three legs to keep up with us. At least Spike could walk on two legs like me while Bloom still occupied my neck.

"So, still impressed with us pegasi personally bringing in winter Cougar?" Rainbow Dash sipped her cocoa above me as a few snow flakes fell to the ground around us. She couldn't have made that question any more rhetorical than it already was. Getting to watch Cloudsdale literally bring in winter for Ponyville was an impressive sight to behold, almost as impressive as seeing a sunrise above the clouds from my F-15.

"I already told you Rainbow," I recalled for her, "even if regular ponies like Bloom, AJ or Pinkie literally _made_ winter, I'd be impressed," I said. "Just remember guys, winter came naturally where I'm from. Nobody turned on a few machines and made the temperatures drop for the snow; the climate itself changed all on its own and the snow fell from the sky," I described.

"Ugh, sorry Cougar," Fluttershy squirmed in her winter gear, "but that's still pretty scary that the weather worked all by itself with no outside help," she shuddered.

"Just like the Everfree Forest?" Sweetie Belle asked to which the yellow pegasus nodded, hiding her face behind her scarf. All of the ponies took a quick look to the edge of town where said forest stood and looked away, afraid of what was in the woods.

"Yeah well, how do you guys think I feel seeing ponies manipulating weather?" I asked, taking a drink. "I mean, some scientists were tinkering with the idea of manipulating weather patterns to help countries going through long droughts," I added.

"Ah understand it looks a wee bit strange Cougar," AJ exclaimed, "but ya get used ta it over time. Remember those few times we requested a little extra rain fer our crops?" She asked me.

"Right, that's convenient of course, but still unnerving that you guys can move clouds like AJ and Applebloom can move bales of hay," I motioned to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

"And it's not creepy that your world makes movies where teenagers die in their dreams?" Rainbow pointed out to me. She had me there, so I backed off and let her win this round. We all were just walking/trotting along throughout Ponyville, hearing the hypnotic _crunch_ of the snow beneath us and admiring the decorations that were being put up for the next holiday to celebrate. Just as I was about to ask what the next holiday was about again, Spike sort of answered for me.

"Hey mom, did Princess Celestia ask you guys to do the play on Hearth's Warming Eve again?" He asked the purple alicorn. Twilight levitated her styrofoam cup away from her muzzle so she could speak.

"Actually, yes she did Spike," she smiled, "and she wants you to be the narrator again, especially with your deeper voice," she added, nuzzling up against her dragon son. "The 24th at 8:00 P.M., just like always." I remembered the day of when this, Hearth's Warming holiday was, but with only Applebloom's brief explanation from when she began to decorate her room, I couldn't exactly remember what it was about. I wanted to point out that Christmas actually fell on the same day, yet I had determined to just keep it to myself. How fair would it be for me to shove my own holiday into their faces when I could just celebrate it alone and not intrude upon their holiday joy?

"We'll get you a front row seat with our sisters Cougar," Rarity tapped my shoulder, "you'll just love the costumes I designed to help bring the play to life!" She boasted triumphantly.

"It's my awesome acting that brings the play to life Rarity," Rainbow lightly bumped her shoulder with Rarity's, causing a little friction between the two. Normally I would help calm them down a little, but Applejack was already on the case.

"Simmer down you two," she warned, "Ah ain't shy ta dumping yer drinks over yer heads ta teach ya a lesson. Hearth's Warmin' isn't just about the play, it's ta keep the memory 'o the foundin' o' Equestria alive 'n ta spread the importance of friendship throughout the country," she explained.

"Sheesh AJ," Rainbow Dash slurped her hot cocoa rather loudly, "you know Rarity and I get into arguments about once a week. The cyan pegasus rolled her eyes and began to fly as if she were performing a back stroke. "It's no big deal," she added groaned.

"I concur Rainbow Dash," Rarity turned to face Applejack and me, politely levitating her styrofoam cup in the air and out of her field of vision. "Just because we get into a disagreement doesn't mean we need to be taught a lesson Applejack. Besides, we didn't even use harsh language or raise our hooves to each other!" She exclaimed. A snort of laugh escaped my mouth that I tried to suppress from Rarity's statement.

"Please Rarity, the only thing you know how to raise your hoof to is a hooficure," I teased, hiding my mouth behind my cup. The seamstress glared at me and stuck her nose in the air with a 'humph!'

"Anyway," Sweetie Belle changed the subject, "are there any big holidays from your world that you celebrate around this time of year, Cougar?" the filly unicorn asked me as we all stopped near town hall. Still, I didn't want to mention Christmas and then explain it all for fear of butting into they hype around Hearth's Warming. The silence of the group was starting to get to me; their eyes looking to me for an answer didn't help with my current state of anxiety either.

"Hmm, what's the date again today?" I asked.

"30th 'o November," Applebloom said from above my head. "What's comin' up?" She asked me, bending her head down so she could look at me in the eyes. Chuckling, I picked her up off my neck and set her down on the ground next to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

"If November here is 30 days as well, then tomorrow is sort of a holiday, though not a very big one at any rate," I explained, bending down on one knee to the three Crusaders.

"Ooh," Twilight beamed, putting on her excited/curious face. "What is it? The celebration of the birth of your country? A day to honor the elderly? National reading day?" She guessed, nearly clapping her hooves together in the process.

"Those first two actually sound important, and the first one actually exists, but there was no National Reading Day Twilight," I shook my head, "at least no one around me ever celebrated it," I added.

"Then, what is it you celebrate on the first of December, Cougar?" Fluttershy asked me politely.

"Eh, it's no big deal," I shrugged. "It's just, tomorrow is my 24th birthday." Those were the only words I could say before a loud gasp emitted from the barrel behind us and Pinkie Pie burst from the inside, her cup of cocoa sitting perfectly still atop her head. There are many versions of what happened after Pinkie surprised me, but I will say I didn't scream like a little girl. "GAH! PINKIE!" I exclaimed, throwing my cocoa cup in the air from the surprise.

"How could you wait until one _day_ before your birthday to tell us when your birthday is?!" Pinkie grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently. "Do you have any idea how important birthdays are? It's the day momma Cougar pushed you out into the world for you to grow up and fly like an Eagle!" She narrated like a movie trailer. Ignoring Pinkie's unpleasant case about why my birthday was important, I pushed her away and threw my now empty cup.

"Maybe I didn't tell you guys because it's just _me,"_ I explained. "If it were any of your guys' birthday, I'd want to know; you guys have actually saved Equestria numerous times, all I've done is blown up other planes," I countered Pinkie's argument.

"Nopony should have to celebrate their birthday or go their entire birthday without friends by their side!" Pinkie declared, knocking me flat on my back and standing on my gut. "Or cake, that's important too! Don't worry Cougar, we'll give you the best birthday you've ever had!" She promised.

"This isn't one of those cliche'd situations where your parents told you birthdays weren't important or a traumatic birthday in your childhood ruined them forever, is it?" Rarity asked in her literary voice. I swear she could be an author if she wanted with how much she knew about writing.

"No, I personally just don't think my own birthday is special in any way," I replied, pushing Pinkie back for the second time. Everybody had a shocked expression on their faces for my explanation about my birthday, not that I could blame them seeing as how unusually cheery they were about everything else.

"Everypony's birthday is special Cougar," Applejack brushed some of the snow off my backside, "even species that ain't a pony," she added sweetly. "Yer a good enough friend ta warrant a normal party, would that be alright?" She asked me with a surprising amount of hope in her voice.

"A normal party? But off the walls CAR-AZY parties are the best! Cougar's birthday _has_ to be memorable!" Pinkie Pie pouted.

"IF Cougar agrees ta a party 'n IF he wants it ta be a normal one, ya should respect his wishes Pinkie," AJ wrapped a foreleg around Pinkie's neck, kind of like a best friend or a boss would to a good employee. Pinkie bit her lower lip until she took a deep breath.

"Cougar, would you like," Pinkie gulped mid-sentence, "a _normal_ birthday party?" She requested with an eye-twitch. Once again, all eyes turned to me, awaiting an answer. Naturally, the ponies who had the biggest eyes were the Crusaders, but I think Rarity had some ideas for a party as well. I decided what harm could a small party with a few friends do? And I was hoping that maybe Twilight would be able to hold back on Pinkie's zaniness.

"Depends on what your version of normal is," I replied, "for me, just some good music and friends is all I need," I grinned. Despite not being able to throw an off the wall and crazy birthday party, Pinkie reached up and gave me a bone crushing hug, cutting off my oxygen for but a moment.

"I promise that this'll be the best party you've ever had!" The pink mare released me from her death grip, returning the oxygen to my lungs.

"Just, no hugs like that please," I held up a finger to her face, "I don't want to spend a birthday getting cracked ribs fixed in the hospital," I said in a joking yet serious manner. Pinkie saluted me with her right leg and backed away as I dusted myself off.

"Thank Celestia I'm off the clock," Pinkie downed her entire cup of hot chocolate, "now I can spend all of tonight planning everything for the party!" She gushed. "Streamers, confetti, balloons oh my!" She danced around me like a monkey on cocaine. "And games!" She gasped, "it can't be a party without flank-kicking games!" She added.

"Ah can help whip up some food fer the party," Applejack suggested.

"Hmm, I can design some decor that would perfectly fit Cougar's liking, and I'll need some help setting them up," Rarity ever so cleverly winked at the Crusaders. The trio of fillies squealed and hopped up and down, begging to help Rarity.

"I think I can talk to Vinyl about getting some rocking music for your party," Rainbow scratched her head, "and I can do a sonic rainboom if you'd like," she offered, wrapping a foreleg around my neck. I nodded, giving her the okay for the trick. "Perfect, I need some practice time for our New Year's show in Las Pegasus," the pegasus added, pumping both front legs in victory.

"Don't forget, I think you'll need a list checker!" Twilight cleared her throat and puffed out her chest in self-satisfaction. "And somepony to send out invitations." Seemingly out of nowhere, Spike pulled out a parchment and quill, ready to check off whatever his mom asked him.

"I don't have anything to do," Fluttershy said sadly. "You all seem to have a hoof on everything and I don't want to be in the way," Fluttershy sighed. "But, I understand if you girls don't need me," she sipped the remainder of her drink quietly.

"Hmm, what if we hung out together Fluttershy?" I asked, "just the two of us while everyone else is party planning? Since I already know that there's a party in the works, I might as well let what the party looks like be a surprise, and I don't mind keeping you company at all tomorrow until the party starts," I offered the yellow pegasus. The pegasus in question looked up from the snow on the ground to me, flabbergasted by my offer, possibly because I've never offered to hang out with her.

"A-are you sure Cougar? I know I said you could spend time with me whenever you wanted, but I don't want to seem boring with more than half of my animal friends in hibernation," she said, worried that I would be absolutely disinterested with her.

"Well of course," I placed a hand on her shoulder, "and maybe you could use some help with snow shoveling, or we could have lunch together, maybe talk about pets or whatnot?" I proposed. "I also have stories of a puppy I had when I was about Applebloom's age," I added. Finally, Fluttershy nodded, accepting my offer to hang out together tomorrow.

"Now, that's really sweet 'o ya Cougar," Applejack complimented me, smiling and lightly wrapping a leg around mine.

"It's Fluttershy, how in the hell could someone _possibly _not want to hang out with her?" I asked rhetorically.

"PRESENTS!" Pinkie shouted loudly, startling everyone instead of me this time. "Oh Celestia, we need to find the perfect presents for you!" She grabbed a desk lamp and pointed it right into my eyes, temporarily blinding me. "Alright, spill it mister," she jabbed my chest like a police detective, "what do you want most for your birthday? And don't beat around the bush 'cause I don't play games. Except pin the tail on the pony, that one's such a classic!" her hooves clapped together.

"If you guys are that concerned, all I have to ask is please don't do anything _too_ big. Just the thought that you care enough to give me a party is a gift in of itself," I switched the desk lamp into the off position.

"Understood darling," Rarity said, "nothing too simple, but nothing too extravagant or complex," she noted mentally.

"Glad we're all on the same level," I replied with a smirk, "now let's enjoy the rest of our cocoa, oh wait," I playfully glared at Pinkie Pie.

* * *

**(The next day. Ponyville Castle. 3rd Person POV)**

The clock in the castle struck noon, just as the ponies began setting up for Cougar's 24th birthday party. "Okay girls," Twilight cleared her throat, "and Spike of course," she kissed Spike's cheek, "are we ready to set up for Cougar's party?" the nerdy alicorn questioned her close friends.

"We're all ready Twilight!" Scootaloo saluted while standing in front of Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Rarity. The seamstress unicorn had spent a chunk of the night creating decorations specifically for her human friend, even if she believed them to be a tad drab. But, she was 100% sure that Cougar would be satisfied, and that would be enough for her.

"Excellent," Twilight nodded as Rarity and the three fillies began to decorate the dining room of the castle with Cougar's birthday decorations. "Scootaloo and Applebloom, don't sweat the banner," she patted the two fillies' heads, "I'll be sure to measure and level it later on," she turned, checking off a few things. "Pinkie Pie, did you manage to ask Cup Cake and Carrot Cake to make a special birthday cake?" Twilight asked the pink mare that was busy setting up some party games.

"Yep-a-rooni-toony!" Pinkie waved to Twilight. "They said it should be ready at about 4:00. And thanks Rarity for lending me a few drawings of Cougar's Air Force emblem," she zoomed over to Rarity, tapping her shoulder.

"Oh, not a problem darling," Rarity chuckled, "Cougar deserves the very best party we can throw him," she added. "Oh Sweetie Belle! Be careful on that ladder!" She trotted to her sister and held her in place with her magic.

"Applebloom, is Applejack on top of making the food for tonight?" Twilight asked the younger sister of Applejack. The little yellow filly turned around with nails in her mouth from helping nail decorations to the wall and spat them into her hoof before responding.

"Uh-huh. She's been workin' hard since breakfast's been over 'n started makin' tater salad, barbecue corn on the cob, corn bread, heaps 'o tomato soup, apple pie, apple dumplins 'n roasted vegetables," she replied to the alicorn. "Oh, 'n she's gonna bring his present. AJ made it herself," she added. Twilight smiled, allowing Applebloom to resume her hammering of nails into decorations. "OW! Stupid hammer," she grumbled, sucking on her hoof that she smacked.

"Excellent," Twilight ignored Applebloom's cry of pain as Spike marked down another checkmark. "Rainbow Dash, when are you going to talk to Vinyl about music?" She asked. The Wonderbolt set her present to Cougar neatly on the designated table before turning around and hovering in front of Twilight.

"I was just about to head over there Twilight, we got plenty of time," she waved her hoof around nonchalantly. "And by the way, who else did you send invitations to?" The pegasus questioned.

"Oh, Celestia and Luna, that's about it," the alicorn moved the parchment out of her face, "though Luna is busy tonight with Night Court and still having to raise the moon earlier. It was good to see that she responded and at least wished Cougar a happy birthday," she held up the returned invitation from Luna explaining why she couldn't come.

"Hey mom, did you send an invitation to Lyra and Bon Bon or even Vinyl?" Spike scratched his head with his own quill, "I mean, Cougar's pretty decent friends with those three," he pointed out.

"No, I thought Cougar just wanted a party with his closest friends," Twilight responded to her son, "do you think we should invite them? I wouldn't want any of them upset with him," her teeth bit her bottom lip.

"Don't worry Twilight," Rainbow pushed the door to the castle open, "I'll see if Vinyl can make it when I go talk to her," she exclaimed before flying away. Spike grinned as his mom sighed a huge sigh of relief, knowing that at least one of Cougar's other friends wouldn't feel left out of the celebration.

"And actually mom," Spike corrected, "I saw a letter posted in Bon Bon's shop that she and Lyra took a few days to go and visit Lyra's parents in Manehatten," he explained. Now Twilight really felt relived that she wouldn't have to worry about Lyra and Bon Bon at all.

"Did you invite Discord, darling?" Rarity questioned, not turning around from her job.

"Yes, but I'm pretty sure it got lost again," Twilight scribbled down something else on her parchment. "You know how weird the neighborhood he lives in is," she reminded her unicorn friend.

"Again?" Scootaloo questioned. "How many invites did you send him?"

"You know my mom," Spike's green eyes rolled in their sockets. "He didn't respond within two hours so she sent another one, and a third one just in case," he gave a smart aleck grin to Twilight.

"There's nothing embarrassing about being prepared Spike," Twilight lightly slapped him with her tail.

"You want to know what I like the most about this party guys?" Sweetie Belle suddenly asked, drawing everypony away from their current tasks, save for Pinkie whom was busy with the streamers.

"What's that Sweetie Belle?" Applebloom replied.

"That there's no stress about trying to keep Cougar in the dark about the party and that we don't have to lie to him," she explained. "It's kind of a cliche to do all of that, don't you think?" She asked.

"A surprise party, cliche?!" Pinkie Pie gasped, "how could you say that Sweetie Belle? A surprise party can make any frown turn upside down and brighten anypony's day!" She countered.

"That's not exactly what I meant Pinkie," Sweetie Belle replied, "I just mean having to keep him in the dark and have somepony distract him all day is tiring, stressful and really overdone. Since he knows about the party and just volunteered to spend time with Fluttershy, we don't have near as much stress as we normally would," she explained. Pinkie Pie sat down in a chair, hoof under her chin as she soaked in all of Sweetie's explanation.

"Hmm, well I _do_ feel more calm than usual, maybe it's because I ate one less doughnut than I normally do for breakfast," she chewed on her bottom lip. Before anypony else could say anything, Rarity let out a terrified shriek, causing Applebloom and Sweetie Belle to fall from their ladders and Pinkie's party cannon to accidentally go off early, covering the downed Crusaders in confetti and streamers.

"WHAT iS IT?!" Twilight worriedly screamed.

"MOUSE!" Rarity danced around before hopping on the present table. Sweetie Belle and Twilight joined her on top of the present table while Applebloom, Scootaloo, Spike and Pinkie Pie rolled their eyes.

"Dang it, no cracked windows," the mouse put his tiny paws on his hips.

"DISCORD I WILL MURDER YOU!" Rarity shouted, angrily jumping down from the table as the mischievous draconequus morphed back to his normal form.

"What? This is a party isn't it? Aren't we supposed to be shrieking out with glee and dancing joyously like a bunch of parasprites on a sugar high?" Discord rhetorically asked, leaning his elbow on top of Rarity's head.

"Since Discord's here, NOW IT'S A PARTY!" Pinkie Pie excitedly clapped her hooves before hugging Discord. The product of mother nature on crack uncomfortably smiled before attempting to push the mare off of him with no luck. He then snapped his eagle talons, appearing behind Pinkie Pie as she fell forward onto her face. "Come on Discord, you can help test out some of my games!" the mare grabbed his arm and yanked him away.

"I wonder what Fluttershy and Cougar are up to?" Spike chuckled at Discord's torture brought by Pinkie

* * *

**(Fluttershy's Cottage. Cougar's POV)**

"So Cougar," Fluttershy said as I shook snow from my shoes and set them off to the side of the entryway in Fluttershy's cottage. "Did you have a good birthday morning?" She asked, actually using her wings to get over to her kitchen! I've seen her on the ground so much vs Rainbow and other pegasi that it was almost like seeing her fly for the first time.

"Well, it started out as normal as usual, until Applebloom burst into my shack, knocked me back onto my cot and hugged around my neck," I replied with a sly grin. "In all honesty, like _all_ of my birthdays, I forgot about it when I first woke up, and then Applebloom shouted 'Happy Birthday!' at the top of her lungs," a groan emerged from my mouth as I sat down on the couch next to Fluttershy's chair.

"Aw, that's so sweet," the yellow pegasus floated down and landed in said chair right next to her couch. "Did she make you a birthday breakfast?" Angel jumped up into Fluttershy's lap, but only tapped her leg for attention.

"Actually, the whole family made me breakfast," a small chuckled emitted from me. "Pancakes, pancakes and more pancakes. I think they killed a whole orchard of maple trees somewhere to get all of the syrup they had," I added. "And thank God they didn't sing me happy birthday; one time at the party is good enough for me," I sighed in relief. Fluttershy giggled, which sounded like the most adorable thing in the world, and petted her bunny.

"I know how you feel Cougar, though I'm sure you're fine when the entire focus of the party is on you. I can't handle all of those eyes staring at me, waiting for me to do something," she admitted, giving off a light shudder as if it were cold in here. "Oh, what is it Angel?" she held the white rabbit in the air. Angel rubbed his belly with one arm and pointed to his mouth with another, instantly revealing what he wanted. "But, I already fed you Angel, you couldn't possibly still be hungry, right?"

"Come on Fluttershy, if you've already fed him, show some backbone and tell him no, or else he won't respect you," I crossed my arms, trying to give a stern glare to the white rabbit.

"B-but I don't want my little Angel Bunny to starve," Fluttershy countered, "just look at his cute little face!" She turned to have his face looking at mine. The little shit stuck his tongue out and gave me a raspberry!

"If you've already fed him," I repeated, "then he won't starve!" I raised my voice a little. Angel wriggled away from Fluttershy's hooves, hopped over to me and kicked me in the chin! "Why you little!" I shouted and tried to grab him.

"Oh Cougar, he's just playing, honest!" Fluttershy held the rabbit that jumped back into her forelegs. Grumbling, I sat back down with my arms crossed and eyes glared at Angel, secretly wishing I could get my hands on him. "How about some nice tea to calm your nerves?" Fluttershy suggested, floating up into the air again.

"Sure, I don't drink tea, but I don't want to seem like an ungrateful guest," my attitude simmered down to normal as she brought Angel into the kitchen.

"I don't think that's possible Cougar," Fluttershy chimed as the sounds of cups clanking and an oven turning on sounded. "You're one of the kindest creatures I've ever met," she added.

"Don't be so sure Fluttershy," I advised, "anypony, even one of the nicest around, can become a jerk in the snap of a finger."

"Of course I know that," her voice echoed from the kitchen, "and even though you and I don't talk very much, I can tell your heart is full of kindness," She replied, "and love too," she added.

"Huh?" I asked. Fluttershy's response was drowned out by the whistling of her teapot. The whistling died down as some steam slowly wafted its way into the living room, followed by Fluttershy carrying Angel and two cups of tea.

"I hope you like it Cougar," she handed me one of the cups before sitting back down in her chair, "it's honey lemon tea," Fluttershy took a tiny sip of her tea. Having never cared for tea, even when I had a personal Tea Time with the captain of the RAF and Queen of England, the liquid inside the cup didn't really look all appeasing to me. However, since it was Fluttershy who made it, I was polite and sipped some.

"Hey, this is pretty good Fluttershy!" I exclaimed.

"Hehe, thanks Cougar," Fluttershy gave me a heartwarming smile, "Honey lemon tea is Discord's favorite, so I have plenty on stock for whenever he pops by for a visit," she sipped more of her tea.

"So, anything in particular you want to talk about?" I questioned the pegasus.

"Hmm," she scratched her chin with her hoof, "are you actually excited to turn 24?" She asked me. I never really thought about it before to be honest. The only reason why I would be excited is because my age matches my favorite NASCAR driver's number. Other than that, it's just another number to me.

"I guess it's cool to consider myself older and wiser, but I don't really, _feel_ older and wiser, do you know what I mean Fluttershy?" I motioned with my hand.

"Sort of," she clicked her tongue, "there are some birthdays that I'm really excited about, and then some that just feel like another day to me," she explained. "That is until Pinkie Pie's parties start," she giggled.

"Do you think she'll make it a normal party?" I rubbed my chin. "I wouldn't mind if she did make it a little more exciting than I originally wanted, but I don't want one like she threw for Rainbow about a year or so ago when she met Cheese," I sucked on my lower lip.

"With Twilight there, you don't have much to worry about Cougar," Fluttershy patted my hand with her hoof. '_I guess Twilight can come in handy sometimes,' _I thought. The tiny _clink_ of my cup touching the coffee table filled my ears as I gathered my next thought.

"Yeah, you're right Fluttershy," I cracked my knuckles and stretched my back a bit, "I shouldn't worry about too much. Do you have any clue who Twilight invited?" Another question popped into my head. Again, I wanted just a moderate amount of friends and not the whole damn town to show up. Mainly because outside of Vinyl, Derpy, Lyra and Bon Bon, I didn't talk to any other residents, and that would just make things uncomfortable.

"Uh, I think Twilight invited Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Discord, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom," Fluttershy rolled off the names she could remember. A tiny chuckle once again escaped my mouth as I took another sip of my tea.

"Applebloom and her friends were invited already," I reminded Fluttershy.

"Oh right, how silly of me to forget," she laughed, "they don't always tag along with us, so I forget if they are included," she delineated.

"How about Vinyl or Derpy and Dinky?" I asked again, knowing that Bon Bon and Lyra were on a trip to Manehatten.

"I don't know about those three, but I think Twilight also inviting Glock and Checkered Flag to accompany Princess Celestia and Princess Luna," Fluttershy stirred her tea with a spoon in her mouth. "OH MY!" Fluttershy shrieked, causing my heart to jump into my throat. Thank God I wasn't holding my cup or else the tea would be all over her floor.

"What's the matter Fluttershy?" I leaned forward on the couch. She set her teacup on the end table and grabbed her head between her hooves. It looked to me like she was having a panic attack, but she looked like that most of the time, so I had no clue what was going on.

"I completely forgot last night! Everypony else got you a present, but _I_ forgot because one of my hibernating animal friends needed help going back to sleep! I'm so sorry Cougar," she darted her eyes around worriedly.

"That's it?" I said flatly, unsure of what to say to her. From the way she was acting, it looked like she forgot about a friend who needed a lift home. But, forgetting a present? I'm not a spoiled five year old brat. "Fluttershy, I don't really care if you forgot to get me a present. Just the thought that you allowed me to spend a day with you is more than enough for me."

"Oh, but everypony deserves a present on their birthday," Fluttershy mildly argued.

"I understand where you're coming from, but it's not that important to me," I shrugged, "don't know why but presents are not a top priority to me." Suddenly, there was a growl emitting from somewhere in the cottage, alerting me to my feet.

"Sorry Cougar, that's my tummy," Fluttershy rubbed her belly that was gurgling loudly.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" I asked her kindly. Her pink mane shook back and forth in sync with her head.

"No, I was planning on saving my appetite for your birthday dinner," she explained, "but I don't think I can win that battle," she grinned embarrassingly before her stomach gurgled again. Taking a quick look at the cuckoo clock in her living room, I saw that the time was 12:45, perfect for lunch and still plenty of time before the party would roll at 5:00.

"If you're _this_ hungry Fluttershy, I can make you some lunch," I offered, gesturing towards the kitchen with my head. She shook her head from side to side and hopped down from her chair.

"I don't think so Cougar. You are my guest in my home; it's _my_ responsibility to make food for you," she pointed her hoof at me before trotting into the kitchen. Angel hopped onto her head to hitch a ride, leaving me standing in the living room. Taking some initiative, I jogged my way to the kitchen, following Fluttershy as she began to hum a rather catchy tune while searching through various cabinets and pantries for some grub.

"Come on Fluttershy," I said in a reasoning tone, "you were already kind enough to make me tea; I think I should make you lunch as a thank you," I argued. I don't think she ignored me, but I'm pretty damn sure the pegasus didn't even hear a word I said. Her catchy tune she was humming was replaced with frantic and then frustrated squeals. Instead of slowly opening and softly shutting her cabinet doors, Fluttershy zoomed all over the kitchen several times until all her cabinet doors were wide open. "Everything okay there?" I asked as the pegasus' body began to shake.

"Oh!" She groaned, "I forgot to go to the market last night! All I have left is animal food. First I forget your present, then I forget to get food. I'm so flustered I could rip my whole mane out!" She exclaimed and grabbed the sides of her mane with her hooves. Believing her for a brief moment, I was scared she would rip out her pink mane, but all she did softly run her hooves through said mane until one tiny, insignificant piece of hair fell from her head into her left hoof.

"Better?" I asked, darting my eyes around the room. Her breathing picked up, but not by any alarming means. Blushing like mad and throwing the hair into the trash, Fluttershy turned to me, gulped and cleared her throat.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that Cougar," she apologized, "I don't normally lose my cool like that."

"Right, losing your cool," I scratched my ear. "Well, how about we go out and get lunch at the Hayburger?" I suggested. Fluttershy didn't even have to give an answer as her belly growled loudly yet again. "My treat!" I quickly added when Fluttershy flew over to get her hat, coat, boots and scarf.

"We'll see, Mister," Fluttershy shot me a knowing look. "No snow boots?" she asked me, opening the front door and giving Angel some extra food before we left.

"Nah, whoever's in charge of snow shoveling the roads here is doing a bang up job," I replied, adjusting my Drive to End Hunger cap. Although I didn't mind when Rainbow hovered above everyone else while we were together, having Fluttershy actually walk beside me was a nice change of pace. Our walk to the Hayburger was pretty uneventful, even though many residents were out either shoveling in front of their houses and businesses, or they were enjoying the winter weather by hosting snowball fights, making snow ponies and ice skating.

**(Hayburger)**

"Mmmmm," Fluttershy licked her lips after taking a bite out of her food. Fluttershy decided to skip her soda because she was too cold, but that didn't stop me from ordering my own large soda. I grimaced and spat as I found a few pieces of hay on my meatless burger. The hay landed on my napkin, never to be seen again as I flipped it over. Thankfully the restaurant offered potato fries like AJ told me a few months ago, and I dug in like Homer Simpson on doughnuts.

"So Cougar," Fluttershy swallowed her hay fries, "were pets very common in your world? Or did only military personnel like you get to own pets?" She asked me.

"Of course pets were common," I set down my soda cup, "and no, they weren't limited to military personnel. Whoever wanted to own a pet could, and however many they wanted, sort of like you," I winked at the shy pegasus. She giggled at the joke and slurped up a few hay fries into her mouth.

"Which was the most favorited pet?" She asked another question.

"Uh, I'm not exactly positive on that, but I'd say dogs were the most owned pet in my world, then cats," I munched on my salad sandwich. A wall of awkward silence hit us for the first time today which caught me off guard. I guess I should've expected it; this was the most I've ever talked to Fluttershy at all. "So, how're you and Caramel doing?" I asked her. Her teal eyes darted upwards from her fries. One hay fry stuck to her muzzle before slowly peeling itself off and falling back into the pile on her plate.

"Sorry, did I strike a wrong nerve?" I questioned, quickly setting my sandwich down. Across from me, Fluttershy softly wiped her mouth politely with her napkin. "Fluttershy?" I asked again.

"N-no, well, maybe," she whispered, barely looking up at me. "I-I feel so bad for Caramel, Cougar, I'm a terrible pony for what I did," those innocent eyes began to fill up with tears.

"You took him to the Gala," I said, confused, "that was a bad thing?" I shook my head, trying to get my head around her words.

"That wasn't what was bad," she corrected me, moving her food out of her way, apparently losing her appetite. "That was my apology for what I did to him, during, uh," her yellow cheeks glowed pink and a small whimper escaped her muzzle. Looking around to make sure nopony was watching our table, I placed my hand on Fluttershy's ear and gave it a little scratch to help calm her down.

"Discord did mention something about you and Caramel during the Estrus," I began, "and that's nothing to be ashamed of Fluttershy," I softly rubbed her hoof, "I mean, you know AJ and I kinda had an incident, but I don't blame her for what happened, and you shouldn't blame yourself either."

"W-well, I feel so awful about what I did," she admitted. I didn't have to say anything else; she knew by my body language what I wanted to ask. "Every Estrus before, I locked myself away in my cottage, doing anything I can to suppress my, uh, well, urges. But, I forgot to mark down when the Fall Estrus was going to happen this year, and poor Caramel couldn't get away in time."

"Fluttershy, you can't fault yourself for a natural-"

"I don't even have feelings for him!" She exclaimed, quieting the whole restaurant. Thankfully, the other customers reacted like the Cantina customers in _A New Hope_, turning back to their food. "I used him for my personal pleasure; he looked so sad when the weekend was over and I apologized because I didn't feel anything between us. So, I invited him to the Gala as a severe apology, and we really only say hello to each other nowadays," she concluded.

"That doesn't make you a bad pony," I gulped.

"Well, it makes me feel like a bad pony, using an innocent stallion like that," Fluttershy's tongue softly lapped up some hay fries into her mouth.

"I'm sorry for bringing that up Fluttershy, I truly am," I apologized for making the most innocent of ponies open up an old wound.

"No, it's okay," she softly smiled, "you were just curious; I know you weren't trying to be mean." My mind wandered back to earlier in her cottage when she said my heart was full of love. I wanted to ask her if she knew of my secret feelings for Applejack, but I wanted to save that for later because a new question had popped into my mind.

"Is there someone you have feelings for?" I sipped my soda. Fluttershy let out a 'meep' and her cheeks returned to the same red color as before. "I'll take that as a yes," I chuckled. "Can I ask whom it may be?" She nodded her head and motioned for me to come closer to keep her response secret. When she whispered the answer, my jaw dropped, allowing a little bit of soda to dribble onto the tabletop. "Him?" I asked in disbelief.

"Y-yes. I never thought anything more would come between us after Celestia asked me to reform him. I didn't mind making a new friend; I can see good in a lot of ponies and creatures, but I never realized how much my friendship with Discord could grow, even if he doesn't feel the same."

"Wow, I can honestly say I didn't see that, at all Fluttershy," I forced an awkward laugh out of my mouth.

"I-I know that it seems silly, but Discord never fails to put a smile on my face when he tells me stories or just wants to make me laugh. And he's so protective of me, especially when we eat dinner or go for a milkshake close to dark, he always has me walk close to him. I, uh, also think he's _cute_ with all of his mismatched body parts and goatee," she hid behind her hair. Flicking my fork to make sure it was Discord spying on us, I pulled Fluttershy's hair away from her now completely red face and suppressed a snicker.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you haven't told him have you?" I asked. "You don't have to answer that," I comforted the embarrassed pony. Fluttershy took a few deep breaths through her nose before her natural yellow color returned to her face.

"You don't know how many times I've wanted to tell him Cougar," Fluttershy remarked, moving a few of her hay fries around with her hoof. "I spend more time alone with him than anypony, but I'm just too much of a scaredy-cat to tell him my feelings," she added. I was about to reiterate when she said something else that made me squeeze my soda cup so hard that it was crushed. "Sort of like you and your feelings for Apple- oh no! That was supposed to be a secret!" Setting the mutilated pile of plastic down to the table and grabbing a few napkins, my eyes never left Fluttershy as she covered her eyes yet again.

"What'd you just say Fluttershy? And please don't lie to me," I requested. Shaking like a leaf in a typhoon, Fluttershy removed her hooves from her face to look at me.

"_Uh, um, I heard from somepony that you have secret feelings for Applejack,_" the yellow pegasus whispered, still shaking.

"So, I did hear you correctly in your kitchen earlier," I mopped up the rest of my spilled soda pop. "Damn, and I trusted Rarity enough to not tell anyone. But it's not like I outright told her; she figured it out," I made sure not to raise my voice too much in front of Fluttershy.

"Well, Rarity's not exactly the pony who told me," Fluttershy cleared her throat. Our conversation didn't exactly turn into a whisper conversation, but we dropped the volume of our voices so anyone sitting close by wouldn't hear. With the noise of the restauranteurs coupled with employees shouting orders, I was confident no one could hear us.

"But who the hell else knows?" I asked not just Fluttershy, but myself as well. As far as I knew, the only ones that knew of my feelings for AJ were me, obviously, Rarity and…. "Cadence? When the hell did Cadence tell you?" I asked, feeling slightly violated by Twilight's sister.

"She tried her best Cougar, but she and I bumped into each other in the middle of the night from our trip to the Crystal Empire," she explained. "She didn't tell anypony else and I haven't told a single pony, I swear," Fluttershy said as I rubbed my eyes in both frustration and disbelief.

"Are you up for a walk?" I asked, picking up our garbage and tossing it into the can. "I just need some cool air to clear my head; maybe we can also find something to do until it's time for the party," I suggested, holding the door open for Fluttershy.

"How do you feel about ice skating, Cougar?" She questioned.

* * *

**(Ponyville Castle. Cougar's POV)**

"So, are you excited for your party?" Fluttershy asked as we followed the shoveled path towards the Friendship Castle. We had indeed gone ice skating, well Fluttershy did, while I just watched her and others skate across the frozen Ponyville Lake.

"Eh, I guess somewhat," I replied, stuffing my hands into my pockets. I had bragged earlier that I can handle chillier weather, but my hands _were_ starting to feel a little cold, so I kept them in my pockets for the time being. If there was one thing about winter that I loved, it was the soft _crunch_ of feet on the compacted snow on the ground. "I am feeling a bit hungry though," the smell of AJ's home cooking wafted from castle as our approach grew closer and closer. "Thanks for letting me spend some time with you Fluttershy," I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her closer for a quick hug. In turn, she responded with a quick hug as well.

"No problem Cougar, it was nice to spend time with you as well," she smiled.

"After you," I said, pulling on the door handle. Just as I did however, the door flew open, smacking me in the face and knocking my ass into the snow. Fluttershy gasped as she jumped out of the way and I groaned from the pain vibrating throughout my face.

"Just hold on, I'll go find them lickety-split!" I saw a pink blur yelling back into the castle. Shaking my head, the vision in my eyes cleared up to see Pinkie Pie cocking her head at me. "Never mind girls, I found him!" She shouted back into the castle. "What are you doing sleeping in the snow Cougar? Is that some sort of human tradition? OOH LET ME TRY!" The overenthusiastic mare jumped up and laid down next to me, shifting her body around.

"Cougar, are you alright?" Fluttershy helped me to my feet. Shaking my head again to get snow out of my ears, Fluttershy brushed off the rest from my butt and back. "Your nose doesn't seem to be broken," she added.

"Hey, I was just about to go out and find you guys," Pinkie hopped from the ground, "lucky timing I guess. Everything is all set up! We've got music, games, cake, Applejack's home cooking and _PRESENTS!_" Pinkie shouted the last word into my ear, causing me to flinch and feel some ringing inside. "So, what are you both waiting for?!" She appeared behind both me and Fluttershy, pushing us through the front doors and into the throne room which was decorated from floor to ceiling with numerous streamers, confetti, Air Force emblems and a _huge_ banner that read: _HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY COUGAR._

"You guys put all of this up in just one afternoon?" I asked, astonished at how many decorations were scattered about the walls of not only the throne room, but the entry way of the castle and the hallway adjacent to the throne room. A light tapping on my head alerted me that Rainbow Dash was listening in; who else could it be?

"And you're surprised because?" She asked sarcastically. "We've got the best party planner and the most uptight and OCD organizer in Equestria," Rainbow Dash began, pointing her hooves at Pinkie Pie and Twilight.

"Hey!" Twilight pouted to which Rainbow ignored.

"We could've decorated all of Ponyville and Cloudsdale in half the time," the pegasus bragged. She then placed her elbow on my shoulder, leaning against me with a cheesy smile on her face.

"What's got you so happy?" I asked, "did Soarin propose yet?" I joked. Rainbow's elbow slipped off of my shoulder and her wings seized in the air, causing her to drop down face first onto the crystal floor. Once again, Fluttershy helped someone to their feet as Rainbow tried to shake the blush off her face and tried to play it cool.

"Pfft, no way Coug," she pretended to dust off her stomach and chest, "we haven't even moved in together yet," she explained. "Unless he's told you something. Has he told you something that I should know?" She worriedly asked.

"Patience Rainbow Dash," I patted her head. "I'm sure Soarin will propose when you're both ready," I winked. "Anyway," I took a look around the seemingly empty throne room. The only ones here were me, Rainbow, Twilight, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. The pink mare was preoccupied with trying to reattach one of the Air Force emblem decorations that fell off the wall. "Where's everybody else?" I asked curiously.

"I was just about to ask the same thing," Fluttershy sniffed the air, "mmm, I can smell Applejack's homemade corn bread and potato salad," she licked her lips.

"The others are busy wrapping their presents," Pinkie, still trying to get the emblem to stick to the wall, replied. She began to growl in frustration as the decoration refused to stay. Eventually, the party pony grabbed the decoration, slammed it on the wall and stuck a large piece of duct tape across the middle of said decoration. "There, you're not going anywhere you stubborn decoration you," Pinkie jabbed her hoof against the wall.

"So, personal wrapping paper?" I asked Twilight, pointing to a few presents already wrapped on a table sitting next to Vinyl's sound system. One present was a box with pink wrapping paper with Pinkie Pie's cutie mark while a poster tube was wrapped in cyan paper with Rainbow's lightning bolt cutie mark.

"Yep," Twilight replied and put a wrapped present on the table with purple paper and her cutie mark all over. "I found that it saves ink from having to write our names on the boxes," she explained.

"Ah, makes sense," I replied. "Knowing you, Twilight, do you have a schedule for the party?" I questioned, feeling confident that I knew the answer. The purple alicorn shook her head, surprising me as she trotted over my way.

"Well, it's not really a schedule, but Pinkie always prefers to hoof out the cake before opening presents, right Pinkie?" Twilight turned her attention to the pony in question. Right as Pinkie opened her mouth to speak, somepony else's voice came out.

"Hey! He's here! Cougar's here!" Sweetie Belle burst with excitement when she exited the kitchen. The little filly turned tail and galloped back into the kitchen, repeating that I was here to everyone.

"I guess that means that the party's starting?" Fluttershy asked. The kitchen door opened again to reveal The Crusaders, Vinyl, Celestia, Glock and Applejack carrying various presents with them, all freshly wrapped with their fur color and their cutie marks, save for Glock's present. The unicorn guard had a case of Marewaukee Brew on his back that he sat down next to Princess Celestia's gift.

"Apparently so," I nudged Fluttershy as the group of ponies made their way over to me. Pinkie Pie zoomed back to the kitchen, either to help get Applejack's cooking or the cake. Whichever one was fine with me as I was busy accepting birthday wishes from my friends.

"There's the man 'o the hour!" Applejack put her present near the back of the table before turning to me and giving me a great big bear hug. "Ya excited fer yer big day?" She asked and released me from the hug.

"I'm more excited for your food than my actual birthday," I smirked at the pony and playfully slapped the brim of her cowgirl hat down over her eyes. She pushed the hat back up onto her head and stuck her tongue out at me, probably saying, _'Smart ass,'_ in her head. There was a light tapping on my shoulder and I could see a faint blue light out of the corner of my eye.

"Ahem, are you satisfied with the decorations and banner, Cougar?" Rarity cleared her throat. Her present to me was levitating next to her, engulfed in her blue aura. "If you are not I can quickly replace them," she offered.

"Rarity, these are perfect, thank you," I replied sincerely with a hand on her shoulder. She looked down at my hand and back at me, giving me a signal to remove my hand from her. "They turned out better than I originally wanted too," I added while shoving my hand into my pocket. The white unicorn smiled and I believe patted herself on the back before putting down her present to grab a glass of punch.

"Cougar," Celestia called my name, "first things first: Happy birthday," she wished me with her classic motherly smile. I thanked her and allowed her to keep speaking. "And Luna unfortunately had important royal duties to attend and could not make it tonight," she apologized, "but, my baby sister wanted me to give you this," her golden aura floated a box wrapped in dark blue paper with her crescent moon cutie mark plastered all over.

"Tell her I said thank you when you get back to Canterlot," I replied and took the present in my hands. "Good to see you Glock, was my birthday really worthy of Celestia needing a guard?" I questioned. The two looked at each other and chuckled before Celestia wrapped her wing around Glock's body, pulling him closer and then kissing the top of his head.

"Glock is now courting me, Cougar," the alicorn explained to me. "About the morning after the Gala," she added after reading my expression.

"I should be thrilled to be dating Princess Celestia, but then I realized that I'm dating Princess freaking Celestia!" Glock exclaimed, "that's why I'm still in shock about it," he said. Just then, Pinkie Pie burst from the kitchen, hoisting something over her head.

"CAKE TIME!" She announced. "Twilight, if you'd do the honors please because my poor head lacks a horn?" The mare asked Twilight. Taking in a deep breath, Twilight zapped two candles atop the cake, igniting them. Her magenta aura then surrounded the cake for extra leverage as Pinkie trotted on three legs over to the table in the middle of the thrones. "Happy, happy birthday to you!" She sang merrily and set the cake down. We all then gathered around the table and I nearly passed out. The cake didn't say happy birthday or best wishes or even mention my name in icing, but that's not why I was in utter shock. The cake itself was in the shape of the Air Force emblem, created to perfection in silver, white and blue.

"D-did the Cakes make this?" I asked Pinkie Pie.

"You'd better believe it buster! I had them bake the cake earlier today and used one of Rarity's patterns to help inspire them. So do ya like your cake?" She jumped two inches from my face and pressed her nose against mine, staring deep into my eyes. "Do ya, do ya, do ya?" She repeated, leaning closer to me.

"Y-yes, I do Pinkie Pie. Now can I blow out the candles?" I asked, hoping she'd give me my space back. The hyperactive pony then pulled back and hopped to the side of the cake so I had a front row seat.

"Don't forget the wish!" Applebloom reminded me. Smiling, I thought of just about anything I could think of, which was harder than I thought. Of all the things running through my mind, one wish in particular wouldn't leave my brain, so I settled for it. I took in a deep breath and exhaled as much air as I could, extinguishing the flames atop the 2 candle and the 4 candle.

"Yay!" Sweetie Belle cheered as everypony else applauded with their hooves.

"What was your wish?" Pinkie demanded, hopping up and down. "No wait, it won't come true if you tell me, don't tell me!" She covered my mouth with her pink hooves. "Princess CELESTIA!" Pinkie exclaimed as Celestia's tongue was trying to snake it's way over to the cake. The white alicorn blushed embarrassingly and turned her head away, whistling the same tune that Fluttershy hummed earlier. Glock playfully laughed at his marefriend before she took off his helmet with her magic and spun it backwards, blinding him. "I thought this might happen, so you get the first piece as long as Cougar doesn't mind," she looked at me.

"Go on ahead," I shrugged, not caring in the slightest who got the first piece. "You know what's weird though?" I asked just as Twilight volunteered to cut the cake.

"What'd that be Coug?" Rainbow Dash questioned from right next to my head.

"I thought _for sure_ that at least Fluttershy would push for Discord to be here," I took a piece from Twilight and just held the plate.

"Who said I wasn't here?" The one and only Discord's voice asked me. Just taking a wild hunch, I looked down at the fork in my hand and saw two yellow and red eyes with a goatee smiling up at me. "I hope you enjoy your present, because _I'm _your present, pretty clever huh?" the Discord fork asked. Smirking, I lifted the fork and jabbed it into my piece of cake. "Hey, wait, no I don't know where your mouth has been!" Discord freaked as I stuffed the piece of cake into my mouth. "AUUUUGH!" He exclaimed in disgusted as I pulled the fork from my mouth and chewed on my piece of cake.

"Mmmm, my compliments to the Cakes Pinkie," I turned to the pink earth pony and swallowed my piece.

"Ugh, I'm covered in human spit, and I thought Applejack's sweat was disturbing," Discord conjured up a towel to dry himself off. Applejack glared at the draconequus and munched on her own piece of cake.

"Another please, Twilight," Celestia shoved her plate into Twilight's face.

"But Princess, not all of us have even gotten our first piece yet," Twilight countered. Celestia took a quick glance at everyone who didn't receive a piece yet and rolled her eyes.

"Simple solution, cut the cake and eat it faster," she responded. "And then, presents," she winked in my direction.

* * *

**(End of presents. Cougar's POV)**

Boy, these ponies really didn't have to get me the presents I had received. But apparently they insisted and the presents were awesome. From Twilight I had gotten the rest of the Daring Do books all the way up to the most recent. She explained that she and Rainbow were close friends of A.K. Yearling, the author, and that she sent the books on overnight express just in time. Speaking of Rainbow, one of the books had _her_ on the cover with Daring Do. I decided to ask her about that later. From Spike, he acquired the very first issue of _Power Ponies_ for me to read. His reasoning was that since I liked super heroes from my world, then at least I could have a better understanding of Equestrian super heroes.

Rainbow's present was more of a personal one in that she got all of the Wonderbolts to sign a Wonderbolts poster in their autographs rather than their hoof stamps. Since I knew earth ponies and pegasi had difficulty writing with their mouths compared to unicorns and alicorns, it made the poster all the more special. What confused me was that Lullaby added a tiny heart next to the 'y' in her name and Rainbow said she's never done that before...

Celestia had actually given me something she'd owned for many centuries, and no I'm not kidding about that. She told me that the golden pocket watch was crafted for her about 950 years ago and had her cutie mark carved into the cover. Glock had no clue what to give me, so he stopped by the liquor store and got me the same case of Marwaukee Brew I had seen earlier. I offered him a beer, but Celesita took it away for some reason and drank it herself, odd.

Luna's gift was more surprising than exciting to get. From what her elder sister had told me, Luna retook my .44 magnum pistol and modified it to shoot magical blasts. She assured me that it wouldn't kill anypony, but it worked the same as a defensive spell that unicorn guards use. She also told me that will injure somepony and has the power to knock them about fifty feet back. I set the pistol back in the box for later.

From Vinyl, the DJ unicorn had built portable speakers specifically built for my phone using a 3.5mm jack input. She said it was mainly for me to let everypony else enjoy my tunes and make sleeping easier than with headphones on. What was cool about her gift was the fact the speaker covers were painted purple and had the yellow eyes from my helmet painted at the tops.

Pinkie's gift was probably the most delicious of the bunch; she had actually bothered to purchase 27 doughnuts from Sugar Cube Corner and wrap them up in a box to give to me for my birthday. How could anyone not be happy to accept that? Especially since most were jelly filled or custard filled. Now, I only had two presents left, one from all of the CMC and one from Applejack. Scootaloo practically begged me to choose the Crusaders' present next, and it didn't help that all three put on their puppy dog eyes to coax me into my decision. I gave in and picked up the present, but was met with something extra.

"AWWWWW!" Everypony gushed at Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom kissing my cheeks and forehead just as I was about to open their present which looked to be a handmade, or should I say hoofmade, card. The trio hopped from my body and anxiously awaited me to open and read the card. It warmed my heart to see a drawing of me on the front on one knee while Applebloom was perched atop my head, Sweetie Belle was in my left arm and Scootaloo was leaning her back up against my right leg.

"Come on, open it!" Sweetie Belle's horn shot off green sparks. Opening the blue card, a small slowly spread across my face while my eyes scanned the message that was written by I'm guessing Applebloom.

_'Happy Birthday to the coolest, best and kindest human to ever live. We hope your birthday is just like you: Awesome. You're like a big brother to us and we're glad you came to our world. Love, the Cutie Mark Crusaders.'_

"Thank you girls so much," I wiped my cheeks and forehead playfully and then hugged the trio tightly. "Only one left," I l dropped the fillies from the hug, looking over at Applejack who had waited patiently for her present's turn. Instead of tearing off the wrapping paper like an animal like I had with the others, I slowly tore off the paper, savoring the moment of discovering Applejack's gift. I sort of felt like Indiana Jones once my hands slowly opened the lid of the brown box that AJ had wrapped up. My heart stopped as my eyes focused in on the gift that Applejack had gotten for me. Apparently she hadn't told anyone what she had gotten me because everyone else let out an impressed whistle as I pulled out a black cowboy hat from the box. Embroidered around the top of the hat were red apples, all connected with a lasso rope. Even more impressive was below the main apple on the front was my call sign, embroidered in rope as well.

"So, do ya like it Cougar?" Applejack asked, "Ah made it myself all last night," she yawned, finally showing some signs of fatigue. At least Twilight zapped her with magic that perked her up a little bit. "If you don't like it-"

"I love it Applejack," I interrupted her, taking off my red and black NASCAR cap and put the cowboy hat atop my head. "Thank you, so much," I grabbed her and gave her the tightest hug I've given anyone, save for Reaper.

"Looking sharp bro!" Rainbow nodded.

"Now you look even cooler than before!" Applebloom agreed.

"Hehe, yer welcome Cougar," Applejack patted my back and I released her. "Glad ya love it."

"I'll wear it every day," I adjusted the hat until it felt comfortable on my head. I turned back to my group of friends who were waiting for me to say something else I'm guessing. "Guys, thank you all so much. This was very thoughtful of you all," I wiped a few tears away from my eyes.

"You deserve a good birthday Cougar, for the good man that you are," Celestia replied. "A toast," she raised up glasses of what I'm guessing was grape punch, "to Cougar!" She declared.

"TO COUGAR!" Everyone took a drink at the same time.

"NOW LET'S PARTY!" Pinkie Pie blasted music on Vinyl's sound system as Applejack rolled a cart of food out of the kitchen and parked it next to the sound system. Vinyl started up Pinkie's jam as the pink mare had called it and Pinkie said, "come on birthday boy! Come on up and give us the birthday shuffle!" She 'encouraged' me by grabbing my arm and yanking me in front of the sound system. "Go Cougar, it's your birthday, it's your birthday!" She chanted as I amused everyone by break dancing.

**(Many hours of partying later)**

We had partied by playing games, dancing and eating Applejack's food for hours and the night was still fairly young at 9:00, but it was dark outside. At least no one was showing signs of being tired, even Applejack (who had cooked practically all day from 6:00 A.M. until about 4:30) was still going strong thanks to Twilight's 'Pep Spell' that she had cast upon the orange mare. And the cake once again, holy shit, I'm going to have to give a big thank you to Carrot and Cup Cake for what they did for me.

Not to mention, Applejack's cooking of potato salad, barbecue corn on the cob, corn bread, tomato soup, apple pie, apple dumplings and roasted vegetables was perfect. And thanks to everyone's appetite, about 90% of it was gone already, leaving just a little bit of soup and potato salad left. Rainbow had wrapped up about half a pie for Soarin and stored it in the fridge until it was time for her to go. As for me, it wasn't that I was tired, but I was feeling rather warm inside, so I decided to go outside for a quick minute to cool down and maybe clear my head a little bit. I figured since everyone was so preoccupied with partying, mingling and dancing that they wouldn't notice if I slipped out temporarily.

"Ahhh," I sighed contently while the cool night air soothed my sweaty skin and hair. I had chosen to go upstairs and out onto a balcony that was empty save for a pair of chairs and a table, no doubt for Twilight and Spike for the former's nighttime studies or a place to clear her head, like I currently needed. Setting my hat on the small table in between the chairs, I sat down and propped my feet up on the railing, looking at the decorations for Hearth's Warming that were set up all over the village. My body froze when a voice broke the silence.

"Is something troubling you Cougar?"

**End Chapter 29**

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Who Is the Pony that followed Cougar outside and what do they want? Find out next time in a mini chapter of Fallen Eagle. THEN it'll be the confession, I promise. And I hope you guys are patient; I'm going to take a little extra time to make sure the confession is worthy of readers like you guys. Don't forget to R&amp;R!


	31. Chapter 30: Clear your Mind

**Fallen Eagle **

**Chapter 30: Clear your Mind**

_I know it's technically the 31st chapter including the prologue, but: THIRTY CHAPTERS! WHOO-HOO!_

_Yes, I know that I said the next chapter would be the Confession chapter, but I decided to exclude this part from Chapter 29 and include it in its own mini chapter to help tide you guys over while I work to perfect the Confession. I really hope you guys understand and enjoy this mini chapter. The reason why I chose this particular character to have a one on one talk with Cougar was because this character has not actually spoken much to Cougar and I felt these two could click together on a few things. _

_Also, another 15 reviews? We're approaching 300 and sometimes I feel like I'm dreaming when I see how high that number gets every time I come to work on a new chapter. If we can get to 300 reviews (21 away as of the posting of this chapter) by the Confession chapter, I may write a chapter where Cougar interacts with just my other OCs, (Glock and Checkered) Spike, Luna, Celestia and the background ponies, yes, including Dr. Whooves. _

**Lelouch-Strife: **_Patience, young Padawan._

**OBSERVER01: **_I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes I WISH Fluttershy would just stop paying attention to Angel all together until he learns to appreciate how much she cares for him._

**CorvusYT:** _Because, cliffhangers keep people wondering, and I want to keep people wondering for the __next chapter. _

**Uss71832: **_You're welcome, that could save your life one day if you're trapped in a slasher movie situation :P I'll be thinking of ways for her to tell him; right now it's all about the CouJack. _

**PRRGangsta:** _I'm glad you're excited. And I'm glad most people have waited patiently. _

**Guest:** _Thank you and happy (late) birthday. Hope you had a good one. _

**Random Guy: **_Why thank you. I hate taking too long and sometimes I worry if wait more than 10 days to write another chapter, people will stop caring, but it looks like that's not true. Oh and there are plenty of authors better than me. _

**Sassymouse:** _Surpassing 200 reviews is a milestone worthy of getting a shoutout! When life gives you the CMC, you damn well better make them adorable, it's like, the 11th Commandment. Thou shalt make the Cutie Mark Crusaders adorable._

**Dixie Darlin: **_I am very happy to have made a major FlutterCord author proud of my teeny FlutterCord moment. While that isn't the main couple of the story, I'll do my best to keeping making you and other fans happy._

**UpgraderIsAwesome489: **_Thank you once again!_

**StacheKing: **_Good to see a reviewer of your calibre back. Let me just say thanks for the honesty in your review about the pacing of the party and I'm happy to know that I have fixed it and a few of my other readers tell me it's much improved, and I have to give most of the credit to you sir. I like to take time to make sure every chapter is as good as possible. And I hope to see you more often on here. _

**InSaNiTy15:** _You must; waiting is a good thing._

**KillerWow: **_Mmm, perhaps, though you'll just have to read to find out :P_

**Guestspirit:** _Read the chapter and come find me to see if you're right lol_

**Konigstiger334: **_I understand exactly what you mean about life getting in the way, but I'm really happy to hear you still enjoy what I'm writing. All I can say about the confession is it WON'T be cheesy and boring_**. **

_As you read this chapter, the confession chapter is in the works, and I'm doing all I can to make sure it's worthy enough for you guys :)_

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**(Balcony on top story of the Castle of Friendship. Cougar's POV)**

Breathing in the cool, nippy air of the night felt good in my nostrils. Most of the ponies that went outside during this time of year, whether it was day or night, bundled themselves to the bone with scarves, hats, whatever they could get their hooves on to keep their body heat from reducing. Having been born and raised in Alaska for so many years, the lower temperatures here in Ponyville felt so normal and perfect that one of my new T-Shirts that Rarity made for me was all I needed. Sitting down on one of the chairs that Twilight had set out for her nighttime studies, I propped my legs up on the railing of the balcony, relaxing after one of the most heartwarming birthdays I ever had. The fact that this was my first birthday since the day of my birth without Reaper with me was a tough bite to swallow, but I eventually got over it and enjoyed myself with my new friends, especially the gift that my friend Applejack made for me. "Is something troubling you Cougar?" A voice as soft as silk and as sweet as chocolate shattered my thoughts.

"Princess Celestia," I dropped my legs from the top of the railing and stood up for a quick bow. I was glad to see that my manners towards royalty were still completely intact. Celestia's hooves clopped against the crystal flooring of the balcony as she approached me and touched her horn to my head.

"Please, this is just us as friends," the white Alicorn chuckled, "no need for those ridiculous formalities now, especially on your own birthday," Celestia assured me, sitting down herself on the second chair sitting on the balcony.

"You know me Celestia," I cracked my knuckles, retaking my seat next to her, "I always show respect to my superiors, whatever the custom may be," my explanation reminded her. Rolling her pinkish eyes, Celestia's golden magic burst in the air, revealing a tea pot and a pair of teacups with saucers.

"Care for some hot cocoa?" She offered, "it's quite chilly out, though you don't seem to mind or notice," the steaming brown liquid poured from the teapot into both cups. Her golden aura surround the cup closest to her and floated it up to her muzzle, sipping it politely before setting both cup and saucer back in front of her.

"Can't go wrong with hot cocoa in winter," I grinned towards her, softly grasping the second cup and saucer in my hands and slurping the delicious beverage a little more loudly than I had first anticipated. Luckily for me, the alicorn cared not as she continued to enjoy the beauty of Ponyville's Hearth's Warming decorations at this time of night.

"Indeed," Celestia swallowed more of her cocoa. "Now, the reason I came up here," she reminded me, "is there something amiss Cougar? You seemed generally pleased with the party your friends put together. And you also seemed overjoyed with your presents," she pondered.

"Hmm," I replied, allowing the warm cup to keep my fingers heated, "well a present is nice just for the thought that someone took time to think about someone else to get them something," I explained, "but the fact that Applejack stayed up all night, hoof-making me my own Apple family cowboy hat, that was just something _really_ special, you know?" I asked her.

"Of course I do, Cougar. I recall when Luna made me my own necklace when we were but a pair of fillies." Celestia admitted to me, pouring herself another cup, "making something with your own hooves is the best way of showing somepony how deeply you care about them," she placed one of her golden-plated hooves atop my hand and softly massaged it, smiling.

"Yeah, Applejack's proven that to me ever since she allowed me to stay with her family," I returned the smile. "I've got to do something really special for her as repayment," I added. "But to answer your question: No, nothing is wrong or amiss with me Celestia," I answered, "something about winter time, the cooler temperatures, silent nights and the darkness it brings just helps me clear my head when I sit outside, I'm sure you have a time or place that helps you clear your head as well?" I asked her. She pursed her lips and nodded, agreeing with me, but something about _her_ seemed amiss to me. Of course it could have the colder weather could be making her uncomfortable, or perhaps she didn't let her cocoa cool off enough.

"Oh yes I do," she gulped down her drink and stuck her tongue out, allowing the cooler air to placate her mouth. "Although I'm not as fond of winter time as you are, I understand that being alone in one's favorite environment can help to clear their mind," she said. "But, that raises a further question," Celestia cleared her throat, "what exactly do you need to clear your mind about?" Setting the cup and saucer on top of the railing, my fingers intertwined and I laid my hands on my lap.

"Just, certain feelings coursing inside of me and getting over the realization that this will be my first Christmas without Reaper," I confessed right up front. I saw no point in lying or beating around the bush with a nearly omniscient and powerful alicorn, even if she understood that I may not want to reveal the true reason. Shockingly, Celestia skipped right to my confession about Christmas and Reaper, ignoring the 'certain feelings' that I had mentioned. Maybe she already knew what I was talking about didn't need further information.

"What is Christmas, Cougar?" She curiously asked me, leaning forward to get as much knowledge as she could from me. I wasn't prepared to explain Christmas to anyone this year or however long I could live here; her question came straight out of blue, forcing me to have to think for a moment.

"Well, the main gist of Christmas is: In the religion I believe in, we celebrate the birth of the son of our God on December 25th. We also used this holiday to spend the entire day with family members, friends and other people we love to cherish everyone important in our lives," I explained.

"Intriguing," was the only word Celestia could say to me, leaning back into her seat. "And what a strange coincidence that your 'Christmas,'" she air-quoted with her hooves, "happens to fall on the same day as Hearth's Warming."

"I thought so too," I smiled, "though you're actually the first pony here I've told about Christmas," I revealed. "I figured I didn't want to intrude on _your_ holiday, so I kept it a secret and just decided to celebrate it, alone," I found out how sad that sounded.

"Oh Cougar," Celestia said in a motherly tone, "you should know by now how understanding ponies here are; they wouldn't think you were intruding upon their holiday spirits with your own personal holiday. And from the sounds of Christmas, you would've been pretty miserable celebrating a holiday intended for families and loved ones all by your lonesome," her hoof stroked my shoulder, gently rubbing across my shoulder blade. A gentle winter breeze flowed by, swirling little clouds of snow and snowflakes across the sky in front of us. "I believe you should tell all of your friends about Christmas, then you will not be forced to spend it wishing your friend Reaper was with you," she said boldly. Celestia was correct by stating that. I would've been a real stick in the mud by just acting depressed on my friends' Hearth's Warming holiday.

"You're right Celestia," I shook her hoof, "I don't know what I was thinking. Every time I've included my friends in Earth customs, I've enjoyed them more than I have before. I'll tell them first thing in the morning; we'll still have 23 days to plan both holidays," I grinned.

"That sounds perfect, and I'll be sure to have Twilight educate you a little about Hearth's Warming, if you are okay with that," she offered. My chair creaked as I leaned my back against it, stroking my chin and pondering about the offer.

"Yeah sure. I want to show as much respect as I can for your culture Celestia," I took up her offer.

"Wonderful, I shall have Twilight Sparkle put together an abridged report so it doesn't bore you," she assured me, "I know how sometimes Twilight takes things a little too seriously, but she's still a good pony, there's no doubt about that." My thoughts drifted to another matter that wasn't important at all, but it still bugged me to know the reason. Quietly refilling my cup, my mind was engaged with itself in a game of tug-of-war, and my curious side was winning.

"Celestia," I began. She turned her head to face me for whatever it is I wanted to speak to her about. "May I have permission to speak freely?" I requested. Sure, seeing my military side pop up now again when speaking was a little weird, but I wasn't sure at all if this would offend or upset Celestia in any way.

"Permission granted, Cougar," she replied with a sly smile. Gulping, I leaned more of my body weight on my arm as I shifted my position around in the chair.

"You're the ruler of all of Equestria, correct?" I inquired. The white alicorn nodded, still interested in what I had to ask. "Well, if you are, then why is your title still Princess and not Queen?" I asked her, "I understand that since you're the eldest sister, you would be first in line to be Queen, but you kept the title of Princess, how come?" I added. Celestia slowly rolled her neck to the side, stripping her gaze from me and let out a sad sigh as she looked outwards to the lights of the village. Her transparent rainbow mane seemed to slow down from its flowing. "I didn't say anything inappropriate, did I?" I asked, afraid I had upset her. She quickly shook her head, but her sighing never stopped.

"Well," she gulped, "you already know of the story of how Luna became Nightmare Moon, correct?" She answered with a question.

"Of course," I replied, "she told me the whole story on Nightmare Night. Does your reason have anything to do with Luna's, transformation?" I tip-toed around the word for multiple reasons, the main one being I _really_ didn't want to upset both Luna and Celestia.

"This goes back to even before Nightmare Moon, Cougar," Celestia turned back to me. "My sister and I always ruled side by side, even back when Discord was trying to take over Equestria, it was our job to both defend and rule our land. However, I've always loved my little sister and I never wanted her to think that I believed to be better than her, so when we came into power over Equestria, I decided that both of us shall share the title of 'Princess.' It's possible to have more than one princess or prince, but it cannot work to have two queens, hence another reason we kept the same title," she explained to me. "Sure, there was more than one occasion of a guard or a citizen slipping up and calling me Queen Celestia, but I reminded them I am but a princess and they can also turn to Luna for help if need be."

"And then?" I had a pretty good idea of what happened next, but I allowed Celestia to continue her story.

"And then the dark times hit us full force. As you already know, the citizens embraced and enjoyed the day that my sun brought, but they shunned and slept through Luna's night that her moon brought. I tried everything I could to keep her on the path of peace, but she was too far gone and became Nightmare Moon. With no choice left, I had to imprison her on the moon until she could be reformed. For the next 1000 years, it was a good enough excuse to adopt the title of 'Queen Celestia,' but I couldn't bring myself to do it, and I had to ignore everypony that suggested it, even have guards detain them until they were silenced. I loved my baby sister too much to act so selfish and declare that I was the new queen and make it seem I forgot all about her. And I knew things between us wouldn't be the best when she returned, but I kept her room and her throne in pristine condition for her return."

"Did she ask you why you didn't make yourself a queen, Celestia?" I asked the alicorn.

"It was the first thing she asked after Twilight Sparkle and her friends reformed her back to her younger self," Celestia responded, "her reformation drained most of her magic to the point that she was smaller than she was before she turned and her mane and tail did not look like they do today. I told her the exact same thing I just told you, Cougar," she blinked a few tears from her eyes, "we were meant to rule Equestria together, and I will not place myself on a better level than her, not now, not ever," she concluded, wiping her eyes with her hoof.

"Wow," I whispered, placing my hand on her shoulder. "That's so sweet of you Celestia," I admitted.

"I love Luna more than anything in the world, even Glock. It hurt so much to send my baby sister away that I turned to cake to fill the void that was gone," I wrapped my arms around the white alicorn to calm her down. "No matter what anypony says, she is my sister and we are both equal, neither of us is better than the other," she added. I was about to say something else when Celestia added something I didn't expect, "Cougar, there's something important that you must know."

"W-what?" I questioned. Celestia's golden magic removed my arms from around her shoulders as she stood up. One of her golden-plated hooves gently graced itself atop my shoulders as she stared into my eyes sadly, at least that's what her eyes showed me. "Y-your highness?" I nervously exclaimed.

"Oh Cougar, I am so sorry. Do you remember when you first arrived in Equestria?" She apologized and asked. _'What the hell is she sorry for?' _I pondered internally, but never took my gaze away from her.

"All I remember is waking up to see over half a dozen ponies and a dragon staring at me in the hospital," I replied, still puzzled why she wanted me to remember my arrival to Equestria. Another cold breeze blew by, making her mane pick up speed but not by much because of her saddened state.

"Of course, and do you remember your reaction to us?" She pressed on, albeit rhetorically as she didn't give me much time to answer. "I completely understood how frightened and defensive you became when you awakened. However, have you ever wondered why you became so compliant and willing to stay here?" I had never actually considered that before now that I was given time to ponder the idea. The only thing I had figured was the exhaustion from ejecting had fried my brain so much that I was willing to sleep off the shock of everything.

"Not in particular, why?" I replied.

"You must understand that what I did was in your best interest and the best interest of my ponies, Cougar," Celestia said.

"What the hell are you talking about? The only thing you did was help calm me down with your voice, it's very soothing," I cracked a tiny smile for her.

"Cougar, that's not all I did," she said very seriously. "I thank you for the compliment of my voice, but that wasn't enough to calm you down. For you see, while I was holding you back from trying to flee the room and possibly hurt yourself or somepony else, I cast a mind control spell on you."

"Excuse me?" I asked in disbelief.

"To make sure you would be safe until we could get some answers out of you, I had cast a spell on your mind that made you compliant with us and made you sleep," she admitted as tears threatened to burst from her eyes. "Luna removed the spell when you and her had your midnight talk; I used the mental link we share to have her take it away from you," she added. "I can understand if you're upset with me, and I am sorry that I never told you until now, but you must know that I did it because you looked scared and helpless," a few tears did crawl down out of her eyes and down her cheeks. "Rest assured that you actions after that night with Luna were of your own doing, especially defending your friends on your camping trip and your feelings for Applejack."

"Well, that's a thinker," was the only sentence that came out of my mouth as I sat back down on my chair.

"Again, I understand if you're upset with me Cougar," Celestia said rather briskly. I held my hand up and softly petted along her neck. "I can say though that the decisions you've made and the actions you've performed while her are ones to be most proud of."

"There's no way I could be upset Celestia," I looked back up at the alicorn, "thank you," I added. "If it wasn't for you, who knows what stupid-ass decisions I could've made trying to escape your castle. I probably would've been killed by one of your guards or by a mob of angry citizens in the state I was in. And I never would have discovered just how much better this world is than mine, or how powerful friendship is," I muttered the last part. The door to the balcony creaked open to reveal Glock waiting in the warmth of the castle.

"Tia, Cougar, we were all wondering if you had frozen into icicles yet," he joked and slowly trotted our way. "What were you two up to?" He politely asked, nuzzling Celestia's cheek with his own. The alicorn and I looked at and winked which Glock didn't seem to notice.

"I was just enjoying the cool night air and the lights of the town's decorations," I explained, "and then Celestia offered to share some cocoa with me and keep me company," I added, "and I thank her," I picked up her fore-hoof and lightly kissed above her golden plate. The alicorn blushed before gently taking her hoof away from my hand.

"It was my pleasure Cougar, now let's go rejoin our friends," she suggested. Thinking that was a grand idea, Glock and I allowed the alicorn princess to enter the castle first before we closed the balcony door as its quiet echo pursued us back inside.

**End Chapter 30**

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_I hope you enjoyed this mini chapter, and I hope you're all still pumped for the Confession that WILL happen next chapter, I promise. _


	32. Chapter 31: Decisions

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 31: Decisions**

_I know I promised the confessions and I hate doing this, but seeing as how it's been so long since I've updated and that the original chapter would be OVER 20,000 words, I've taken about half of what I have so far to make Part I. The confessions are still in the works and I'm almost done with them, so don't expect too long of a wait. _

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**(December 24th. 9:00 A.M. Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)**

Needless to say, I took Celestia's advice from our heart to heart talk on my birthday and explained what Christmas was to everyone the next day. I chose to tell everyone the next day because they were all having too much fun partying the night away and I couldn't break their fun at the time. Just like the wise alicorn told me, no one in my group of friends protested my want to celebrate Christmas, instead they embraced the idea and wanted to celebrate both it and Hearth's Warming with me. Knowing Twilight, I didn't even bother to give them the time to ask what Christmas was about; I told them basically the exact same thing I told Celestia word for word. Pinkie Pie also asked if this was a holiday for 'hoofing' out presents, saying that those holidays are the best. Reluctantly, I told her that it was a present holiday and that the focus of Christmas was just spending time with friends and family, but I was sure everyone would jump at the opportunity to get everyone else a present.

Picking out a Christmas tree was fun though; Applejack took me out to some of the woods near Sweet Apple Acres and we cut down about a four foot tree to put inside my shack to help make it seem more like the holiday I remembered back on Earth. The ponies had also taught me a few of the Hearth's Warming carols that some citizens of Ponyville go out and sing on Hearth's Warming Eve, just like I remembered from Earth. Vinyl was excited to get my list of Christmas songs from my phone so she could create '_The Most Epic Holiday Playlist of All Time,'_ with her sound system. Hearing _Jingle Bell Rocks_ or _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ every time I walked by her music shop brought a smile to my face. Lyra and Bon Bon's favorite part of my explanation for Christmas was, in a very weird way, the fact that if they were caught under mistletoe, they had to kiss. The couple brought me by Bon Bon's candy business a few times to help hang Hearth's Warming and Christmas decorations, offering me free candy and cocoa for assisting them. And believe me, they loved the excuse both holidays brought of snuggling in front of a fireplace with hot cocoa, leading to some awkward greetings when I would enter the shop. The Crusaders were pumped for their two week break from school, and they celebrated it by constantly asking me to watch Christmas films on my iPad which I gladly did for them. We all fell asleep together on more than one occasion on the couch in Applebloom's living room, but we kept each other warm by the wood stove and enjoyed the company of friendship.

Yes, the holiday spirit was in the air as every resident of Ponyville was on the verge of exploding with excitement as the days to Hearth's Warming Eve drew closer and closer. Right now, however, everyone was eating breakfast in the Apple family kitchen, enjoying each other's company before we all would depart for Canterlot for various reasons. One main reason was the Elements and Spike were going up for a dress rehearsal and the rest of us would be finding other activities to do during the dress rehearsal. Although Granny Smith, Big Mac and Cheerilee were watching the dress rehearsal since they had to come back to Ponyville early. There were several quiet conversations going at once while I had some Christmas music playing over my birthday speakers from Vinyl. The smell of Granny and Applejack's cooking helped to keep everyone calm while we all had _many, many_ things going on today and a few of us were getting a little stressed.

_There'll be parties for hosting Marshmallows for toasting And caroling out in the snow There'll be scary ghost stories And tales of the glories of the Christmases long, long ago_

_It's the most wonderful time of the year There'll be much mistltoeing And hearts will be glowing When love ones are near It's the most wonderful time of the year_

"Ugh, Cougar, could you please turn your music down?" Rarity approached me from the other side of the kitchen. A script engulfed with her blue magic was levitating above her head that her eyes had been scanning all morning long. "It's louder than everypony else and I cannot concentrate on my lines for the play!" She reminded me. I reached for the volume knob, turning the volume down to almost a complete silence.

"You know you're going to a dress rehearsal right?" I asked, "the play's not until tonight. You have plenty of time to memorize your lines," I replied, scooping a fork full of scrambled eggs into my mouth. The unicorn sighed and rubbed her hooves over her eyes. "Besides," I added, "I'm just trying to help you get into the spirit of the holiday a little more."

"While I appreciate the thought Cougar, the sooner I memorize my lines means the sooner I can perfect everypony's costumes for the play," Rarity countered. "This play is important to everypony in attendance and I will _not_ mess it up by flubbing a line or forgetting to make sure our costumes are _fabulous_!" She struck a dramatic pose in front of everyone. Everyone in the kitchen stopped their chatting for a quick second to see what Rarity was doing before turning back to their respective conversations. "Well, don't everypony feel assured at once," the seamstress huffed.

"Didn't you guys say you've done this play before?" I asked.

"Once," Twilight responded, "a few years back. Though I don't think anypony should have a problem with their lines, I know _I_ won't," the alicorn bragged, grinning and mentally patting herself on the back. "Speaking of problems, Cougar," she levitated my fork of food away from my mouth, "are you sure you remember your speech about Christmas for the party tonight?" She questioned, cocking her head and eyebrow. Before I answered, I grabbed the fork out of her magic and stuffed the eggs in my mouth, chewing and swallowing quickly.

"I led a squadron of three other jets on deadly air-to-air combat missions for seven years, giving a speech about a holiday I've celebrated over twenty times is about as easy as pissing on a tree!" I exclaimed to the purple princess. Somepony grabbed my black cowboy hat from my head and smacked me across the back of my head with the hat in their mouth.

"You watch your mouth around fillies, Cougar," Cheerilee glared at me as I turned around. The maroon educator laid my hat back on my head and looked back at Big Mac whom had trouble keeping his smirk from growing. Twilight still had that sort of condescending look on her face as she awaited my answer.

"I just don't want you to skip any important details," she explained, "you do want us to respect your holiday as much as possible like we would want you to respect Hearth's Warming Eve, right?" She kept asking questions. I gave in and gave her a definitive answer so she'd finally shut up.

"Sorry. Yes Twilight," I grumbled, "I don't think any obstacles should arise. And I won't forget any important details, I promise," I sipped my morning coffee, watching Twilight for her response. All she did was sigh in relief and levitate a hash brown up to her muzzle. "So, does this play _really_ chronicle what happened when Equestria was founded, or is this like a best guess?" I questioned Applejack when she finally sat down to eat some toast after cooking breakfast with Granny Smith.

"It's really how it was founded," she grinned with a mouthful of buttered toast, "Ah hope ya like it; it's more accurate than entertainin' accordin' ta some critics," she explained. The mare squirted some ketchup on her eggs before digging in as if she hadn't eaten food in three weeks.

"Come on, you guys are in it!" I pointed to the six ponies and one dragon that were scheduled to be the main characters and narrator, "how could it not be likable?" I asked rhetorically, refilling my coffee mug. "By the way, what's your character's name again, AJ?" I asked my friend.

"Smart Cookie," Applejack replied, "Ah know it's kinda funny, but not as funny as Pinkie Pie's character, Chancellor Puddinghead," the farm pony chuckled to the pink mare that was squirting an entire bottle of syrup on her pancakes.

"Hey, somepony's gotta be the Chancellor, well an Earth Pony anyways," Pinkie shrugged, slurping down a bottle of maple syrup, gross.

"Mom," I heard Spike speak up, "I'm kind of nervous about the play this time around," he admitted, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "And it's not because of flubbing a line or stage fright like at the Equestria Games," he assured Twilight.

"What is it Spike?" Twilight asked with genuine concern.

"Well," the dragon gulped, "do you think the audience will like my new voice? I know the director liked it and everything, but if the audience doesn't like my voice, then how will they stay in tune with the play? I don't want to ruin it!" He shouted with great worry. Poor kid. While I've never been in a play, I know what he means by if a character as important as the narrator can't be bought or doesn't interest the audience, the play could be doomed to fail; I'd hate to have that weight on my shoulders.

"Son," Twilight wrapped a wing around the dragon, "I know for a fact the audience will love your new voice. Plus, you always love to show off for a crowd," she pointed out, "and ponies due tend to like deeper voices for these sort of roles instead of higher pitched voices," she explained.

"But, what if-?" Spike began to ask when Twilight hugged him tightly.

"The only way I can see the audience not liking you is if the pony who wrote your lines had no clue how to write a narrator's dialogue," the alicorn joked. While Twilight's constant list checking, corrections and doubts got on every one of my nerves, she didn't bother me at all when she was acting motherly to Spike whom I could tell wanted Twilight to act like his mother for some time instead of as a friend. If only the uptight alicorn could act like this all of the time; I wouldn't dislike her as much as I do.

"As long as you don't go off script and overly describe winter again," Sweetie Belle giggled at the dragon. Spike blushed and looked back towards Twilight who shrugged in agreement with the tiny unicorn.

"Celestia and Luna show up to the play too, right?" I asked Fluttershy as she was playing with Winona.

"They haven't missed a play as far as I know," she replied, taking a second to rub Winona's belly and look in my direction at the same time. The realization that _Fluttershy_ was in the play just hit me, and I had to find out how she could perform in front of a large Canterlot audience.

"Forgive my asking Fluttershy, but doesn't your stage fright keep you from plays?" I questioned. The yellow pegasus shook her head with a proud smile on her face as she turned away from Winona.

"Nope, thanks to singing with the Ponytones, my stage fright has been going away slightly with each performance," she explained, "and it helps that the character I play was sort of like how I am anyway," she added.

"Well, alright then," I grinned and polished off my breakfast. "Anything else in particular we need for the party tonight?" I asked, "I don't want to mess up anything for your holiday," I explained to a barrage of confused faces.

"It's your holiday too you know," Bon Bon said with a bored expression on her face.

"How about a piece of mistletoe for the castle?" Lyra suggested, turning Bon Bon's face into a happy one.

"And have you guys sucking face all night? Couldn't you just use Twilight's room for that?" Rainbow Dash joked. A few of us immature guests snickered at the comment while a few more grown up ponies didn't. Instead, they shook their heads and continued to talk or eat their breakfast.

"Ignorin' that," Applejack rolled her emerald eyes, "just, ya know, think 'o what else made Christmas special 'n add it if ya want," she assured me with a warm smile. That could work, I guess. Maybe some red and green tinsel hanging from the ceiling could do some good. "But Ah think we all did a bang up job last night decoratin' yer castle Twilight," Applejack nodded her head towards Twilight.

"If I think of anything, I'll be sure to tell one of you guys," I replied to AJ. "So the plan is to go to the play and come straight back here for the party at the castle, right?" I wanted to make sure everything was planned ahead so we didn't miss anything. This was actually kind of exciting for me. I'm sure Canterlot looked beautiful with all of its Hearth's Warming decorations strewn about the streets. I had the same thought for Celestia and Luna's castle as I envisioned how it would look for the holiday.

"That sounds about right, given that nothing else happens after the play that makes us miss the train," Rarity remarked from her script. "And Twilight, you'll remember to get VIP seats for everypony from the Princess herself, correct?" She looked away from her packet of pages.

"Already taken care of," Twilight grinned, patting her saddlebags where the tickets were stored. "I'm also thinking of inviting Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to our party, especially since it's Cougar's first Hearth's Warming and our first Christmas," she pondered.

"Don't they have royal duties to attend to tonight after the play?" I set my coffee mug down with a raised eyebrow.

"Not that I'm aware of, but you're pretty good friends with them, Glock and Checkered Flag," Twilight added before magically opening her saddle bag and scribbling something on some parchment, "there, I'll be sure to remember to invite the princesses and their colt friends to our party after the play," the alicorn rolled the parchment back up and into her bag.

"And I'll remember to make your costume a little bigger Twilight," Rarity said, "I'm sure with your new wings that it might be a tight fit with no wing holes, that and your character didn't have wings," Rarity rubbed her chin.

"Ah'm sorry we can only stay fer the dress rehearsal little sis," Big Mac apologized to Applejack when she set her plate in the sink. "But Granny Smith needs my and Cheerilee's help cookin' the food fer tonight, 'n the dress rehearsal's the only way ta see yer play," he added.

"Tain't no trouble at all big brother," AJ threw her foreleg around her brother and hugged him, "Ah understand, 'n we're all glad that you'll at least get to see a sneak peek 'o the play, right girls?" She raised her voice so Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, Rainbow and Twilight could hear. The five mares all nodded and replied with their own renditions of 'yes' to placate the red stallion's worry. In fact, he, Cheerilee and Granny Smith would be the only ones to see the dress rehearsal; the rest of us would just hang around the castle or cruise Canterlot until it was time for the play to start. I had planned on meeting with Celestia and Luna to give them a further explanation on Christmas in case they couldn't make it to the party tonight. What everyone else had planned, I didn't know, but hopefully the majority of us could find some way to spend time together before the play.

Suddenly, off in the distance, a train whistle bellowed out, alerting everyone in the dining room. Without warning, there was a mad rush erupting from within the dining room. Dozens of streaks of the rainbow raced all around me as everyone tossed their dirty dishes in the sink and double checked to make sure they had everything, their excitement levels hit over 9000. I just sat in my chair, nonchalantly cleaning my teeth with a toothpick until most everyone cleared the kitchen so I wouldn't get trampled. "Ya comin' Cougar?" Applejack asked me once about half the ponies had galloped out of the dining room.

"Yep, I just hate trying to beat traffic," I joked, flicking the toothpick into the garbage can. AJ and I waited next to each other while Granny Smith shut off all the lights in the kitchen and dining room and locked the door behind her before leaving. "We're not going to miss the train; it doesn't leave for another fifteen minutes," I checked the clock on my phone. The orange mare beside me took a quick glance at my phone screen and rolled her eyes.

"It's the holidays," she explained, "didn't everypony back on yer world get overexcited 'bout holidays?" She asked me.

"Let's just say, if there was an open seat on an airplane the day before Thanksgiving or Christmas, there'd be over a hundred people fighting for that one seat," I replied with a chuckle. Even Granny Smith was able to distance herself from us, leaving just Applejack and I to walk to the train station, not that I minded. "Looks like we'll be the last ones to pick a seat," I mentioned, clearing my throat a little. _'You can do a little better than that, come on,' _my mind mocked me.

"Well, if that means we have ta share, Ah don't mind," Applejack looked up at me with a smile, making me sweat a little in the cool temperatures.

"And I don't mind either," I replied, cracking my knuckles. "Are you sure you won't mind that all of us will purposefully miss the dress rehearsal?"

"Pfft, Ah don't mind, personally it makes the play more specially, specifically yerself," she said, "ya know, havin' never seen the play 'n all," she laughed. "Sort 'o like yer Christmas speech fer tonight, Ah'd rather be surprised Sugarcube," she winked at me.

"I know what you mean, and I'm sure you'll knock the play out of the park," I said over the loud echo of another train whistle as we approached the train station, ready to begin our holiday adventure.

* * *

**(Canterlot Castle. Cougar's POV)**

Canterlot City was not as beautiful and amazing as I had pictured in my mind during breakfast and our train ride. In fact, it was better than I could have ever imagined. Everything had a nice golden and blueish hue surrounding everything, no doubt it was Celestia and Luna's magic uniting everything for the holiday. Various decorations of the symbols for earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns were plastered all over the windows of shops, homes and apartments throughout the city. There were even minstrels playing carols on instruments or singing carols as we had hiked up to the castle. Several weather ponies in the sky were lightly kicking clouds above us to give the city a gentle and peaceful snowfall for all to enjoy.

"Good to see you all again!" Remington waived at us as we approached the gate. "Happy late birthday Cougar!" He added. Our large group stopped in front of the golden and blue gates to the castle as Remington and Flash Sentry opened them for us. With Applebloom on my shoulders, Vinyl to my left and Applejack to my right, we all entered through the gates to the castle, but not before Twilight had some time with her coltfriend. "The princesses should be pleasantly surprised to see you; they were only expecting Princess Twilight, Spike and their other five friends," the guard said.

"Hello Twilight," Flash greeted the alicorn, politely grabbing her hoof and kissing softly.

"Charmer," she blushed once Flash let go of her hoof and looked her right in the eye. "Did Princess Celestia allow you time off for the play and the Hearth's Warming Eve party tonight?" She questioned the pegasus guard. Thankfully, we didn't have to stop and wait for Twilight and Flash to catch up; they just walked behind the group to chat while we hiked up the rest of the way to the golden doors of the castle which looked more stunning with the light snowfall swirling around.

"Why doesn't Flash just get a guard position in Ponyville?" I asked Remington as he led us through the front doors. I almost lost all of my breath when my eyes fell upon the decor of the foyer. All of the Hearth's Warming decorations reflecting off the marble flooring and frosted windows, I felt as if I had stumbled into an old Christmas movie taking place in a fancy hotel or mansion. Nearly all of the columns in the foyer had reefs with ribbons attached in the center being adjusted by pegasus guards or servants. Even the guards were dressed for the holiday as they had their golden armor accented with dark blue streaks on the edges and their helmets were replaced with festive hats. I could literally feel Rarity's excitement levels burst through the ceiling

"Amazin' isn't it?" Applejack nudged my elbow. I could only nod in reply to her and pat her hair. "The castle staff sure know how ta show their expertise, even Rarity can't get enough of how great this place looks," she gestured to her unicorn friend whom was gawking at all the decorated objects within the foyer.

"That was actually Princess Twilight's proposal for fear of their relationship distracting them from their duties," Remington explained, "so Flash stays here in Canterlot and they still get to see each other fairly often," he concluded as the doors to the throne room opened to reveal Celestia and Luna discussing something. "Your highnesses," the pegasus guard next to me called, "Princess Twilight and friends of Ponyville and Cougar of Earth," Remington announced. Both alicorns looked up from their conversation and smiled brightly upon seeing our large group together.

"I was not expecting more than Twilight, her son and her friends! What are you and your friends doing here Cougar?" Celestia asked Luna while they walked our way. The blue alicorn nodded in agreement.

"What do we owe to the pleasure of this visit, Cougar?" I wrapped my arm around Luna's neck and gave her a quick hug. "And your friends as well?" The blue pony quickly glanced at the rest of the ponies surrounding us.

"Well, all of us thought it'd be nice to see more of Canterlot before the Hearth's Warming play and we wanted to say hi to you two first," I replied. Both sisters smiled at the statement and opened up a wing each, gesturing a welcome to all of us.

"How wonderful; the time before the play is rather dull," Celestia seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Twilight, the play director is expecting you, your son and your friends sooner than expected; you know how cranky he can get over the tiniest details," she cautioned Twilight.

"You're right Princess, thank you for keeping me on schedule," Twilight checked one of the clocks in the foyer as her tone raised to a slightly alarmed one.

"Not a problem," Celestia replied, "though I do wish we had more time converse," the white alicorn said sadly. "Perhaps we shall have time after the dress rehearsal or after the show, either way, break a leg Twilight," she smiled.

"That reminds me Celestia," I blurted out, "Twilight wanted me to remember to ask you if you and Luna would like to join all of us for our Hearth's Warming Eve and Christmas Eve party tonight at her castle," I informed the princesses. Twilight mouthed _'Thank you,'_ to me as the two leaders of Equestria took in the invitation and talked amongst themselves.

"Would Glock and Checkered Flag be allowed to join?" Luna questioned, "Tia and I both want to include our coltfriends in more activities," she explained. That didn't bother me at all; Glock and Checkered were really cool to hang around and I figured I should get used to them a little more since they were dating some of my friends.

"Of course Princess Luna," Twilight took over for me, "after all, isn't Hearth's Warming all about setting aside our differences and spending time with friends?" She asked rhetorically. Luna and Celestia both bowed their heads to myself and Twilight before smiling.

"We will be on the same train for Ponyville as all of you," Celestia said for both her and Luna, not needing to take much time to consider their answer. Though I was curious as to how Glock and Checkered Flag would answer, but I guess they couldn't say no to royalty, or their marefriends. Both alicorn sisters looked extremely puzzled when not only Fluttershy, AJ, Rarity, Rainbow, Pinkie and Spike joined Twilight's side, but Granny Smith, Big MacIntosh and Cheerilee as well.

"I thought you all were going to tour Canterlot while the Elements of Harmony and Spike were at dress rehearsal?" Luna questioned, scratching the side of her head with her silver plated hoof.

"Naw your highness," Big Mac replied, "my Granny Smith, my marefriend Cheerilee 'n Ah are just stayin' fer the dress rehearsal since we gotta hurry on back ta Ponyville ta make the food fer tonight's dinner," he explained. Cheerilee nodded in agreement, nuzzling closer to her red coltfriend.

"The dress rehearsal is really the only way we'd get to see the play," she added for Big Mac.

"What? Were we supposed ta dress up fer this?" Granny Smith blurted. "Ah don't think Ah packed a spare dress with me," the green, elderly mare dug around her saddlebags that she brought with us, for some reason.

"Uh no, it's time fer the dress rehearsal Granny," Applejack directed Granny's head back to the cast of the play.

"Oh, I understand Big MacIntosh," Luna nodded her head, "we wish you all could stay longer, but we hope you enjoy the rehearsal," I turned to see Glock, at least I think it was Glock, join up with Celestia.

"At least we shall see you tonight," Celestia's wing laced on top of Glock's golden armored back. "And I can't wait to taste your family's food for the party, Big MacIntosh and Granny Smith," she added. It surprised me when Glock quickly cocked his head up at Celestia and wiggled out from under her wing.

"What party Tia?" He asked curiously.

"We're joining my sister and Checkered Flag at the Element of Harmony's Hearth's Warming party tonight," Celestia replied, replacing her wing on Glock's back.

"Okay, why am I always the last to know of these things Celestia?" Glock questioned, "I thought we were supposed to tell each other everything," he stated, casting a serious look at the alicorn. Celestia sighed and removed her wing from her coltfriend.

"Can we please not have this conversation now Glock?" She requested, "Twilight, you shouldn't keep the director waiting," Celestia quickly changed the subject. Twilight looked at the clock in the foyer and cleared her throat.

"Alright ladies and Spike, to the theatre!" She announced proudly, "Big Mac, Granny Smith, Cheerilee, follow us!" The pony instructed. As we all said goodbye to the nine ponies and dragon, Applejack slowed to a stop before turning around back to the rest of us. I wanted to ask her what was up and that she shouldn't be late for the director, but she trotted back to us and wrapped her forelegs around me in a tight hug.

"Ah'll see ya at the play Sugarcube," she said sweetly after pulling away. "'N Applebloom, ya be on yer best behavior fer the Princesses, they have more important things ta do than babysit ya," the mare made me chuckle from her big sister mode.

"Oh, I'm sure your sister and her little friends will not cause any problems," Luna smiled and patted Applebloom's hair, "we enjoy having fillies visit the castle," she quickly added.

"Yeah, what she said Applejack," the yellow filly waved Applejack away. "Ya better hurry 'fore the play director comes lookin' fer ya," Applebloom advised her elder sister.

"Have fun, AJ," I said softly when she looked back at me, "I can't wait to see you on stage," I spoke again before she turned around and galloped to catch up to the the rest of her group. "So," I clicked my tongue off the roof of my mouth, "any plans?" I asked my friends. For the first time that day, we were met with some odd silence as everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say or do. The eight ponies and I all moved closer together to try and formulate a plan to wait out the down time until the play was set to begin.

"How about some Lunch?" Glock suggested, "I'm due to clock off now anyways," he removed his golden helmet, setting it under his left foreleg. "Oh Tia, not now," Glock groaned as Celestia smoothed out his mane with her hoof.

"Uh we just all had a big breakfast," I replied after chuckling at the poor guard's embarrassment, "so we're not really hungry," I explained. Lyra, Bon Bon, Vinyl and the Crusaders all nodded in agreement. The clopping of hooves on the floor drowned the silence as numerous guards and servants strolled on by us. A few stopped to see if the princesses needed anything, but they had no important duties to attend to before the play.

"How about some hot cocoa from the kitchen?" Vinyl suggested.

"Ugh, I don't know about you Vinyl, but I'm getting pretty sick of cocoa," I replied, shuddering at how much of the drink I had consumed since winter had started.

"Perhaps we could go ice skating on the frozen lake behind the castle?" Luna tapped her hoof on the floor. Even the Crusaders shook their heads at that offer. "Oh alright, I'm not much of an ice skating fan myself," Luna added.

"It looks like we're all holidayed out," Scootaloo groaned.

"Yeah, we've built so many snowponies that we could have our own private army," Sweetie Belle agreed with her friend. I was trying my best to think of something we could all do since we didn't want to split off and go our own way. Then, I felt a tapping on my hip from behind. Turning around, I was met with Lyra who was looking anxious to tell us something.

"We have an idea," Lyra beamed. "We already saw pretty much all of Canterlot that we wanted to see. But, Bonnie and I were wondering if you could give us a sneak peek at your Christmas Speech?" She asked.

"Mainly so you can have some practice to be honest," Bon Bon nuzzled up to Lyra. "And you can make it even better for the party if you want," she added. "I mean, have you practiced it with somepony else?" She asked. This idea sparked a ton of curiosity within myself; I actually had only practiced in front of the bathroom mirror back at Sweet Apple Acres whenever I had the opportunity. This could give me a good chance to fine tune and tweak everything so I wouldn't bore anyone or skip over an important detail. Kneeling down onto my knees, (which hurt like hell from the hard flooring, but I ignored the pain) I patted Lyra and Bon Bon's manes before playfully giving them each their own noogie.

"If everypony else agrees to it, I'm fine with that idea," I looked behind me at everyone else.

"Not like we have much of a choice," Glock shrugged, "I'm up for pretty much anything right now since I'm off the clock," he double checked the time piece in the foyer once again. "Tia told me a little about, Christmas I think it was, but she wasn't told much either," he delineated.

"Look I'm all for that, but if there's gonna be a speech, how about some snacks? Snacks make everything better," Vinyl raised her hoof. "Does your kitchen have chips and soda?" She raised her shades to talk to Luna and Celestia.

"But, you just ate Vinyl," Lyra countered, "you can't possibly still be hungry," the mint colored unicorn pointed her hoof.

"Actually, I'm not hungry, snacks just go well when you're sitting watching something," the DJ explained, wrapping her foreleg around Lyra's neck. "I'm craving some potato chips and cola," she licked her lips and looked back at the two alicorns.

"Well, since we haven't had breakfast yet, a snack does sound pretty appetizing," Luna concurred. "Ahem, everypony, let us head for the kitchen. Cougar can give his speech in my private quarters where we can make delicious s'mores in my fire place," she announced. "But before we do, I shall fetch Checkered Flag from the gym so he may join us," she added.

"Mmmm, s'mores!" Applebloom drooled a bit and rubbed her hooves together.

"Checkered's here? What, is he visiting you for the holidays Luna?" I questioned once we all followed Celestia and Glock in the direction of the gym.

"You could say that," Luna blushed in reply, "he's been staying here since his racing series concluded in November," she added.

"No charity work or special appearances?" we passed another corridor and arrived in front of a pair of doors with large windows that showed us the inside of the guards' gymnasium.

"None so far. He does so much for charity already that I think he can take a small break," the blue pony explained as our mass of ponies and myself entered the gym. Immediately, the smell of determination, heart, intensity and sweat conquered my nostrils. Some loud rock music was playing over a record player in front of a megaphone in the corner near a water cooler. About a dozen and a half guards were lifting weights, running on treadmills, punching some punching bags or sparring with each other.

"Somepony could use some deodorant," Sweetie Belle held her nose shut as a pair of unicorn guards trotted past us in the direction of the locker room. In the middle of the huge gym was a running track designed to keep the guards' speeds up (even the pegasus guards) and was the best way to stay in top condition, I should know from basic training. Luna held us back on the front stretch of the track as a black and white blur rocketed off turn four and came to a halt at the finish line.

"Come on guys! You're royal guards, you shouldn't be lagging so far behind!" Checkered Flag taunted his 'competition' that was still on track. About four guards were slowing down to a pathetic trot entering the third turn as Checkered grabbed a bottle of water and poured it over his head. "These kids are half my age and I'm lapping the tartarus out of them," he took a swig of his water.

"Be nice Checkered," Luna teased, "my sister's guards are among the best when it comes to physical strength. Although, they aren't racing champions either," she tossed a towel over his back.

"I got a good workout at least," the earth pony popped his back muscles. "Good to see you again everypony, Cougar," he stuck his hoof out at me and I took it immediately. "What brings you all here?" He asked.

"We're here for the Hearth's Warming play," I replied. "And everyone wanted a sneak peek at my speech for a party we're throwing tonight for the holiday I explained. Checkered wiped the sweat from his mane and face before replying.

"I've never actually been to the Hearth's Warming play, so I've been looking forward to that," he smiled. "and what's this about a party tonight?" He looked to his marefriend that was waiting patiently next to me. Luna took over and told him that Twilight and her fellow Elements of Harmony were putting together a big Hearth's Warming party and had invited both princesses, including himself and Glock. She left out the part about Christmas, though I suspect she wanted to save it for my practice round coming up shortly. The light grey racing pony almost immediately accepted the invitation for the night's affair, but not before questioning what we were doing here.

"We wanted to see if you were willing to help Cougar by listening to his speech and critiquing it for him," Bon Bon explained, sitting on her haunches. A few of the guards that were working out stopped what they were doing, standing at attention for both Luna and Celestia, as they were instructed to do since they began basic training. It was far too easy to tell that the smell of working out and sweat was getting to a few of us, not counting me, so Celestia ordered them all at ease and to hit the showers.

"Speech?" The racing pony questioned, "sure, just let me hit the showers first; I don't want you guys passing out," he joked. "Lulu's letting me use her bathroom, so just give me a minu-" he began before Luna hushed him. Things began to get a little awkward between all of us.

"We were on the way to my private chambers Checkered; you can follow us there, but you don't have to shower," she nuzzled her chin atop his sweaty mane, "I like it when you're all sweaty," she whispered into his ear.

"Okay we're out," Scootaloo threw here forelegs in the air.

"You two can lag behind, but we're heading up to your room Luna," Vinyl agreed with the orange pegasus. While normally I didn't mind Luna and Checkered, or any couple for that matter, acting all loving to each other, Luna saying that to Checkered in a sultry tone was a little much. Although, seeing them so happy together did strike close to me a bit. For but a brief second, I saw a flash of myself and Applejack nuzzling each other under a tree at the farm before the site of Luna and Checkered returned. I shook my head to get it clear and put my hands on my waist.

"Fine, we'll cut back a little bit," Luna rolled her eyes. "Ahem, Wadsworth?" She asked the head butler for the castle once we exited the gym and entered the hallway. The brown unicorn immediately appeared in front of us, ready to listen to the princess' request.

"Yes your highness?"

"We are all making our way to my private chambers, would you please have some of the other servants bring graham crackers, chocolate bars and marshmallows in a few minutes?" She asked.

"Of course Princess Luna, it shall be ready soon," Wadsworth quickly bowed and trotted back to the kitchen.

"Cougar, are you prepared with your speech?" Celestia grabbed my attention, killing my train of thought.

"Huh? Oh, oh yeah, I've got it all memorized," I proudly tapped the side of my head, "though I've timed myself and it's only about a five minute speech."

"Don't worry Cougar," Applebloom hopped around me, "Ah'm sure it'll be perfect," she nuzzled against my leg. And with that, Luna led the way to her private chambers for me to practice what I wanted to say that night, but with each passing moment, I felt a tad emptier as the final words of my speech kept repeating themselves in my mind.

* * *

**(Canterlot Castle Theatre. 3rd Person POV)**

"Okay, brilliant ladies and Mr. The Dragon!" The play director clapped his hooves. "That's the halfway point and I believe you've all earned a ten minute break," he removed his sunglasses and beret. "But, Ms. Applejack, may I have a word with you please?" He requested. As the others congratulated each other and praised their performances, Applejack removed her hat and bit her bottom lip, having a good idea what the director wanted to speak to her about.

"Is there a problem Mr. Polish?" Applejack asked once she approached the director's chair. The pony in charge of the play sighed and leaned forward in his chair, keeping his hooves in front of his muzzle.

"There's really no problem Ms. Applejack, but I had noticed that you seemed, distracted," the pony had to pause to find the correct word for Applejack. "Your performance was okay, but again, I did notice that your mindset wasn't completely focused on your role."

"Y-yeah," Applejack sputtered and admitted, knowing she couldn't lie, "Ah guess you could say that," she looked straight at the director's eyes.

"Well then, is everything okay? Do you need somepony to talk to?" Oscar Polish asked in a concerned tone. To some, Oscar Polish might seem like an uptight play director who only cares enough for reviews and awards, but the truth is he knows that without the writers, actors, actresses, stage help and costume designers, there'd be no play to direct, and he treats everypony like family.

"Phew," AJ wiped her brow, "there's just a few things goin' on right now that Ah don't know how ta handle, 'n with the holidays here, it just makes things worse," she replied in a somewhat stressed tone. Before Oscar Polish could say something else, Applejack continued talking, "it's just, hangin' over my head 'n draggin' my heart down every time Ah think about my problem," she added.

"If you need a drink you can go get a glass of water, or if you need some advice, I'm here for you," the unicorn smiled, patting her hind leg like a father would. Applejack sighed again and smacked her lips as her emerald eyes drifted upwards to the pony offering some wisdom to her.

"No offense sir, but Ah'm not so sure ya can help with my certain situation," the mare apologized. Oscar Polish looked down and the floor and clicked his tongue before looking back up at Applejack.

"Well, I think you should find a friend to help talk to you Applejack," he patted her shoulder, "you've still got about eight minutes left," he winked and stood back up on four legs, stretched and went to grab a quick snack, leaving Applejack alone. The young mare's thoughts were indeed interrupted during her scenes for the play, not ruining anything per say, but it was noticeable that her heart just wasn't in the role. Because of the holidays, Applejack could really only think of a hoof-full of things, mainly the human whom she had grown so close to and dared to say loved. She felt as if she would go mad if she didn't tell him, but she had no clue how to do it; the only pony that could possibly help her was currently backstage talking with Fluttershy about a spa date.

With much hesitation, Applejack sat up from her seat and walked up the stairs of stage left and back behind the curtain where she spotted Rarity talking things over with Fluttershy. Normally, Applejack would be more polite and allow her friends to finish their conversation, but with only a few precious minutes on the clock, she had to set her manners aside, if only to keep her from going crazy. "Uh, 'scuse me Rarity?" The orange mare gulped, hoping to not upset either pony before her.

"Oh, yes Applejack?" The white unicorn stopped talking with Fluttershy. "Is there a problem with your costume that needs my attention?" She questioned politely. Applejack felt bad when Fluttershy backed away from Rarity, but felt better when the pegasus gave her a reassuring smile.

"No, not particularly Rarity," Applejack replied. "Ah've just, got a lot goin' on in my mind right now," she explained. Without warning, Rarity grasped Applejack's leg and yanked her further backstage to the vacant dressing room where they could have more of a private talk. "Could ya warn me next time ya wanna rip my leg outta its socket?" the orange earth pony grumbled.

"Apologies Applejack," Rarity locked the door and pulled out a pair of chairs, "but is this what I believe it is?" The fashionista unicorn cast a curious yet knowing gaze upon her friend sitting across from her. AJ opened her mouth to give a response, but Rarity had more to add. "I didn't know if I should tell you this, but you _were_ a little late on the majority of your lines Applejack," Rarity pointed out.

"Yeah, Oscar Polish 'n Ah just had this conversation Rare," Applejack replied with a groan.

"Not only that, it seems as though you weren't paying attention that much or not all when Pinkie Pie was speaking to you," she added. Is everything okay? Between you and Cougar I mean," Applejack's heart fell when Rarity mentioned the name. Rarity expressed a little victory smile at easily guessing what was plaguing her friend's mind, but quickly put her hoof on Applejack's back. "I thought so. Applejack, would you mind telling me exactly what's wrong? Did you and Cougar get into a verbal spat or something?"

"What? No! Our friendship has never been stronger!" she smacked Rarity's hoof away from her back. Rarity rubbed her hoof where AJ had smacked it, although it didn't hurt; she was just afraid of chipping her hoof before the play.

"Well you don't have to resort to hostilities to answer my question, Applejack," the purple maned unicorn set her hoof back down onto the side of the chair. "However, I can tell by your sudden mood change at the mere mention of his name, this is about Cougar, is it not?" She eloquently questioned. Applejack's jaw slowly softened as she calmed down and blinked at her friend.

"Ah'm sorry Rarity, this is just tougher than Ah imagined," the farming pony apologized, still having a difficult time keeping focused on the unicorn in front of her. "'N Ah know it's obvious what this is about, but every day, the secret just eats away at me," she admitted, though didn't give Rarity enough time to respond. "Ah wanna tell him, but Ah don't wanna hurt him!" She exclaimed.

"Hurt him?" Rarity replied, quite flabbergasted at the statement. "Darling, how in Celesita's name could you possibly hurt Cougar?" She asked, replacing her hoof on Applejack's mane.

"If Ah tell him how Ah feel, Ah could humiliate him, scare him or with how fragile his psyche still is, Ah really could send him into another 'bout 'o depression like before the Grand Gallopin' Gala," Applejack said softly. "Ah, Ah just can't do that ta him, not after all he's done fer my family 'n savin' our lives," she finally looked back up at Rarity.

"Oh Applejack," the white seamstress cooed, "I don't believe for one measly second that you could hurt Cougar in any way for admitting your feelings," she assured the orange mare. "Why don't you just take a deep breath for me?" She requested.

"Rare, have you ever felt this way about a stallion before?" Applejack blurted. The question surprised Rarity as she had to take a moment the gather her thoughts together.

"Like how Applejack? I realize that it's more than a crush on your end, but how do you feel about Cougar?" She asked. Applejack gently moved Rarity's hoof off her mane and stood up from her chair, walking around the dressing room until she came face to face with her reflection in the large vanity mirror on the wall. "Applejack?" Rarity tried to get her attention.

"It's, indescribable Rarity," Applejack's orange hoof lightly grazed the glass of the mirror. "Every time Ah'm around Cougar, Ah feel so happy 'n complete. Every time Ah hug him, Ah never wanna let go, 'n Ah feel so empty 'n hollow when Ah have ta leave him or he has ta leave me," she explained. "'N no, Ah'm _not_ obsessed with the man," she glared at Rarity's reflection in the mirror.

"Hey, I wasn't going to say a thing Applejack," she defended.

"Sorry, Ah'm just so frustrated right now," the farming pony growled, lowering her chin onto the counter below the mirror. Sighing, the unicorn quickly trotted to the water cooler in the corner of the dressing room and filled up a tiny cup of water for her mind boggled friend. Rarity really didn't have much to say, but if Applejack came to her for advice or just as a friend to listen, then she would do whatever she could to solve her friend's problem.

"Completely understandable," she hoofed Applejack the cup of water, sliding it atop the counter until it stopped in front of the other mare's muzzle. Looking down at the cup and then back up to Rarity, AJ smiled and took the water in her teeth and quickly downed all of it, breathing happily. "But I believe you, Applejack," Rarity continued her original thought, "if you _were_ obsessed, you would be acting like Cheerilee and your brother a few Hearts and Hooves days ago," she let out a tiny giggle to lighten the mood.

"Heh," AJ managed to laugh a bit, "yeah, but Ah already knew that. This whole issue is just drivin' me crazy Rarity; Ah don't know what ta do," she said yet again, biting down on her lower lip and rubbing her hoof on her head. "'Specially with all this talk 'o the holiday 'n everypony bein' closer ta each other, it makes this all harder," AJ added with a sputter, blowing a piece of her blonde mane up out of her face. "Ah'm so pathetic."

"You are anything but, Applejack," Rarity reappeared next to her friend in front of the mirror. "While I've never experienced what it's like to have feelings for a human, I do know that when you have true feelings for somepony, you can hardly think straight, you find yourself short of breath from time to time, you do whatever you can to be around them and making that somepony happy is your top priority," Rarity instructed. "So tell me, do any of these describe yourself about our friend Cougar?" the white unicorn laced her foreleg around Applejack's neck.

The mare in question ran her leg over her eyes and rubbed them, trying to get an answer. "Y-yeah," she muttered.

"See Applejack? Pathetic would be you locking yourself in your room, building a shrine to Cougar and crying that he hasn't returned your feelings," Rarity explained. Applejack removed her foreleg from her eyes and braced herself against the counter.

"Okay, so Ah'm not pathetic," she replied, "but Ah still _feel_ pathetic," she reiterated.

"Applejack, stop thinking like that _this instant!_" Rarity shrieked, making Applejack jump. "I understand completely how confusing and irritating this can be, but hiding your feelings behind closed doors and tearing yourself up inside is not the answer!" She grabbed Applejack's shoulders, shaking her.

"Then what do ya propose Ah do?!" Applejack demanded, shoving Rarity's hooves away. "Jump into his arms at the Hearth's Warmin' Eve party 'n declare loud enough fer Cerberus ta hear that Ah love him!?" She screamed into Rarity's face.

"Of course not, be realistic!" The unicorn shook her head. Rarity cleared her throat, preparing her final words to help her friend. She knew she had to pick her words carefully, lest Applejack get the wrong idea and make her situation even more difficult and confusing. "Applejack, you _need_ closure," Rarity stated.

"C-closure? What in tarnation are ya talkin' about?" the orange mare asked, unsure of what Rarity meant.

"I mean, you need an answer. Even if Cougar does not return your feelings, having an answer will yank you out of this state and you will feel normal again, whatever _your_ sort of normal may be," Rarity explained sweetly. Applejack grumbled, ignoring that last part of Rarity's explanation.

"So, yer sayin' Ah _should_ tell Cougar how Ah feel? Like take him aside at the party 'n tell him in private?" She asked, hoping she was getting everything correct. Rarity shook her head, walking around to Applejack's other side.

"No, I am not saying that at all darling," she replied, "all I am saying is that you must do what is best for you. I can tell you that you'll eventually feel even more lost, confused and even sick if you continue this. If you feel you must tell Cougar how you feel, then that is your decision, not mine. I know it's difficult," Rarity added after a moment of silence, "but I have a feeling you'll make the right choice Applejack," she smiled sweetly.

"Thanks Rarity," Applejack sat up and wrapped her forelegs around Rarity. "Ah'm so glad Ah can count on ya fer this kind 'o advice," she hugged her friend tightly.

"Anytime Applejack, glad to be of service," Rarity easily returned the hug.

"Now then, about Spike," Applejack teased. Right before Rarity could do anything, Fluttershy's head peeked through the dressing room door, coughing slightly to get the to mares' attention.

"Uh, Oscar Polish said it's time to return to the stage girls," she announced meekly, "you know, if you're ready that is," she added, removing her head from the door and disappearing back onto stage.

"Later Applejack," Rarity quickly straightened out her purple mane, "we have a dress rehearsal to finish!" She trotted her way out of the room. Applejack looked behind at her reflection once again in the mirror, cocking her head from side to side. Without saying a word, Applejack nodded at the mirror and slowly walked out of the empty room, shutting off the lights and quietly shutting the door to rejoin her friends.

* * *

**(Back in Luna's Chambers. Cougar's POV)**

"Okay then, is everypony satisfied?" The butler pony known as Wadsworth asked all of us. We hadn't been in Luna's chambers for very long, but we had waited patiently for the butler to bring the eleven of us the graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate bars necessary to make s'mores in Luna's silver fireplace. It didn't take very long for the magic users of the group to roast their own marshmallows and sandwich them in between the graham crackers and chocolate, leaving the rest of us to roast them on sticks with our hooves and hands.

"Mmm, that shall be all Wadsworth," Celestia licked her lips before taking another bite. Glock was sitting next to her, balancing his s'more in his hooves as he took larger bites than his regal marefriend.

"I concur, why don't you take the rest of the day and tomorrow off to be with your family?" Luna agreed, floating a s'more over to Checkered Flag who happily accepted the snack. I had just completed making my first s'more and was taking small, gradual bites to savor the flavor. Now I was using this small window of down time to think about my speech to see if I had wanted to add or take anything away before I gave everypony a sneak peek.

"Oh, why thank you, your highnesses," the butler pony bowed respectfully, "I shall see you in two days Princess Celestia and Luna," he bowed once again as he turned to leave the room. "And a happy Hearth's Warming to you all," he bid us farewell as the silver and dark blue door shut. For the next few moments, nopony said anything while the crackling of the fire and the crunching of the s'mores were the only noises in Luna's private chambers.

"What?" I asked Bon Bon when I noticed that she was staring at me for about ten seconds straight. Blushing at having been caught, the light brown earth pony patted her chest whilst swallowing her bite.

"We're just waiting for you to start," she replied, "whenever you're ready, up to you," she shrugged, nuzzling closer to Lyra in front of the fire. Looking down, I saw the Crusaders all munching away at their snack, eyes wide and muzzles smiling as they were prepared and ready to go for me to begin. I leaned my elbow up on top of the mantle above the fireplace, casting my gaze at the ponies before me waiting patiently. With but a small bite left, I shoved the rest of my snack into my mouth and practically swallowed it without chewing.

"Yes, please do tell us Cougar," Luna pleaded, "this is the whole reason we came to my chambers," she reminded me, wrapping a wing around Checkered Flag and hugging him closer. I did find it a bit creepy that after Luna's statement all of the residents watching me leaned in a little closer. _'Better give them what they want I suppose,'_ I thought whilst dusting off my hands free of crumbs and then propping my chin up with my fist.

"Just let me think," I stated, hoping to quell them until they stopped staring at me like a museum exhibit. "I haven't really thought up an introduction just yet," I explained, still attempting to conjure up a decent one for my small audience. The main theme of the speech was a history of why I celebrated Christmas, and I prayed that what I managed to scrape together out of memory wasn't too boring for a short speech, but I wouldn't know until it was initiated. "A little more than two thousand years ago, a carpenter named Joseph married a young woman named Mary," I had commenced. Nopony was yawning or looking around the room, so at least I had them hooked, for now. "And they loved each other very much, but unbeknownst to either of them, Mary was pregnant as back in those times, there were no pregnancy tests that my species had when I lived on Earth to tell couples when the wife or girlfriend was expecting."

"Okay, so she's expecting, aren't most married couples?" Glock politely interrupted. I was surprisingly glad that some questions were being asked. The closest thing I could guess was that I was happy that they were interested enough to ask questions.

"Don't interrupt sweetie," Celestia lovingly patted Glock's shoulder.

"No, it's fine Celestia," I assured the couple, "I'm happy to answer any questions to the best of my knowledge. Anyway, the reason that her pregnancy was a big deal was: Mary was still a virgin. She and Joseph had not yet even attempted to conceive a child. You see, according to the Bible, my religion's history book, our God sent his son to be born by this couple to be the Messiah to teach the word of God unto the people of that time," I explained. The air was almost sucked out of the room at the statement that a virgin was pregnant. I was hoping that the three fillies present knew how baby foals came about, or else I'd have some explaining to do to Big Mac, AJ, Rainbow Dash and Rarity. But I pushed that aside to continue my speech and history lesson. "God also sent an angel to explain why Mary was pregnant and that God had already chosen a name for the baby: Jesus Christ. The angel also explained that when the time would come for little baby Jesus to be brought into the world, they would have to go to Bethlehem," I explained further.

"Why Bethlehem exactly?" Luna questioned with a hoof raised in the air.

"That, I cannot remember. And I don't have a copy of the Bible with me, so I'll more than likely never remember, I apologize," I replied, saddened and disappointed with myself for letting my friends down.

"Don't feel bad," Sweetie Belle smiled.

"Yeah, we all forget details at some points," Scootaloo agreed.

"Well, it really doesn't affect the story, so I guess it's not too big a deal," I drummed my fingers atop the fireplace mantle. "Anyway, when it came time for Jesus to be born, Mary and Joseph made the trek over to Bethlehem, but when they arrived at a local Bethlehem Inn, things didn't turn out the way they thought. The Inn Keeper unfortunately had no more rooms available, and while he didn't force Mary and Joseph, they had to stay in the barn behind the Inn. And then, only a few hours later, Mary gave birth to baby Jesus in a manger. As he was born, God sent a special star into the sky to alert Three Wise Men that the Messiah had been born and they were to bring gifts unto him. And that's where Christmas was born," I concluded the first part of my speech. "Yes, Bon Bon?" I pointed to the mare that had her hoof in the air.

"So, is that all Christmas is? Celebrating the birth of a special baby?" She asked. "I mean it's a really cool story, but is there more to it?" She corrected herself.

"Bonnie! Don't be rude," Lyra lightly shoved Bon Bon's shoulder. "You could've just insulted Cougar," she growled under her breath.

"Hey, that's fine Lyra," I tried to smooth things out between the couple. "She didn't insult me, don't worry. I'll get to what I believe Christmas to be once I move on to another important part about the holiday," I explained, clearing my throat. "But yes Bon Bon, Christmas was born the instant Jesus was born. My religion uses Christmas as a holiday to not only spread hope, but the spirit of giving and good will towards everyone around you. Basically, you do what you can to help make everyone's lives around you better, like the Inn Keeper. He could've just sent Mary and Joseph away, but he did the best he could and offered them a barn to keep them warm overnight. Every little bit you do can make all the difference," I added.

"Sounds really similar to Hearth's Warming, wouldn't you say?" Luna whispered to Checkered Flag. The white Earth Pony nodded and scooted closer until the blue alicorn wrapped her wing around his body, cuddling up to him.

"M-moving on," I stammered after tearing my gaze away from the couple, "over the course of many, many, many _many_ centuries, the same attitude about Christmas was upheld. However, later on in history, a new figure about Christmas would arise: Santa Claus. Now, I don't know how Santa got started; there are many different folklores about his origins, but the main one was a 4th century Greek Bishop named St. Nicholas who bestowed gifts to the poor until his death. And to honor him, followers of St. Nicholas continued his tradition of bestowing gifts to children in his honor to keep his memory alive. And then, about 1,300 years later, St. Nicholas evolved into Santa Claus," I explained. "And I use this term lightly because most facts about the man changed to being an overweight guy with a white beard, red suit, a sleigh full of gifts and lived in the North Pole of my planet with his wife, eight reindeer and an army of toy making elves," I added, chuckling at how I believed some of this when I was a kid.

"Huh, what's an elf?" Applebloom questioned.

"A miniature human about three feet tall with pointy ears," I replied, cracking my knuckles. "And the myth about Santa was he spent all year watching all the kids in the world to determine if they were naughty or nice. On Christmas Eve, he would take flight with his sleigh of gifts and reindeer and deliver presents to the good kids of the world and lumps of coal to all the naughty kids of the world."

"Uh, how could one fat human deliver presents and coal to every kid in one night?" Celestia questioned me. Lyra, Sweetie Belle and Checkered chuckled at Celestia's description of Santa, and I don't blame them.

"He didn't; he was made up, imaginary," I delineated, "remember, I said the 'myth' of Santa," I reminded the alicorn. "He's mainly for the kids, something else to look forward to during the holidays."

"Oh, right," Celestia blushed at her forgetfulness. I scratched the side of my head, trying to remember anything else about Santa Claus before I got into the real speech of why I really love Christmas.

"Let's see," I clicked my tongue of the roof of my mouth. "Santa also had a long list with the names of every kid in the world to keep track if they were naughty or nice, and he always checked it twice," I had to take a moment to laugh at the memory of the holiday song, "and kids would always leave out plates of cookies and glasses of milk for Santa to snack on while he unloaded their presents."

"Milk and cookies?! Now we're getting somewhere!" Scootaloo licked her lips, stuffing another s'more in her mouth. "Heh, sorry," she apologized for cutting me off and then let out a cute burp.

"Is that all the history of Christmas, Cougar?" Luna asked me, cocking her head to the side. I took a quick look at the crackling fire in the fireplace before looking back up at my group of friends and pushing myself away from the mantle.

"Yeah, besides you guys already know about he Christmas carols," I nodded towards Vinyl whom grinned and nodded in return. "But while most people always celebrated Christmas with both subjects in mind, myself included, there was and is one major reason I love the holiday season. You see, the people of my species wasn't always the kindest towards each other, yet that would change when December rolled around and Christmas was the next holiday to celebrate. I loved seeing the decorations, hearing the Christmas music, watching the Christmas movies and specials on TV, seeing kids laugh and play in the snow, building snowmen," a few tears began to form in my eyes at the few happy memories of my life back on Earth. Pausing for a brief second, I blinked the few tears out of my tear ducts and cast my gaze back to the ponies still waiting for me to finish my speech. I soon found that keeping my eyes free of tears to be more difficult; I couldn't keep my eyes off Celestia and Glock, Luna and Checkered Flag and Lyra and Bon Bon. All three couples were scooted as close as possible and nuzzling each other close as they all patently watched me.

I let out a short burst of breaths to keep my composure in check so I could finish, though I'm sure I worried a few of them. "What I love about Christmas more than anything, is that to me, Christmas is a holiday built on spending time with friends and family. Being close...to the ones you cherish...and..._love_," I managed to whisper the final word before shooting my hand up to my eyes to wipe them. The sound of whispering and shuffling soon drowned out the crackle of the fire beside me. I felt a tiny brush on my cheek and the outline of a golden aura from behind my hand.

"There, there," Celestia's motherly voice soothed me, "that was beautiful Cougar. I wholeheartedly agree about the same reasons for Hearth's Warming," she nuzzled my shoulder with her cheek. A small white cloth floated in front of my face while the alicorn continued to comfort me. I took the cloth and quickly dabbed my eyes and gently placed the cloth in her hoof just as the Crusaders appeared at my legs and hugged against me. These affections from friends did help me feel better, but deep down I knew there was something else missing.

"Cougar?" Lyra softly called my name.

"Y-yeah?" I asked, voice slightly cracking.

"With what you perceive Christmas to be, does this mean you'll finally tell Applejack?" She asked, never blinking once as she looked at me with such caring eyes. I gulped, not knowing what to say at first, and just stared at the mint colored unicorn that was holding hooves and snuggling with Bon Bon.

"I-I don't know," I stammered, "I just don't know." The next thing I knew, I looked up to see everypony (even Checkered Flag and Glock) all standing closer to me. The Crusaders still clung to my legs in a tight hug.

"We can help you, Cougar," Bon Bon assured me.

"Yes, we're behind you 100%," Luna agreed with the candy making earth pony. All the other ponies nodded their heads in agreement, all deciding to help me however they could with my problem.

"But, it's your decision dude," Vinyl cut in, taking off her sunglasses. "We won't force you and we won't tell you what to do," she explained. I couldn't say a word while my eyes scanned the ponies before me, still in shock at how eager they were to help me.

"If you need encouragement, we'll be here," Checkered grinned, looking over to Luna. There was a slight tapping just below my knee, snapping me out of my trance to look down at the pair of orange eyes that belonged to the filly that was practically my little sister.

"Ta be honest, there's nopony else Ah would be happier with bein' my sister's special somepony than yerself," she admitted, nuzzling my knee with the underside of her chin. I wanted to thank all of them for promising to be my support for that night at the party, but I couldn't come up with words good enough for how grateful I felt for their willingness to help me. However, I still had a lot to think about before the party, even the play that was set to start soon. A lot to think about, and the consequences for whatever choice I decided upon. The only thing I did know was that whatever choice I made had the potential to destroy the friendship between myself and the mare I had grown to love, and that's what I feared the most.

**End Chapter 31**


	33. Chapter 32: Love Finds a Way

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 32: Love Finds a Way**

* * *

**(Ponyville Castle Party. Cougar's POV)**

"A toast! To Twilight Sparkle, her son and her friends for putting on yet another perfect Hearth's Warming play!" Celestia raised a can of Coltweiser in front of everypony. We all raised our drinks in response and gave out a little cheer before taking a drink. "And a big thank you to Granny Smith, Big MacIntosh and Cheerilee for preparing the food for tonight's festivities!" Her wing gestured to the three aforementioned earth ponies. "Now, let us commence with not only our Hearth's Warming Eve celebration, but our first ever Christmas Eve party in honor of our friend, Cougar!" She added, tipping her can towards the front of the small crowd where I was standing.

"Whoo-hoo! Go Cougar!" Soarin cheered. The stallion had managed to show up to the play halfway through the final act. He claimed to have big news for everyone after a long day and flight from Las Pegasus back to Canterlot when he joined us on the train ride to Ponyville.

"Uh, thanks Celestia," I replied, not knowing she would call upon me in her toast. As she teleported off the balcony inside the castle and appeared beside Luna and Glock, Vinyl was busy double checking every cord and wire on her sound system before playing Christmas music, leaving us all to eat snacks, drink fruit punch or beer and enjoy time with our friends. "Hey, what's with the punch, Luna?" I asked the blue alicorn standing next to me. "Don't you normally go for something a little more, strong?" I added with a smart ass smirk. Luna sipped more of her wild berry fruit punch before turning to me.

"Well, Tia noticed I have been drinking beer a little more than usual and she was concerned that it could lead to a potential addiction," she explained to me. "And while I don't necessarily agree with that, she is my big sister and perhaps I could stand to drink something non-alcoholic," she smiled, patting my head with her wing. Checkered reappeared after refreshing his own punch and gave Luna a peck on the cheek.

"Hey Cougar, thanks again for introducing the mistletoe!" Lyra waved to me from the punch bowl where she was levitating said plant above her head and Bon Bon's. She quickly planted a light kiss on her marefriend's nose, earning a giggle from the earth pony. The candy making pony then slid her cheek against Lyra's, slowly and lovingly.

"You're making a mockery out of that by taking it with you everywhere!" I playfully joked at the mint colored unicorn. Though, there was apart of me that was beginning to grow tired of seeing the happy couples within the castle, as if something was mocking me for my feelings for Applejack. I had to turn back behind me when there was probably the gentlest of tapping on the back of my knee, only to look down and see the orange mare I was thinking about, looking as if she had something to ask of me.

"So, can ya tell me again why ya say 'Merry Christmas' instead 'o Happy Christmas?" Applejack asked me, adjusting her cowgirl hat so she could look at me better. Despite knowing that at least half of my friends were there to help encourage me should I decide to tell Applejack how I feel, for some reason I had trouble looking the mare in the eye, even having a little trouble with the same problem after the play and during the train ride back to Ponyville. Nevertheless, one quick look in her eyes earlier as we walked into the castle under the decorations had frightened me; I didn't want to ruin our friendship by sickening her or embarrassing her to the point she wanted me off her farm.

"The only thing I can even come up with is the phrase that a lot of people used around the holiday," I replied, tipping my hat bill down so I couldn't see Applejack's eyes, "Eat, drink and be Merry. Most people used 'Merry Christmas,' but there were some who instead said, 'Happy Christmas,' so there's really no wrong way of wishing someone to have a fun holiday," I concluded my explanation. The look she gave me was a strange one, almost a cross between one of satisfaction and one of disappointment.

"Ah guess that makes sense," I saw her scratch her mane, "say, Granny Smith's sugar cookies are done, do ya wanna go try some?" The orange mare offered me. I looked over at the food table where Granny Smith had a few plates full of sugar cookies and Big Mac and Cheerilee were talking and eating some of the holiday goodies with Pinkie Pie while Rainbow Dash was splitting an apple pie with Soarin. Pinkie Pie instinctively looked over in our direction and gave me a very friendly and enthusiastic wave of her pink foreleg.

"Eh, maybe later, I'm not really craving cookies right now," I replied apologetically, still holding the bill of my hat over my eyes. I could've sworn I felt a bigger twinge of disappointment radiating off of Applejack if only abruptly, but she was good at hiding some of her emotions. She let of a sort of sad sigh under breath as she came up with a response.

"Oh, well that's okay. Unless we leave Pinkie Pie alone, there'll be plenty 'o cookies later, if ya want some that is," she turned tail and trotted over to the others. The atmosphere certainly felt cheery, but the strange part was we were all split into two groups. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Spike, Soarin, Big Mac, Cheerilee and Granny Smith were on one side of the room while myself, the Crusaders, Luna, Checkered, Celestia, Glock, Lyra and Bon Bon stood near the punch bow. Being the odd pony out, Vinyl was in the middle of the room with her DJ equipment.

"You didn't even look her in the eye," Bon Bon appeared in front of me, "is everything alright Cougar?" She asked me, flipping my hat up and out of my eyes. A slight sip of my Marewaukee Brew calmed me down enough to warrant a response, but I still felt enormously pathetic.

"No, I just don't think this is a good idea," I said, setting my can down onto the table. "I'm not going to fuck up her holiday, okay?"

"Telling her over cookies would've been adorable, just saying," Lyra raised her hoof in the air. Over cookies? And right in front of her _family?_ Yeah, there was a reason why I chose not to go over with Applejack and why I still haven't manned up to tell her yet.

"Sorry Lyra, but that's totally not Cougar's style," Scootaloo shook her head. "If I had to imagine it, he seems more like the campfire type of guy to reveal something like that," she pondered.

"Your worry is perfectly fine, Cougar, but you could've at least looked her in the eye as she talked," Celestia offered me her opinion, completely disregarding what Lyra and Scootaloo had said. "I can understand how nervous and scared you might be, but that doesn't mean you can leave your manners at the door," she shot me a stern look.

"Look your highness," I returned the same stern glare, "telling her in front of her family doesn't bode well with me, okay? I'm really uncertain if I'll _ever_ tell her how feel, especially on an important night like tonight. Besides, if I somehow do figure out a way to tell her, I'd rather do it when we're all alone so in case I do embarrass her or sicken her, nopony will be there to witness it," I explained, taking off my black stetson to run a hand through my sweaty hair. Apparently it was Luna's turn to offer me some advice as she lightly moved my chin with her wing so I was looking her in the face.

"I agree with my sister, it's reasonable that you don't want to tell her as of right now, but why couldn't you at least look Applejack in the eye?" Luna asked me, much less sternly than Celestia but with just as much genuine concern for my feelings. "She is still your best friend, is she not? Just because you might be afraid does not give you the right to disregard Applejack completely."

"Well of course we're still friends, Luna," I rolled my eyes and scoffed at the blue pony's question, "if you guys think it's because I'm worried I'll turn into one of those idiots that blushes, stammers, stutters and crashes into things, that's not the reason. I'm still getting over the fact that I've fallen for a pony, okay?" This was quickly turning into quite possibly the most stressful night I've ever encountered while in Equestria. My friends weren't forcing me to go over to the mare at all, and I was thankful for their support, but I had a feeling in the back of my mind that they were just wanting me to grow a pair.

"You shouldn't think so negatively," Sweetie Belle piped up, "trust me, thinking the worst all the time _will_ make everything worse. I'm not saying to _always_ think positive, but you should think about how happy Applejack makes you," she explained. All I could do was breath, breathe and think as best as I could about the current situation that I found myself stuck in. Although she wasn't looking at me, across the room I could see her talking amongst her main group of friends, seemingly having a good time.

"I don't want to get my hopes up," I blinked, looking away from Applejack and back to the nearest pony around me: Luna. "I can try to think positive about all this and imagine the slightest possibility that she could harbor the same emotions, but I've given my hopes up plenty of times before, and I'm not willing to delude myself in front of everyone, not only making myself look like an ass, but putting a huge strain on the friendship Applejack and I have built," I squeezed the nearest table top so hard that my knuckles went completely white.

"Right, looking at it more realistically can help," Glock scratched behind his ear. _'Finally,' _I thought, releasing my grip on the table, '_someone who isn't treating this like they know exactly what'll happen.'_

"You're not saying that you're giving up on Cougar, are you?" Checkered nudged the pegasus on his shoulder. "We all promised to do what we could to help him without telling Applejack ourselves or forcing him to confess."

"Of course not, Checkered," the pegasus guard shoved the racing pony's hoof away. "All I'm getting at, Cougar, is sure she might not return the same feelings, but I severely doubt that she'll be embarrassed, disgusted or angered at you. And I know she won't kick you off her farm just for loving her," he patted my back.

"Maybe I shouldn't have said a fucking thing," I grumbled to myself, getting upset that we all weren't able to enjoy the holiday because of my problem. Looking up at the ceiling so I wouldn't have to look at anyone's face again, I took in a deep breath before continuing, "I'm happy already with being one of her best friends; that's one thing I plan on _not_ fucking up in my life," growled before earning a slap to my face.

"There are still three fillies present," Celestia glared at me, "there is no need for that sort of salty language and we are only trying to help!" She never blinked once while glaring just inches from my face. Her long horn pushing my stetson up slightly. I never truly realized how terrifying Celestia could be until she was mere inches from my nose and pissed, literally pissed off at me. "Forgive me, Cougar, but you are starting to sound a tad ungrateful for us offering a helping hoof."

"I'm not ungrateful Celestia, just thinking about every possible future that could come of my decision," I ducked below to get my personal space back. "And I hate to shift this on you guys, but what's really stressing me out is these feelings I want to let go, but I can't, and I'm surrounded by ponies in couples," I looked toward the trio of couples that stood around me.

"Did you ever think we're showing you how happy we are that we accepted our true feelings and let our special somepony's know?" Luna raised an eyebrow, silently sipping her fruit punch. That thought had never even been considered in my mind; all this time I was thinking about how stressed I was and I was taking my friends for granted as they tried to encourage me to stop being so pessimistic. This made me feel even worse than I was already. They were giving up a small part of their holiday so I could be happy, and here I was throwing off every negative vibe I could right back at them. Right as I was about to just give up talking about this and letting everyone else know, Twilight's aura burst around us like fireworks until she stood in the middle of our small group, right in front of me to be precise.

"Hey guys, Princess Celestia and Luna, what's going on?" She asked. "Parties are supposed to bring friends together, not separate them," she informed us in her know-it-all voice. For some odd reason, no one spoke up to reply to Twilight; I knew I really didn't want to talk to her while I was already feeling stressed. "Don't everypony explain at once," she said under her breath. "Is somepony mad at somepony else?" She asked.

"Ahem, no Twilight Sparkle," Luna cleared her throat, "our friend Cougar was still in need of some critiquing on his speech," she lied straight to the other alicorn's face. While I didn't expect Luna to just outright lie, I did expect at her to at least give Twilight the run around so she wouldn't catch on to what we were really discussing.

"Oh, well then I can certainly be of assistance to that!" The purple alicorn beamed, conjuring up a stool with her magic. "Okay, just give me a little summary of your speech and I'll see what I can do to help," she offered, leaning closer to my personal space than I was comfortable with. In all honesty, I felt like giving her the plot to _Silent Night, Deadly Night_ so she'd keep quiet, but I knew at least Celestia or Luna would scold me for it, so I kept my mouth shut.

"Cougar, are you gonna give Twilight a brief summary?" Lyra questioned, poking me in the ribs so I would pay attention. After crushing my empty can and tossing it into a nearby trash bin, I scooped up some punch into a paper cup and pretty much guzzled the liquid down.

"If that was truth," I sighed after emptying the paper cup, "I would, Lyra." I could literally feel the blue alicorn next to me mentally slap herself in the face with her hoof on account of me ruining her little ploy, probably to help get my mind off of AJ for a little bit so I could think more clearly about my feelings. "Twilight is, somewhat of a friend," I refilled my cup and talked with a slight hint of condescension towards the purple pony, "so she deserves to hear the truth, that is if she can keep a secret," my hand braced the table behind me yet again while I leaned against it, sipping my punch and raising an eyebrow to Twilight.

"Somewhat?" Bon Bon cocked her head from side to side. Twilight ignored her and stood up from her stool, walking ever so slowly in my direction; everyone parted like the Red Sea, allowing her a clear path to approach me. The expression on everypony's face was pretty amusing; they all looked as if they were watching an intense tennis match at Wimbledon.

"This is about your feelings for Applejack, isn't it?" Twilight asked, looking seriously up into my eyes. _Splat!_ The paper cup in my hand stood no chance as it clenched like a vice in a T-Rex's jaw at the shocking mention of my personal feelings. "Aha!" The mare exclaimed triumphantly, but not before wiping herself of what used to be my drink with a towel.

"How the hell do _you_ know?" I demanded, dropping the remnants of the paper cup onto the floor. I was **done **trying to hide this from everyone who asked, having grown so fucking tired of lying, changing the subject and then having to explain it so many times.

"It actually wasn't that hard to deduce," she responded like Sherlock Holmes. "And it really helps to have a sister-in-law who-" she began before I cut her off with a little bit of shouting in her face.

"_FUCKING CADENCE!" _I cursed the alicorn's name under my breath, earning me a wing slap from both Luna and Celesita.

"Hey, watch what you say about my sister, Cougar," Twilight glared at me just as a new song started up from Vinyl Scratch's sound system. "Your secret is completely safe from Applejack, but I do want to help you," her expression softened into a smile. "I saw how distracted and generally miserable you were after talking to Applejack a few minutes ago and during the train ride; you don't have to do this to yourself," she advised me.

"Yeah so?" I asked, "what the hell do you care?" I added more harshly than I wanted.

"I care about the well being of my friends, and I _do_ consider you a friend," she replied as if she'd prepared for this conversation. "Trust me, you'll be a lot happier if you get this weight off of your shoulders."

"And just drop it onto her shoulders? You know I'm not selfish, Twilight," I lowered my gaze to her. When we all stood in silence listening to the songs on Vinyl's system change, I grew tired of waiting for someone else to take the spot from me. "You guys can drop in at anytime, I don't care," I looked back up to the ponies surrounding us.

"No; Twilight is making some really good points," Checkered admitted, giving a nod to the purple pony.

"That's not what I meant, Cougar," she didn't miss a beat in our conversation, "it may catch Applejack off guard, but even if she doesn't feel the same, she can help ease you back into your friendship instead of casting you aside like a rotten piece of fruit just for feeling this way."

"I swear if you tell me you know what you're doing because you read it from a book, just shut up," I held my finger in front of her eyes. Her magic engulfed my finger, pushing it aside to clear her vision to look me straight in the eye.

"My sister-in-law has taught me much about how love works ever since she married my brother," she said in a really creepy, low voice. "I may not be an expert in my own relationship with Flash Sentry, but the biggest thing Cadence told me was that keeping your emotions inside of you like this and not telling the one you love how you feel can end up hurting you more than if you tell her," she revealed. "All I want is for you to have a fun and happy holiday, and I won't rest until that happens," she swore. Her gaze drifted away from me over to the crushed paper cup still in my clenched hand and behind me to the punch bowl. "Would you all like some more punch? It seems we're out," Her demeanor quickly snapped back to her normal, friendly and helping one.

**(3rd Person POV)**

"If you'd like," the human replied once he realized how much punch the small group, mainly himself, Luna and the Crusaders, had drank in the time since the party started at 10:00 P.M. "And, please," he attempted to sound apologetic over his recent remarks to the alicorn.

"My pleasure, it _is_ Hearth's Warming and Christmas Eve after all," Twilight smiled. "Oh, and I can't wait to hear more about Christmas," she added before teleporting herself and the empty punch bowl into the kitchen. Once inside the deserted room, she let out an exhausted groan and began to fish around for the mixing powder in her pantries. "That human can be at least fifty times more stubborn than Applejack!" She said to herself. "Hmm, I wonder if I should add that to my biology report," she tapped her chin.

She was telling the truth, however. Helping friends is what she was crowned a princess for; solving a friendship problem during the holidays made her the perfect pony for the job, that is if the friends in question would cooperate! Despite not being an expert in relationships and romance, Twilight could tell that _both_ Applejack and Cougar held some sort of feelings for each other, but she dared not tell one how the other felt; she knew that only they could reveal those kinds of personal feelings. But seeing how miserable Cougar felt bottling up his emotions from the Element of Honesty, Twilight felt it was her time to jump in to offer some advice.

"So, I can't say anything for either one," she talked to herself, checking another shelf in the pantry for the fruit punch mix. "Could I set up dinner plans for just the two of them?" Twilight pondered after finding the package of drink mix. "No, neither can be tricked that easily. This would be so much easier if Cadence were here," Twilight poured water into a mixer full of the fruit punch powder and began to shake the large jug with her magic. Twilight wanted to write up a quick letter to her sister, but she didn't want to bother Cadence and Shining Armor during the holiday in the Crystal Empire, and she was afraid of raising too much suspicion if she asked Spike to send a letter. "Ooh! Maybe giving each of them a gift using their names could jumpstart the conversation!" the purple alicorn said to her reflection in one of the kitchen windows. "No," her face deflated, "I can't even count how many times I've seen that plot device used in kids books before," Twilight tasted the punch after mixing it all together.

"Mmm, Grape-Strawberry," the pony licked her lips and hiccuped.

"Hey mom, where have you been?" Spike suddenly asked seemingly out of nowhere.

"Gah!" Twilight shrieked and jumped at the startling event, accidentally dropping the jug of fruit punch into the sink. "Spike, knock next time please," she rubbed her head right above her horn. "Now I have to mix together more punch," another package of mixture levitated over to the now empty jug.

"Sorry," the dragon nervously chuckled, "you just kind of ditched us to go talk to the princesses without saying anything," he explained, "and then you just disappeared from their group too. What's going on?" he questioned his mother, leaning against the counter right next to her. A sigh was the first response the drake had received from the alicorn next to him, giving him the impression that he was annoying his mom. "You're not mad at me, are you?" He added. Twilight's head snapped up and turned to her side.

"Of course not Spike," she nuzzled the drake's cheek, "you haven't done anything to make me mad at you," she assured him with a quick hug whilst levitating the fruit punch in the air.

"Then besides getting more punch for the party," Spike returned the hug, "what were you doing? Did Princess Celestia need to talk to you? Or did you want to ask Cougar something else about Christmas?"

"Actually, I went over to see why the party was split up into two groups rather than everypony sticking together in one large group," Twilight replied. " And my suspicions were confirmed that Cougar's just having trouble coming to terms with a personal problem, that's all," she sighed once again, though more frustrated than before.

"Oh, well did you figure out how to help him?" Spike asked, hoping to not upset Twilight.

"No, that human is so stubborn! He's perfect for Applejack!" She accidentally blurted out. Her hooves immediately covered her mouth as her eyes grew big while staring at her dragon son.

"Woah, wait a second," Spike held his hands up, "are you saying Cougar is attracted to Applejack?" He asked in disbelief. Seeing that the jig was up, Twilight removed her hooves from her muzzle and nodded slowly. "Geez, I can kinda seem them together though," he scratched his chin. "Do they both feel the same way to each other?" He added. Twilight responded with a quick nod, causing the dragon to whistle both impressed and quietly.

"That's what I really want to help him with, but he's acting like he doesn't want any help from anypony. Even though it looks like Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Lyra, Bon Bon and the Cutie Mark Crusaders are trying to encourage him, yet he's ignoring it at the same time," Twilight explained her situation. "And it doesn't help that I can't think of anything that could help him," she added.

"But even if you did think of anything, he's probably gonna ignore you?" Spike concluded her thought.

"Exactly!" Twilight exclaimed, "and he's growing more miserable and agitated the more he keeps stuffing his feelings down, I'm only trying to help him!" She groaned again in frustration, running a hoof through her purple mane with a pink streak until it was messy.

"Well, you can't force him or trick him," Spike slowly straightened out his mother's mane, "maybe there's a way you can show him the truth about how happy he can be once he accepts his feelings and tells AJ?" Twilight came a sudden stop as she was heading out the door of the kitchen, causing Spike to crash into the back of her. "Uh, mom?" he asked, trying to get her attention.

"Truth?" The mare said to herself, an idea dawning on her as a smile appeared on her muzzle. "Of course," she grew happier as her idea materialized in her scientific mind. Why hadn't she thought of this before? This could work to her advantage of wanting to have a perfect Hearth's Warming for her regular friends, and a perfect Christmas for her newest friend. Not to mention, both Applejack and Cougar would be happy that they could finally get past all of the negative ideas they used as excuses to not tell the other about their true feelings. "Spike, I need you to do something for me," Twilight requested the purple reptile. "Could you please go back to the party and tell them I'll be right back out with the punch?"

"Suuuuuure," Spike replied slowly and puzzled, "why can't I just bring out the punch?" he questioned.

"Oh, there's one more ingredient that Berry Punch showed me that'll make any store bought punch taste hoof made," Twilight smiled her usual squeaky smile. Spike always felt uneasy whenever his mother said or did anything with this sort of tone, as if she were hiding something, but without proof, Spike feared he would just be an accuser and greatly disappoint Twilight, one of the few things he never wanted to; this was tough, but the love he had for the mare that raised him as her own outshone his suspicions.

"I'll get right on that," Spike smiled in return, "I love you, mom," Spike hugged the mare around the neck and kissed her cheek.

"You're the best son ever, Spike," Twilight returned the hug and moved so the dragon could return to the party out in the foyer. Once he was gone, Twilight put her magic to work again, opening up another cupboard and floating a glass over next to the jug. There was a bright flash of her magenta magic as she teleported herself out of the kitchen to another room in the castle, looking for the secret ingredient to help her plan come to fruition.

Back out in the foyer, Spike had rejoined the party, or at least the group he and Twilight were hanging out with originally. Just as he mixed back in with Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Cheerilee, Granny Smith and Big Mac, Spike overheard the end of a conversation between Applejack and Rarity. "Rarity, Ah think Ah'm ready," Applejack leaned closely to the white unicorn, whispering loudly.

"Ready for what, Applejack?" Rarity asked, adjusting some of her mane on the back of her head. Although the white unicorn had an idea of what her orange friend was talking about, Rarity knew that getting Applejack to say out loud what she needed to say would help her understand how good it felt to admit a secret of this proportion. Applejack gulped, hating to have to explain herself when she mentally begged Rarity to understand her subtlety.

"Well, ya know Cougar's speech is comin' up pretty quick," she began, having some difficulty looking at the unicorn in the eye. "Ah, Ah was thinkin' that after his speech, Ah could take him aside ta like the kitchen or somewhere 'n tell him...Ah...love him," Applejack began to trail off near the end. A proud grin from Rarity made itself known when she smiled greatly at Applejack's admission, but she was not the only one to feel happy.

"Oh Applejack, I've always thought you and Cougar were a perfect match for each other," Fluttershy complimented the mare. "You're both hardworking, enjoy physical fitness, honesty and Cougar's gotten you to be a little less stubborn than usual, no offense," Fluttershy felt nervous about that last compliment.

"I agree," Spike joined into the conversation, "not to mention he did kind of save your life," he added.

"Oh my gosh!" Pinkie Pie hopped up and down while balancing a cup of cocoa on her head, "this is the best news I've ever heard since Rainbow Dash joined the Wonderbolts!" She exclaimed. "Let's just say Applejack, I've been planning something special just for this occasion," the pink mare winked at the farming mare and wrapped her foreleg around her neck. "How about it AJ? You tell Cougar how you feel tonight, then we can have a TRIPLE party extravaganza tomorrow! Hearth's Warming, Christmas and you and Cougar's One Day anniversary?!" She shook Applejack's head like a rag doll.

"It'd be cool to finally have another couple to double date with," Rainbow Dash smirked, "Soarin and I have gotten a little bored just going out to eat or watch movies alone. Sometimes adding in another couple makes it more fun," she explained.

"What about Twilight and Flash Sentry? They can both fly," Fluttershy asked her fellow pegasus friend.

"Let me rephrase that Fluttershy," the athletic pegasus cleared her throat, "a _cool_ couple. Twilight and Flash are kinda lame when it comes to dating," she shrugged her shoulders.

"Hey, that's my mom you're insulting," Spike crossed his arms. Rainbow Dash shrugged again and ate a sugar cookie nonchalantly. Having all of this praise about her decision made Applejack feel incredibly uncomfortable. So uncomfortable in fact that sweat actually began to appear under her mane line and traveled down the sides of her face.

"Ain't y'all gettin' a little ahead 'o yerselves here?" She asked to somewhat deaf ears. Fluttershy certainly heard her as well as Spike and Big Mac whom, unbeknownst to Applejack, secretly approved of her feelings for the man. He knew he was very different from the two farm workers that tried to take advantage of his sister. Cougar would do anything for Applejack to make her happy and safe; the red stallion trusted the human for that.

"Speaking of which, where did Twilight go, Spikey?" Rarity questioned the purple dragon. Spike unfolded his arms, remembering what he had returned to the party for and leaned against the table. "The last I saw of her, she was speaking with Cougar, but even then she didn't say why she needed to talk to him."

"Mom was just mixing up more fruit punch. It doesn't take long, but she said she had a special ingredient that Berry Punch gave her to make even store bought fruit punch mix taste hoof made," he explained. "And knowing her, she'll be right on time for when Cougar gives his little holiday history speech or whatever," he let his eyes linger on Rarity's own eyes for a moment, surprised that the unicorn said nary a word. Just then, the purple alicorn in question burst from the kitchen, acting as if she found the fountain of youth or the answer for the creation of the universe.

"Okay, I've got more fruit punch!" Twilight announced as she trotted her way over to the center of the room with a levitating glass of the drink and a jug large enough to fill up the empty punch bowl. "Come on everypony, this is a holiday party; let's all gather around together instead of avoiding one another!" The alicorn suggested, pouring the drink into the punch bowl and levitating it over to the center table in front of Vinyl Scratch.

"I can't argue with party logic!" Pinkie Pie set her pet alligator atop her head and bounded over to the punch bowl. There was an awkward air of uncomfortableness as Applejack and Cougar led their respective groups over to the new table, standing on either side. "Mmm, smells delicious Twilight, can I have the first drink?" Pinkie begged her friend, getting ready to slurp most of the punch with her tongue.

"No," Twilight tied Pinkie's tongue into a knot to keep her quiet. "I figured that since Cougar is about to perform his part for the party, he could have the first drink of our fresh bowl of punch," she floated a ready made glass over to the human.

"I have my own cup you know?" Cougar didn't move his arm to take the offered cup from the pony. Instead, he grabbed a paper cup from behind him and shook it sarcastically to Twilight's face. "But thanks for for making the cup anyways," he said, starting to scoop up the punch from the bowl.

"But then this punch will go to waste!" Twilight protested, practically shoving the glass cup she made into Cougar's face, shaking it back and forth. "You might as well drink this and then continue to use the glass cup," she attempted to persuade the man.

"Just give it to someone else?" Cougar suggested, feeling slightly creeped out with how much Twilight wanted him to try this punch. However, the alicorn wouldn't take no for an answer as she stood her ground and never moved the cup once from Cougar's face. As for the rest of the group, Twilight allowed them to scoop up their own drinks, but that didn't stop them for feeling slightly uncomfortable with the princess of friendship's actions.

"Ah've never seen her so adamant like this before," Big Mac commented, taking a step back from the purple pony. While most of the ponies agreed about this, even taking their own steps away, Applebloom couldn't help but feel something else was off rather than Twilight's attitude, more so than everypony else. There was a strange odor in the air that Applebloom was sure nopony else knew what it was, or else they would have said something. Her orange eyes fixated on the glass that was still floating in mid air, trying to think of why Twilight wanted only Cougar to drink from the glass. She silently slinked her way over to Cougar so she could sniff the air around him and better understand just what Twilight was up to.

"Where have Ah smelled that before?" her nose inhaled the aroma leaking off of the glass. She knew that it was punch, but it sure as Tartarus didn't smell like fruit punch at all. It was so familiar to her that she thought it could've been the same scent of a scented candle, but she quickly scratched that off the list of possibilities when she took another whiff. The smell was almost like a cross between sour grapes and grass, not too unfamiliar scents in Equestria, but something about both of them being together piqued her curiosity. "Did Twilight 'n Ah make somethin' that smelled like this before?" She asked herself, trying to remember the most recent potions she and her alicorn teacher had brewed up. Her eyes lit up in horror, however, when Cougar mentioned the one word that was on the tip of her tongue.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I think you're acting a little crazy Twilight," Cougar exclaimed. "Besides the fact that it's a paper cup versus a glass cup, what the hell will be different?" He asked.

"And why are you so against drinking from a glass, mister?" Twilight countered the pilot. "Think of it like you're the guest of honor, that's why I got you a glass," she once again tried to win him over. Sighing in absolute anger and frustration, Cougar yanked the glass out of the air, clenching it in his fist.

"I think the Apple family for cooking all the food, Vinyl for volunteering to bring us holiday music and Luna and Celestia who chose to spend the evening with us are all more honorable guests than I am," Cougar took the cup in his grasp, "but if it'll get you to shut up," the human mumbled, bringing the tip to his mouth.

"COUGAR, NO!" Applebloom hopped into the air and smacked the glass out of his hand, sending it flying to the ground where it shattered into a thousand little pieces. Vinyl stopped playing her music while everypony stood in shock at what the little filly had done. No one could say a word while staring at the pile of broken glass and puddle of punch that Applebloom was now standing over, breathing heavily. The clopping of hooves brought Applebloom to attention as Big MacIntosh towered over her, glaring daggers.

"What in Celestia's name are ya doin' young lady!?" He demanded, snorting like a bull. "Haven't Applejack 'n Ah taught ya manners 'n respect?" He asked.

"Ya don't understand big brother!" Applebloom retorted in self defense. "Cougar can't drink that because it wasn't just punch," she revealed, causing everyone except Twilight to look concerned, especially Cougar. The human pilot slowly turned his head towards the alicorn, glaring at her intently.

"What the fuck did you do to my drink?" He demanded through a tightly clenched jaw. Twilight tried her damnedest to act like nothing was wrong and it _was_ just normal fruit punch, but being put on the spot like this and with an over six foot tall angry human towering over her, her acting couldn't surface.

"She put _TRUTH SERUM_ in that punch!" The filly pointed a hoof at Twilight. If it were at all possible, the amount of silence actually dropped so far that even crickets went silent. Slowly, almost zombie-like, the guests turned their angered faces to the Princess of Friendship.

"Truth serum? Are you sure, Applebloom?" Lyra questioned the yellow filly.

"Ah knew Ah recognized that smell from before. Twilight showed me how ta make it after Nightmare Night!" It was at this point that Twilight gulped in fear, not for being caught, but for the fear of disappointment from everyone around her. Her body began to shake as her head slumped down into her shoulders to avoid eye contact with anyone.

"Twilight Sparkle…" Celestia began in a deep almost growling voice. "What is the meaning of this unorthodox behavior?" She asked, bending her head low so she could look her former student in the eyes.

"What were you trying to do to our friend, Twilight?" Fluttershy questioned. "Drugging him isn't friendly in the slightest!" the yellow pegasus actually raised her voice a little. Everyone started to close in on the purple alicorn little by little until they formed a circle around the pony.

"You were trying to get him to spill more information about his planet, weren't you?" Rainbow Dash accused, bopping Twilight's nose rather hard with her hoof.

"N-no, that wasn't it!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Then what was it?" Applejack forced her way into the circle. "Can't ya respect Cougar's privacy? If there were things he wasn't ready ta tell us, then ya respect that 'til he's damned good 'n ready!" The orange pony scolded Twilight. "Ya can't force somepony ta reveal private secrets like that!" She added.

"I just wanted to help him! And help us have a fun and memorable holiday!" Twilight's eyes began to water as her emotions ran wild.

"By forcing secrets out of him!?" Luna's Canterlot voice boomed, shattering a few windows in the process. "I would think the princess of friendship would know better than this!" She shouted once again, shaking her head at the purple pony. All the accusations and hoof pointing came to a grinding halt when Cougar stepped forth, parting Lyra and Bon Bon out of the way so he could get a clean look at the pony that had fallen to the ground, trying to drown out the anger hovering above.

"You tried to drug me, Twilight?" Cougar asked in a shaky voice. Everyone was both scared and angry at the exact same time. Angry at Twilight for her deplorable actions and scared because they had no clue what their human friend's response was going to be, Luna and Applejack especially for what they remembered from both the timberwolves attack and the brutal assault on the drunk pony during the Estrus weekend.

"I-I had the best intentions, Cougar, you must know that!" Twilight pleaded. "I knew about your problem and I wanted to help you overcome it so you can enjoy the holidays!" The pilot took in a deep breath through his nose. He wanted to just summon up every ounce of anger fluctuating within him and let it all out at the pony that was slowly curling up into the fetal position because of the situation. Cougar wanted to vent just how much he didn't like Twilight before, and how he now absolutely _loathed_ the pony. However, instead of a worded reaction, Cougar spun around on his heels with the perfect definition of anger on his face and flipped the empty punch bowl off the table and into a wall with a deafening _CRASH. _

The guests of the party jumped a little at the sudden action and noise as Cougar breathed heavily, nearly like Michael Myers as he did all he could from lashing out at Twilight Sparkle. "C-Cougar?" Applejack spoke out in a hushed tone. No response was given from her friend, so Applejack did what she would always do for a friend in need: She tip-hoofed around the small crowd that stood in shock and awe at what used to be the large crystal punch bowl and softly touched Cougar's arm. "A-are ya-" she began before the human jerked his arm away from her hoof.

Cougar opened his eyes and looked behind him at the orange mare that he had fallen for, but instead of feeling better in her company, his anger took control of his actions and he shoved the table out of his way, nearly knocking it and everything else on top over and onto the floor. "W-wait, we can talk about this, don't go!" Applejack seemed to beg as the man stomped his way out of the castle, slamming the door so hard a few shards fell to the floor in a clatter.

Everyone in attendance felt horrible for Cougar for what Twilight had tried to do to him. They had respected his decision to keep a few memories and facts from his previous dimension secret after the dungeon incident, and he in turn was a good friend to just about everypony he met, give or take a few citizens. Their attention turned back to the pony that had even more tears streaming from her eyes when she watched the door slam shut. With no words spoken, all the guests at the party moved away from Twilight, leaving her alone in the fetal position on the ground. As if they were all mentally linked, the group began to pack up the party. "Hold on!" Twilight tried to plead, sitting up onto her haunches. "I-I can fix this, please don't leave!" She begged of everypony.

Her pleas fell upon deaf ears; no one wanted to listen or speak to her. Twilight sat helpless on her haunches while Vinyl took her musical equipment away, the Apple family took the rest of their food away and Pinkie started to take down some of the decorations. "P-Pinkie Pie?" Twilight squeaked. The pink mare's poofy mane suddenly deflated into a long and almost emo-like style, frightening Twilight even more.

"Party ruiner," she said under her breath. "Come on Gummy, mama'll make you cupcakes at home," she stuffed her pet alligator into a saddlebag. As much as Twilight wished this was a bad stress induced dream, everything was coming apart. The perfect holiday that Twilight dreamed of was completely shattered, and it was all her fault. One by one, everypony that had attended the castle party left, leaving Twilight nearly alone in the somewhat empty room with pieces of trash and a few tables scattered about.

"P-Princess?" Twilight attempted once again to get somepony to talk. Celestia and Luna ignored their downed princess, leaving with Glock and Checkered Flag whom both acted the same as their marefriends, though Luna had to keep Checkered from talking to Twilight.

"Ya comin' AJ?" Big Mac asked his younger sister. Applejack hadn't moved an inch since Cougar had left. She stood in the same spot, just allowing everypony to walk past her. Her heart actually hurt; she was more than ready to tell him her secret feelings, but that chance had vanished like smoke in the wind. She knew she couldn't track him down and tell him now. The man was too angry and betrayed to take on something heavy akin to that. Applejack felt as if this was her one chance, and it now it was gone. Telling Cougar during the holidays felt like the perfect time with how calm and cheery the atmosphere in Equestria was. And she hadn't a clue how long he would be like this, whether it be a week or a month, when he would return to his normal self, it would be too late.

Finally, the orange mare slowly began to move her legs one by one. Like a snail, Applejack followed her family members out of the castle and into the town on the way back to Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight Sparkle shut her eyes, trying to keep her tears from flowing as the weight of the incident bore down into her like never before. She felt awful at what she had done and wished she could take it all back. _'If only I had thought this through,'_ she mentally cursed. The slapping of feet on the floor made her ear twitch, alerting her that someone was still inside the castle.

"S-Spike?" a small croak escaped Twilight's strained throat when she wiped her now puffy eyes. The purple dragon folded his arms in front of his mother, giving her the exact same stare she would whenever he would do something bad as a child. "Spike please, I-I know I messed up. I just need somepony to talk with," Twilight softly touched the drake's foot with her hoof. The only thing Spike did was shake his head in disappointment and quickly snapped his foot away from the purple hoof. "PLEASE!" Twilight begged, "Spike, I'm sorry! Don't leave!" She begged after the dragon. Spike opened the door to his private room, but not before taking one last look at his mother and shutting the door behind him.

And with that, Twilight Sparkle cried harder than she ever had in her entire life.

* * *

**(Sweet Apple Acres)**

The walk back to her home was one Applejack wanted to soon forget. She didn't know _what_ she was feeling as her four hooves trudged through the snow shoveled paths that were carved into the ground. She hoped to catch a glimpse, no matter how brief, of her human friend whether he was trying to cool off with a walk or just sitting somewhere alone. But alas, she had given up her hopes and saw nary a sign of Cougar, as if he had vanished completely. She wasn't feeling heartbroken, but the mare believed it to be one step below heartbreak or heartache. All she knew was she was feeling down, possibly a little depressed, both for missing the only opportunity to get her love off her chest and because she wanted to just make the human she was in love with feel better; she hated seeing him angry or hurt.

"AJ, are ya gonna be okay?" Applebloom asked her sister once the four members of the Apple family and Cheerilee crossed under the Sweet Apple Acres sign. Surprisingly, not even the little filly said anything so far on the walk back from the Friendship Castle. The shock of what Twilight had attempted rendered the majority of them without the ability to speak. Instead, they had angry looks carved into their faces, thinking only to themselves, with the obvious exception of Applejack. Applebloom was a little frightened with Applejack's demeanor, having always seen a confident and adventurous spirit radiating off of her 24/7, a saddened state made her sister nearly unrecognizable. However, the saddened mare led the way up to the house as small gusts of wind blew her pony tail across the front of her face and snow powder swirled around her entire body.

_Creak_

Applejack swung the front door open and strolled on inside into the darkness of the living room. "If there's anything we can do for you, we're here," Cheerilee tried to sweeten up the mood, but the orange mare didn't hear the teacher as she ascended the stairs alone. Applejack knew that ignoring her family and brother's marefriend was not polite in the slightest, but she needed some time to think, and the way she's always done this was by lying down on her bed in the dark. A sigh made itself known once she reached the top of the stairs and journeyed down the upstairs hallway to her room. Cheerilee and the rest of the Apple family stood in an uncomfortable silence in the dark while listening to the quieting hoof steps of Applejack walking down the hallway.

"Ah'm gonna go check on her," Applebloom announced once everypony heard the soft sound of her sister's door shutting. The filly's little legs scrambled on the wooden floor, trying to carry her to her destination, but a tug on her red mane stopped her until her legs were running through the air. "Hey, lemme go big brother!" She demanded from Big Mac.

"_Nope,"_ Big Mac replied with a shake of his head and a muzzle full of mane. Applebloom stopped moving her legs and Big Mac set her down, thanking Celestia that she didn't try to run again. "AJ just needs some thinkin' time right now; she's got a lot she needs ta figure out on her own," he explained to his baby sister.

"What does she have ta think about exactly?" Applebloom's eyebrow raised up into her hairline. "Twilight did somethin' wrong 'n tried ta fool Cougar into spillin' more secrets, what is there ta think about?" she demanded. Granny Smith, Big MacIntosh and Cheerilee exchanged quick looks before shaking their heads at little Applebloom.

"Yer still new ta relationships, Applebloom," Granny Smith patted her granddaughters head, "this is a lil more complicated than what yer used ta," she tried to explain. Applebloom was about to tell her grandmother that she already knew more about relationships thanks to being around Big Mac and Cheerilee and to some extent, Rainbow Dash and Soarin, but Big Mac took over for the elderly pony before she could say a word.

"Eeyup, Applejack was talkin' ta us at the party while yerself 'n Cougar were on the other side 'o the room with the princesses and whatnot. She _was_ gonna take Cougar aside right after his talk about Christmas 'n finally tell him how she's now in love with him. We said we would support her on whatever decision she chose to follow." Applebloom's eyes nearly burst out of her skull when the red stallion finished his statement. She had a sneaking suspicion that maybe Applejack did harbor feelings stronger than friendship for her human friend, but never got around to asking, though of course she knew how Cougar felt about her sister.

"Y'all ain't gonna believe this," she remarked, sitting on her haunches with a head shake. "While Cougar ran a practice speech with us back in Canterlot, Lyra asked him if he was gonna tell Applejack about his feelins' when he said his favorite part 'o Christmas was spendin' time with loved ones. We didn't know fer sure what he was gonna do, so we tried ta show him how happy he could be once he released his feelin's from inside," she replied.

"Well, ain't that a kick in the flank," Granny Smith slumped into her personal sleeping chair.

"What can we do? Ah don't want my sister or one 'o my best friends bein' miserable fer the rest 'o their lives!" Applebloom exclaimed. Being the caring brother that he was, Big Mac reached underneath his baby sister with his hoof and swiftly plopped her onto his back.

"There ain't nothin' we can do, little sis," he exhaled. "We don't even know where Cougar is; Ah don't blame him at all fer stormin' off like that after what Twilight tried ta pull, havin' been there myself," he reminded Applebloom about her little Gabby Gums episode.

"Your brother is right," Cheerilee nuzzled up to both Big Mac and Applebloom. "I know it seems unfair, but you should know that when it comes to love, it's for the best that the ones who love each other are the ones who tell each other. When, not if, but when Cougar comes back, we'll see what happens between the two. As for now," the maroon earth pony looked behind to see Granny Smith snoring away, "the sandpony is doing his job," she hugged the little filly. Applebloom sank lower onto her brother's back as he carried her to bed like he used to when she was a foal with Cheerilee following along. With a tiny kiss to the forehead, Big Mac covered up Applebloom before heading off to bed in his room with Cheerilee. Applebloom tossed and turned for a few minutes, unable to keep her eyes off of the window and looking outside to the entrance to the farm.

"Please, come back Cougar. My sister needs ya," she yawned and finally shut her eyes. Meanwhile, Applejack was the only pony in the house not even attempting sleep. She wasn't tired at all, but that didn't stop her from tossing and turning atop her blanket. Not knowing was the biggest factor that made Applejack feel, depressed. Even if Cougar wanted to stay friends, at least knowing would've made her feel much better than she did now, despite probably making herself look like a fool. _'You're not a fool, Applejack. That's not possible,'_ she cracked a small, brief smile at her imagination of Cougar replying to her thoughts. But the smile quickly vanished when she turned around to the window sitting on the wall next to the side of her bed. Everything else in the room was dark, and all she could hear besides the creaking of her bed was the ticking of her clock while the empty side of her bed next to the wall was shown brilliantly under the silver light of Luna's moon.

_'No, Ah don't cry,'_ Applejack thought once a tear tried to form in her eyes. She blinked it away and sucked in a deep breath through her nose as her hoof gently rubbed the empty area next to her on her bed. She had never felt this way about a boy before, but at that moment, all she wanted to do was hold him tight and never let go, constantly telling him how much he meant to her. He was almost like a male version of Fluttershy with how sweet he was, especially around the Crusaders and her family in general. He was also a hard worker, loyal, independent and a very good friend. Those things just made Cougar the perfect, _man, _to her, and Applejack didn't want to lose him. The orange mare drew her hoof back towards her body and rolled over onto her back, staring up at the blackness above her.

A song had begun to build up inside her, and with nothing else she could do, Applejack gave in to the one thing that seemed to make her feel better whenever she was down, no matter the problem facing her. The orange mare turned her head back out to the window as the first words of her song escaped out of her mouth.

_I hear the ticking of the clock_

_I'm lying here the room's pitch dark_

Propping herself up with a grunt, Applejack crawled over to her window sill and rested her chin atop her forelegs, peering to the snowy ground outside. She could still make out the trails of hoof prints her, her family and Cheerilee left leading to the front area of the house. But the one set of prints she wanted to see were non existent in the snow, bringing another sigh from her lips.

_I wonder where you are tonight_

_I'm lonely and so very cold_

Her mind drifted to some of the happiest memories she could recall in the seven months that she slowly fell for Cougar. As if somepony else was controlling her movements, Applejack's hooves lifted up her window and she crawled out onto the roof. Her hooves crunched the snow below her while she walked along, still singing and recalling memories.

***Flashback***

**Cougar looked over to see Applejack curled up by herself on the other side of the rug inside the abandoned castle of the Two Sisters. The adrenaline that was coursing through the orange pony's body was finally draining, leaving her with little energy, low temperatures and some slight pain after their ordeal. **

**"Hey, come here," the human patted the floor next to his leg. The orange mare's ears pricked up and she turned her head over in Cougar's direction. "We better share body heat with the fire to get our temperatures back up," he explained, extending his arm out in a friendly invitation. Weakly and with her bad leg, Applejack limped her way over and collapsed next to Cougar, Snuggling up closer to his leg and placed her head on his lap, like Winona would to back home.**

**"Thanks fer savin' my life Cougar," she thanked him and softly shut her eyes. Her soft breathing and the crackle of the fire in the fireplace were the only things Applejack's ears could hear; Cougar barely made a sound. Her body flinched as she felt his hand lay across her head, gingerly stroking her golden blonde mane. Despite the horrifying episode the two went through, Applejack felt a spark of warmth spreading through her veins, only amplifying every time her human friend petted her mane. At that moment, she never felt safer than practically in his arms, and she never wanted to let go.**

***End Flashback***

Applejack reached the end of the roof as a few pieces of snow crumbled down the ground below. Taking a quick survey of the drop, the orange mare saw a few barrels within easy jumping distance. Feeling no ounce of sleep dragging her down, the mare leapt from the roof and bounded down a few of the barrels, landing with a soft _thud_ on the snow covered ground, never missing a beat of her song.

_And the night goes by so very slow_

_Oh I hope that it won't end though_

_Alone_

She began to trudge through the snow once again, walking over to the nearest tree, placing a hoof against its trunk and raised the octave in her voice, caring not if she awakened her family. Her slumped head raised itself upwards to the night sky, continuing her song.

_Till now I always got by on my own_

_I never really cared until I met you_

_And now it chills me to the bone_

_How do I get you alone_

_How do I get you alone_

Another memory surfaced in her mind as she turned from the tree and proceeded down the unbeaten path through the orchard. A swirl of wind and snow surrounded the pony, sprinkling her fur and mane with little bits of white powder that glistened and made her shine off the light of the moon.

***Flashback***

**Applejack was standing in the kitchen of her home with Cougar. The incident with him locking himself away in the Canterlot Castle dungeons was over; the duo had just concluded washing dishes, having a good conversation and saying farewell to their pink friend. **

**"That's one of the terms, to see if I can last here with Pinkie Pie," Cougar cracked a small smirk. That little smile warmed up Applejack something fierce; it pained her to see him when he was so sad and depressed. And it made her feel better knowing that he was feeling better. Applejack chuckled and lightly slapped the man's back.**

**"Well, dishes are done," she tossed a dirty dish towel into a small hamper after drying off her hooves. The mare nervously rubbed the back of her neck as her cheeks started to turn red with an idea she wanted to try, but was afraid of Cougar's reaction. "Uh, do ya mind if Ah try somethin'?" She blurted louder than she meant. **

**"Sure, I guess," he replied with a confused chuckle as to what she needed permission for. The orange mare blushed even harder, stood on her hind legs and kissed his cheek, and not just a small peck like Celestia gave Cougar on the forehead or the ones he gave to Applebloom on her forehead either. She left her lips on his cheek for a good five seconds before removing them.**

**"Sweet dreams parter," she smiled as the moonlight glimmered off her eyes and she trotted upstairs. Her lips didn't stop tingling until well into the next morning. She always remembered how good the electrifying sensations in her cheeks and chest felt when her lips were planted on Cougar's cheek. **

***End Flashback***

_You don't know how long I have wanted_

_To touch your lips and hold you tight, oh_

_You don't know how long I have waited_

_and I was going to tell you tonight_

The farming mare blinked several times as the memory went away and her singing paused if only for a few seconds to get a bearing on her surroundings. Applejack discovered she had wandered close to Cougar's shack without realizing it; a strange feeling, almost like a siren's call drew her to the human's little home, ever so slowly. Still feeling more of the song left in her heart, Applejack slowed her pace down as her hooves pulled her towards Cougar's shack so as to not wake him if he had arrived without her knowing.

_But the secret is still my own_

_and my love for you is still unknown_

_Alone_

Call her crazy, but AJ swore she could see the faint silhouettes of herself and Cougar as the duo refurbished what once used to be an old, run down shed into a nice and livable shack for him to live in. The mare bellowed out the loudest note she had ever sung in her life as she leaned against the wall, still unable to check and see if he was home.

_Till now I always got by on my own_

_I never really cared until I met you_

_And now it chills me to the bone_

_How do I get you alone_

_How do I get you alone_

_How do I get you alone_

_How do I get you alone_

Applejack's heart hurt once more; aside from his bookshelf, cot, military duffel bag and his old black and red Drive to End Hunger hat, there was no trace of Cougar anywhere. This was it, her one best chance to be Rarity for a night and throw her forelegs around Cougar's torso, pulling him close and telling him how much she loved him, and it was gone. AJ cried on the inside, only Pinkie Pie knew of this, and it was going on full force. The man's cot creaked and groaned as she climbed on and laid down, caring not that it may have looked a bit unorthodox to some. Her loneliness crept up on her once more, forcing one more memory of Cougar to surface. The one memory that confirmed her feelings.

***Flashback***

**Applejack saw herself and Cougar dancing the night away at the Grand Galloping Gala. The two were moving to the rhythm of the song he had chosen; Applejack instantly loved the selection. **

**"Ya look real good in that there tux," she complimented the man. He had reminded her before the night of the Gala that he had very little experience talking to women back where he came from; that's another thing she found so innocent yet charming and, _cute_, about him.**

**"You look great in that dress too," he quickly, yet cooly replied, at least he thought so. And I really like the way you did your mane tonight." T****he mare smiled, leaning her head closer until it was snuggling up under his chin, making her feel complete. ****"Smooth Cougar, ya flatterer," she teased.**

**_Heaven in your eyes oh_**  
** _Heaven in your eyes_**  
** _I can see the heaven, heaven in your eyes_**  
** _Heaven in your eyes_**

**As the song finally ended and the sounds of applause from hooves clacking against the marble flooring echoed within the giant room, Cougar felt his hands moving up and gingerly caressing the side of Applejack's face that had been lifted from under his chin, her face feeling warm and flush to his touch. Cougar's mouth opened and closed several times, trying form the right and coherent words to say to her, but couldn't. "_Cougar?" _Applejack whispered softly as she looked straight up at him, her head moving closer to his. _'Is this really happenin'?'_ She thought to herself. Applejack had only kissed his cheek before, and only once or twice actually thought about how different the texture of his lips could be. **

**Neither couldn't breath as a choke caught itself inside Cougar's throat, disabling his voice box and ability to breathe for a second or three. The mare could only recall how empty and cold she felt when she believed she had scared him off when he blurted, "_I gotta go!"_ and jogged away.**

_Alone, alone..._

Applejack concluded her song, curling up all alone once again, only atop Cougar's cot. Her hoof reached up and removed her cowpony hat from her head, gently setting it right next to Cougar's cap on the bookshelf close to the cot. Her emerald eyes shut again, trying to catch the ever elusive form of sleep.

* * *

**(With Cougar. Cougar's POV)**

_"It's Truth Serum!" _Applebloom's words repeated over and over in my brain like a tape stuck on infinite loop. Of all the things that Twilight could've tried to get me to confess more information of my previous world, I never thought she would become this obsessed. _'Who are you bullshitting?'_ I thought. Of course I knew she wanted to help me get past the Applejack situation, but that wasn't why I destroyed her punch bowl and stormed off from the castle. She tried to drug me, that alone should call her entire character into question; whether or not everyone was still at the castle I had no idea.

It wouldn't surprise me if a few ponies, namely Fluttershy and Celestia, stayed to get answers out of Twilight. Then again, they _all_, even Spike, looked pretty pissed at her for what she tried. And what if Applebloom was too late in swatting the drink from my hand, or what if she wasn't there at all? It _scared_ me to think of what I could've blurted out other than my stance on Applejack. Not for things I've committed, but rather what my species as a whole committed, the things I'd like to forget forever. But alas, here I sat, perched on an empty branch of a tree overlooking Ponyville Lake, knees up under my chin with my elbows rested atop my legs. The recollections of the night and my previous, _home_, overrunning my thoughts, unable to forget anything. That was until the familiar sound of flapping wings brought my head up as some drifts of snow floated by.

"Cougar, of all the places you could've sought out to quell your anger, a tree was not the first place on my list to check," Luna's wings folded against her body as her hooves touched down on the branch next to mine. Her voice carried the hint of worry that slowly melted away once she discovered my 'hiding' spot. The alicorn then gently laid down, staring out into the reflective surface of the frozen lake.

"Well?" I asked her.

"Yes?" She turned her eyes to me, still not saying much else. What the hell was this mare up to? I expected her to come and try to make me feel better or something along those lines.

"No telling me that it's wrong to just up and leave my friends and storm off like that? No telling me to buck up and accept Twilight's apology? Or that I should be with Applejack and her family if I'm feeling down?" I asked, _much_ harsher than I meant it to sound. But strangely enough, Luna responded with a smile. Her right wing opened up and softly wrapped itself around my back like a blanket.

"I too sometimes like to be alone outside with my thoughts. Who better to think with than yourself?" She replied with a question. I sighed, turning my head to look at her wing that gradually rubbed my back. Honestly, it was nice that she didn't come to tell me what I did wrong or that I should be with the Apple family instead of fuming all alone. That was the only thing that would've made my situation worse; I didn't want to spend the rest of the holidays angry at Luna.

"You did one hell of a job with the night sky, as usual," I tried to crack a smile. The blue alicorn leaned closer and wrapped her wing around my torso even more, giving me a tight, friendly hug complete with a warm chuckle.

"Why thank you, Cougar. I normally like to kick things up a notch when it comes to Hearth's Warming," she explained. "Did you have the Aurora Borealis back where you came from?" She asked as we both looked upwards at the inky sky that showed off the dancing red and green bands of light.

"Yeah, it was pretty popular in Alaska," I responded, still sounding a little stoical. "Most of our postcards featured the Borealis above a lake in the winter time," I added.

"It's one of my favorite creations of the night sky during the winter solstice," she smiled again, turning her gaze back to me. "Cougar, I do not blame you one bit for your anger directed towards the Princess of Friendship," she began.

"Could we _not_ talk about this Luna, please?" I cut her off, shaking her wing away from my back. Expecting her to look a little hurt, I prepared to apologize but was shocked when I turned to her, only to see the exact same expression that Donald Pleasance had at the end of _Halloween. _"I'm sorry for snapping at you," I quickly apologized, feeling horrible, or more so than I already had.

"Oh it's quite alright. I'm no stranger when it comes to anger, and you have every right in the world to be angry at Twilight Sparkle." It sounded as if she was going to go off on an advice trip. "And I know what happens when your anger gets pushed to a certain degree, but all I ask of you is please do not feed that emotion. You were already frustrated before, and it was certainly unfair to have more stress bestowed upon you, but you have your friends, especially Applejack, to help you push your anger away," she tried to comfort me.

"Do you expect me to just up and forgive her already? Or to instantly forget what happened in the flash of a lightning bolt?" I asked her. She shook her head softly, even tilting it to get a better look at me. Her branch suddenly glowed with her magic, causing her to move even closer to me until our branches become one.

"No, nopony is _that_ forgiving, even the Element of Kindness. It took her at least a day and a half to forgive Discord after what transpired between him and Tirek," she explained, leaning back against the tree like myself. "However, I _do_ know of several different solutions that can help dissipate your anger until it vanishes completely, namely spending time with friends. I wish I had talked with Tia when I grew angry at our subjects shunning my night; that anger quickly transformed into jealousy."

"And then jealousy led to hate and then your hate led to suffering from the both of you," I cut her off, finishing her story. "I picked up on that from when you told me the story," I reminded the blue alicorn.

"Correct," she blinked a few times in response, "and I am reminded of how many sufferings you have gone through; I wish for you to never suffer as much as you did in your old home," she said sweetly, patting my hand with her hoof. _Home._ That word had eluded me for so long that it may as well have been Chinese or Latin for all I cared. I used it in place of Earth from time to time, but the word had lost all meaning when referring to the planet/dimension I used to occupy. That's why I was angry about nearly being drugged tonight.

"I'm not so much angry," I slowly replied, "as I am scared, Luna," I shakily admitted.

"Whatever do you mean by that? You don't seem frightened by anything to me, Cougar," She asked in a puzzled tone. I sighed yet again, running a hand through my hair and sputtered. But the alicorn never blinked as she looked to me for an answer, and I was planning on eventually ditching the tree for the familiar comfiness of my cot, so I didn't have much choice in the matter.

"Am I angry? No, not angry. I am upset, however," I explained. "Upset that a supposed expert in friendship would stoop to something that low, even if she was trying to help me with my problem."

"Upset would be an understatement if that had happened to anypony else," Luna said in shock. "If you were just upset, then what caused you to storm off and destroy a crystal punch bowl?" Luna inquired, leaning closer to me. I wish I had a cold can of beer in my hand; that would make what I was about to reveal so much easier. But, as I've learned in 24 years, life isn't easy, nor fair.

"I was, scared okay?" I admitted. "Yes, I wanted to tell AJ on my own damn terms, but who knows what I could've said while drugged with that shit?" I asked her. "I could've told you guys things I've tried to forget every day for over twenty years, things that would give fillies and colts nightmares that would have you working quintuple overtime for months on end, things that would make you guys, afraid of me," the harshness of my words softened as I took a deep breath to keep the tears in my eyes from overflowing my eyelids.

"Cougar, just because some rotten members of your species committed horrible acts does not mean we shall hold you accountable," she tried again to hug me with her wing, but I pushed it away, holding my head in my hands.

"Yeah, but who knows if I'm destined to become just like them further down the road, huh?" I asked. "All throughout school, we were told that mankind's most basic yet most treasured instinct was survival. And I'll tell you that it's a bunch of bullshit_." _

"What is your main instinct then if it's not survival?" Luna curiously questioned.

"F-forget it, I've already said enough for you to send me to live in the Everfree Forest or to Tartarus," I looked away from my friend. I then felt a pair of hooves on my shoulders as I was turned at the speed of sound to look Luna straight in the eye.

"You _must_ stop blaming yourself for acts evil members of mankind performed. I'm sure there are more positive things about your old home than you remember, if only you looked harder," she continued to try and make me see the brighter side to placate me. My response, however, was a dark chuckle as I shook out of her hooves and jumped down from the branch into the snow below. She glided down on her wings and landed next to me, awaiting for what I had to say next.

"Luna, Equestria feels more like a home than Earth ever did to me, and I've been here only seven months versus twenty-three years on Earth. But Earth was a violent, cruel place filled with equally violent, cruel and selfish people; _that's all I've known my entire life_. Yet, seeing how joyous and peaceful Equestria is has made me realize how much I don't fit in here. Not just because I'm a different type of creature, but who knows if or when my species' natural instincts unmask themselves and I fall down the same path that the inhabitants of Earth did? Equestria is a home, Luna; Earth was just a place."

The alicorn stood in silence, mouth slightly ajar as her brain processed my mini-speech. The snow beneath her hooves _crunched_ as she shifted around in her spot, attempting to come up with a reply. I felt a sudden twinge of guilt for dropping so much angst filled information on her. It was completely unfair of me to force my problems onto her, but before I could tell her to drop it, she gently pushed me onto the icy surface of the frozen lake with her wing. "Walk with me, Cougar," she said in a motherly voice. She held onto me with her wing so I wouldn't lose my balance, but I still had a hard time figuring out what she wanted. We were good friends, so killing me was definitely not on the list of things she wanted to do. "Nothing shall happen to you, I promise that."

"What are we doing out here exactly?" I asked once we reached the middle of the lake. The lake itself wasn't very big, but I knew size didn't matter when temperature was the name of the game should the ice break.

"Tell me, you were afraid of falling down the same path as the majority of the people in your world?" Luna questioned.

"_Yeah_," I whispered back at the alicorn.

"And explain again, why did you join the Air Force?" She used her wing to lift my chin when I was caught looking away from her.

"T-to see if I could make a difference. To see if I could somehow help stop all of the evil running around and to be the best human being I could. But no matter how hard I fucking tried, the world continued to grow more violent and cruel with each passing day!" my voice rose, but this didn't faze Luna a bit.

"Mmmhmm," was Luna's response. "And allow me to guess, you shut yourself away from the entire world at a young age when one of your friends died, leaving you with no one but your friend Reaper and his parents?" A gulp and another nod was my response.

"Th-there was also my C.O. Stinger who was like a grandfather to us," I added. "I stopped listening to the news and rarely left base, only speaking to Reaper, Stinger and the rest of my fellow squad mates. I thought if the outside world couldn't reach me, I wouldn't become what the outside world was," I explained.

"Cougar, look down the ice for me," Luna suddenly requested.

"What?" I asked, completely jarred by the request.

_"LOOK_ at the ice for me," she repeated, this time in a demanding tone. I jumped a bit and then obeyed, hoping to not piss her off. My eyes drifted downward until they were met with my reflection. "Now, do you see a violent, evil and cruel human, bent on selfish ventures no matter who he harms?" She never gave me a chance to reply as she looked down at her reflection as well. "From what you've told me Cougar, because life continuously pushed you down in the mud from the death of your biological parents to the deaths of close friends and other good people around the world, you never took got the opportunity to discover who you really are and just assumed what you would become. No, I see a man who kept getting up when life shoved you down. I see a loving, loyal, honorable and caring man that due to the love and friendship shown to him for nearly a year, is beginning to find who he really is."

I looked away from our reflections in the ice to the pony with several tears started to form in my tear ducts. She smiled sweetly before bowing her head and then touched my hand with her horn. Her magic coursed through my body as my vision blurred for but a second until I saw her walking backwards with her wings outstretched. And then, Luna opened her mouth and a heavenly voice filled the cold air.

_When you find yourself_

_In some far off place_

_And it causes you_

_To rethink some things_

There was another surge of Luna's magic that coursed within my veins. My vision of the blue pony faded, only to be replaced with a vision, a vision of me when I awakened in the hospital in Luna and Celestia's castle.

***Flashback***

**"Could you please tell me where I am?" I asked. My voice was shaking a little, but who wouldn't be a little nervous in my situation? Being tended to in a hospital in an unknown country? And who knew if they were just going to nurse me back to health and use me for target practice? The heavenly voice cleared her throat before replying.**

**"You are in the royal infirmary in Canterlot, Equestria."**

**"Excuse me?" I replied in shock. I then froze when I felt the bandages peeling off my face and my eyes were bombarded with bright lights. They were open, but I could barely see anything until my sight was adjusted.**

**"He has blue eyes huh? I imagined him havin' green eyes fer some reason," a southern female voice remarked.**

***End Flashback***

My vision faded away and I once again found myself on the frozen lake with Luna. I was guessing she accessed my memories through her magic, channeling them through her song for me to see.

_You start to sense_

_That slowly you're becoming someone else_

_And then you find yourself_

_When you make new friends_

_In a brand new town_

_And you start to think_

_About settling down_

Instead of my sight dissolving away, there was bright flash of white light that blinded me. I blinked several times and saw the memory of when Applejack, Applebloom and I completed my shack at Sweet Apple Acres.

***Flashback***

**I finally had Applejack check the time and we found out it was already 5:00 in the evening, but we were done. The shed now had new walls to keep me warm in the winter time and keep me safe. I still needed a new window, but I'm sure we could find one at a hardware store in town.**

**"Good work Bloomin' Onion," I complimented Applebloom for helping us. I was shocked she didn't earn her cutie mark since she was amazingly talented at construction and wood working.**

**"Thanks Cougar," she hugged my leg before letting go, "Ah gotta git ta mah crusaders meetin', Ah'll se ya'll later!" She called while galloping away.**

**"Ya best be home 'fore sundown ya hear!?" Applejack called out to her.**

**"Thanks to you too Applejack, I couldn't have done this without you," I thanked my technical boss.**

**"Aw shucks Cougar, yer mah guest and it wouldn't be very neighborly 'o me to leave you alone to do this, specially with yer back," she replied, "speakin' o' which, we should get ya checked out with the local doc at the hospital to be sure." I nodded, knowing she was right.**

**"I'll go get my duffel bag and then I'll come back and help sweep," I said with a grin.**

**"Ok, Ah'll jest be here sweepin' by myself!" I heard Applejack call back. I got my duffel bag and put my aviator sunglasses back inside and wiped the sweat forming on my forehead.**

***End Flashback***

_The things that would have been lost on you_

_Are now clear as a bell_

_And you find yourself_

_That's when you find yourself_

The second memory had ended, but my vision didn't return to where I could see Luna. I was still seeing the bright flash of white light, but I could still hear Luna singing away, even feeling her foreleg around my neck when a third memory was brought to the light, this one was when I comforted Applebloom after her fight with Diamond Tiara.

***Flashback***

**"I hate her, I HATE her so much!" Applebloom wailed and buried her head into my stomach. She tried to choke back her sobs, but I couldn't let her bottle up her pain for very long, knowing how dangerous that was.**

**"Shh, just let it out, let it out Bloomin' Onion," I shushed her and rested my head atop hers as my own tears began to stream from my eyes. "Please tell me what's wrong," I whispered as I rubbed her back as tenderly and softly as I could as she continued to cry. When she couldn't respond, I just said, "It's okay, Cougar's here for you," I cooed like a big brother comforting his sister. My body froze as it realized what I had just said. _'Where is this coming from?'_ I thought to myself, but brushed it off.**

**We both sat on her bed for about thirty minutes before her crying finally stopped. "I hate her Cougar," she said for a third time and wiped her nose. I turned around and grabbed a box of kleenex off her nightstand and handed them to her. I wiped my own eyes so she wouldn't see I had been crying with her.**

***End Flashback***

_When you go through life_

_So sure of where you're heading_

_And you wind up lost_

_And it's the best thing that could have happened_

_Because sometimes when you lose your way_

_It's really just as well_

_Because you find yourself_

_Yeah, that's when you find yourself_

Luna had concluded singing and I could feel her horn touch the side of my headed, clearing my eyes so I could see her once again. "So you see, Cougar. You've done great things ever since you've been here. We showed you mercy and friendship; that helped enable who you truly are, especially when you comforted little Applebloom both when she fought with Diamond Tiara and again once she passed her first step to becoming a mare. I showed you the three most prominent memories. When you arrived, when you really started to grasp and expand friendship in your life by fixing up your shack with the Apple sisters and then comforting the youngest member of the Apple family. Those three memories are key points of when you found who you really are," she explained.

Both of us jumped when I was cut off by a new singing voice that appeared with a flash of golden light. Celestia walked towards us from the edge of the lake as a stream of golden magic hit me square in the chest, causing me to jolt and experience even more memories while still being able to hear hear singing.

_When you meet the one_

_That you've been waiting for_

_And she's everything_

_That you wanted and more_

***Flashback***

**"We best be goin' soon Cougar," Applejack patted my leg and we both stood up.**

**"So, what do you want me to do to help you guys?" I asked her. AJ turned around to face me and leaned close to me, even though she was about three heads shorter than myself. She placed her hooves on my chest and stood up, looking into my eyes.**

***End Flashback***

_And you look at her and you finally start_

_To live for someone else_

_And then you find yourself_

_That's when you find yourself_

***Flashback***

**I looked over to see Applejack curled up by herself on the other side of the rug.**

**"Hey, come here," I patted the floor next to me. The orange mare's ear pricked up and she turned her head over to me. "We better share body heat with the fire to get our temperatures back up," I explained. Weakly and with her bad leg, she limped her way over and collapsed next to me. She snuggled up to my leg and placed her head in my lap, like my dog used to do.**

**"Thanks fer savin' mah life Cougar."**

***End Flashback***

_We go through life_

_So sure of where we're heading_

_And then we wind up lost_

_And it's the best thing that could have happened_

_Because sometimes when you lose your way_

_It's really just as well_

***Flashback***

**"Well, dishes are done, oh and do ya mind if Ah do somethin' Cougar?" She asked me permission.**

**"Sure I guess," I replied, confused as to what she needed permission for. The orange mare blushed, stood on her hind legs and kissed my cheek. And not just a small peck like Celestia gave me on the forehead or the ones I give to Applebloom, she left her lips on my cheek for a good five seconds before removing them.**

**"Sweet dreams parter," she smiled as the moonlight glistened off her eyes and she trotted upstairs. I brought my hand up to my cheek and held it there until the tingling sensation went away.**

**"Yep, and that's another one," I said to myself.**

***End Flashback***

_Because you find yourself_

_Yeah, that's when you find yourself_

The final image I saw before Celestia returned my sight to my eyes was of myself and Applejack at the Grand Galloping Gala. Our faces were close and my hand was gingerly rubbing the side of her head. "Go to her, Cougar," Celestia said. I darted my eyes around to get the flashes of light out of my vision. "It's time," she added, fondling my cheek with her wing. Without second guessing, I took off for the edge of the lake in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. I traded the thumping sound of my feet on ice for the crunching of my feet on snow.

"Thank you, for everything!" I shouted to the two sisters.

* * *

**(Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)**

Luckily for me, the ponies that shoveled the paths did a perfect job as I was met with zero obstacles running like The Flash all through town. I never stopped to take a breath or to rest my legs; I had one mission, one goal in mind: Finally tell Applejack I loved her, no matter her response. As long as she still wanted to be my friend, it wouldn't kill me to tell her. I kicked up a ton of snow when I came to a sudden stop under the sign in front of the farm, allowing my lungs to suck in as much air as possible. I realized I had run about a quarter of a mile in about a minute, something I never thought I could do before.

"What the hell?" I asked as I looked upon the roof below the second story windows. The roof's blanket of snow was disturbed, as if somepony had kicked or walked on it and jumped down to the ground. I jogged over to the barrels below the roof and found hoof prints not only not the lids, but a trail of them leading away in the fresh snow. Backing away, I took a second look at the roof to see who exactly did this. "Applejack?" her name escaped my lips as I saw that it was her window that was opened. My eyesight drifted down to the trail of hoof prints again, only this time I tried to follow them. My index finger traced the trail in the air while I walked side by side with Applejack's trail. My mouth opened and closed a few times when I saw that it led directly to the front porch of my shack. I knew she didn't leave because their was no secondary trail of hoof prints leading away.

"Hello?" I asked, poking my head through the doorway where I saw a lump of orange fur resting peacefully on my cot. Whether she was asleep or not, I couldn't tell; there wasn't a snore that escaped her mouth. Why was she here in my shack in the middle of the night? She wasn't kicking me off the farm for what I did at the party, was she? I questioned myself. My feet couldn't move, though I desperately wanted them to. My body was like a statue, unable to do anything except stand and stare. Applejack's belly and chest rose and fell as she breathed, but she still didn't notice that I had entered. In the blink of an eye, I was instantly right in front of the pony with no memory of walking forward at all. Like I was being controlled by someone else, I sat down on the edge of the cot and scratched behind AJ's ear.

"Hmm?" She stirred, blinking her eyes a few times. She looked up at me and started drawing in short breaths. "C-Cougar? ya came back!" I was bombarded with a tight bear hug from the pony as she squeezed my body. "Ah was so worried about ya, please don't leave like that again," she begged, burying her face into my chest.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked, moving back so she would look me in the eye. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" She wasn't ready to answer the question, however.

"Where in Equestria did ya go?" She asked me. Applejack sat up on her haunches, moved away from our hug and hung her rear legs over the edge of the cot, mimicking what I was doing. "We tried ta catch a glimpse 'o ya, but ya hid pretty well," she said.

"I just needed somewhere to go to clear my head, that's all," I explained. "Luna found me sitting in a tree near the lake," I added, folding my fingers together. Applejack scooted closer to me, placing her hoof on my hand to get my attention.

"Ah told ya that ya could talk ta me about anythin'. Ya had me 'n my family worried sick," she repeated, looking back up at me with saddened eyes. Guilt now swarmed me for just leaving her and her family without so much as saying I needed time to clear my head. She didn't deserve that and neither did her family after all they've done for me.

"I'm sorry Applejack, I didn't mean to worry you," I apologized, wrapping my arms around her. It wasn't an original apology, but I meant every word of it, and I hoped that Applejack could see how truly sorry I was.

"Yer back 'n safe, that's all Ah care 'bout," she smiled, "it's no problem." She returned the hug, squeezing me and rubbing her cheek against my shoulder. It felt nice feeling her warm body cuddling up against me, but I _had_ a few other important priorities. My hand removed itself from her torso and I squeezed her hoof gently.

"Applejack, I'm not mad, but what are you doing in here?" I asked for the second time. Still cuddling against me, the orange mare rested her chin against my shoulder, propping her head up to look at me.

"Ah just wanted ta see if you were back," she said quietly, "'n when Ah found that ya weren't home, Ah didn't have the energy ta go back inside so Ah laid down on yer cot ta rest my eyes fer a bit," she explained. "'N Ah was hopin' ta be awake if ya came home tonight," she added. "Ah wasn't waitin' ta yell at ya or anythin' like that," she assured me.

"You know I'm not worth waiting up for," I managed to crack a smile. The mare huffed, slapping my shoulder.

"Yer worth more than ya know, Cougar," she bit her bottom lip, unable to look me in the eye for some reason. A single strand of her golden blonde mane was interfering with her line of sight; I used my thumb to brush it away. Her cheeks started to gradually turn pink with every stroke of my thumb on her face. "Did you 'n Princess Luna have a good talk?" She questioned, not in a hurt or ungrateful tone, but one of genuine curiosity.

"Actually, we did. She helped me see that I shouldn't hold my anger against Twilight for long, or else it could affect you and everyone else around me. I didn't want to make my problems yours; she helped extinguish some anger. And I actually learned a lot about myself."

"Ya did? Like what?" Applejack questioned, cocking her head to the side, indicating she interested. My tongue moisturized my mouth, helping me remember what Luna taught me to answer Applejack.

"Like how I've become a better person since I fell into Equestria," I laughed at how odd that sentence was. "Or more precisely, that I've always been a good person and I was just too blind and scared to see it; all the friendship you and your friends and family have shown me broke down those barriers without me realizing it," I explained. Her orange ears twitched as she thought which was pretty cute I had to admit.

"Scared? Ah ain't seen ya scared since," she had to pause to try and remember a time that I was actually scared. "Well, since ya had yer breakdown and locked yerself in the castle dungeons," she exclaimed. Ah yes, that's an incident I'll probably never live down, but that wasn't the point of this conversation. I had already explained this to Luna, so it was easier to explain to Applejack.

"Well, when I found out that Twilight tried to force more secrets out of me with Truth Serum, I was upset at her, but I went into defensive mode because I was scared I would tell you something horrific my species had committed and you would all ostracize me for it, never wanting to see me again," I admitted to an audible gasp. I twitched when her hoof collided with the back of my head. She didn't hit me hard, but good enough to get my attention.

"How could ya think like that? After how long we've known ya and how many good deeds ya've done here, especially how Applebloom gets along with ya, we'd _never_ judge ya fer what other members 'o yer species did!" She scolded me.

"Looking back on it now, it was stupid of me to think that," I sighed, "but I was worried what would happen, I did lose my temper in order to cover up my fear, it's just natural for my species to immediately trigger anger to hide fear," I said.

"Come here," she stretched her forelegs out, beckoning me for a hug. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around her and we hugged each other tight. However, I could sense she had ulterior motives for hugging me rather than just to comfort me. She sighed both happily and nervously, as if she had something to hide.

"Applejack, what else is on your mind?" I asked as I broke our hug and leaned closer to where our noses almost touched. Her heartbeat increased; I could feel it as my fingers still didn't leave her cheek. Time seemed to come to a screeching halt while I awaited her response.

"Ah-Ah, uh," were the only sentence fragments that she could say. "Ah just can't, okay?" She blurted out, moving her head away from my hand, yet she stayed perfectly still in her spot.

"Hey, you can tell me anything," I wanted to reach out to her, but my arms wouldn't obey me. "You're my best friend; I won't judge you on whatever's on your mind. I'll listen to every word you say, I promise," words kept coming from my mouth that I don't even remember thinking of.

"It'll ruin our friendship," she protested.

"No it won't," I quickly responded. "Please, stop hurting yourself and just tell me," my fingers squeezed her hoof even more, but not enough to hurt her. She gulped as her body began to shake a little and beads of sweat trailed down the sides of her head.

"Just, please don't hate me," she begged quietly, blinking to look down at the floor and back up at me. I scooted closer to her, aching to feel the warmth that spread through me once again.

"_That's impossible,"_ I whispered into her ear. She shuddered a bit, not expecting me to say it like that. Then, she made me shudder and blush. She leaned closer and nuzzled her cheek against mine. No, this, this wasn't happening. I passed out from the cold and now I'm having a drug trip-like dream, right? She pulled away and placed her free hoof on my knee.

"C-Cougar," she began. "Every time Ah'm around ya Ah feel so warm, like Ah just won every Rodeo that's ever happened or that I bucked every Apple tree in Equestria free 'o their apples, all at once. Ah feel, safe 'n protected around ya, especially when ya had me in yer arms back at the abandoned castle." She was unable to continue. It was happening, she was going to say it.

"AJ?" I squeaked.

"Ah love ya Cougar," the mare breathed out heavily. To be honest, I almost passed out. Thankfully I didn't, but I started to feel lightheaded as every emotion known to man and ponykind started to flare up inside of my brain. I couldn't keep my gaze on the mare as my eyes seemed to move around like on an animatronic that couldn't be shut off. "Cougar, Cougar?" Applejack shook my body. Her hoof gracefully touched my chin and turned me back in her direction. She was scared by the looks of her eyes. My best guess was my immediate silence had frightened her. "Ya don't have ta feel the same way," she said in a scratchy voice, "just please say somethin'," she pleaded.

I wanted to throw my arms around her and hold her close, telling her I loved her too and that I would never let go, no matter how much a part of me screamed that it was wrong. But alas, my mouth and voice box lost all communication with my brain, leaving me opening and closing my mouth like an idiot.

"Cougar, say anythin', please! Ah can take it if ya don't return my feelin's, but the not knowin' is killin' me," she placed her hoof on my cheek. Our eyes connected, and I stared right into her soul. I didn't get lost in her eyes like a stupid, cliched romance novel, but right then and there, not only did our eyes connect, our souls touched. I didn't even see her as a pony I loved anymore, she was the _one_ I loved, and I then knew how to respond.

"I-I," my mouth could only spit out one letter, though this was enough to extinguish her fear.

"Ah just need an answer, 'n Ah promise ta never bring this up again," she started to rub her hoof on my cheek. _'Come on you scared little wuss,'_ my brain was yelling at my mouth, _'Answer her!'_

"I-Ivan!" the word was forced from my mouth. The orange mare's face fell into a pool of confusion, obviously not an answer she was expecting.

"What? What'd you just say, Cougar?" She asked me, ceasing the rubbing of my cheek with her orange hoof. She blinked, but our eyes never left one another. My one hand squeezed her hoof again while the other started to pet her mane.

"M-my real name," I gulped, "is Ivan P-Pearson, AJ." It was incredible how much better I felt was now that I had admitted my name to Applejack. Her head began to shake back and forth slowly as she attempted to wrap her head around this sudden admission.

"_Ivan,"_ she whispered.

"Yeah, that's right," I replied shakily.

"But, but why now?" She asked. I swallowed, gathering up every bit of a response I could.

"If you love me, Applejack, then you deserve to love the real me," I pulled her closer for a hug, moving my hand from her mane to her back, rubbing it lovingly. This didn't last for very long as she moved her head back to look at me again.

"Then, does this mean?" She started but couldn't finish her question.

"Yes, Applejack. I love you too," I pressed my forehead against hers, getting a closer look into her emerald orbs. I returned to rubbing her back and then moved to the side and rubbed my cheek against hers; she did the same. "Every time we get close, I imagine I'm back in my jet, soaring through the clouds or that I won the Daytona 500, and I never want that feeling to go away," I said as a few tears brimmed my eyes. All of this weight and stress that had consumed me like the plague just melted away; I felt freer than I have in my entire life. "I love you, Applejack," I repeated.

"Ah'm so happy!" The mare exclaimed as she removed her cheek from mine and snuggled her hatless head under my chin. "Ah've felt this way since ya saved me back on our campin' trip, 'n my feelin's kept growin', 'n Ah wanted ta tell ya since the Gala," she remarked, sighing every time my hand stroked her back.

"I've wanted to tell you ever since I had my meltdown and you kissed my cheek," I replied quietly, nuzzling the top of her head. She felt so warm and soft, like a blanket fresh from the dryer. My heart beat faster continuously as I accepted her admittance of love and I returned the same feelings. "I never thought I'd be in love with a pony, but I'm glad it's you, Applejack," I whispered into her ear, making it twitch as she giggled. She sighed contently before looking up at me with beautiful twinkle in her eyes full of love and passion. If there was a God like I was raised to believe, I prayed he would understand my feelings for this mare and not damn my soul to Hell.

**BRING, BRING, BRING**

The echoing ring of the Ponyville clock tower snapped our eyes out of each others trances to look for the sudden disturbance. We both chuckled to one another after listening to the hypnotic bell before turning back to where we were. A few twinkling lights up above on the ceiling summoned our attentions away from each other yet again, only this time it was a piece of mistletoe that seemed to sprout from nowhere. A quick look to the window led us to find Luna and Celestia with their horns glowing white and gold as they bowed their heads gracefully before disappearing in flashes of light.

Still holding each other, Applejack and I slowly twisted our gazes to their original spots where we could look into our eyes. As if our brains were linked, we both brought up our respective hand and hoof, gently rubbing them on the other's cheeks. It was inevitable what was about to happen. AJ dropped her hooves on top of my shoulders and I put my hands on her back, lightly massaging her as we closed our eyes and leaned forward. What only took but a second seemed to take an eternity to me, but the moment my lips touched hers, my heart soared higher than I ever did in my F-15. We both froze, only to softly kiss back to enjoy the moment. I'd like to think she felt something similar to me; she leaned forward more, pushing me backwards in my spot.

The kiss was just closed mouth, simple and loving, just what we both needed. I wanted to think the kiss lasted for hours, but when we pulled away for air, the clock on my phone stated that it only lasted two minutes. "Oof," I exclaimed when Applejack's head found itself nuzzled under my chin again. She was so warm, like my own private wood stove that I could cuddle. My lips still tingled from our kiss while I used my fingers to play with her ear. I leaned my mouth forward until it was mere inches from her ear and whispered, "_Happy Hearth's Warming Applejack,"_ and kissed her cheek. The mare lifted her head away from my chest with a loving smile and blush on her face.

"Merry Christmas Cou- Ivan," she corrected herself before planting her lips back onto mine, making my heart soar once more. And at that moment, Applejack and her happiness were the only two things that mattered to me.

Christmas truly was my favorite time of the year, and now I earned a new Christmas memory to add to my heart. One that I hoped Applejack and I could both look on fondly in the future.

**End Chapter 32**

* * *

_I do not own Alone by Heart_

_I do not own Find Yourself by Brad Paisley. _


	34. Chapter 33: What the Morning Holds

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 33: What the Morning holds**

Firstly, I would like to give an explanation for why this chapter took so long to get out. I HAD, repeat, **_HAD_** to finish my other story Long Live Rock 'N Roll. This story took more precedence and I put off the finale for my other story to get the confession chapter out for Fallen Eagle. I'm sorry if this one took too long to get out, but my other readers were VERY patient over the course of two months and they deserved a finale. Luckily, that's completed and out and I finally got this chapter out.

Now, before I get to replying to some reviews, I want to thank each and every one of you for the overwhelmingly positive response to the confession chapter. I'll be brutally honest, I was scared when I posted the chapter because I was unintentionally hyping it up every time I postponed it (which I hated doing to you guys) and that just made me stress out more and more the longer I kept writing it. And at 19,000+ words, it was the longest chapter I've ever written. But to hear things like it was the best "I love you" chapter you guys had ever read, that it was a real piece of literature or that some of you almost cried from it made me feel so accomplished that I was able to write something that good. I'm also glad you guys liked the songs I picked out to be sung in the chapter; I had those picked out around Chapter 3 or 4. Finally, Ivan's real name. A HUGE, HUGE, **_HUGE _**shoutout to Sassymouse for helping me choose his name because I couldn't figure one out that was cool or badass enough.

**UpgraderIsAwesome489: **_I'm going to keep it up even when I move next week, I promise. _

**OBSERVER01:** _Yes she did. I wrote that in there to prove that even the one's you expect to never mess up that bad CAN mess up; no one is perfect. _

**Fetishguy83: **_Ah, you seem new here. Always happy to meet new readers! And it made you cry? Well that's an accomplishment for me, even if it's at your expense. _

**Sassymouse:** _Oh my God, my ears! JK :p. I can understand you're 'peevement' towards Twilight, but nopony is perfect (Not even Luna!) and this shows that anyone can mess up at any time __because we're all human, or equine in this case. AJ's song came to my mind when I put my phone on shuffle way back when I started the story and made AJ Cougar's main love interest. I can't thank you enough though for helping with the name and for keeping my spirits up when I'm feeling negative about a chapter. _

**Caleb200888:** _Thank you, kind reader_

**megaemailman:** _Woah, now I think that may be a little far __there, though I am flattered at the compliment. I cried for ten minutes after watching 'My Little Dashie.'_

**KillerWoW:** _Yes, what she did was messed up, but it's an important lesson that no one is perfect. _

**SquirtlePwn:** _I'm trying to get good at surprises and so far it's looking good! :) I knew that there had to be some musical numbers at some point to stay true to MLP, and I felt the confession chapter would be the perfect time. And I'm glad the wait was worth it; those two chapters really burnt me out. _

**theflammablefiredragon:** _Thank you, that really makes me smile even when I stress myself out over not updating in awhile, but I do believe in quality. Uh, for the last two chapters, those took about 2 weeks each. I can crank out a 1,000-4,000 word chapter in maybe two days, but anything above 10k words I purposely take at least a week to write. _

**Dixie Darlin: **_You 'Felt as nervous as they did'? Well, then I feel like I accomplished my goal. I wanted their love to grow NATURALLY and I wanted them to be nervous NATURALLY and I wanted them to confess NATURALLY. I didn't want anything rushed or anything too cheesy like in a fairy tale. I believe Character and Plot development are the two essential ingredients to make a good story. The readers have to grow with the characters in order to connect and make an impact. As for Twilight, well you'll have to wait until Chapter 34. _

**Uss71832:** _Of course Cougar is cooler; it's a Top Gun __callsign! :p_

**StacheKing:** _Ah, the review I was anxious about the most. While I always love to hear positive feedback and get some pointers from other readers, I always like to hear constructive __criticism like you've done a few times. Although while writing the confession chapter, my mind always raced back to how you thought it would be; thus I worked myself even harder every time I sat down to add another piece to the chapter. For that chapter to be called a piece of literature and that you actually cried a bit at the end nearly made me faint. Including that you actually listened to the songs while reading made me feel like I did something right. I'm glad I lived up to your expectations and I hope to hear from you often for help on improving my stories in any way possible. _

**typhoon chaos:**_ Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. _

**litestardt: **_I'd be more like, "Watch out AJ; he's Russian and he'll break you!_

**Random Guy: **_I don't normally give out hugs, so okay...And you're living on an Air Force base? Lucky! I would love to fall asleep to F-15s, F-16s and F-22s flying over my head every night._

**killerman118: **_I fail to see how that could be taken negatively. _

**adhdluke:** _Completely understandable that you're pissed at Twilight. However, just wait till the end of this chapter and all of next chapter. _

* * *

**(Applejack's Bedroom. Ivan's POV)**

The bright light of Celestia's sun reflecting off the freshly fallen snow made my eyes flutter open. A quiet, yet powerful yawn made its way out of my mouth as my brain entered the first stage of awakening. Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I suddenly felt lost and confused. What I expected to see was the inside of my shack with nothing more than my cot, bookshelf and duffel bag as I had for the past seven months. However, I found myself surrounded by rodeo ribbons, trophies, lassos, a few tan colored stetsons, apple trinkets, pictures of Applejack and her family throughout the years and a real bed rather than my cot.

My hand tried to raise itself so as to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn't hallucinating or drunk, but something weighed my arm down. Something that was heavy, furry, soft and warm. The bed creaked and groaned as I turned my head to find Applejack sleeping soundly and peacefully on top of my arm. Her left foreleg rested comfortably across my chest and her head snuggled up against my neck while a smile was painted on her face. Her lips smacked while she continued to sleep, fidgeting just a bit as a cute snort emitted from her nose.

Since my hand was still free, I was busy stroking Applejack's neck, softly petting and scratching at it lovingly. I had no clue if I had done that all night or once I realized the position we were in, yet I didn't care. The clock on the wall read 7:36 A.M., "Just about time to wake up and get the regular chores done," I said softly to myself as I enjoyed Applejack's company. I recalled what had transpired the night before, but I could barely remember how I ended up in Applejack's bed; we did go to bed pretty late. However, I _did_ know that nothing else happened between us other than, _our kiss._ My cheeks warmed up when the memory of my first kiss with Applejack resurfaced. The softness of her lips was something I'll probably never forget, and how her mouth tasted like, well, apples and hay.

"Mmmm," Applejack stirred, shifting around a bit, but she still remained asleep. The last words we had spoken to each other made me remember that today was not only Christmas, but Hearth's Warming as well. And we were putting on a big Brunch for the occasion with all of our friends (Including, Celestia, Luna, Glock and Checkered Flag) at 11:00. No matter how hard I tried, my gaze could not be pulled from the pony that I had admitted my love for, but I knew this moment had to end before somepony burst in and got the wrong idea.

"Hey, AJ, time to get up," I said softly, tapping on the end of her nose. The mare's nose scrunched up, but her eyes stayed close as her foreleg lifted itself off my chest and rubbed the end of her muzzle before resting back on my chest. _'She's cute when she does that,'_ I thought, but how could I awaken her? I would try the classic cold water trick, yet she would murder me for one, and she pretty much had me trapped on the bed. The faint sound of cooking and ponies talking downstairs alerted me that it wouldn't take long for someone to come and check on AJ since she _never_ slept in this late. "Come on AJ," I played with her ear a bit, trying to maybe tickle her awake. "We've got chores to do," I said directly into her ear, lightly shaking her shoulder.

"Ah told Applebloom ta get her homework done, Big Mac," the mare mumbled, trying to swat my hand away with her hoof. Mentally growling because my newest tactic didn't work, I only had one idea left in the tank that might work, though it also might earn me a shiner. Ever so gently, like I was trying to maneuver my hand through laser trip wires, I put my thumb and index finger from my right hand onto her nostrils and pinched, but not too hard. Soon, AJ couldn't breathe and she began to sputter, removing her foreleg from my chest for good. "Huh, what?" her eyes blinked several times as she was freed from her dreamscape.

"Looks like you slept good," I teased, taking my finger and thumb away from her nose and began to rub her cheek. Applejack then rubbed her eyes, getting them adjusted to the light of the day before she settled her emerald orbs on my blue ones.

"Mornin' Coug- Ivan," she corrected herself. "That's gonna take some gettin' used ta," she giggled, copying what I was doing and began to caress my cheek. "Ya know, Ah've never shared my bed with anypony before," she added, turning her smile in a smirk.

"W-was that my idea, or your idea?" I asked, feeling the heat returning to my cheeks. "All I remember is being angry at Twilight, talking to Luna, telling you how I feel and, well, kissing you," I explained.

"It was my idea, Sugarcube," she replied, nuzzling under my chin, "Ah thought ya'd like a real bed instead 'o that cot, 'n somepony ta share it with," she said. "Just as long as there wasn't any funny business; Ah ain't ready fer that just yet," she added sheepishly.

"Me either," I quickly agreed, not wanting to sound like I was only in this for one thing. "Didn't know you were into cuddling though," I chuckled, beginning to play with her hair, even though I knew we had to get up and moving, but I really wanted to stay like this forever.

"Remember in the 'ol abandoned castle?" She reminded me, sitting up on her haunches.

"Well yeah, but that was for warmth," I explained, mirroring her motions mainly to get some blood flowing back into my arm. I suddenly found two orange and furry forelegs wrapped around my torso.

"Ah'm so happy though, Ivan," she cuddled her head against my stomach.

"So am I, AJ," I scratched her back. "It felt good to get both of those secrets off of my shoulders, and I'm even happier you return my feelings," I added, "even if I'm not even a pony or at least a dragon," I grinned.

"Ah don't care what ya are, Ivan," she lifted her head from my stomach, "Ah love the good inside yer heart; what creature ya are doesn't matter ta me one bit," she looked deep into my eyes, causing the sparks to fire off once again in my chest. Our eyes stayed locked as we tilted our heads and leaned our lips close to each other.

_"The feelings, mutual," _I whispered right before we kissed again. The same fireworks that I felt last night returned with a vengeance. Although it wasn't a fiery and passionate kiss, a small, loving and rather clumsy morning kiss was good enough for us. Applejack's hoof reached up and rested upon my shoulder, making me hold back a chuckle as her fur tickled me.

_**Creak**_

Something else in the room stirred, but I assumed it was just the bed settling due to our combined weight shifting around. "Hey big sis, Granny Smith wanted me ta-" Applejack and I froze, opening our eyes with our lips still connected, and peered over to see Applebloom standing in the doorway. AJ's lips and mine disconnected as we pulled apart and I scooted off the bed and onto my feet at attention. My shirt and pants were a little wrinkled and were sticking to my skin a little from sweat, making me a little more uncomfortable than I was.

"M-mornin' Applebloom," Applejack stuttered as she too ejected from the bed and smoothed out the covers. The yellow filly's face was stuck in that of complete awe and shock, as if she had just seen the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot, an alien and a T-Rex playing poker together. "Is Granny Smith already workin' on brunch?" the orange mare tried to take ahold of the conversation.

"Y-y," Applebloom choked out, "ya both were kissin'! Ah saw it," she pointed an accusing hoof in our direction, though she wasn't mad or anything, just shocked, however. I could only guess that not only were AJ and I were kissing, but that I had suddenly reappeared was the reason for her shock.

"Now Applebloom," I began, hoping she wouldn't spazz out and draw the attention of the three ponies downstairs below, which she practically did.

"You were kissin' my sister, yer datin'!" She exclaimed happily and began to dance around. Applejack and I were going to try and keep her from making anymore noise until the filly stopped on her own with a now confused stare on her face. "'N just where did ya go last night, Cougar?" She asked, "we were all worried that ya might've run off fer good or somethin'," she said sadly. "At least Ah was," she corrected. My fear that she would wake up the dead with her celebration had evaporated as I picked her up in my arms and held her close, causing Applejack to gush.

"I'm sorry Bloom," I kissed the top of her head, "I just needed some alone time to think; luckily Princess Luna found me to get me thinking in the right direction," I explained as I cradled the filly against my chest. She rested her head on my shoulder and hugged me back.

"It's okay, Cougar," she pulled away with her usual smile, "it's Hearth's Warmin', perfect time fer families 'n friends to help each other, am Ah right?" She asked as I set her back down onto the wooden floor.

"'N fer some honesty ta come out," AJ added, quickly nuzzling my arm. The youngest member of the Apple family then looked back at me with a scowl on her face. I wanted to ask her what was wrong before she bopped me on my head!

"Ah told ya that's what would happen if ya ran out on us like that without lettin' us help ya," she scolded me as I rubbed the top of my head.

"I guess I deserve that," I chuckled, playing with Applebloom's hair bow. The filly's scowl was quickly replaced with a smile that she used to hug me again before a curious look spread across her face.

"So, when are ya two gettin' hitched?" Applebloom asked giddily, biting her lower lip. I couldn't answer that; the thought of rushing from a first kiss to being united under Celestia forever almost made me pass right out in front of the two sisters. Thankfully, my girlfriend took the spot and chuckled, wrapping her foreleg around her little sister's neck.

"Hehe, we only just started datin', Applebloom," Applejack explained, "Ah don't think either 'o us are thinkin' _that_ far ahead," she winked at me. The yellow filly looked between us a few times before blurting out the most embarrassing question she could think of, even worse than the question about us getting married.

"Is he a good kisser, AJ?" Applebloom questioned, sounding too much like a gossip-hungry Rarity for the briefest of moments. Applejack gave me a look of pity and apology as I ran my hand through my hair, trying to keep my face from catching on fire.

"Uhh," was the only noise my mouth could produce.

"He's just fine, little sis," Applejack laughed and squeezed her a little harder to get her to shut up which she thankfully did. "Now, what'd exactly did Granny Smith want?" it was Applejack's turn to ask the questions. I had removed my hands from my face, the flushing in my cheeks finally died away and I felt more calm than before. Applebloom looked down at the floor and swung her front leg a few times.

"Huh? Oh yeah," she remembered, "Granny Smith wants-" she began before Big Mac's booming voice came through the floor from down below.

"Applebloom! How hard is it ta wake up yer sister?!" He bellowed, "ya got two minutes' 'fore _Ah _come up there myself!" he warned as the clopping of his giant hooves took over for his voice.

"We better head down then," I suggested, "I don't want either of you to get in trouble on Hearth's Warming," I delineated, stretching a bit more to loosen up. However, Applebloom wasn't done talking about the big news, far from it in fact.

"I can't wait ta tell Sweetie Belle 'n Scootaloo," she said before gasping, "BABS! She's gonna love this family update in my next letter," she began to plot out to basically tell the whole damned country of Equestria. "AJ, do ya wanna tell Braeburn or can Ah do it?" she questioned, taking out some of Applejack's stationary supplies. "Ah know ya'll will probably wanna tell yer regular friends," she tacked on, preparing to dip AJ's pen in some ink. This time, I decided it was my turn to explain how this'll work instead of Applejack.

"Bloom, now your sister and I haven't discussed it yet, but we're only going to tell Granny Smith, Big Mac and Cheerilee when we get downstairs," I explained. "Just don't say anything to anypony else when they get here," I said.

"B-but why? Ah'm happy fer ya two 'n so will everypony else," she asked, confused as hell.

"He's right, lil sis," Applejack agreed with me, standing closer, "this is _our_ business; we want it ta be a special present ta everypony," she revealed which I was really content with, "plus, Cougar's gonna have some explainin' ta do ta Granny 'n big brother, do ya understand?" she asked. Applebloom crossed her forelegs over her chest and grumbled.

"Always ruinin' my fun," she said in a grouchy tone. "Fine, Ah promise ta keep this ta myself 'till ya tell everypony else," she swore, holding one of her hooves in the air like someone swearing on a bible in a court.

"Alright, let's head down then," I scratched behind Applebloom's ear, perking her personality right back up. The filly then took the lead from both me and Applejack and trotted out of the door. "Hang on, AJ," I requested when the mare tried to leave as well.

"Is everythin' okay there, Ivan?" She asked me with both genuine concern and curiosity.

"Just a couple things, I promise," I took her hat from the end of her bed post and set it on her head. "Why did you still call me 'Cougar' in front of Applebloom? I'm fine with everyone else knowing my real name now," I asked.

"Since ya had the guts ta tell me last night, Ah figure ya can do the same fer everypony else," she explained, adjusting her stetson a bit. I nodded in agreement, understand that it wasn't only her opinion that I should tell everyone, but it would be the right thing to do since I told her. "Now, what else were ya wantin' ta tell me?" She asked as I held the door open for her.

"I was hoping we could do what you planned: Tell only Granny Smith, Big Mac and Cheerilee about us dating, but keep that fact and my name secret from them until after Brunch when everyone is here?" I requested. "It's Christmas and Hearth's Warming; I think that would make a nice little memory for us all," I explained. Applejack smiled warmly again and hopped onto her hind legs to give me a peck on the cheek.

"Ah think that's a wonderful idea, Ivan. Ah spent seven months without kissin' ya 'n callin' ya 'Cougar,' Ah think Ah can manage a few more hours," she winked at me. The mare settled back down on all fours and headed for the door once again, but another question plagued my mind.

"So, would you be my girlfriend or marefriend? And what exactly does that make me?" I asked, lifting up an eyebrow. She squinted her eyes and tapped on the floor with her hoof, trying to come up with an answer. Meanwhile, the aromas of home cooking began to waft upstairs, making not only my mouth water, but I remembered we still had to go down and help.

"If it makes it easier on ya, Ah don't mind if ya call me yer girlfriend," she decided, "'n Ah'll just call ya my coltfriend, unless that bothers ya 'o course," Applejack and I started to walk towards the landing of the stairs.

"That doesn't bother me one bit, Applejack," I gave her a quick hug before we began our quick descent down the stairs to join her family and Cheerilee in cooking for brunch. I could hear the classic sounds of pots and pans banging around and orders being shouted when we reached downstairs in the living room. Applebloom was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, concluding her explanation for where Applejack was.

"AJ'll be right down big brother," she explained just as I allowed Applejack to take the lead since I was a little nervous about everyone's reaction. Understanding, Applejack trotted through the doorway to the kitchen as if it were just a normal day, complete with a pep in her step and a little bounce in her trot.

"Mornin' everypony!" She declared just as I stopped short of the doorway, still uncertain about the reaction from the Apple family. "Y'all sleep good?" She asked while I could hear her jostling around a cup, presumably getting a cup of coffee together.

"Are ya feelin' better there, youngin'?" Granny Smith replied. From what I could hear, the elderly pony stopped her cooking to give her granddaughter a hug. "Ya seemed more down than our barn after them parasprites went nuts," she added. I did feel bad that I sent Applejack there by herself when we had decided to tell everyone about _us_ together, but she seemed to be holding together pretty well.

"'O course Ah am Granny," Applejack laughed, "nothin' a little sleep can't fix," she added before pausing, probably taking a swig of her coffee. There was some more shuffling coming from the kitchen as I heard some chairs being moved out of the way and comforting words from everyone else. I peeked my eyes around the corner of the doorframe to see Applebloom, Big Mac, Cheerilee and Granny Smith bombarding AJ with a group hug. Her eyes moved over to me and she motioned her head back towards the kitchen.

My hand gripped the wooden frame tightly as I gulped, gathering up the strength to go in there and explain why I abandoned them all last night. Apparently, I had waited a little too long and AJ shot me a look that said, _'Get over here NOW.' _So I did, and along the way I somehow managed to hit every creak and squeak of the floor, alerting the other residents of the room that I had entered.

Their eyes popped open and stared in awe, following my every move from the living room doorway to the kitchen table where I placed my hands on top and held myself up. I thought sitting down would be too casual and rude considering that they had expected me to still be gone. "H-Hey," I mustered up the courage to say. Three of the four ponies surrounding Applejack dropped back onto four legs, never blinking once. Applebloom held onto her sister, completely aware of what was going on yet thankfully decided not to say anything. "Do you guys need any help?" I offered, still bracing myself against the tabletop.

"When did you get back, Cougar?" Cheerilee asked, whisking over to me and placing her hoof on my shoulder.

"A better question is: Where did ya go after stormin' out 'o Princess Twilight's castle like that?" Big Mac asked, still standing next to Applejack. Granny Smith cleared her throat, wanting to ask her own question apparently.

"Are ya feelin' better there, Cougar?" She asked in her sweet Grandmother-like voice. "Ah know how mighty steamed ya were," she added, pulling up a chair and sitting next to me. I was prepared for a bombardment of questions, or at least one from everypony here, but I hadn't thought of which question to answer first. It was easy enough to be ready for questions, but deciding which one was more important or the easiest felt like an extremely difficult choice.

"Why don't ya start with where ya went ta, Cougar?" Applebloom suggested, smiling at me and letting me know that she had my back. If anything, that option _did_ start my journey of last night in chronological order. However, Granny Smith's question was a simple yes or no answer, and not to mention Applejack and I were saving our little secret for last.

"Well first off," I softened my body and sat down in one of the chairs that Cheerilee offered, "yes Granny Smith, I am feeling better thank you for asking," I replied, grinning at the green earth pony. "Last night I was pretty upset at Twilight for what she tried to do," I began before Big Mac cut me off.

"Ah'd say mighty pissed," he corrected me, looking around at everypony, "ya done flung a punch bowl at a wall 'n shattered it," he explained. The red stallion shut up when Cheerilee glared at him and shook her head, telling him to shut his mouth.

"Or we could go with that," I said with a little laugh, legitimately finding that amusing. "Anyway, I just wanted some time alone to reflect on some things, and I walked blindly to the lake where I found a tree and climbed to the tallest branch overlooking the lake," I spoke. "I sat in the tree for maybe fifteen or twenty minutes in silence until Princess Luna found me," I stopped, wondering what else to add.

"What did Luna do for you, Cougar?" Cheerilee asked, "did she help you calm down and then let you stay in her castle overnight?" she pressed further.

"Yes, she helped me calm down, but she didn't have me stay at her castle, Cheerilee. Instead, she actually got me to open up a bit and realize that I was mentally beating myself up over nothing and that I had a right to be angry and scared, but that I was angry and scared for the wrong reasons," I explained. "I was scared that if Twilight's plan had gone through, I would've blurted out something about my species that would've frightened all of you and you'd kick me out and exile me to Tartarus," I added before another question could be asked.

"Did ya honestly believe we'd blame ya fer what other members 'o yer species did?" Granny Smith asked after a brief moment of silence as some food sizzled on the stove.

"Yes, and it was stupid of me I know, but I just didn't know what you would think of me, so I chickened out and left," I replied. "And for ditching you guys like that, I sincerely apologize," I folded my arms across my chest on top of the table, looking up all of the ponies.

"Aw, it's okay, Cougar," Cheerilee soothed me, "I've seen many students before leave the classroom just to sit outside with their thoughts; it's perfectly normal," she placed her hoof on my hand. "Even if you expressed your anger the way you did before you left," she added. Granny Smith and Big Mac nodded in concurrence while Applebloom leaned closer to listen and Applejack still sipped her coffee, allowing me to continue my story.

"And then thanks to Luna, I also accepted a fact that I've kept hidden for a long time now and retreated back here," I proceeded. "I had one goal in mind and I reached it, although it was under different circumstances than I had originally envisioned," I added. Now, a look of bewilderment met my gaze from Granny Smith, Big Mac, Cheerilee and Applebloom. Having told them that, I had expected the next question to be something about my goal or what Luna helped me to accept.

"So, ya've been here all night 'n didn't tell us or anythin'?" The red stallion in the room questioned, sounding a tad angry for making Applejack concerned for my safety for basically nothing. "Sure it was late, but you could've woken up Granny or myself," he instructed me and shook his head in disappointment. Just as I was about to correct him and say that Applejack knew I had returned, the mare I was going to talk about garnered her brother's attention.

"Lemme take over, Cougar," she sighed contently after finishing her morning drink. "Family 'n Ms. Cheerilee," Applejack announced, "last night Ah couldn't sleep, so Ah decided ta take a lil stroll around the farm ta help get me sleepy, but soon enough Ah wandered ta Cougar's shack without realizin' it 'n waited up fer him ta come back so he could have some company if he wanted ta chat," she explained. 'N when he did, Ah was there ta comfort him 'n let him know how much he meant ta our family." Applebloom, Granny Smith and Big MacIntosh all agreed with this statement by looking at each other and giving one nod. "We got ta talkin' more 'fore we comprehended that we had the same goal in mind. 'N Ah guess actions speak louder than words, am Ah right, Ms. Cheerilee?" the orange mare asked the maroon pony.

"Um, sure I guess, but what are you talking about?" The educator was completely caught off guard by being put on the spot. Oh shit, I knew what was going to happen now, and my stomach began to knot itself together. Sure, I knew that Applebloom was on our side and possibly Granny Smith, but what if Big Mac only wanted me to be Applejack's friend? He was a protective yet great big brother who just wanted his sister to be safe, something I could understand and respect.

Applejack walked over to my chair and placed a foreleg around my neck before nuzzling my cheek. Applebloom was practically gushing rainbows at seeing us getting ready to kiss again whilst Big Mac and Cheerilee were practically cemented in place, eyes as big as race tires. My girlfriend then softly turned my head so I was looking at her and she leaned in, making our lips touch for the third time this morning. Nearly all of my fears washed away as we expressed our love as much as we felt was necessary. Her leg wrapped around me tighter as we kind of got into it, forgetting that anyone else was in the room.

"Ahem, Ah believe we get the point ya two," Granny Smith forced a cough out of her mouth.

"S-sorry," I apologized, "I didn't think we'd get _that_ into it," I said, exhaling and slowing my thoughts down from the kiss. "Can't complain about it though," I joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Ah'm not complainin' either," Applejack smirked, still standing close to me.

"Awww, you two are so sweet together!" Applebloom flushed her cheeks at us. Big Mac and Cheerilee blinked hard and shook their heads, holding them with their hooves. I was preparing for Big Mac to shove me away from AJ and give me the whole cliche'd spiel about treating Applejack right and that if I hurt her in anyway, he'd snap me like a toothpick and bury me in the ground.

"Cougar," Big Mac started. His voice was a little shaky, understandable due to the surprise Applejack and I had given. "Is this what yer goal was?" He asked me, sitting down in his own chair to unscramble his head. I nodded in response, just looking at the stallion out of the corner of my eye, uncertain of what his real reaction would be.

"You're not mad, are you Big Mac?" Cheerilee asked as she began to rub his shoulders and cuddled her cheek against his dirty blonde mane.

"N-no, Ah just had a feelin' that somethin' like this'd happen," he replied. The stallion grabbed the entire pot of coffee instead of a cup and drank half of it to help get his thoughts synchronized. "My little sister is datin' our farmhand. Are ya sure about this, Applejack? It's not gonna get in the way 'o work is it?" He asked. AJ shook her head in amusement and removed her hoof from my shoulder and placed it on Big Mac's hoof.

"Ah'm 100% positive 'bout this big brother," she nuzzled up to her brother. "'N Ah know work is top priority 'round here right next ta family health, but Ah don't see yer relationship with Cheerilee affectin' yer work," she pointed out, "so Ah don't think my relationship should affect farm work," she concluded. Big Mac set down the coffee pot and looked between Cheerilee and myself.

"She's right, honey," the maroon mare shrugged in agreement with Applejack. The stallion exhaled through his nose and pushed himself back up from his seat. He licked his upper lip clean of coffee residue before looking at me square in the eyes.

"Ah'm happy, fer both 'o ya," he admitted. "'N Ah've a good feelin' yer gonna take good care 'o her, right Cougar?" He asked, putting pressure onto my shoulder with his hoof. I shook his hoof off, adjusting my chair so I could move just a bit further from him.

"I've always tried to take care of her for letting me live on your farm, Big Mac," I said truthfully, though I doubted he knew I wasn't lying. "And I have no use for changing that now," I added. "I do love her; I'm just happy she feels the same," my eyes drifted over to said mare who looked honored to be talked about in such a way by me. Big Mac moved to let me get up to help with the tasks at hand before everyone began arriving, but right as I sat up, Granny Smith blocked my path, practically forcing me to sit back down in the chair.

"Ya just hold on right there, youngin'," she ordered sternly. The only other time I've seen her act _this_ harsh was when she was yelling at jars for Zapp-Apple season or whatever a few months ago. Her attitude caught even Applejack off guard whom looked from Big Mac to Applebloom, wondering what was going on. The elderly pony paced around in front of me a few times, only furthering my curiosity and nervousness with every hoof step. "Ah wanna let ya two know that Ah approve 'o this," were the first words of her speech.

"Ah wasn't doubtin' that, Granny," AJ said, puzzled as to why Granny Smith would think we were worried she wouldn't approve.

"However," the pony continued, ignoring her grandchild, "a few things. Don't be surprised 'n don't be discouraged if some ponies or griffons or whatevers disagree with yer love," she instructed, "if ya two love each other, that's yer business 'n nopony can say boo about it. Second, nothin' too intense 'round young Applebloom; Ah'm sure Cheerilee hasn't taught her 'bout the fish 'n the frogs?" She checked over to the maroon earth pony.

"The-the what?" Cheerilee questioned with a confused squint in her eyes. Applejack and Big Mac shrugged, just as confused as the maroon mare.

"Ya know, when a mommy fish 'n a daddy frog love each other?" Granny Smith tried to explain.

"I think you mean the birds and the bees, right Granny?" I tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention back on me.

"Whatever it is, Ah just don't want ta come home from playin' bridge with the girls ta hear," she started before covering little Applebloom's ears with her hooves, "the both 'o ya makin' a pony with two backs," she ordered. I covered my face in complete embarrassment, unable to look at anyone right now. Through a crack in my fingers, I saw Applejack's face go beet red with her muzzle shrunk up and her eyes looking at the floor.

"Hey, Ah'm old enough ta hear what ya'll are sayin'!" Applebloom protested, wriggling free from Granny Smith just a bit too late. Applejack coughed a few times and fanned her face with her stetson in hoof.

"Uh, Granny," Applejack croaked out, "we _just_ got together not eight hours ago," she continued to fan her face, "we ain't gonna do that right away. In fact, we ain't even discussed it, right?" she looked at me. _'Why did you just put me in the center of attention?'_ I mentally asked as everyone turned to look at me.

"I, uh, guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there?" I completely pulled that straight from thin air. Thankfully, the green mare smiled, buying my explanation and ruffled my hair with her hoof.

"Now that we got that out 'o the way, we've got a brunch's butt ta kick 'fore everypony else arrives. Applebloom, start dusting 'round the livin' room; the princesses will be here 'n they're gonna see the Apple house at its finest," she hoofed a dustpan and broom over to the yellow filly, as if the conversation never took place at all. "Applejack, Ah'm gonna need some more muffin mix from the pantry," she added, going back to mixing some batter.

"Ah've got the waffle iron heatin' up," Big Mac announced. The kitchen immediately transformed from calm and collected to just about hectic, but not _Hell's Kitchen_ bad. Applejack tapped me on the shoulder and helped me to my feet before hugging me tightly.

"Ya did great," she complimented. "Except Ah was sure that nothin' bad would happen ta ya," she smiled and released her hug. "Well, 95% sure," she corrected herself before trotting over to the pantry.

"And the other 5%?" I questioned. Unfortunately, she didn't hear me as there was a loud knock at the kitchen door, followed by a particular cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane and another blue pegasus with a black mane.

"Good morning Apple family!" Rainbow Dash announced when I opened the door, "and Cougar! Hey, glad to see you after you owned that punch bowl," she nudged my hip with her hoof. Soarin waved to me with his wing and shook my hand with his hoof.

"Hey, we were pretty worried about you bro, is everything okay now?" He asked me as his eyes slowly scanned the room, searching for a certain dessert. Rainbow Dash trotted over to Applejack and stole a taste of raw muffin mix while the orange mare wasn't looking.

"Yeah, just had to clear my head a bit," I explained to the stallion before pulling out a spare pie from the fridge. "AJ always keeps these on standby for you, Soar," I winked at the pegasus who licked his lips with glee. "Hey Rainbow, where's Scoots?" I questioned the mare that had found a bottle of cider in the refrigerator. She wiped her mouth of foam before floating her way over to where I was.

"She's over hanging out with Sweetie Belle; she didn't want to get up this early, so I just dropped her off at Rarity's," she replied. "And before you take a crack at _me_ waking up early, I'm always ready and alert for cider," she explained with a cocky wink.

"So, any idea when the others will show up?" I asked Applejack when Soarin went to munch on his pie at the table.

* * *

**(Apple House. After the guests arrive. Ivan's POV)**

"Granny Smith, I absolutely adore your home," Princess Celestia complimented as she and Glock cuddled on the Apple family couch. Soarin and Rainbow Dash had arrived extra early just for cider and pie, not very surprising. Soon after though, more and more guests had begun to arrive, making the humble household feel a little more, 'cozy.' Everyone seemed to enter the house and react the exact same way: They'd walk in looking a little down, and when they would see me, their expressions exploded as if they'd just won the billion dollar lotto, with the exception of the royal sisters from their help the previous night. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both jumped into my arms and had to be pried away by Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Unfortunately, Lyra had to inform me that Vinyl left for Manehattan at about 5:00 to visit one of her best friends, Neon Lights I think.

"Agreed, sister," Luna replied while sharing a cup of coffee and a doughnut with Checkered Flag on the center rug of the living room. "I enjoy the simplistic and rustic atmosphere within these walls."

"Ah appreciate yer kind words, yer highnesses," Granny Smith said from the kitchen. I took a small break from helping with some cucumber sandwiches to go talk to Luna and Celestia for a few minutes. Of course, I had to weave my way through a gaggle of multicolored fur before I could reach the two alicorns and their colt-friends. The four ponies gave me their full attention once I stopped right in front of them, waiting to speak.

"We'd just like to wish you a Merry Christmas, Cougar," Checkered was the first to talk to me as Luna took a bite of doughnut.

"Thanks, Checkered. And a Happy Hearth's Warming to you all," I replied with a smile. I was confused, however that Checkered still called me, Cougar; I was certain that Luna and Celestia heard me tell AJ my real name and they'd more than likely tell Glock and Checkered Flag. Perhaps they had not yet arrived to my shack when I had told AJ who I actually was?

"Your secret is under wraps with us until you and Applejack are ready to tell everypony else," Celestia bowed her head. "We respect other's privacy, for it is not our right to betray that confidentiality," she explained to me.

"Well, her family and Cheerilee already know, and AJ and I told them the same thing," I cracked my knuckles. "I was just heading over to ask you guys if you have any holiday duties to fulfill today?" I questioned curiously. The two sisters looked at each other, apparently expecting the other to tell me what they had planned for the day. They continued to gesture with their horns pointed at me until finally Glock cleared his throat.

"They are free until they must attend a royal banquet in Canterlot with all of the citizens invited," he read off. "The banquet is at four, so they have plenty of time to enjoy you and your friend's company for brunch," the pegasus guard concluded.

"Well put, sweetie," Celestia rubbed her cheek over his mane. "I trust you and Applejack will announce your courtship after brunch is consumed, correct?" the white alicorn wanted to make sure.

"You just want to hear it again, don't you?" I asked slyly, crossing my arms.

"I may be a princess, Cougar," Celestia giggled, "however, I am still a mare that enjoys seeing happy couples, and your case is a special one. Speaking of which, I do also wish you and Applejack many years of happiness," she made me blush.

"Years, Celestia?" I questioned. It hasn't even been twelve hours yet," I exclaimed.

"Well, yes I know that," she replied, "I just want your love for Applejack to blossom and grow," the alicorn explained.

"Okay, thank you," I sucked in a deep breath after my worry that everyone after Applebloom would begin to hint at marriage. Of course though, Bloom is just a kid and gets really excited about relationships according to what Cheerilee told me about the Hearth's Warming incident. Hoping to switch the subject around, my mind wandered to once again, the previous night, but not about myself or Applejack. I couldn't help but remember what Twilight did, and while that still irritated me, I realized that no one had said a thing about the purple alicorn. Come to think of it, Twilight and Spike hadn't shown up yet; I had expected them to arrive about after Rainbow Dash and Soarin. And while I did admit to Applejack that I didn't like her all that much, I knew Twilight was still a kind pony, and I felt sort of sad if she was all alone, even if she had her son with her, on Christmas. It sucked to have friends angry at you or shun you during the holidays.

"As you wish," Luna laced her foreleg over Checkered's back and pulled him closer.

"Hey Celestia, may I ask you a question?" I requested. The white alicorn nodded her head politely, granting me permission. "After I turned the punch bowl into crumbs, and you all yelled at her, what exactly happened to Twilight? Applejack didn't tell me much except that her and the rest of the Apples headed home," I asked and explained. The four equines seemed uncomfortable with the question, and they even looked a little guilty for whatever reason.

"Most of us shunned her," Glock admitted, "and the pink one called her a party ruiner. I think that's about it; all I know is Tia and Luna returned myself and Checkered Flag to the castle before going back to Ponyville to look for you," he concluded.

"Yep!" Pinkie Pie suddenly burst from behind the couch. "All of us were really steamed at Twilight, so we left. I made Gummy his very own batch of cupcakes, though he only ate one, but luckily I ate the rest!" She beamed and picked up her little alligator.

"Well, have any of you talked to her yet today?" I pressed on.

"No; we came here straight from Canterlot, Cougar," Checkered responded. "I mean, I felt a little bad for Twilight last night, but I figure with how much she's gone through with her friends that she'll be here with a heartfelt apology and we'll begin to rebuild the trust she lost," he explained.

"And would you guys be willing to forgive her so quickly?" I added. There was suddenly a loud crash that erupted from the kitchen, grinding my conversation with the four ponies to a halt. "Uh-oh, I think I know what that means," I grimaced, making way to the kitchen as Celestia, Luna, Glock and Checkered Flag hopped to their hooves.

"Applebloom," AJ shook her head and grabbed a rag from the sink, wetting it and then ducked low to begin wiping down the floor. Yes, my suspicions were correct; Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were covered in what looked to me like waffle batter. The blue mixing bowl was sitting upside down on the kitchen floor with the rest of the batter surrounding said bowl and the wooden spoon was sticking out from underneath.

"Hehe, oops?" The yellow filly took off her chef hat with a blush, tossing it behind her while wiping off the residual batter with her apron.

"Trying to earn some gourmet chef cutie marks, girls?" I asked, politely moving Lyra and Bon Bon out of the way to help Applejack. Big Mac flipped the mixing bowl right side up and rinsed it out in the sink as I grabbed my own rag. The orange mare wiping down the floor with her hoof paused once she saw my rag wiping down the floor next to her. She braced herself on her hoof and raised her hat out of her eyes.

"Don't worry none 'bout this, Sugarcube," she said sweetly, "Ah got this taken care of," her hoof restarted wiping up the goop. Leaving her to clean up the mess didn't feel right, but I didn't like arguing with anybody, so I tossed my rag back into the sink just as Granny Smith was scolding Applebloom and her friends. The Crusaders looked apologetic while Granny shooed them from the kitchen, taking their aprons from them.

"Ah know it was an accident youngin'," she acknowledged to Applebloom, "but we got everythin' under control here. Why don't ya go play hide 'n seek or somethin'? Ah spent many hours 'o my fillyhood playin' that with my cousins," she reminisced a little. Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle pouted, but knew that there was no way they'd be allowed back in the kitchen again until Brunch was over. "Okay, back ta work!" Granny announced to AJ, Big Mac and Cheerilee, "everypony else, ya'll can go back ta yer minglin'."

"Hey, I'll go keep them company while you guys finish up?" I suggested to the orange mare that was now cleaning off the rag she had been using. She looked over at the three bored fillies and turned back to me with a nod.

"Food shouldn't take much longer; Ah'll give ya four a holler," she granted me permission. I gave Applejack a quick pat on the back and tried to follow the trio of fillies, only to bump back into the four ponies that I had been chatting with earlier as I turned around. Luna and Glock seemed to have looks of curiosity while Celestia and Checkered Flag had looks of concern on their faces.

"Sorry, everyone," I apologized, "we'll pick this up later; Applejack wants me to watch the Crusaders while the rest of the food is, for a lack of a better word: safe," I had a hard time choosing the right word so I wouldn't sound mean to the girls.

"Well, as long as everything is okay," Glock shifted his position between himself and Celestia to give me a clear opening to join the girls. "They're not in any trouble, are they?" the off duty guard questioned me. I didn't believe so; they didn't try to spill the bowl of waffle batter on purpose, but they did look a bit down in the dumps as they sat slouching on the couch.

"Nah, just bored and a little disappointed," I replied.

"Remember when we tried to bake mother and father an anniversary cake, Luna?" Celestia asked out of the blue. I didn't have time to enter the conversation as I made my way through the gap between the four ponies and started my destination towards the girls. However, I could hear the tail end of their chat as I left the hearing distance. "That was a fun day," Celestia continued.

"Yes, I remember you set off the smoke alarms and the guards sprayed us with that stuff in the fire extinguishers," I could sense Luna roll her eyes.

"You were the one who left the cake in the oven for too long!" The elder sister exclaimed. I laughed at how cute it was to see such regal sisters acting like ten year olds while away from the castle in Canterlot. My laugh alerted the fillies on the couch, making them hop up in excitement to see me. However, instead of stopping in front of them or sitting down on the couch, I changed directions and opened the door leading out to the front yard, turning back to the three.

"Let's get some fresh air, girls," I invited, holding the door open for them. Naturally, they were surprised at the sudden invitation, but knowing the Crusaders, they grinned happily and bounded off the couch, nearly tackling me as they rushed outside into the snow while I let the door close. The crisp morning winter air hit me like a brick wall, but in a good way. I inhaled the aroma of fresh snow, loving the chilling air inside my nose that brought back many Christmas memories of Alaska. Even wearing just my jeans and T-Shirt, the temperature didn't bother me at all.

"So, what are we doing out here, Cougar?" Scootaloo asked me. All three expected me to follow them into the snow, but stood in front of the porch steps where I still stood. The orange pegasus shook some snow on her wings, getting some onto Sweetie Belle's back whom yelped at the chilly substance.

"I thought we could enjoy the great, chilly outdoors while the food is being prepared," I explained, leaning against the wall of the house. "Don't you think it was getting a little crowded and really warm inside?" I added with a cocky smirk.

"Well, I guess," Sweetie Belle shook the snow off her back, making sure not to pass it on to Applebloom, "but if we want to be master chefs, then we have to get used to crowded kitchens and hot temperatures," she added, stepping ahead of her two friends.

"Although, Ah think tryin' _that_ out fer our cutie marks durin' Hearth's Warmin' probably wasn't such a good idea," Applebloom adjusted her hair bow and found some globs of batter she had missed.

"Maybe you girls should have tried it like a week ago or sometime when the kitchen is nearly deserted?" I suggested jokingly, but Scootaloo shook her head.

"Nah, I don't think I can handle other chefs bumping into me and shouting at me in a sweaty kitchen anyways," the little pegasus shrugged. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom groaned, earning another smirk from me. "What?" Scootaloo questioned. Did I forget to mention how adorable these fillies _always_ were?

"If I recall, trying to be chefs was _your_ idea," Sweetie Belle accused, pointing her hoof in Scootaloo's direction.

"Hey, you know I'm the best at spur of the moment ideas," she stuck her tongue out at the little unicorn. Yep, even fighting amongst each other, these fillies were impossible _not_ to be cute. Applebloom rolled her eyes at her two friends bickering while I stepped down into the snow to join them. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle didn't seem to notice as I bent down and scooped up some snow into my hands, squishing it into a classic snowball.

"Here," I tossed the snowball to Applebloom, "how about a little-" I began before my face was pelted with snow, making me jump a little from the drastic change in temperature. Scootaloo fell onto her back, laughing like a deranged hyena on laughing gas at the snow melting on my face. The snow flung from my cheeks to the ground with my hand as I glared at pony.

"Do you honestly think I don't see the brewing of a snowball fight?" Scootaloo asked once her laughter subsided. Sweetie Belle gasped excitedly before her green magic created her own snowball and launched it, directly at my face.

"Rarity doesn't like snowball fights; I've always wanted to be in one with somepony other than Scootaloo and Applebloom," she explained happily as I yet again wiped my face clean of snow. The snow was flung to the ground by my hand with a _splat_, an evil grin was born across my face and I let out a little chuckle. I knew _just_ how to get back at both the pegasus and unicorn, something that Reaper and I would do when we were kids.

"You know, Scootaloo, that wasn't me trying to start a snowball fight," I took a step towards the three fillies. An idea had sprung into my mind; not a snowball fight per say, but something else fun that would make the wait go by quicker. "But if it's a fight in the snow you want," I added, bending lower to nearly a three point stance. Scootaloo blinked a few times, uncertain of what I was getting at before the realization smacked her in the face. She bent down low as her face changed to what I like to call the 'Rainbow Dash face of confidence.' Applebloom too saw what I was planning and took a step to the side to get out of the way, all with a knowing grin. Sweetie Belle, however, was confused and couldn't figure out what I was doing. I said nothing else as I launched from the ground towards the two fillies standing before me.

"EEEP!" Sweetie Belle squeaked in surprise and jumped back a bit just as my chest and stomach made contact with the ground. Scootaloo timed it just perfectly and had enough wing power to hover in the air so I would miss her. I slid a few feet past both the unicorn and pegasus, using my arms and hands to come to a stop. Applebloom, meanwhile, was giggling up a storm at what had transpired, nearly falling backwards as Scootaloo had done.

"I'm gonna get ya!" I said, pushing myself up off the snowy ground, lunging at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle again. The two laughed and ran, kicking up more snow while trying to get away as I chased them around, all while Applebloom ran beside me.

"You're too slow!" Scootaloo mocked me, pulling ahead of both me and Sweetie Belle slightly. Although I still had some more snow flying towards my face from the legs of the ponies, I didn't mind because moving around had raised my body temperature, and I was having too much fun.

"I don't need to catch _you_, Scootaloo," I called out, "I just need to catch the slowest pony," my gaze shifted to the multi mane colored unicorn behind the pegasus. Sweetie Belle gasped when she knew I was referring to her and tried to kick her speed up a notch. Suddenly, Sweetie Belle skidded to a halt and change direction as if she had utilized an E-Brake and I ran right past her, giving her a new lead so I couldn't keep up. I laughed when I gave up the chase on Scootaloo and skidded to a stop as well, going after Sweetie Belle again.

"Try harder than that, old man!" the white pony teased me.

"Old man?!" I repeated, pretending to be insulted, "you get your butt back here little missy for a timeout!" I teased right back. Sweetie Belle did nothing but giggle and continue to run away from me, changing directions every few seconds before eventually ending back up with Scootaloo as they ran around a few barren trees. Being an earth pony, Applebloom could run faster than both of her friends, but she stayed right beside me, chasing the two around her farm. We had pursued the duo closer and closer to where the Apple family and I had shoveled all of the snow out of the way of the path, causing Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to run into the deeper snow, forcing them to hop more than run. I couldn't help but cackle; my longer legs gave me one hell of an advantage over my little friends.

"C'mon Cougar!" The yellow filly beside me cheered, "let's get 'em!" She encouraged, running a bit faster. The crunching of the snow intensified while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle hopped around as fast as they could to out maneuver both myself and Applebloom. Their attempts were all for naught as I again leapt forward once we had caught up with the two, sliding through the deeper snow and almost breaching like a humpback whale, grabbing onto Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle's rear legs. Applebloom had used me as a spring board and landed atop her friends, completely trapping them within our grasps.

"No!" Scootaloo pouted in defeat.

"Not too shabby for an old man, huh Sweetie Belle?" I pulled her, Scootaloo and Applebloom out of the snow and plopped them back to the snow shoveled area.

"Don't forget yer partner in crime!" Applebloom puffed out her chest proudly. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo groaned and rolled their eyes, waiting for Applebloom to stop looking so prideful. All three ponies then shook their bodies like dogs, ejected the snow off of them.

"I certainly can't forget that!" I exclaimed in reply after they were done removing the snow from their fur. Opening up my arms, I scooped the tiny ponies up into my arms, trying to not drop any of them, and gave them all a big hug. "Wow, we really left our mark here," I acknowledged the hoof and foot prints we had made in the snow, making it look like a few ponies and a monkey got drunk and tried to do walk in a straight line. "This is another reason why I love the holidays so much, girls," they happily exchanged their own hugs. "Playing games outside in the snow with friends while cups of hot cocoa are waiting on the kitchen table," my tongue briefly made an appearance, licking around my lips.

"Or in this case, lots of food!" Scootaloo grinned and rubbed her belly as it gurgled. "I could really go for some waffles with maple syrup and fries on the side!" A little drool emitted from the orange pegasus' mouth; I gently set her to the ground so it wouldn't get on my arm or shirt.

"Applejack said the food was almost ready before, you know," Sweetie Belle blushed at the recent memory. "So, I'm guessing maybe ten more minutes, give or take?" She pondered. None of us were complaining about the cold thanks to our little game; we walked back to the porch and sat down on the steps, trying to think of other ways to pass the time. I don't think they were actually cold and that they wanted an excuse to be close to me, but I didn't mind it when all three ponies snuggled up to me.

"We're really relieved that you came back though, Cougar," Scootaloo said as she rested her head on my lap next to Applebloom's. Sweetie Belle on the other hand actually laid down on my lap and used my chest as a pillow, softly breathing away.

"Thanks, Scoots," I beamed at the statement. "Glad to know I was missed by more than Applebloom and her family," I had to force myself not to say that I was dating AJ to the pegasus and unicorn. I knew they would squeal as badly as Rarity, alert everyone that something may be wrong and have them all flood out here. I knew there was a time for that and it was rapidly approaching with each passing second. The weight of Sweetie Belle's head was removed from my chest, making me grow slightly intrigued as to what she was thinking.

"How could we not miss you?" She asked rhetorically. "We may have known you for only seven months, but you're practically one of us now," she continued. "You're kind, thoughtful, selfless," the unicorn began to list off things she liked about me before Applebloom took over.

"Not ta mention, ya make us laugh with pointin' out stupid stuff ponies do, yer always tryin' ta make others feel better 'n ya have great taste in music," she stuck her tongue out at her compliment.

"Don't tell Rainbow Dash I said this," Scootaloo propped her chin up with her hooves and jammed her elbows into my leg, "but you're also a total badass who doesn't take shit from anypony," her wings buzzed like crazy. The three then snuggled up to me closer, fidgeting around until they were comfortable. At that moment, I felt like more than a friend to the trio, like I was their big brother who wanted what was best for them and tried to steer them in the right direction, even though Applebloom practically held me in brotherly regards.

"Thanks, Scootaloo," I replied, squeezing the fillies like puppies in my arms. Somehow, I was able to get my phone out of my pocket with Applebloom sitting practically on the opening and opened up the music folder. "Do you girls want a little Christmas music?" I offered, scrolling until I found the folder specifically for the holidays. They lifted their heads from my lap and chest and nodded with cheesy grins. With a warm feeling in my chest, I clicked on a nice, upbeat song for the remaining wait time we had left: _Rudolph The Red Nosed __Reindeer._ Sighing contently, I laid my head back to rest upon the siding of the house, enjoying the serene feeling of winter with my favorite fillies. The song played for a good while before Applebloom tapped my leg.

"Cougar, can Ah ask ya somethin'?" I nodded, graciously allowing her to ask whatever she wanted. "Ya said that reindeer helped this Santer Claus feller fly 'round the world, right?" she asked.

"Santa Claus, Bloom," I corrected, ruffling her mane.

"Oh, right," she blushed, "but what are reindeer? Some sort 'o deer with rain that comes out 'o its antlers?"

"Haha, no. A reindeer is a caribou, Applebloom. Equestria has caribou, right?" I asked, recognizing the fact that I had not yet heard a thing about caribou. Sure, Pinkie offhandedly mentioned moose before and Twilight once mentioned that some yaks lived north of even the Crystal Empire, but nothing about caribou.

"Yeah," Sweetie Belle now stood on my chest, somehow defying gravity, "they live north of the Crystal Empire near Yakyakistan, but in tiny villages spread throughout the frozen north," she explained. _'So, kind of like Alaska then,'_ I pondered. "Ms. Cheerilee taught us about them once, but I can't remember what their main home is called," she tapped her chin.

"Oh well," Applebloom shrugged, "anyways, why are those caribou that help Santa called 'reindeer'?" she continued her question.

"Well, the main debate that I remember is that caribou lived in the wild and survived on their own while reindeer were just domesticated caribou that humans owned as pets or took care of if they were injured or sick," I explained. Sweetie Belle then stretched a bit before laying back down on my chest, curling up like a dog and tenderly rubbing her head. I was a little concerned about her horn accidentally puncturing my jugular, but thankfully she didn't stretch her head too far. Raising my eyes back up, I spotted a familiar purple figure trekking its way under the Sweet Apple Acres sign.

"Morning Spike!" I called out, prompting the three fillies to jump up to see their friend. "Happy Hearth's Warming. You got here just in time; the food's just about done," I kept calling out to the dragon, but I never got a response back. In fact, as he walked closer, I could see his head was down and he was kind of dragging himself along. His arms were dangling, barely close enough to graze the snow on the ground. His feet never picked themselves off the ground; they just scooted along, pushing the snow down the path.

"You okay, bro?" Scootaloo asked, jumping down onto the snow from the porch with her wings sticking up on her back. Spike's eyes were closed and it looked like he was ready to start crying at the drop of a pin. In fact, a small sniffle escaped his nose as he trudged along, either ignoring all four of us or was too sad to realize we were there. The dragon took a step up onto the porch as we parted and Applebloom opened the door so he wouldn't accidentally walk straight through it which I was willing to bet would happen.

"Hey Spike, where's Twilight?" I questioned the purple dragon as he walked past me, still not even acknowledging our existence, though he sort of flinched the moment I mentioned his mother's name. The Crusaders bounded their away after the dragon, hoping to find some answers to help him out of his funk.

"Spikey!" Rarity exclaimed from the crowded house. The white unicorn trotted over to hug her friend, but upon seeing his expression, she slowed her pace until she came to a complete stop in front of the dragon. "Whatever is the matter, Spike? And is Twilight with you?" She questioned. All of the conversations died down when everyone saw how sad and worried Spike was.

The poor dragon then slumped down onto a chair with his head in his claws, sighing dejectedly. The world seemed to stop; all the ponies and myself surrounded Spike in the living room, trying to see if he was okay. "My mom isn't coming," Spike sniffled.

"We weren't going to yell at her or anything of the sort if that's what she's worried about," Fluttershy assured.

"Yeah, we just wanted to talk to her about what went down and how it was pretty crummy of her," Rainbow Dash agreed. Spike shook his head, removing his claws from his head only to squeeze them on the arm rests of the chair.

"I don't think that's gonna happen, Rainbow Dash," Spike grumbled.

"Well, why not?" Bon Bon chimed in. "Is Twilight okay?" She added.

"She hasn't said a word to me since last night," Spike replied, "when I ignored her pleas to talk to me." A few tears slipped out his eyes and trailed down his scaly cheeks, leaving his face a little shiny. "I'm a terrible son." he covered his eyes to prevent the waterworks from blasting full force. Nopony had a chance to talk to him, not even me as he started to go off on his story. "The last I heard from mom, she was begging me to just sit and talk to her after everyone left, but I neglected her and went to sleep, locking my door so she couldn't get in."

"Oh, Spike," Celestia tried to reason with him, but he continued as if she hadn't said anything.

"I woke up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and saw she wasn't in the foyer anymore, so I felt a little guilty and knocked on her door; I just wanted to talk to see if she was alright and comfort her like she's done for me so many times before. Her door wasn't even latched, so I walked in to find her crying under blanket," Spike sniffled again. "She wouldn't say anything to me, no matter how much I talked to her, even about things that weren't even remotely related to the holidays."

"I'd want to be alone too if something like that happened to me," Scootaloo cut in, only to be shushed by me and Rainbow Dash. Now I was starting to feel really bad for the alicorn. She probably felt all alone and hated, no matter how sorry she was. To have all of your friends angry at you all at once and during the holidays and completely shun you had to take a toll on even the strongest hearted pony.

"She just cried for about 45 minutes straight while I tried to at least get her to say something, but she couldn't. So I eventually gave up and cuddled with her for the rest of the night, praying that she would be calmer in the morning so I could be there for her and we could smooth out everything before coming here. But that's where I gave my hopes up; she still wouldn't say a thing to me, and her cheeks were caked with dry tears."

"You don't think she'd try to hurt herself, do you?" Glock asked.

"No, not our Twilight," Applejack quickly dismissed the idea, though she sounded a little hesitant.

"She wouldn't even eat a small breakfast I made her; I came here after giving up on that," Spike concluded. "I was hoping maybe one of you could talk to her, maybe Celestia?" He practically begged. "Please, princess, I love my mom; I don't want to see her like this anymore. "It's scaring me," he added quietly as Rarity immediately wrapped her forelegs around him in a hug.

This was strange, I swear I could feel everyone's heart seemingly break or crack simultaneously, even mine. "I shall return as soon as I can, everypony," Celestia agreed to Spike's request. Everyone stepped back a bit, anticipating a teleportation spell and did not want to get caught up. The alicorn took a deep breath and began to charge up her horn, but I stood in front of her and spoke out.

"No, Celestia, let me go," I announced. The princess' horn dissipated of magic, returning to its normal state.

"What do you mean, you'll go, Cougar?" She questioned, confused. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you're the last one on my list who I believe would want to talk to Twilight at this time," she said apologetically.

"I think I can make a bigger impact if I go," I explained. "The shock that _I_ would want to speak with her might snap her out of this funk. Trust me, I've been in plenty of situations like this," I added, trying to convince everyone to allow me to go.

"Are you certain?" Luna debated, "Tia has been Twilight Sparkle's mentor for many years; I would assume she would listen to my sister over anypony else," she touched my shoulder with her wing.

"That makes the most sense, Luna," I replied, politely removing her wing from my shoulder. "But I believe an unexpected answer is the right one for this case. You guys have told me that Twilight tries to see the best in everypony she meets and tries to help others the best that she can. Well right now she needs a friend, and making amends with her just might be the help she needs," I concluded, waiting for someone else to counter my idea.

Applejack softly nodded, trotted over to the door and held it open. "If ya think ya can help her, partner," she said sweetly.

"Just, go easy on her, please," Spike begged with wet eyes.

"I'll be back, and with Twilight, I promise," I said to everyone and tightened my hat, walking out through the door and in front of the house. What have I gotten myself into?

**End Chapter 33**

* * *

_Man, it seemed like the Universe didn't want this chapter to get out; every time I sat down to write a bit more to it, something else would come up! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and be on the lookout for the next one where Ivan goes to confront Twilight. Can they repair things for the holidays? Plus, a few more surprises to come! _

_Also, next Saturday, I will be moving to Seward, Alaska for school, but each dorm room has Wi-Fi and I will have weekends free. I shall continue Fallen Eagle until it is completed. _


	35. Chapter 34: Tears of an Alicorn

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 34: Tears of an Alicorn**

_Firstly, I apologize for the seemingly long wait, but I started college last week and I'm still getting adjusted to the life there. I just want to let you guys know that my class WILL come first, but I've calculated that I will have at least 30 hours combined Monday through Friday of free time plus weekends to write and I will do my best to update at least twice a month or more if I'm ahead of schedule. _

_Second, yes this chapter is quite a bit shorter than the previous three chapters, but I talked it over with a good friend of mine who suggested this scene between Twilight and Ivan is special enough to warrant its own chapter, and I agreed. Plus, the Celestia and Ivan mini-chapter proved popular, so I decided to try it again._

**Lelouch-Strife: **_Alaska's great, always has been to me. A few earthquakes here and there don't bother me._

**OBSERVER01: **_Things are looking good for Cougar, yes, but who knows what awaits him at Twilight's castle. _

**UpgraderIsAwesome489: **_Thank you :) I try to update as often as time allows me. It makes me feel bad when I pass a certain number of days without updating. _

**Sassymouse: **_And ruin keyboards if you spill it from what I've heard ;P It'd be out of character if Applebloom DIDN'T react like that. Sure in Hearts and Hooves day she was a little iffy at first about Cheerilee and Big Mac, but she came around. Grandparents LOVE to make things awkward, but that's why we love our __grandparents. _

**Random Guy: **_My dad told me if I wanted to mess up my life, just piss off a few MPs. He moved around from California, to Alaska, North Dakota and Guam while growing up because my grandfather was in the Air Force, so he knows what it's like. BTW, while I like your name, I think it should be 'Guy Incognito.' If you get the reference I'll give you a shoutout. _

**StacheKing: **_Once again, I am always nervous about your reviews, but I really appreciate the honesty and how you are trying to help me; that really means a lot. Now I don't know if you've re-read the last chapter, but I've updated it and I think it flows much better. Also, I know you told me you like to __review countless other stories, but if you have the time, would you like to be my Beta reader? I think you would be a valuable asset for this story and I'd be honored if you could. However, if you can't that's understandable. I hope you enjoy this chapter. _

**theflammablefiredragon:** _Well, she won't be all sunshine and lollipops, I can guarantee you that. _

**Dixie Darlin:** _Lol, thinking of how the Apples and Cheerilee would react was fun to come up with. And Applebloom's just being her adorable self. But writing in the antics with the Crusaders was even more fun. Try picking the cutest Crusader, it's IMPOSSIBLE! _

**adhdluke: **_No, I may stray down some dark themes like with Ivan's parents, but I don't think I'll ever tackle suicide; I'm not that good of an author yet. If you want dangerous situations, just be patient; there's a couple of chapters coming up shortly that's right up your alley. _

_Anyway guys, PLEASE read and review. I'll catch you next time. _

_Also, the next project I'll be working on is another one shot for my vault! Here's a little spoiler: It's called 'No Strings Attached' and it involves my other OC, Casey from Long Live Rock 'N Roll, helping Applejack get back at the Flim Flam brothers for the banana suit incident from A Case for the Bass. If you're interested, be on the lookout for my one shot collections story. _

* * *

**(Friendship Castle. Ivan's POV)**

My knuckles rapped on the crystal door of the Ponyville castle several times, making my fingers go temporarily numb from how hard I hit the surface. I was wishing that Twilight's scientific mind would at least be curious enough to see who it was, possibly thinking it would be Celestia or Luna. However, I found out quickly that Spike had left the door unlocked, or maybe Twilight always left it open for her friends or important guests, I couldn't remember. Giving it a gentle push, the door slowly swung open to reveal a ghost town of a foyer. With all of the lights off inside, this place was kind of creepy I had to admit. My hand fumbled around on the wall for the light switch, finally flicking it upwards and flooding the entire room with light, only to show the remnants of the party from the night before. Most of the tableware and foods were indeed gone, but the tables themselves and some silverware were still strewn about, making Twilight look lazy and careless to someone entering the castle for the first time.

The pile of glass shards from my outburst still lay below the wall where I had thrown the punchbowl. In fact, there was a large scratch on the wall where the glass object made contact, making me feel slightly guilty. I knew that there was very little reason for _me_ to feel guilty about what happened to Twilight, but she wasn't out to hurt me or anyone else purposefully; how could I hold that over her? She annoyed me yes, and that certainly made me not exactly thrilled to be around her, yet I didn't outright hate her like to did Prince Blueblood. Taking my eyes off the pile of glass shards with a tiny shake of my head, I moved forward, considering the possibility that maybe Twilight was up and sulking in a bathrobe in the kitchen; Spike mentioned he made a tiny breakfast for her. I couldn't help but get slightly hypnotized by the sounds of my boots scraping against the crystal floor being that those were the only sounds in the huge fortress.

"Kitchen, kitchen," I scanned a few of the doors in the area I was currently pacing around. '_I should really come over more often to see Spike,'_ I thought, still trying to pick a door. It then dawned on me that one of the doors in the room had no door handle or knob at all, indicating that it was a swinging door, which most, if not all, kitchens had. "Duh," I muttered, sucking up some oxygen, puffing out my chest and marched my way over to the door. Yet, as my hand pressed against the door, pushing it slightly ajar, a thought raced across my mind. _'What if she's still crying?'_ I could handle Applebloom crying enough to soothe her and dry her eyes, but I've never tried to comfort a grown mare before.

I could potentially make things even worse with Twilight; she didn't deserve that, and I might make AJ mad at me. A shudder went up my spine at the thought of Applejack angry at me, though I was probably overthinking that part. A shift in my legs caused me to lean towards the door, further opening it with a quiet creak that was amplified due to the emptiness of the castle. It kind of freaked me out a little to be honest. Since I couldn't hear anything coming from the kitchen, I knew I couldn't just assume that Twilight wasn't in there; the alicorn could just be quietly brooding to herself with her head resting upon the table for all I knew. I took one look behind me, for whatever reason, and continued to push the door open, mentally crossing my fingers that I could find her and quickly get this over with.

"Dammit," I said when darkness met my eyes once again. The window shades were drawn for whatever reason, even though Spike implied that Twilight had at least been in the kitchen at some point. There was clearly evidence that a meal had been made; the dying aroma of oatmeal was stilling clinging to the air. I actually had to cover my eyes for a second or two when I found the light switch and engulfed the kitchen with bright light. "Great," I muttered when I saw a perfectly clean kitchen, as if no one had ever set foot inside with the exception of a few spoons and a pot in the sink. That left only one other place she could be, or possibly two places in the castle, but I'm NOT checking the bathroom. With a quick flick, the light within the kitchen retreated and surrendered to the darkness. The door swung back and forth several times as I spun around and resumed my search for Twilight Sparkle.

Since this was a castle, I assumed that the largest pair of doors would more than likely lead to the master bedroom, so that's what I looked for specifically. Strangely enough, some doors had my friends' cutie marks on them, more proof that I really should spend some more time at the castle. At least this narrowed down my search some, leaving two pairs of large doors with no cutie marks on them. "Here goes," I turned the handle on one of doors and pushed it open, only to be greeted by stacks of comic books, posters of power ponies, Daring Do and various Hoofball teams by the looks of it. I had to admit that Spike's room was surprisingly clean for a both a boy and a dragon his age which I'm guessing was late teens by now. "Yeah, that's not weird," I muttered before shutting door, spotting a Rarity plush on Spike's pillow. I knew how much Spike cared about Rarity, but I wouldn't be one to have an Applejack plush made. Leaning against the wall, I was now face to face with the last room I knew I had to check, being the final door without a cutie mark imprint.

Immediately, however, I found myself standing just a few inches away from the surface, barely having any recollection of walking across the hall. Yet, I knew there was no good reason to back down, no reason to quit and that it was time to prove one more reason why I enjoyed the Christmas season. "Twilight, are you awake?" I knocked softly on the door, trying not to scare her if I knocked too loud. Just as I had expected, there was no answer, but nothing was going to stop me from the mission I volunteered myself for. I knocked a little harder this time, just experimenting if I ever _will_ get an answer of some sort. "Twilight, come on, we just want to see if you're alright," I explained.

And so I waited, and waited, and waited for about three minutes. I know it wasn't that long of a wait, but I was growing more and more worried about her each second she didn't respond. "You know what Twilight?" I finally called, "if you're okay with me coming in, don't say anything," I placed my hand on the handle, pressing my ear against the door for _any_ kind of sound to reply. I jumped when I heard a sound from the room, but not one I was expecting.

"_Hoo."_

The owl. Twilight's owl responded to me, or he was just reacting to the noise. Whatever he was doing, I didn't care and swiftly opened the door, but I was careful enough to not bang the door open against her wall. Surprisingly, Twilight's room wasn't completely enshrouded in the dark; her window shades were open, allowing Celestia's sun reflecting off the white snow to brighten up the room quite a bit. Despite the room being slightly brighter than I had expected, Twilight's bed was partially hidden within the shadows of the room that the light couldn't reach. I could, however, see Owlowicious' silhouette sitting next to the silhouette of Twilight's body, rubbing the top of her mane softly. Still hesitant, I quietly shut the door and winced with every footstep on the hard floor.

_"Hoo,"_ Owlowicious greeted me as I got closer to my destination within the room. Twilight's body rose and fell, breathing softly with her back to the doorway. Thanks to the darkness, I had to shield my eyes once I stepped into the path of the window, still trying to focus on the purple alicorn in the bed. I had reached the side which Twilight's back was facing, but I couldn't go any further. Like my feet were suddenly stuck in a puddle of glue, I stood on one side, looking at Twilight as she slept, or appeared to be sleeping.

"Hey Owlowicious," I replied to owl, watching him flap up into the air and onto a perch next to the window. "How's Twilight doing?" I asked the avian rhetorically. Owlowicious folded his wings against his body and appeared to shake his head, though that could've been a trick of the light. His right wing then slowly raised itself, pointing directly at the pony laying in the fetal position in the King sized bed.

"_Spike_, _not now, please,"_ a tired and depressed voice came from the lump. That quite possibly had to be one of the saddest things I have ever heard in my life. I understood that I should still be upset at Twilight, but the way she sounded shattered all of the anger I felt towards her. These weren't crocodile tears or a fake shaky voice, this was a mare who did in fact feel awful, and I'm the one who had to help her. With a strong gulp, I rounded the foot of the bed and sat down gently on the end, making the mattress depress and squeak. I took one final look at Owlowicious whom was watching the scene unfold from his perch before aiming my gaze back the alicorn. She lifted up a foreleg and rubbed her eyes with a sniffle, still laying down but turning over onto her back.

"M-morning," I stuttered, completely concerned about how to approach this situation. From the shadows, Twilight's magenta magic illuminated her horn before a second beam of her magic engulfed a lamp string, pulling it and revealing her face and the rest of her bed. Her normal purple eyes were now red and puffy, her cheeks stained with dry tears with more threatening to burst. Twilight's lower lip quivered as if her mouth was having its own earthquake and her nose was also a little puffy, not to mention her mane was disheveled.

_"C-Cougar, what are you doing here?"_ She barely managed to croak out after what seemed like an eternity, sounding like it hurt her throat. I scooted down a little closer to the pony, trying to give off the feeling of comfort to her.

"Well, when you didn't show up to-" I began, getting cut off by the alicorn clenching her eyes shut, not daring to look at me. A tiny cry escaped her mouth as her foreleg covered her puffy eyes.

"_How can you stand to be in the same room as me?" _she questioned, not removing her foreleg at all from her face. I had to choose my words extremely carefully; one wrong word could drive Twilight further down the road of depression, and I haven't had much experience with this before.

"Because," I gingerly touched her shoulder with my hand. Her body froze and then began to shake, but I didn't let go. Instead, I gently traced my hand over her fur, not massaging, just softly rubbing her like a father would his daughter if she were sad or sick. "It's Hearth's Warming, and everyone was hoping to see you," I explained quietly. Twilight choked while trying to breath, making her small whimpers turn to sobs. She then wiped her nose before turning closer to me.

"_I understand you're angry at me, Cougar,"_ she whispered, "_but making me feel worse by lying won't help your anger go away,"_ Twilight added, keeping her eyes shut as a tissue box levitated over to her and she blew her nose. I sighed and continued to rub her fur, even though she was still shaking.

"Twilight, I'm not lying," I replied, staring intently at her. "We're all genuinely concerned about you, even me," I admitted, reaching up towards her foreleg that still rested against her face. The leg went stiff when my fingers curled around it, but she didn't resist my intention. Her eyes were revealed once again to me, puffier and redder than before, with rivers of tears flowing right out of her tear ducts.

_"D-don't patronize me, Cougar. Nopony wants to see me after last night; you shouldn't even want to be in the same town as me, let alone in my room!" _She exclaimed, only to disintegrate the tissue she was using with a burst of her magic. I squeezed her foreleg a little harder, upset at her statement.

"No one wants to see you?" I asked, releasing the leg, "no one, wants to see you?" I repeated, much slower this time, trying to help her key on on the ludicrous statement. "What about your _son?"_ I questioned, leaning a bit closer to the alicorn, "he's in just about as bad a state as you are!" Twilight finally scooted onto her back, propping herself up on her headboard, holding more tears back, clearing her throat a little.

"W-when did you talk to Spike?" Twilight inquired. Her voice sounded much clearer, but I wasn't betting that it would last.

"About ten, twelve minutes ago," I explained. "He came over to Applejack's house all distraught and downtrodden," I cast my gaze out to the window to the road leading in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, thinking how everyone, Rarity especially, would be trying to cheer up the poor dragon.

"I-I didn't even know he left," Twilight's mouth emitted a whine once again. I had to think fast or else I'd be faced with the Niagara Falls of tears. However, all I could think of to say was what Spike explained to us; I was damned if I did nothing and damned if I didn't.

"Well he did," I turned back to the alicorn whose lip was quivering, "and he told us about how he stayed up with you all night when he found out you'd been crying." That was it, Twilight's puffy eyes squeezed more and more tears out at the painful memory as her wings covered her eyes, trying to wipe them, but I was not done. "He said he laid in bed with you, trying to make up for ignoring you when you wanted nothing more than to be close to him, but you were too out of it to talk." Twilight replaced her wings with her forelegs, but instead of covering her eyes, she held her head in her hooves, shaking it back and forth.

"What is wrong with me?" She asked herself pitifully. It pained me to have to keep repeating what Spike had told me, but at least I was getting Twilight to talk. All I had to do after that was help her pick up the pieces of the last ten hours. Yet, I returned my hand to her shoulder, attempting to calm her down at least a little bit.

"And not only that, he also said he cuddled with you well past the point where you fell asleep, and that he made you breakfast which you didn't eat," I then spotted the full bowl of untouched oatmeal on a nightstand. The purple pony sniffled, darting her eyes over to her nightstand before returning to her blanket in front of her.

"Sp-Spike….didn't…._cry_, did he?" the Princess of Friendship swallowed the lump in her throat hard.

"He tried his damnedest not to," was my explanation.

"I made my own son cry?" Twilight quivered, "I'm a terrible friend _and_ mother!" her eyes exploded. Before, she was an emotional wreck, now she was an emotional nuke. A seemingly endless stream of tears shot out of her eyes, soaking her blanket and leaving a lake on the floor, soaking the bottom of my shoes. I thought about getting a bucket full of towels, but I had no clue what she would do if I left her alone; I had to stay by her side until she was coherent enough to talk again. Owlowicious 'hooed' again, trying to get me to keep going.

"No, you're not," I assured her, "but if it helps, Spike wasn't the only one that cried. I mean I couldn't check everyone's eyes, but most of the ones I saw weren't dry at all after Spike's story," I explained. That didn't quite work out; Twilight was still crying rivers of tears and taking short spurts of breaths, except she didn't seem to believe me.

"JUST STOP IT!" She screamed, scaring both myself and Owlowicious. The bird jumped up from his perch, flapping wildly from the outburst. I flew back as well, though I was careful enough to not fall off the end of the bed. Her tears stopped flowing, but a few remained within her eyes. "Nopony except Spike cried for me because why would _anypony_ care about me less than a day after my poorest hour!" She yelled some more. I never liked being yelled at; there was a fifty/fifty chance on whether or not it would make me sad or angry.

"Well they care about you very much, Ms. Princess," I sneered, close to being done playing the comforting guy. "I had but a few friends that I could entrust my life with back on Earth; we cared about each other, no matter what any of us did to mess up or piss everyone else off," I explained. "And your friends care deeply about you, not matter what you do because they're your friends," I leaned in closer to the pony, "that's the only reason you need for why they cried for you." Twilight had to wipe her nose with another tissue before she could respond at all.

"I would understand if they were concerned about me if all I did was yell at Spike and overreacted, but _this_," she flung her legs in the air, nearly punching me in the jaw. "_This can't be forgiven in a day! They should detest me, hate me and only talk to me for regal matters until I've regained their trust,"_ the volume of her voice began to decrease slightly until she was murmuring. But all of this negative thinking made me wish she was stallion; then I could slap her in the face so she could get ahold of herself. Alas, I couldn't hit a mare unless she was threatening to kill me or harm my friends. "And I'll work to regain their trust, but they shouldn't just up and forgive me so soon; I don't deserve it," she was sounding both saddened and stern at the same time, a dangerous combination to me. Finally, I couldn't take her self groveling anymore and I grabbed ahold of both her shoulders, squeezing them like a vice.

Twilight's puffy eyes widened as I bore my own eyes deep into hers, grabbing ahold her attention. "You mean to tell me that after _ALL_ you've been through with them, all you done _FOR_ them and how long you've stuck by their sides they should hate you!?" I screamed right into her face. She'd stopped crying, but the shaking didn't stop. "Twilight," I continued, gathering my composure to not scare her any more than I had to, "this one little mistake doesn't even make a splash against all the good you've done as just a normal citizen of Equestria and as a princess," I shook her just a little bit, praying she would see the light and accept my truth.

Everything went silent. I couldn't even hear breathing from either one of us, nor was there the ticking of a clock within the room. Even the brief gusts of wind outside didn't make a sound. Owlowicious' eyes were staring at us; I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing. Sure, no response was discouraging, but I felt a tiny ray of hope. Maybe, just maybe, I had finally gotten through to Twilight and she could rebuild herself, talk to her friends and mentor and patch up everything. Maybe she could see I _was_ telling the truth and that she'd finally be able to trust herself again. And then, something happened. Her face which was frozen with her puffy eyes and a sad frown twitched. Under my own power, I released her shoulders and prepared a proud look on my face for her, but that was all for naught. Twilight's face transformed into an evil scowl; her barred and clenched like fangs and her nose was blowing a little steam like a raging bull. That's when my face fell and she tackled me.

I fell backwards, somehow managing to not topple over the side and onto the floor. The alicorn shoved me to the end of the bed, forcing me in the center. As long as I had known Twilight Sparkle, she was a kind and intelligent pony who never seemed like a physical pony, at all. This was a completely different Twilight Sparkle. This Twilight was full of rage like a rabid wolverine and ready to beat up someone (mainly me) like Ivan Drago. And in that moment, I was afraid of the Princess of Friendship. "Don't you understand, Cougar?!" She yelled into my face like I did to her. "I'm the _Princess of Friendship!_ I'm supposed to help create friendships, help build friendships, patch rough friendships and make them as special as they can be!" She exclaimed, pushing her nose against mine and forcing my head back into the mattress as far as it would allow. The weight of her forelegs on my chest nearly made me cough; her wings even flared out, making her look even more menacing.

"Yes," I gulped, "I understand all of that-" Twilight cut me off before I could continue.

"NOT just forcibly push two friends to be closer together without thinking of the consequences." What scared me more now was Twilight's breathing. Her breaths were long, deep and a little wheezy like Michael Myers' breathing from behind his mask. With all the new angles that Twilight had thrown at me, all I could do was brace myself for another onslaught of anger and try to hold mine back before doing something regrettable in retaliation.

"Twilight, just keep breathing and calm-" I was interrupted by the alicorn once again. I couldn't complain too much though; she was talking more than I anticipated.

"I was a selfish friend," Twilight mumbled, her anger starting to evaporate, "I took your feelings for Applejack for granted and tried to shove them out of the way so _my_ party that _I_ was hosting could be perfect." The pony then did a double take, realizing what she was doing to me and leapt backwards, allowing me to sit up. "That's why everyone should hate me, Cougar." Oh fuck, she was going back to the hate train again. But I couldn't say anything, lest Twilight's mood take another 200 mile per hour swing. "I-I even turned my own son against me," her eyes began to shed tears once again. And thus, my fuse was lit.

"NO!" I screamed, "No more tears, no more crying and no more BLUBBERING!" I yelled, jumping off the bed and standing on my feet, towering over the quivering alicorn. "Listen to me, and you listen good!" I grabbed her shoulders again, holding her down so she couldn't move. Her wings drooped sadly to the bed, not even trying to fold back against her torso. "You wanted your party to be perfect, right?" I asked, simmering down my rage.

Twilight blinked a few more tears out of her eyes, "W-what?" She questioned, surprised.

"Just, answer the question, please," I said under my breath. The alicorn gulped, turning her head away from me before coming up with her answer.

"Y-yes, okay? Are you satisfied? I wanted to have the perfect holiday party with all of my friends and the royal sisters," she explained, her eyes starting to dry up. "Who wouldn't want everything to be perfect, especially with royalty such as Luna and Celestia visiting?" She asked.

"Okay, that I completely understand, I really do," I placated and spoke calmly, causing her to give me a little smile. "And I'm positive you have been told this before, but you need to hear it," I announced. Twilight's face fell again, knowing that I wasn't going to make her feel better. "No matter how hard you or _anyone_ tries, no one will ever be perfect, do you understand me?" I asked.

"I-I know that," she croaked, "but that doesn't mean I can't _try_ to be as perfect as possible," she countered. I sighed, clicking my tongue against the roof of my mouth and darting my eyes around the crystal floor before looking back up into the purple eyes of Twilight.

"And there's nothing wrong with that, but there's a limit, Twilight. If you try to make everything _too_ perfect, you will start to lose touch with reality," I explained.

"Now wait a minute, Cougar," Twilight smacked my hand away, "that's absolutely preposterous," she argued, though she was still straining her voice.

"Is it?" I questioned, folding my arms across my chest, "not everything can be perfect; everything can have little imperfections. Like what you did, it was a mistake even though I know you had good intentions."

"Where are you going with this, Cougar?" Twilight tiredly asked me.

"Like how everything has imperfections, everyone, or everypony makes mistakes, Twilight," I revealed. "And that only makes you human," I know it wasn't the correct terminology to use, but it was the first thing that came to mind. "I know making mistakes suck, but it's a part of all us. All of our imperfections make us perfect," she lowered her head, allowing tears to succumb to gravity's pull and fall onto the floor. Owlowicious flew off of his perch and landed next to Twilight, nuzzling up against her side.

"But a mistake like this?" She whimpered, wiping away at her eyes with her wings again.

"Twilight, even the most trusted of friends mess up, and you did fuck up a lot last night," her whimpering grew louder, but I had but a few words left to say, and I wasn't turning back now. "But a true friend comes to terms with their mistakes and learns from them, talks to their friends to get back on equal ground and to wipe the slate clean, just like your friends want to do with you. And the only way to do that is to admit you fucked up and talk with them about it, not sulking in your room, beating yourself up and coming up with bullshit reasons why your closest and truest friends should hate you."

I was then in for a shock of a lifetime: Twilight lunged at me, wrapping her forelegs around my torso, bawling her eyes out. Somehow managing to not pierce my chest with her horn, she buried her head against me, muffling her wails."_I-I he-never wanted t-to hurt anypony!" _She cried into my stomach. _"I-I'm sorry, Cougar!"_ she apologized, wheezing hard as she attempted to breath in between her cries.

"Uh, it's okay," I said uncomfortably, looking towards Owlowicious for help. The owl only lifted his wing, pointing towards Twilight. I've been in Equestria just a little over seven months; I never thought I would be holding and comforting Twilight Sparkle in her room. Gently, I raised my hand and rubbed her back, trying to calm her down so she could talk again. "I know you didn't, just let it out; you'll feel better," I whispered.

For the next ten minutes, Twilight continued to use me to muffle the sounds of her crying, stopping every so often to get some air into her lungs. I only felt comfortable doing this sort of thing with Applebloom, but strangely enough, I didn't want to abandon Twilight like this. Not because she was a blubbering mess, but because she needed a friend to be there for here after finally opening up, and I was her only option. With her still clinging to me, I reached over and grasped the box of tissues in my hand, bringing them over so she could stop using my shirt to dry her eyes. "Hey, need a tissue?" I asked softly, jostling the box in my hand for her to hear. My shirt stuck to her eyes while she pulled away, only to release and fall back to my body when she looked up at me. Weakly, she grinned and levitated a few kleenex over to her nose and eyes.

"C-Cougar?" she stammered, still regaining her serenity.

"Yes?" I replied, setting the box down in between us.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She questioned, laying down and curling up on the bed, "even after what I did, how could you forgive me so soon?" she added. I already knew my answer, having it be the biggest reason why I volunteered to come down here and talk to her instead of letting Celestia go. It was also my second favorite part of Christmas and the holidays, something else that helped bring humanity closer together as the weather got colder.

"Because Christmas is not only a special time for us to spend with loved ones, Twilight. It's also the season of hope and forgiveness," I moved a stray hair from her eyesight, "a time when we look past the mistakes of our friends and rejoice in what we love about each other instead of holding grudges," my arm found it's way around Twilight's neck, pulling her closer to me.

"R-really?" She raised her head up to look me in the eye.

"Well, if you'd let me get to my speech last night, that would've been the closer that I'd saved," I teased her. It brought a smile to my face to hear her giggle, standing up and stretching her wings. However, my moment of joy and accomplishment ground to a halt when the memory of talking to AJ in the Crystal Empire reared its head back in my face. Guilt soon flooded me and I looked up at the alicorn that was waiting for me to get up from the bed.

"Is everything okay, Cougar?" She asked me. The bed creaked as I sat up, stuffing my hands into my pockets. The bill of my hat rested against the glass, holding me up whilst staring out of the window. Things between myself and Twilight seemed okay, but they weren't, not as long as I still had that now guilt filled memory sucking on my conscience.

"Twilight, I have to apologize to you," I admitted, not moving from my spot at the window. In the reflection, I saw the purple princess freeze before conjuring up a q-tip to clean out her ears.

"What? What in Celestia's name did you ever do to me, Cougar?" she demanded.

"I judged you before I truly got the chance to really know you, and for that, I apologize," I turned around to face her. "When I first got here and heard you say you wanted to study me, I just assumed you were the kind of snoopy person that only wanted to know everything about private lives, so I did my best to ignore you, even think negatively of you. I, I even told Applejack that I didn't like you back when we visited Cadence and Shining Armor," I admitted. Twilight's reflection revealed that she looked hurt; her head drooped to the ground.

"Oh..."

"But I was wrong. I was afraid some ponies would judge me based on what I look like, and I judge you based on a first impression; that was terrible of me to do," I felt a warm body nuzzle my sides.

"It's okay, Cougar. I did treat you like a study subject rather than a friend," she sheepishly swung her foreleg around. "Since you mentioned it, how about we wipe the slate clean and start over?" she suggested, offering me her hoof.

"Twilight," I took her hoof, "it would be my genuine pleasure," I smiled, shaking her hoof. "Now come on, our friends miss us," I grinned. My hand relinquished itself from her hoof as we then journeyed out of her room, out of the castle and into Ponyville where we set off for Sweet Apple Acres to set everything straight.

**End Chapter 34**

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_I hope you all enjoyed this mini chapter between Ivan and Twilight. The next chapter will be full of surprises, and not just for the characters who don't know of AJ and Ivan dating or Ivan's real name yet. There's a few surprises I'm saving for you guys!_


	36. Chapter 35: Season of Surprises

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 35: Season of Surprises**

**theflammablefiredragon: **Oh great, another dead one. Thank God I forged your signature on that contract :P

**StacheKing: **Before I go into replying to the actual review. I would've absolutely understood if you wanted to take a break from the chapter due to it being relatable to you. And please don't take this the wrong way, but I consider that a victory for myself, and here's why. The writers of the show have gotten me to love certain episodes because I've related so well to them, more recently in Tanks for the Memories because three years ago I had to say goodbye to the greatest dog I'd ever owned. And I'll admit it: I cried during the episode when Rainbow Dash cried. In short, if I can get readers to relate to certain chapters, then I'm doing what I want to do, writing good slice of life stories. Anyway, onto the actual reply. Coming up with interesting dialogue for depression was not easy; I had to look up depression as I had to with the origins of Christmas so wouldn't be writing blind. As for Twilight's perfection obsession, I have some OCD especially when it comes to NASCAR. In fact, I yelled at my TV when an announcer got a fact wrong and I sent out an angry tweet, so that's where I knew how to insert some OCD.

**KillerWoW: ***Grabs defibrillator* CLEAR!

**adhdluke: **You logged in? We must document this occasion for future generations to enjoy!

**Dixie Darlin: **I uh, I literally LOL'd in Castle Sweet Castle when Spike walked out with the Rarity plushie. And I'm not saying bronies that own plushies are weird; I own a Jeff Gordon build-a-bear from 2006. As for Owlowicious and Ivan, their scene together is an homage to one of my favorite movies, try and guess which one!

**Guest: **Pfft, more humans? No way. Ivan's the first and will be the only human to ever enter Equestria via the Bermuda Triangle.

**Guy incognito: **Glad to see this name; it brought a good laugh out of me. Here's that drink, that'll just be one review good sir. And I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

**OBSERVER01: **Twilight would be the adorkable one of the Mane 6, no question about that. Here's how powerful crying can be: If you see someone you're not used to seeing cry like Twilight here or even Pinkie Pie in _Baby Cakes_ it triggers a sad response from us because we know those characters are supposed to be happy and positive.

**UpgraderIsAwesome489: **I update as often as I can with having to juggle college now.

**Sassymouse****: **Glad to see someone spot just how far Ivan has come since arriving in Equestria :) I've been very sad before, but not depressed, so I had to do a little digging about depression to try and get Twilight's character just right for being depressed. As for the self inflicting harm, that's NEVER going to happen in any of my stories. Which is ironic considering the amount of swearing, sexual jokes and murders that take place.

**And now, a message from the Author:**

Good evening, morning and afternoon my readers, Captain Alaska broadcasting live from my dorm room in Alaska! I want to apologize for this chapter taking 2 weeks+ to come out, although I have good reasons why. 1) I had another one shot concerning a sequel to _A Case for __the Bass_ to work on. If I didn't work on it then this chapter would've been out much sooner. 2) My college schedule. I'm doing everything I can to get work for the week done as soon as possible, but that can't always happen. However, I am aiming for two if not three chapters per month to give you guys. In fact, here's a little treat for you all: Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep WILL soon become apart of the Fallen Eagle universe, there's something to look forward to.

Also, who wants to be the 350th reviewer?

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**(Outskirts of Ponyville. Ivan's POV)**

As much as I'd expected Twilight to gradually start talking more like her usual self, her silence as we trudged through freshly fallen snow surprised me. I wasn't expecting her to start off right away discussing the joys of Hearth's Warming her favorite activities to execute, but I at least thought she would attempt small talk. That's not to say she didn't put on a smile and waved at ponies who were out and about this morning that greeted us. At some points, she would slow her pace to look at families cozying up inside their homes with steaming mugs of hot chocolate in front fireplaces. And every time she was done, a sad sigh was all she would say before resuming our original journey.

I took notice that whenever she would cease walking and yearn to be cozying up with her friends and son, her pace would be slower than before when resuming walking. Of course I couldn't read minds, but I could tell that she wasn't exactly over the hump just yet; her voice cracked when she offered to wipe the slate clean between us. However, there was one thing I could give Twilight an immense amount of credit for: Whenever a citizen of Ponyville said hello to us or waved to us as we walked by, Twilight would instantly look happy and cheerfully wave back to the citizen before reverting back to worrisome state. With every step we took closer to Sweet Apple Acres, her eyes grew wider, her irises shrank, her breathing became shorter and she started to look only at her hooves.

"Twilight?" I asked her once her silence finally overwhelmed me. As Twilight looked up at me, our pace slowed down enough that a snail could have surpassed us if it tried. She attempted to hide her worry like with the other citizens, but she realized right away I could see through her charade. "Come on," I said as kindly as I could, "are you still nervous?"

"More like scared," she gulped. "I hope you don't imagine me being 100% ready to stand in front of everypony and give them my biggest apology yet," she replied. Her knees on all four legs were wobbling like a newborn fawn.

"You've given speeches before, right?" I questioned, sitting down on a nearby fencepost, not even bothering to wipe the snow off. I was reluctant to stretch out the time more than was necessary, but I wasn't going to force Twilight if she wasn't prepared.

"Are you seriously comparing a simple speech or lecture to a public apology, Cougar?!" Twilight raised her voice.

"Okay," I put my hands up, "bad analogy, I'm sorry," I apologized as she slowly approached me and sat on her haunches next to where I was sitting. Reaching over, I softly began to pet her mane, trying to ease her fear. "I never expected you to flip a switch and be completely ready to face them; that would be completely unfair of me."

"You're just trying to help," Twilight replied, lazily dragging one of her hooves through the snow in front of her. "And I'm just being a scared baby," she looked up at me, still dragging her hoof around.

"It's natural to be a little nervous when apologizing to friends," I said softly, still trying to go easy on her. I prayed that no one would suddenly discover us and as what was going on; I couldn't come up with a good enough lie and Twilight didn't need a swarm of others surrounding her in her fragile state.

"A little nervous? Hah," Twilight semi-mocked me.

"Look, I at least got you out of bed and moving. And I know that doesn't automatically mean all your fears and sadness are washed away," I explained, still stroking the back of her mane, "realizing your mistakes is one thing, but admitting them is a different story entirely," I recalled the same phrasing used about passing when I would watch NASCAR. "Come to think of it, you kind of already admitted them to me," I gave her a small pat on the back. Twilight sighed sadly again before using her wing to push my hand away.

"That was to one of my friends, not every single one of my closest friends, my mentor and my son all at the same time," the alicorn stood up and leaned against the very same fence post that I was sitting next to.

"Well, it's a start," I replied, getting up with a small grunt. "It's my fault you're like this anyway," I ran a quick hand through my hair, mentally cursing at myself. _Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch._ Twilight steadily turned around to look at me with shock and awe, her mouth was slightly agape.

"How is it your fault that I'm acting like a scaredy cat and filling myself with self-doubt?" She demanded, inching closer to me.

"I know how alicorns and a select few unicorns can teleport. I should have asked you to just zap us back to Sweet Apple Acres instead of walking back through Ponyville and shoving happy families and friends in your face," I explained.

"Actually, I had considered that, Cougar," Twilight hopped up onto two legs, bracing her front legs on top of the fence, "but I wasn't in the right emotional state for magic like that then, and of course not now. I could've ended up stranding us in Griffonstone or maybe on Pinkie Pie's old rock farm," she gave me a slight chuckle. "But, I do want to thank you though for getting me out of my bed and outside," Twilight took a deep breath.

"It's not the holidays if friends and family are divided," I grinned. She nodded in reply and began tapping her hooves on top of the fence.

"You know, I've never had such conflicted feelings like these," Twilight admitted. "I want to be with everypony more than anything, but then the fear that they don't want anything to do with me creeps back."

"And you know that's completely bogus, right?" I asked, pinching some snow in between my fingers.

"Of course I do!" she exclaimed. "I just wish I wasn't so scared," she added.

"If it makes it easier, can't you just treat this like a lecture?" I questioned. The purple pony looked over at me and then drooped her head until it rested in between her hooves.

"That's not possible, Cougar," she whispered. "A lecture means some ponies will listen, that they've soaked in new information and it'll end with a brighter day for everypony. With an apology, however, I _don't_ know if anypony will listen or if they _care_ at all." A soft breeze blew by, landing a few snowflakes on Twilight's face.

"The longer you wait, the more scared you'll become," I brushed the snow from her face. "Your heart is telling you to go and be with your friends, but your brain is filling you with a false sense of self doubt. And I understand since it's _you_ that we're talking about, this will be hard to hear," I gently scratched her wing. She opened her eyes and turned to face me, giving me her full attention. "You need to tell your brain to fuck off," I remarked sternly.

"What?" she questioned, shaking her head back and forth.

"You and only you are the reason you can't get yourself to see your friends and son," I explained. "The more you feed your mind with lies and doubt, the more you'll begin to believe them," I gingerly touched her cheek. As if they were mechanical, Twilight's eyes blinked several times rapidly, digesting all of the information I just laid down for her. Suddenly, more tears started to brew within her tear ducts, inflicting a certain amount of fear within me. _'Oh shit,'_ I mentally said. Great, just when I got her off the crying bandwagon, I throw her right back on.

However, the princess puffed out her chest and stood tall and proud, shocking me. She was in fact crying, but they were not tears of sadness or depression. These were tears of determination and confidence. "Twilight?" I tip-toed around her name.

"Come on, I want to see my son," she smiled as a few more tears rolled down her cheek.

"That a girl," I grinned as she took my hand in her hoof and I felt an all too familiar tingle radiating through my nerves.

* * *

**(Sweet Apple Acres. Ivan's POV)**

The next thing I saw was a bright flash of magenta light, followed by a blinding white light from the effects of our trip. I still held onto Twilight's hoof so I wouldn't keel over from how dizzy I felt. "Are you feeling well, Cougar?" Twilight helped me keep my balance as my eyesight returned after I held them shut.

"I _will_ get used to that one of these days," I swore to the alicorn.

"Don't worry Cougar," she assured me, "Spike still gets a little woozy whenever I perform that spell with him," she remarked, letting go of my hand and surrounding the door handle with her magic. A few blotches of white light remained in my eyes, but I could still see into the house through the screen door. No one inside seemed to be watching the door, though I could still see a few ponies with their backs turned, apparently watching someone in the living room.

"Are you ready, Twilight?" I asked, stepping back from the screen door. Her magic still consumed the handle, even making it shake a little as she tried to pull the door open.

"Y-yes," she shakily replied, "just need to take a few deep breaths here," she added with a gulp.

"Well, they look pretty preoccupied in there," I pointed out to her, "just gather yourself, I'm here with you." And so, the alicorn took several deep breaths, each one longer than the last before raising her right foreleg up to her chest and exhaled, pushing her leg foreword and then opening the screen door with her magic. Being the gentleman, I allowed to go in first before me and then shut the door quietly to not surprise anyone. _"Pick up your feet,"_ I whispered when I saw just how tense she was, causing her to stomp her hooves instead of walking normally.

"Okay, we give up, Lyra," Bon Bon exclaimed from the living room. Lyra had been the one doing something in front of the group of ponies and dragon that I had left. Surprisingly though, no one had noticed us yet, not even Pinkie Pie who was sitting just like _The Thinker_, studying what Lyra was doing.

"No, no Bon Bon," the pink mare waved her hoof, "I think I've got this," she said confidently, "hmm, you're Rainbow Dash when she was tricked by Spring Song at the Academy and got hung upside down by her hoof!" she declared. I cracked a small smile as every other pony gave Pinkie Pie a weird look.

"Oddly specific, wouldn't you say?" Luna asked her elder sister. Celestia replied with a brief nod, never taking her gaze off the party mare.

"H-how do you even _know_ that?!" Rainbow Dash demanded, blushing from the embarrassing memory. Of course, Soarin being Soarin started chuckling loudly until Rainbow flipped his piece of pie onto the ground; the light blue stallion whimpered. Normally at this point, I would've pushed Twilight to step in, but I felt that with a lightened mood, it would make things a helluva lot easier on the poor pony.

"Duh, my twinzie Surprise told me in one of her 3,924 letters she's sent me since the incident," Pinkie dug a random letter out of her mane and thrust it into Rainbow Dash's face. The rainbow maned mare groaned, balling up the letter before tossing it back at Pinkie Pie whom caught it and smoothed it back out before inserting it back into her mane.

"Very funny Pinkie, but I _doubt_ Lyra even knows that that happened until now," Rainbow Dash snorted.

"Actually…." Lyra shrugged. I really had to bite down on my lip hard to keep from snickering too loud as Rainbow's face fell completely. The cyan pegasus then jumped up from her seat with an accusing glare on her face.

"Okay, how the Tartarus do _you_ know?" Rainbow Dash pointed her wing at the mint colored unicorn.

"Surprise and I met at a Reggae Reggae concert a couple of months back; she sends me a few dozen letters a month," Lyra explained and sat down next to Bon Bon.

"That's it, I'm buying a muzzle for Surprise, Soarin," Rainbow huffed and crossed her forelegs across her chest. Suddenly, and without warning, Twilight cleared her throat loudly, surprising me so much that my heart rate increased. A few mumbling chats from within the group cut off so fast it was like someone hit the mute button. A collective groan from the furniture in the living room sounded off simultaneously while the occupants leaned over to see who was there.

Almost immediately, princess Celestia stood up, most likely because it was the 'regal' thing to do whenever another symbol of royalty would enter a room, though I was forever curious why Luna didn't rise either. . The moment Twilight's hooves began to move, propelling her, albeit slowly, into the living room made my jaw nearly drop. I wasn't prepared to announce her arrival or anything like that, but I had figured that I would perhaps have to coerce her a little. I was wrong, I admitted, and ended up following her into the living room.

All eyes stalked the two of us, as if our very souls were to be judged, never blinking and never leaving us. The one occupant I was most interested in seeing was actually not Applejack, but Spike. The purple and green drake in question was currently sitting in between Rarity and Fluttershy, looking as conflicted as I'd ever seen. He was sitting perfectly still, yet upon closer inspection I could see his claws digging into the couch that he was sitting on and he was trying with all his might to fight back tears in eyes. A part of the dragon wanted to keep his cool in front of everyone while the other part wanted to leap up and grab his mom in a hug. The stress Spike was putting on himself pushed him to the verge of tears.

"I think I've got it from here, Cougar," Twilight said about as meekly as Fluttershy when my mouth opened to speak. Hesitant, I looked from Twilight to everyone else that was inside the now cramped living room. Their expressions were not of anger nor disappointment, but they were all silent and willing to listen. Nearly puppet-like, my eyes crept back over to the pony standing at the front of the room next to the fireplace. And with a sympathetic biting of my lower lip, Twilight graciously smiled, "Yes, I'm positive," she wrapped a foreleg and both of her wings around me and pulled me into a hug.

Once she let me go, her head bowed gracefully. A singular nod to let me know that she was going for broke, no matter the outcome. She had come this far, and I wasn't going to be the one to prolong this any further. My boots thumped loudly against the floor as I gave her the space she needed, walking backwards towards the couch. There was a light shuffling around as I reached my destination right in between Applejack and Spike, the latter still being soothed by Rarity's hoof rubbing his back. Not only was I intrigued as to what Twilight had planned to say to everyone, or what their reaction was going to be, but what I wanted most out of this was to see Twilight succeed and reconnect not only with her friends and son, but with herself, something I was struggling with myself.

"Good morning everypony," Twilight breathed out after repeating the same foreleg process she showed me earlier. Celestia finally laid back down, shuffling probably louder than she wanted to and curled back up against Glock. So it seemed, Twilight and I bet that _someone_ was bound to say something upon our return, but the continuing silence about twenty-seconds after Twilight's greeting told us that it wasn't going to come to fruition just yet. "I-I just have something I want to say about," Twilight slowed down before choking out the final words to us, "last night," she gulped like her throat was sore.

Sweat was starting to form at the brim of her mane line as the silent reaction from the crowd started to frighten her more than I thought it would. She was right about one thing to me: A public apology _was_ vastly different from a lecture. My only guess was the collective shock that my plan had worked, or just the fact that Twilight did show up anyway was the reason everyone suddenly losing their voices. "If anyone doesn't care to hear, I won't cast any blame upon you," Twilight squeaked, blinking just a few tears out of her eyes before they would become waterfalls.

No one moved an inch, however. Twilight's head scanned around the room, waiting for the first pony or ponies to get up and walk out of the room, waiting for her to get this over with and leave. But that never happened. "G-go on, Twilight," I jumped when Pinkie Pie's normally squeaky voice spoke in a normal tone. Her statement was then followed by a simultaneous nod from everyone with the exception of myself as this was starting to creep me out a little. In fact, Twilight's head stopped in Pinkie's direction, stuck like she had just been told the most disturbing secret of all time.

With a quick shake of her head, Twilight tried her best to find a way to start, but I couldn't blame her for finding this difficult. Her purple eyes then zeroed in on the couch that I was sitting upon before her head moved again. She was staring at _me_ for whatever reason, maybe wanting some more encouragement? The alicorn told me that she had everything covered from there, but if she still wanted my help I was more than willing. A few more tears brimmed in her eye lids as a forced smile then spread across her face, confusing me even more. It was then I realized that she wasn't looking at me, but the dragon sitting directly to the right of me. Spike's face was one of sorrow, pain and remorse as his and Twilight's eyes connected from across the room. Twilight then bowed her head once more and finally cut her eyes off of Spike's, biting her lower lip.

***Third Person POV***

"I... I know that you all probably think that I'm awful right now, but I just can't handle it knowing that there's a rift between me and my friends... a rift that I need to repair...right now," her voice sounded extremely strained, though that was one thing Ivan correctly expected. Despite having had that big, emotional talk with her earlier, he was still rather intrigued to hear what she exactly had to say in her apology. Twilight sucked in another breath before continuing, "Today I stand before you all: my friends, mentor, role models, acquaintances and family," she scanned the room from her main group of friends to Celestia, Big Mac, Cheerilee, Granny Smith, Ivan and the Crusaders before stopping at Spike. "And I stand here ashamed, embarrassed and angry, no, _infuriated _at myself," she said while grinding her teeth, "not because my plan completely obliterated right before my eyes," Twilight explained, "which I wouldn't blame any of you for thinking that's why I was upset," she added, allowing her wings to droop.

She swung her wings against the ground sadly, like a human swinging their foot against the ground when they were upset or sad. "But I'm _not_ going fabricate a lie and say, _'I wasn't myself,' _or, '_I was not __thinking straight,' _because I was 100% alert and aware of what I was doing." Applejack's hoof tapped Ivan's hand a few times before it finally rested upon his palm. The pilot took an opportunity while Twilight paused to look at his girlfriend. Her eyes stared into his and read, _'Ah'm proud 'o ya,' _whilst his hand squeezed her hoof, trying to tell her that their time would come when Twilight's was over, though that wasn't to say Ivan didn't mind holding AJ's hoof.

There was a few other proud ponies within the room as well, namely the royal sisters of Canterlot to be specific. Princess Celestia was internally proud of Twilight for not using the tired lie of, _'she didn't know what she was doing.'_ The goddess of the sun knew her student wasn't a liar, but even the most trustworthy of ponies almost always fell down that path when they bucked something up majorly. As for Luna, she was proud of Twilight for having the guts to confront her problem. "While I was telling the truth to Cougar of what I was trying to do," the purple alicorn remembered to not say anything about Cougar's romantic feelings for Applejack, less she makes things as worse as they could be, "after Applebloom discovered my plan, it was not the real reason for my actions."

Nearly everyone with the exception of the human simultaneously said, "What?" underneath their breath at the first of Twilight's confession/apology.

"I willingly allowed my judgment to be consumed by the lust for perfection by falling for the alluring chance of putting on not only the perfect Hearth's Warming Eve party for us," her hoof pointed to her chest, "but also the perfect Christmas Eve party for Cougar," her gaze returned to the human. His hand quickly released from Applejack's hoof, praying that Twilight hadn't noticed in case she lost her train of thought. "My perfection thirsty mind was so flooded with the thoughts of hosting the perfect parties that I never once stopped to consider Cougar's feelings, thus ruining the party for all of you," Twilight had to look away and try to force her tears down.

A few ponies had to sit back and think for a brief second. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Lyra knew of Twilight's perfection obsession, but never said anything for fear of a stern lecture or an essay detailing her explanation. Hearing her finally admit that she was easy prey to perfection was almost like a breath of fresh air to the two pegasi and unicorn. Applejack applied a little bit of pressure to Ivan's hand, garnering his attention again. _'She tried ta get ya ta,'_ the orange mare mouthed to the Air Force pilot. He nodded his response, seeing it as the only way to respond.

Applejack exhaled quietly, running a hoof over her eyes in the process. "But wanting everything to be perfect right down to the napkins was not the only thing wrong with me last night," Twilight gulped, losing her battle against her tears. "When I saw how the party was split into two groups and how neither of them were even attempting to talk with the other, I feared that could potentially kill the party; that's when I put the plan into action," she clenched her eyes shut tightly. "I began to think and act selfishly, worrying only how negatively the parties would be affected if Cougar didn't get a secret off his chest."

Everyone else except a certain dragon looked over at the human in question with sympathetic eyes before returning the their attention to the alicorn. "I had a goal last night: to see that everypony was having a good time and building memories for the future with our human friend," she pointed to Ivan. "And I was so focused on completing that goal that I didn't care who I stepped on and who's feelings I made a complete mockery of. Instead of the party being ruined by two groups not interacting, it was ruined by my own meddling," Twilight added, now completely surrendering to her tears.

When Twilight paused again, Bon Bon, Rarity and Scootaloo took this as the sign that Twilight was done apologizing and sat up from their seats, trying to approach her to give their own responses. Yet, they all froze when Twilight wiped her eyes with her wings and kept on talking, prompting the three to hustle back to their seats. "My reign of selfishness doesn't end there," she pressed on, feeling her speech coming to a close and working towards her eventual apology. "What did I do next? I dropped so much stress onto your shoulders because rather than swallowing my pride and arriving here earlier to face everypony, I chose to seclude myself in my castle, wallowing in my own tears and self pity."

"Twilight, dear," Rarity tried to say before Ivan shook his head, cutting his hand across his throat and signaling her to keep quiet while Twilight was on a role. If anything happened now to make Twilight stop, then the whole rebuilding trust between her and her friends could be tarnished. And who know how long she could be back to her old self in the castle that dreary morning? Luckily, years of acting like a Canterlot pony trained Rarity to keep her mouth shut if there was the possibility of saying the wrong thing to the wrong pony. What Ivan didn't know, however, was that Twilight secretly craved for somepony to ask her questions or just talk while she had the room's attention; Twilight wanted her friends to talk to her once more.

"All the while I had the greatest son a mother could ask for doing everything he could just to get me to smile and talk. And what did I do for his acts of kindness and compassion? I was too busy feeling sorry for myself that I ignored him and a breakfast he m-made so-special for m-me." Twilight's voice officially went from strained to blubbering the instant she began to talk about how she wronged Spike. "M-making your own ch-child c-cry because you've made them feel like a failure is the a-absolute worst thing a parent, _can do,"_ Twilight's breathing became more shallow as she sniffled.

Throughout the apology so far, Spike was the only one within the room that had yet to move since his mother had entered. The purple drake was still gripping the arm of the sofa so hard that his claws had punctured through some of the upholstery, trying to contain his emotions.

"And I know h-he volunteered," Twilight said in between cries, "b-but it was unfair of me to s-stress out Cougar and make him f-feel obligated t-to fix everything wrong with me, e-especially after I made him look like a fool last night!" Twilight was on the verge of becoming absolutely hysterical, but she somehow managed to control herself. She was not the only one limited to crying, however. Some of the more emotional ponies were dabbing their eyes or staring off somewhere else to keep their eyes dry. "I w-want to leave y-you all with this, j-just in c-case you want me t-to le-leave," Twilight wiped her eyes again. "Last night was the absolute worst thing I've ever committed, and I was most certainly not deserving of my regal title. And I'm not expecting this speech to flip a switch and immediately wipe the slate clean between all of us," she managed to stop choking on her tears.

With Twilight's eyes snapped shut to prevent the salty discharge of her eyes from escaping coupled with her shallow and loud breathing, she failed to see and hear the shuffling of ponies sitting up from their seats.

"I'm not perfect, nopony is perfect and nothing will ever be perfect, no matter how hard I try to make it so. Cougar helped get that through my thick skull, but what I did have was the perfect friends to be surrounded by during the holidays, something that a few ponies can't even say. Everything was already perfect, and I tried to fix something that wasn't broken. Yet, the one thing I can fix is this mess I've created. All I want is your forgiveness. I'm not asking for your pity or sympathy, j-just a chance to right this wrong and keep our friendship intact, if you're willing to of course." With a quiet final sentence, Twilight then felt a large set of wings blanketing her torso. Upon opening her eyes and letting about a gallon of tears fall to the ground, Twilight saw the face of her mentor smiling sweetly at her.

"Twilight," Celestia said in her motherly voice.

"I-I'M SORRY!" Twilight finally burst. She repeated the same phrase over and over again several times, each time prompting others to join the hug to comfort their crestfallen comrade.

"We forgive you, Twilight," Rarity hoofed a napkin to Twilight to help dry her face. "Right, everypony?" she asked. Ivan and Spike still remained on the couch, both of them for very different reasons. Ivan had wanted to congratulate Twilight personally for sucking it up and making her public apology while Spike was waiting for the right moment to talk to his mother.

"Oh of course," Fluttershy agreed, nuzzling up to her lavender friend, "we all make mistakes, Twilight."

"But it takes a true friend to admit them and apologize for them," Luna smiled, bowing to her fellow princess. "We are very honored by your speech and apology, Twilight Sparkle, however, I do believe that next time a situation where feelings such as those are concerned," Luna began before a new voice took over for her, causing the human and lavender alicorn to freeze.

"You should leave that job to me," Cadence and Shining Armor appeared from the kitchen.

***Ivan's POV***

Seeing Cadence and Shining Armor walk in through the kitchen surprised the hell out of me, mainly because I knew for a fact they weren't there when I left. Maybe Celestia invited them to brunch as a surprise for Twilight yesterday, or maybe she contacted them as a backup in case I failed in my mission to get Twilight out of bed. "C-Cadence?! Shining?!" Twilight exclaimed fearfully.

"C-Cougar didn't say you two were here!" I thought another barrage of crying was going to rain down upon us in case one of Twilight's older family members scolded her.

"That's because we've been here only since Cougar left," Shining explained, casting a quick gaze over to me. "Princess Celestia filled us in a little bit ago," the white unicorn added. If they were going to have a sibling talk, then I felt that should be done in private. "Twily, I'm proud of you for admitting what you did wrong," Shining Armor pulled his little sister over with his foreleg and hugged her.

"Y-you're not mad?" Twilight lazily hugged her big brother.

"Mad? No. Disappointed? Well yeah, I mean you of all ponies would be the last one I'd expect to try and trick a poor guy like that," Shining replied, "but you owned up to it, and I'm proud of you," he repeated. "I know you're royalty of your own castle and you'd like everything to be all neat and tidy, but you've got to learn to relax a little more."

"I can teach you other relaxation techniques, Twilight," Cadence joined in the hug between the brother and sister. I looked over as the couch creaked from Spike's body finally moving and standing up. The way he walked was like he was trudging through molasses as he made his way over Twilight, Shining and Cadence. While Cadence and Shining were trying to cheer up Twilight, everyone else held their silence, waiting to see how this would play out. Seeing Applejack standing by herself next to the fireplace, I quickly slipped over just as Cadence noticed the dragon standing behind Twilight. "But right now, I think there's somepony who wants to see you, Twilight," the pink alicorn and white unicorn took a step back away from the purple pony.

_Clop, clop, clop_

Twilight's hoofsteps sounded pretty loud in the small room when everyone stopped talking, almost like she was in an empty street. When Twilight turned around and was face to face with her son, she let out a soft gasp and covered her mouth with her hoof. Spike's lower lip quivered and he let out a sad whimper before reaching up with his hand and softly caressed his mother's mane. _"Spike,"_ Twilight whispered as she wrapped her wings around the drake and hugged him tightly, all the while tears erupted from both of them.

"I love you, mom!" Spike returned the hug, "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you last night," he apologized, resting a teary cheek on top of Twilight's head.

"No, there's nothing you need to apologize for," the princess pulled away to look her son in the eye. "everything you did this morning was more than enough. I was just selfishly beating myself up when I could've just cuddled with the kindest son in Equestria to make me feel better. You mean everything to me Spike, more than spell learning, cleanliness or books ever could; I couldn't last without you," she squeezed him a little tighter. This was getting so emotional that I was starting to have trouble keeping my own eyes dry. Times like this were reasons I envied AJ and her ability to cry on the inside.

"We may forgive you, Twilight," Celestia stopped in front of Twilight and Spike. The two looked up at the larger alicorn, though still held each other. "However, I want you to promise us that you will work on your need for perfection and focus your energy not only on spreading friendship across Equestria, but also on maintaining your current friendships," the sun goddess both requested and ordered.

"I Pinkie promise, princess Celestia," Twilight swore, still squeezing Spike.

"Ahem," Granny Smith then cleared her throat, making Twilight and Spike pull apart as the focus of attention was 100% on the elderly mare. "This is all very touchin' 'n Ah'm happy we done got this mess at least on the path ta bein' straightened out," she explained, "but we best eat 'fore the hot food gets cold 'n the cold food gets hot," she gestured to a table full of food.

"I _am_ feeling a might peckish from our trip," Cadence licked her lips, "if there's no room, Shining and I will gladly eat in the living room if that's fine with you, Granny Smith," the princess of love trotted over to the head of the Apple household.

"This is the Apple family house," Granny chuckled, "we've got plenty 'o chairs 'n tables fer when we host the Apple family reunion," she explained as Big Mac pulled out a pair of chairs and set them around the large dining table.

"Come on mom, sit next to me," Spike jogged over to the table, pulling out a chair for Twilight. Twilight smiled in appreciation and pecked the dragon on the cheek.

"That's my boy," she went to work on drying her eyes from all of the crying she had done. Just as I was about to join the exodus to the kitchen, there was a slight tugging at the back of my shirt. Taking a look back, AJ's orange hoof was yanking on my shirt, preventing me from going anywhere.

"Anything the matter, Applejack?" I asked, hoping she wasn't mad or anything.

"You've come a long way, Sugarcube," she looked around before reaching up and kissing my cheek. "Ah'm proud 'o yer progress in openin' up ta everypony," she complimented.

"Well, there's still some things about friendship I've got to embrace instead of shoving aside," I replied, enjoying the tingling sensation in my cheek.

"Now, you've got yerself a chance right quick while everypony get's situated," she grinned.

"Chance for what, exactly?" I asked, confused. The mare sighed with a chuckle, shaking her head back and forth before pointing me in the direction of Luna and Celestia as their colt-friends pulled chairs out for them.

"Don'tcha have a name ya wanted ta tell them?" She began to nudged me in the back with her nose, pushing me towards the dining area. "'N then we can tell everypony what happened last night 'n get it out 'o the way," AJ added.

"I don't want to steal this moment from Twilight and Spike," I protested upon deaf ears.

"Their moment is over, Ivan," she explained, "see how their happiness is returnin'?" She asked me. "Now move yer caboose," she gave me a little slap on the butt before grabbing her own chair. I didn't have time to think if that was a double entendre or her way of flirting as I stopped directly in front of Luna, Celestia, Cadence, Shining and Twilight.

"And it's good to see you too, Cougar!" Cadence stood up, patting my back with her wing. "Thank you for helping my sister, you're a very sweet man," she nuzzled my cheek with hers before sitting back down.

"Is there anything you require before brunch starts?" Luna questioned me, scooting her silverware around with her magic. Thanks to having to help Twilight, I hadn't really thought of how I was going to do this. Just standing there and saying, _'My real name is Ivan Pearson_,' was sort of lame, and I already used that one on AJ last night. My mind then wandered to how I was taught to introduce myself whenever meeting superior officers in the Air Force in different bases around the world. It may work for this instance, especially since I was addressing superior figures.

"Princesses, Shining Armor, friends," I cleared my throat, raising my hand up to my forehead to salute the five, "Lt. Ivan Pearson, at your service," I completed the salute and dropped my hand back to my side. What happened next was a cacophonous eruption of gasps and clattering silverware within the dining area. With the exception of Applejack, everyone stared at me like I was growing a third eye in the middle of my forehead. "What?" I asked, grabbing the empty seat next to Applejack who was snickering under her breath.

"Y-y-your name!" Celestia sputtered. I knew everyone would be surprised when I would finally tell them my name, but I tried to be as cool about it as possible, even trying to treat it as nothing. "_Ivan_," she whispered, thinking hard about it.

"I'll be honest, I actually forgot Cougar wasn't your real name," Fluttershy blushed embarrassingly.

"Well, that's fine, Fluttershy," I assured her. "Sometimes I forget Rarity wears fake eyelashes," I joked, looking at the fashionista unicorn. The white pony blushed red and looked down at her plate of food.

"Just hold on here a second," Twilight cut in, "what in the world brought this on? Is Christmas also a time to reveal personal secrets?" She asked with genuine curiosity and not like her scientist self.

"No," I replied, cracking my knuckles, "Luna and Celestia helped me realize how much better it felt to open up a little more to friends, especially ones you could trust with your life," I explained. "You all had a hand in saving my life and giving me food, shelter and friendship. And I felt you were all more than deserving to know who I really am," I concluded. "I should have told you guys a long time ago," I added.

"Ivan? That sounds like a tough as nails name!" Applebloom exclaimed, "Suits ya perfectly like yer call sign thingy," she grinned while Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded in agreement. At the other end of the table, Rainbow Dash sputtered, crossing her forelegs over her chest.

"Meh, it's a'ight," she shrugged. "I mean, Cougar is just so badass, and we've all called you that for _seven months_!" the cyan mare emphasized. "You can keep Ivan if you want, but I'm just gonna keep calling you Cougar," she firmly stated.

"Doesn't bother me at all," I took a swig of cider.

"I would say this is a joyous occasion!" Cadence raised her glass with her magic, "Welcome to Equestria, Lt. Pearson was your last name, right?" She asked me. I replied with a nod and she took her own swig of cider. "Couple more glasses of these and you'll get your Hearth's Warming present, Shiny," she winked. Pretty much every other adult not named Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie in the room shot their eyes open and immediately did their best to change the conversation in front of the fillies. I did feel a little bad for Twilight, having to hear that about her own brother.

"Cougar!" Pinkie Pie sang and pulled a cupcake from behind her chair, "I've been saving this bad boy just for you for when you'd reveal your name!" She presented me the dessert item.

"Uh, when did you bake that, Pinkie?" I moved my head back. There wasn't mold or anything on the cup cake, but I could tell it was hard and I could smell the staleness wafting off its surface.

"Hmm, about thirty minutes after we found out about your call sign, why?" she questioned, still trying to shove it in my face.

"Because that thing looks stale," I grimaced.

"Pfft, what you see as stale I see as an extra flavor!" She grinned, "Crunchy!" the pink mare then popped the piece of food in her mouth. Indeed I was correct, the cup cake was stale and crunchy; it sounded like she was eating a handful of potato chips. "Mmm, everything tastes better with that crunch!" Pinkie swallowed and rubbed her belly.

"Ugh," I shuddered.

"If that's it then, can we say grace so we may eat?" Checkered asked, hoping he wasn't stepping out of line. Luckily for him, Luna was on the same page and ruffled his black and white mane.

"Why sure, would you like to do the honors, Big MacIntosh?" Granny gave the job to Big Mac. The red stallion grabbed Cheerilee's hoof with his own and cleared his throat.

"Hold on, Big Mac," Soarin interrupted. The only male of the Ponyville Apple family released his marefriend's hoof, allowing the Wonderbolt to speak. "Applejack, you didn't seem surprised when Cougar, or Ivan, whatever told us his real name," the blue Pegasus jumbled around my two names. _'Uh-oh,'_ I thought. Applejack remained stationary while her eyes darted around. I didn't know if she was the one who wanted to tell the rest of our friends that we're now a couple or if she wanted me to do it. "Did he already tell you earlier?" Soarin added.

"Ah, uh, Ah wasn't payin' attention?" Applejack so horribly lied while sweating and darting her eyes around the room.

"Cut the crap, Applejack," Bon Bon said from across the table, leaning on her elbow. I knew Bon Bon could be a very abrasive and blunt mare, but to Applejack? I always imagined anyone that would talk to AJ like that would end up with a broken jaw and an interesting story. "Did he tell you this morning while helping make brunch?" the candy making earth pony continued, sounding like a police interrogator.

"Big Mac, y'all can grace now," Applejack quickly gulped, still sweating. Bon Bon looked as if someone had intentionally kicked over a bowl of candy right in front of her, glaring at AJ for changing the subject. For the second time, Big Mac softly grasped Cheerilee's hoof and took a breath to begin saying grace.

"..."

"No! Could you answer my marefriend's question, please," Lyra asked, slightly annoyed. Big Mac growled, beginning to lose his patience every time someone would interrupt him. My girlfriend bit down on her lip, looking over at me; her eyes were asking me for help. We hadn't been 'together' for very long, but I wasn't going to let her down like this in front of her family and friends.

"If I may say a few more words, and I don't mean to steal the spot from you, Big Mac," I chuckled nervously. The huge stallion pouted his lip and glared, not at me per se, yet he did scare me a little. I _was_ about to announce for the both of us about, well _us_, even getting non-verbal permission from Applejack herself when a loud, deep breath over amplified my voice.

"Last night after Twilight went crazy, you talked with Princess Luna about finding yourself and then you came back home after she and Celestia sang you a song, and then you and Applejack both confessed that you love each other and kissed under a mistletoe at midnight and then cuddled last night in her bed?!" Pinkie Pie practically shouted, "Just a hunch," she grinned.

My mouth hung open so wide I was surprised a family of flies didn't move right in. Applejack's cheeks looked like red hot coals and I felt like a museum exhibit. "You should've been on Pyramid," I acknowledged the hunch, sitting back down next to Applejack, holding my head in my hands.

"SQUUUUEEEEEEEEEEE!" my ear drums nearly exploded as Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Lyra squealed in unison. Thankfully, none of the other girls squealed, but most were smiling sweetly while Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Checkered Flag, Glock and Spike nodded in approval with proud looks on their faces. For some reason Cadence didn't say anything or squeal; she just sat in her chair with a smug look on her face pointed to Shining Armor. Her husband then dropped a bag of bits in her hoof and starting nibbling at his food.

"We confessed we love each other and kissed," I said after the ringing in my ears stopped, "it's special, but not a national holiday." Applejack agreed, softly placing her hoof on my hand.

"You're right; it's BETTER!" Rarity continued to squeal. "Kissing under mistletoe at midnight? How positively _romantic_!" She gushed, holding her chin her hooves which she then clapped together, "I must write a letter to Fleur-de-lis, she'll simply adore this!" the unicorn made herself a mental note.

"Not to mention cuddling all night!" Lyra cut in. "I'm so happy for the both of you. Bonnie, how about we invite them for a double date?" The mint green unicorn begged her marefriend.

"Now that sounds like fun; the last couple that joined us bore me to death," Bon Bon agreed, despite not getting an approval from myself or Applejack.

"Hey!" Twilight held out her hooves in a 'WTF' fashion.

'_Maybe this was a mistake to tell them,'_ I mouthed to Applejack. The mare nuzzled against my arm and rested her chin upon my shoulder, mouthing in response.

_'We'll get through this; you know how crazy some of us can be.'_

"I'm very happy for the both of you," Fluttershy picked up a glass with her hooves in her own little toast.

_'Except fer Fluttershy 'o course,'_ AJ mouthed again.

_"_If this crazy train has left the depot already," Rainbow Dash silenced the squealing females, prompting me to think about being her servant for all eternity for saving us, "congrats you two; you're perfect for each other, though not as cool as me and Soarin," Rainbow hoof bumped her stallion friend.

"Thanks, Ah think," Applejack removed her chin from my shoulder.

"But how could you two think this isn't _that_ big of a deal?" Sweetie Belle asked us. "Two beings, two completely different species fall in love while fighting off their gut instincts because their hearts were leading them on the right path," she said poetically, "it's romance stories like that that blow those trashy ones out of the water." The little pony then found herself in a crushing hug from Rarity.

"Oh, you _are _my little sister! That was beautiful, Sweetie Belle!" Rarity rubbed her cheek against Sweetie Belle's.

"I'm turning into Rarity, help me!" she begged to her two Crusader friends. Seizing his opportunity in which I would've done the same thing, Big Mac cleared his throat much louder than before to start grace so we could all eat.

"..."

And then Soarin decided he wanted to say something. "Oh wait guys, I have a few big announcements of my own!"

"AH GIVE UP!" Big Mac bellowed, grabbing his cup of cider and downing it like water.

"Oh sorry bro," Soarin winced when the bigger stallion gave him the death glare. "Sheesh Applejack, Brae never told me that your brother's got a stick up-" AJ shook her head, telling Soarin if he wanted to live, he better shut the hell up. "Anyway, my first announcement has to deal with the fastest, coolest, funnest and if I may say so, _sexiest_ Pegasus mare in Equestria," Soarin's wing wrapped around Rainbow's back. "I've decided to move out of my Cloudsdale mansion, sell it to collect some extra bits and move in with my marefriend here in Ponyville!" he announced.

"Okay that's an awesome announcement, not gonna lie," I raised my own toast.

"I had to think about it for a while, but he finally convinced me it was the right move in our relationship," Rainbow bragged.

"You practically crammed the spare key down my throat, Dashie!" Soarin exclaimed.

"My sister's living with the Captain of the Wonderbolts, that's what the definition of awesome should be, Ms. Cheerilee," Scootaloo beamed to her school teacher.

"Congratulations to the both of you," Twilight smiled at her friend. I was starting to get the impression that Hearth's Warming was a holiday of announcing big, exciting things, that or I triggered a chain reaction of announcements from everyone, sweet!

"Moving in party?" Pinkie Pie asked, blowing one of those party things in Rainbow's face. The cyan mare shoved Pinkie Pie away, pulling out a wrapped box from beneath her chair. This struck me as odd since I didn't see her bring it in, though she was so damn fast that she could've easily whizzed home and grabbed it while I was gone.

"If it's cool, I have an announcement of my own, which also happens to be a present for Scoots here," Rainbow Dash patted Scootaloo's back.

"Knock yerself out; nopony cares what Ah have ta say," I grew concerned for Big Mac as he was now on his third glass of cider.

"That's not true hon-" Cheerilee tried to placate her stallionfriend before Rainbow continued talking.

"I didn't hear you say 'no,'" Rainbow hoofed her present to Scootaloo. "Hope you like it kid, I had to go through Tartarus to get this for you," she ruffled Scootaloo's purple mane. I had a feeling of what it was, but I kept my trap shut to keep the surprise a surprise. The filly in question flapped her wings like crazy, ripping the wrapping paper off the box with a huge grin.

"Ooh, is it Blynd Cheetah's newest album signed like you promised to get me?" Rainbow Dash's biggest fan questioned. One by one, piece by piece, the wrapping paper was ripped from the box until nothing but the box itself remained. Once the flaps of the box opened up, Scootaloo's eyes widened and jaw and wings dropped.

"Well, what is it?" Applebloom asked, intrigued by Scootaloo's present. Watching the filly open up a present reminded me of the days when I was a child and was excited for Christmas morning.

"You okay there, Scootaloo?" I questioned when her eyes began to water. She took out a framed piece of paper and laid it onto the table, covering her mouth and letting her tears fall. We all crowded around the document that Rainbow Dash had given her and there was another collective gasp from everyone, me included. On the document, it read: _Ponyville Orphanage and Adoption Agency. This Document confirms that filly Scootaloo is herby officially adopted by one Ms. Rainbow 'Danger Dash' effective December 25th as her Hearth's Warming present._

The head of the Orphanage and Adoption agency had signed their name at the bottom along side Rainbow Dash's. "You're now officially the coolest little sister of all time," Rainbow nudged Scootaloo with her wing.

"W-w-when did you do this?" Scootaloo choked out.

"Yesterday when Soarin told me he wanted to move in with me. I know I'm capable of taking care of you myself, but it wouldn't hurt to have somewhat of an older brother figure in the house," Rainbow explained, "even if he is a complete doof," she winked. Scootaloo apparently was a silent cryer as she wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow's neck and buried her head in Rainbow's chest.

"It's okay Squirt, I know this is a lot to take in," Rainbow hugged her new official sister. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!?" she then snarled as she realized we were all watching her touching moment. As Applebloom and Sweetie Belle joined in the hug which Rainbow allowed, nothing else was being said, Soarin raised his hoof in the air like a school kid, for whatever reason.

"Yes, Soarin?" Cheerilee cocked her head to the side.

"You do know you're a grown stallion right, Soarin?" I asked the light blue Pegasus.

"Aaaaand your point, Cougar?" He asked.

"Nothing, you can go on now," I gave Applejack a worried look.

"Anyway," Soarin continued, "I know most of you have been missing the Wonderbolts after some nasty things took place, but after months of hard training and getting acquainted with being the new captain, I've got the Wonderbolts booked for a New Year's Eve show at the Maredalay Bay Hotel and Casino in fabulous Las Pegasus!" he exclaimed to the heavens. "Oh, and you're all invited guests of the 'Bolts!" He produced VIP passes, just enough for everyone and tossed them into the middle of the table.

**"LAS PEGASUS?!"** The Crusaders cheered, grabbing a trio of passes and hopping up and down in their seats. Scootaloo apparently snapped out of her happy crying phase once that city name was announced.

"Oh, I don't know," Fluttershy held one of the passes, "I heard Las Pegasus is a bad city filled with greed and selfishness, and besides, I think Angel may have a cold scheduled for New Year's?" I cocked a smirk at the buttery yellow Pegasus' ruse. It was pretty cute I had to say.

"Element of Kindness," Luna began, "this is a once in a lifetime opportunity; you cannot pass this up," she smiled.

"But Lulu," Checkered corrected, "there's like dozens of trains that go to Las Pegasus on a daily basis. Anypony could leave now if they wanted," he explained. _'Oh boy,'_ I thought and nudged Applejack as Luna turned around to Checkered with a glare on her face.

"Actually Las Pegasus is a fantastic town, Fluttershy," Checkered gulped. "I may have only won at the track there once, but I always remember the fun I had," the poor earth pony feared for his life.

"That's my Checky," Luna nuzzled Checkered.

"Well, as long as I'm with friends," Fluttershy said, looking at the VIP pass one more time.

"Hey, just stick with Twilight, Fluttershy," I passed the Pegasus a glass of water. "You know she won't do anything stupid or dangerous."

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or a joke," the purple alicorn scratched her head. While Spike asked Twilight if he could potentially stroll some parts of the city alone before the air show, Rarity went on about the 'fabulous shopping malls at some of the higher end hotels,' Rainbow talked about playing laser tag at the one of the huge underground arcades and Soarin talked about the famous 2 bit all you can eat buffets. I then noticed Pinkie Pie just sitting in her chair, shaking slightly.

"Hey Pinkie, everything okay there?" I asked.

"S-s-s-so many p-parties t-to plan!" She grinned so big that her mouth could've taken a bite out of the top of her head. Her shaking started to grow violent, so violent that her chair started to splinter and the table followed suit.

"AJ, is she okay?" I asked my girlfriend for an answer. Applejack stopped talking to Bon Bon and Lyra and looked over at the mare I was pointing to.

"Uh-oh," Applejack replied with a gasp. "Not again," she added.

"What do you mean, 'uh-oh?'" I asked before AJ dove underneath the table, grabbing my shirt sleeve and yanking me down.

"HIT THE DECK! CODE PINK!" Applejack declared. Suddenly, chairs crashed to the side as all of the other guests joined us under the table besides Pinkie Pie. I was about to ask what was going on again when there was a HUGE explosion that rocked the entire house.

"Is that, confetti?" I asked as a few multi-colored paper-like objects floated to the ground.

"Merry Christmas, again," AJ chuckled and kissed my nose.

"And Happy Hearth's Warming to you all," I replied as another explosion rocked the room. "Anybody have anything to pass the time?" I asked, not knowing how long Pinkie was going to be like this.

"These normally last only fifteen minutes," Twilight said, hugging Spike close. "But don't worry, that's just enough time to recite the complete history of-" she began before I said something to shut her up.

"Quesadilla."

"WHERE!?" Twilight shook with fear.

And then we began to plan out our trip to Las Pegasus.

**End Chapter 35.**

* * *

_Yes, I know this was a REAL emotional roller coaster, but I didn't want people to be too sad again, so I amped up the comedy a bit to even out the sadness, plus the last two chapters have been downers, so why not put a smile on your faces? Next Chapter: VIVA LAS PEGASUS!_

_The plan for the Vegas chapter is to start out in Ivan's POV with arriving in the city and checking into the hotel. But then, it goes into like the Slice of Life episode and chronicles what the majority of the characters are doing to spend their day in Las Pegasus before __arriving back at Ivan's POV AFTER the air show. I plan for that chapter to be very long, so please buckle up for it._


	37. Chapter 36: Last Chance!

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 36: Last Chance!**

_Okay guys. I hate doing this, but I was originally planning to have the entire vacation in this chapter but I had a good reason to not do that. Once again, College, College, College. I never meant for this chapter to take as long as the last chapter to be written and published, but it would have been longer than that if I kept the whole vacation in this one chapter, and I hate making you guys wait. But I can promise you guys that once I get this chapter up, I'll be burning my ass to get the vacation done because A) It's going to be a fun and hilarious thrill ride and B) after this chapter is when '_Do Princesses dream of Magic Sheep' _officially enters the Fallen Eagle universe and I have a TON of fun ideas for that chapter._

_Guess what? We have some returning OCs in this chapter! Coming all the way on loan from Sassymouse's epic comedic and dramatic masterpiece known as Dashing and Soaring, please welcome back, well you'll find out. The only OCs I own are obviously Ivan and the front desk mare for the Maredalay Bay Hotel and Casino._

**OBSERVER01:** _I don't think a Hangover parody will happen, especially since I haven't seen any of the trilogy._

**Sassymouse:** _The apology was the heart of the chapter. If that failed, then the chapter would've been an empty husk of nothingness. As for those 'knotty' things in your tummy, those are good enough for me to be tears! I was watching the episode with the cake on the train and I thought it'd be funny to reference it here and have Rarity be overdramatic as if she'd cheated at a Poker game or something. And I just realized that I never credited you for how Surprise and Lyra met. It was your idea first! There's your credit ;P And moving in is just one step closer to that altar! Although Rainbow seems like the '_No Stallion is gonna tie me down!' _type of mare._

**Random Guy:** _Thanks for the encouragement bro :)_

**EnderBlazeHybrid:** _Sorry about that, but thanks to movies like _The Shawshank Redemption_, I crave character and plot development. But fear not! These next few chapters feature comedy and action!_

**Killer Wow:** _Oh come now Shadow Twister, I could just stop writing...but I won't do that to Killer._

**adhdluke: **_I know, it's SOOOOO much work! ;P As for the Quesadilla joke, near the end of _Party Pooped,_ Pinkie's file on Twilight stated that she was afraid of Quesadillas._

**SkullCrusher550:** _Hey, nice new name! I'll update as often as I can_

**The Sleeping Library:** _Hearing that your own work has inspired others to write their own stories really sends a warm feeling through your heart. Thank you and your story is awesome as well!_

**theflammablefiredragon:** _I guess I could even though I've never played a Fallout game before in my life. You and Sassy are starting to scare me... I, I promise I'll try out Fallout 4! Just don't kill me! NOOOOOOO!_

**Dixie Darlin: **_I wanted the apology not only sound original, but to actually sound natural. A simple, _"I'm sorry, what I did was wrong," _just doesn't cut it. I've been bottling up those announcements ever since I started writing this story :) As for Big Mac, that was a callback to _Pinkie Apple Pie_ where Granny Smith kept interrupting Big Mac when he tried to talk._

_Also, thank you guys so much for not only getting this story to 140 favorites and 160 followers, but we've surpassed 63,000 views and 350 reviews! Congrats to EnderBlazeHybrid for being number 350! As of now, only 44 reviews remain for that oh so coveted 400th review. Can we do this people?_

* * *

**(Train Car En Route to Las Pegasus. Ivan's POV)**

All of us had waited underneath the Apple family table until Pinkie Pie had finally calmed down from her party planning overload. Naturally, Twilight had been correct in the that it only took about ten to fifteen minutes before it was safe to emerge from our makeshift 'bunker' and resume eating. To be honest, I was hoping for maybe a few more surprise announcements from anybody, but alas it didn't happen, and we just ate and enjoyed each other's company for the remainder of the day while talking about possible activities we could do in Las Pegasus before the nighttime air show that Soarin, Rainbow and the rest of the 'Bolts were putting on.

What most of us really waited for was Twilight to come up with a brochure, travel guide or pamphlet of things to do in the town that involved both gambling and non-gambling events. Yet crazily enough, all she did was take into consideration things that the majority of everyone else wanted to do. The best I could guess was that she was already trying to lower her want for perfection by waiting to get there and deciding on what her course of action would be. The purple alicorn did tell us that she'd look into what time check-in for the hotel was so we could make the necessary train arrangements to get there as early as possible to enjoy a whole day leading up to the air show.

And so, over the next few days, we'd meet up at the castle and discuss about what we would need to pack or if we could think of any shows we wanted to see and gather up the proper amount of bits to pay for said shows. As excited as I was, Applejack was pretty excited herself about being able to go on a mini-vacation with her friends and me. Now, we were all on the train that was taking us to our destination, even if we had to wake up at 5:00 A.M. According to Twilight, the trip by train would be about four hours, a perfect chance to get back to sleep and recharge for our busy day.

_"Ladies and Gentlecolts, we should be arriving in our destination of Las Pegasus, Neighvada in about ten minutes. To repeat, we are close to reaching our __destination. Please gather up any of your personal belongings and any garbage you may have accumulated on our four hour train ride," _the conductor announced over the intercom.

"Hmm?" I stirred as my eyes opened and closed about as quickly as a humming bird flapped its wings. My blurry vision only allowed me to make out a fat, purple blob on the seat across from myself and Applejack. I had chosen the corner seat next to the window so I would have something to lean on and catch some more sleep while my girlfriend snuggled up close to me, nuzzling my neck with her cheek. My left arm lifted itself off AJ's back and rubbed my eyes until the sight returned to normal, making the fat purple blob turn into Twilight and Spike.

"Good morning, Cougar," the alicorn greeted me with a smile.

"Morning," I replied with a yawn and started scratching Applejack's back. It was cute that her rear leg would jolt a little when I would scratch in the right spot. "I take it you were too excited to go back to sleep?" Twilight had taken the same course of action I had, using the wall for support so Spike could cuddle with her. Her right wing was wrapped around his scaly body like a blanket as he rubbed his cheek against Twilight's shoulder.

"You bet," Twilight grinned, "I've never been to Las Pegasus before; how could I sleep when there are literally a million things we can do?" She gushed, looking out the window. The last thing I remembered seeing before I succumbed to sleep on the train was the beginning of what Applejack explained to me was the Marejave Desert. Off in the distance, however, I could spot the growing hotels and casinos of the gambling town, making me feel like a kid who was oh so close to DisneyLand and was ready to rip apart anyone that stood in his way.

"Are you hoping that Spike will want to spend the day with you?" I questioned, adjusting my seat a little bit to get some blood flowing into my back. "I mean, you obviously know how he feels about Rarity, what if he wants to hang out with her all day?" Twilight's face seemed to fall a little as she turned her gaze to the sleeping dragon cuddling against her. She then smiled and pulled him closer with her wing.

"Well, he's not a baby dragon anymore," Twilight explained. "He's mature enough to make his own decisions, so if he chooses to go with Rarity today, I'll accept it and won't force him to go with me." Spike then subconsciously moved his arm up and placed his hand on Twilight's shoulder. I couldn't help but smile and chuckled at the display before me.

"You know, Twilight, I don't mean to sound condescending here, but you've grown a lot in the past three months," I said, continuing to watch her and Spike whilst scratching Applejack's back. Twilight looked up from Spike with a confused expression on her face. "By that I mean you didn't make Spike feel overwhelmed or stressed when he grew at the Gala by piling on what would be different about him and how other ponies would perceive him. Instead you just took the motherly route and made him feel comfortable and loved." The purple princess then nodded in understanding, softening her expression.

"Of course I did. I spent seventeen years treating him as just an assistant or a little brother even though I was the one who hatched him and was the first one he saw. That technically made me his mother and I did nothing of the sort because of my studies for Celestia," Twilight sighed. "Now I'm trying to take advantage of every opportunity to be there for him as a mother," she added, lightly kissing his cheek and making him stir.

"And how long do dragons live for?" I asked.

"We know very little about dragons, Cougar," Twilight replied, "but we do know they can live to be a few thousand years old and he'll be this size for a couple hundred years before he grows again," she explained. "Why do you ask?"

"Don't you see? What's seventeen years compared to the couple thousand you two have?" I explained. "You have plenty of opportunities to spend time with him as mother and son, especially today."

"Actually, I'm not immortal like the other princesses," the alicorn explained. I was transformed into an alicorn and not naturally born an alicorn. But that makes me feel a little better about this," Twilight answered, "thank you, Cougar," she nuzzled Spike again. Applejack stirred next to me, making me think she was about to wake up. Yet all she did was groan a little and smack her lips before resuming her sleeping position. "And that actually reminds me of what I've been wanting to know about humans, if it's okay?" she asked with a pleading smile.

"Go on ahead," I gestured, "I think you've earned a question or two" I gave Twilight a sly wink.

"How long does your species live for?" She asked. "You just recently turned twenty-four; is that the halfway point of your lifespan or a quarter of your lifespan?" Twilight pressed on like the scholar she was. Her question did sort of catch me by surprise despite the sneaking suspicion she was about to ask it anyway. The thought of my age had rarely come across my mind. I'd stared death in the face many times in the sky and more recently spat in his face and gave him the finger after surviving an engine explosion and crossing dimensions.

"Last I could remember the average human could live to be in their mid 80s while a healthy human could easily live into their 90s," I replied. "And if they were really healthy or really lucky, they could live to be about 105," Twilight nodded her head slowly as her brain absorbed the newfound information.

"Really?" She asked in a '_that's interesting'_ tone. "I'm guessing you'll live to be in your late 90s easily with your, if I may say so, well toned and taken care of body," a tiny blush surfaced on her cheeks. A blush on her face surprised me since I rarely saw her do it even with Flash Sentry around her. And while I didn't have the heart that Bon Bon had to tell her, Flash was practically an uninteresting cardboard cutout with little personality. He was nice, I'll give him that, but he wouldn't be a guy I'd invite to play poker with.

"It's no trouble," I assured her for the compliment. "That's what the military helps with." Just as I said that, Applejack's hoof rubbed lightly against my bicep before stopping near my shoulder. I softly placed my hand on top of her hoof and squeezed. "Twilight?" I asked.

"Yes, Cougar?" Twilight seemed to gush at the display.

"How long do regular ponies live for?" I questioned. Twilight's facial reaction pretty much told me the answer. Her eyes widened, but she shifted her gaze from me out to the window where the city was growing larger as we approached. Knowing that her answer probably wasn't going to make me feel good, I still pressed on; I had to know. "Twilight, just please tell me," I requested.

"A-are you sure about this, Cougar?" She replied with her own question. My cold stare was all she needed as encouragement to move forward. "Well, Granny Smith is a good example of this," Twilight started, "regular ponies can live to be 150-200 years old, so-" she couldn't finish her sentence; neither could I. Both of us knew what we were thinking, and we decided to end that conversation there.

"So, have you thought about what to do in Las Pegasus after we check in to the hotel?" I changed the subject to a more cheery one. Twilight's smile reappeared on her face and she seemed really excited about the question. Unfortunately for her, there was a loud screeching noise and we both lurched a bit in our sits as the speed of the train decreased.

"Oh, we're here already," Twilight looked at a tiny clock in our little compartment. "I guess I'll just save my plans as a surprise," she grinned happily. The loud screeching of metal wheels on a metal track awakened the two still asleep occupants of our compartment. Applejack's emerald eyes opened up and looked around before an orange hoof cleared up her vision. When her gaze landed upon myself, she removed her head from under my neck with a comforted smile.

"Mornin' Sugarcube," Applejack lightly planted her lips on mine. Without a second thought, I moved my other arm around her back and hugged the mare, pulling her closer into the morning kiss. Getting to kiss the mare I love after waking up definitely made mornings more fun than before. Now if I could kiss her and then go off and fly my jet or go fishing, I'd get to have the perfect morning every day for the rest of my life.

"Morning AJ," I replied, taking a quick breath from the kiss before resuming.

"Show offs," Spike rolled his tired eyes from across the way as he stood up to stretch.

"Spike..." Twilight began to scold the dragon in her _'be nice_' voice. Applejack and I separated our lips to let her get up and copy Spike's movements. The mare cricked her muscles and bones all around, sighing in relief after being stuck in that position for a few hours.

"Did y'all sleep good?" Applejack asked after finally loosening up her muscles enough.

"Well, I didn't really sleep," Twilight admitted, "I was just too excited to finally visit Las Pegasus and choose dozens of potential trip activities to spend my day," she explained. "Though you all seemed to sleep peacefully, especially you, Spike," Twilight snuck a quick hug to her son.

"What can Ah say?" AJ playfully smacked my leg, "Ivan may be all muscle, but he's soft as a bale 'o hay," she teased and grabbed her cowgirl hat from the seat. Twilight levitated her overnight bag from the overhead compartment as Spike grabbed his own and I grabbed both mine and Applejack's. I couldn't stand up all the way though or else I'd get a permanent kink in my neck. Having to bend my knees constantly on trains wasn't very fun.

"You guys know I was joking, right?" Spike questioned, taking Twilight's bag from her to carry it for her. Applejack, Twilight and I nodded when suddenly a pink blur appeared in front of the door to our compartment. The figure then began to knock on said door like a jackhammer on concrete.

"COME ON GUYS!" Pinkie shrieked, "LAS PEGASUS IS CALLING OUR NAMES!" The door broke down and Pinkie slipped behind us, only to start pushing us out of the compartment and off the train.

"Easy Pinkie!" I exclaimed, "I don't think the city is going anywhere anytime soon," I tried with all my might to plant my feet solidly to the ground. But Pinkie had the strength of a bulldozer when she needed it and kept pushing us. Steam from the train blocked our vision as we stepped off and onto the platform. Not being able to see, Pinkie missed the first step and face planted into the concrete, yet she got right back up as if nothing had happened with a suitcase that appeared from nowhere. Just like a Las Vegas morning I remembered as an early teen, the sun was slowly raising in a bright blue sky with little to no clouds in sight.

"Hey guys," Soarin yawned as the steam cleared. A sleeping Rainbow Dash was on his back, snoring away and kicking her hind leg every few seconds. "Here she is, Las Pegasus just like I promised!" the stallion Pegasus announced, gesturing upwards. We craned our necks up to see the tops of hotels and casinos from behind the train station. At least that's what I could see; I didn't know if the rest of them could see at least what I saw.

"Boy am Ah _glad_ ta get off that train!" Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle bounded off the locomotive happily and began to trot around.

"Sweetie Belle, that's no way for a young mare to behave in public," Rarity gracefully stepped off the train, shaking her mane free of bed head until it returned to its posh look. Since it was a gambling town, I mentally bet that Spike would offer to take Rarity's bag and carry it to the hotel, and I would've lost the bet.

"We're here for one night!" I blurted. "What in the hell do you need twelve bags for?" I questioned as Spike took half, now having eight bags along with his and Twilight's. Rarity scoffed and trotted up close to me.

"We'll see who's laughing when you don't have enough room for souvenirs!" She sang and gave five other bags to Sweetie Belle. Soon enough, Fluttershy, Lyra and Bon Bon arrived with their luggage, ready to head into the city and to our hotel. Fluttershy seemed a little nervous, (more so than usual) so I offered to have her walk in between AJ and myself.

"Oh boy, I can't wait to go see our hotel!" Bon Bon said excitedly, clapping her hooves together as she tightened a strap on her suitcase.

"I just need a little bit a refreshing _nap _before I can do anything else, Bonnie," Lyra winked, rubbing her cheek on Bon Bon's. All of the adult ponies, minus the sleeping Rainbow, looked around awkwardly while the three fillies cocked their heads in confusion.

"You just slept for four hours," Sweetie Belle countered, "why would you need another nap?" she questioned. Applebloom and Scootaloo nodded in agreement. Soarin then cleared his throat, getting ready to announce the answer.

"Well, what she really means Sweetie Belle is-" Rarity's magic clamped down hard on the stallion's muzzle, shutting his trap.

"Thanks Rare," Applejack commended, wiping her brow of sweat.

"What? Come on, we just want ta know why she wants ta sleep more!" Applebloom begged. Applejack, Rarity and Twilight shook their heads, denying the fillies any chance of getting a good reason. Soon though, Soarin began to freak out. Rarity forgot that she was keeping him quiet and that she was cutting off his oxygen supply, even closing off his nostrils with her magic.

"MMMM,MMM,MMM!" I felt a little scared for Soarin and more importantly for Rainbow Dash who was just lazily sitting atop his back. The stallion began to flail and dance around, trying to get Rarity to release his muzzle.

"Oh! Apologies darling," Rarity quickly canceled out her magic, allowing Soarin to suck in a deep breath, but not before spinning around in a circle and coming to a complete stop. This resulted in a launched Rainbow Dash whose head collided with a street light. We all seethed at just imagining how painful that had to be for the pony.

"YOUCH!" The cyan Pegasus groaned, rubbing the side of her head. Her eyes were dancing all around, trying to focus in on us while she shook her head. "Well, that's one way to wake up your girlfriend," she seethed at Soarin and stamped on his hoof after he joined her to see if she was okay. Fighting back tears, Soarin sucked on his hoof until the pain went away. It wasn't supposed to funny since both ponies got slightly injured, but Scootaloo and I shared a good chuckle from the early morning show.

"Twilight?" I called, "Do you happen to have an ice pack for the poor guy?" I asked. She nodded and unzipped a pack from a cooler inside her suitcase, levitating it over to the Wonderbolt Captain.

"An ice pack for HIM!?" Rainbow snarled at me. "How about one for me who hit a light pole at thirty miles per hour, huh?" She shook her hoof at me.

"Okay, before some of us try to kill each other, how about we get to our hotel?" I suggested. I hoped this would be the only bit of turbulence to happen any of us on this trip.

* * *

**(Maredalay Bay Hotel and Casino. Ivan's POV.)**

The hotel wasn't too far of a walk from the train station, and it was worth not hailing a taxi carriage. Like a pack of cars at Talladega, we all walked two to three wide down the wide sidewalks of the city, soaking in the how beautiful this place was at morning. Just a little sneak peek of what we were waiting for when Celestia lowered the sun and all the lights would go up with Luna's moon. We did get a few stares on the streets as we walked them though. Of course, that was probably because Twilight was here with us and there were still ponies that had yet to see me in person.

The fillies wanted to stop at just about every souvenir stand to see what they could bring home back to Ponyville, but Applejack, Rainbow and Rarity pried them away, telling the trio that they had all day today and morning tomorrow to get as many souvenirs as they could fit in their luggage. Knowing what these girls were capable of, I wouldn't be shocked if they could cram an entire store into their suitcases. "Girls, I'm sure the hotel as its own gift shop," I patted Applebloom's head, "right, Twilight?" I asked, hoping I was right and I wouldn't sound like a liar.

"Well, I _did_ read up on some of the attractions our hotel has," she replied sheepishly as Soarin and I held the doors open for the mares, fillies and Spike. Twilight didn't say another word once Soarin and I entered the hotel lobby, probably from still being nervous about acting _'_perfect._'_

"What'd you find out, mom?" Spike questioned, moving out of the way of a few other tourist ponies. As we all walked along the marble flooring of the beautiful lobby, Twilight looked a little relieved that to us, she was keeping her promise.

"As most hotels go, the Maredalay Bay features a huge pool resort with areas completely dedicated to sunbathing," the alicorn explained.

"Oooh!" Rarity clapped her hooves together in excitement. "Oh, I'm sorry darling. Do go on," the white unicorn grinned in embarrassment. Twilight tapped her hoof, trying to remember what she had researched.

"The hotel also has a full time caricature artist that will draw you as anything you want." Pinkie Pie grinned in excitement and danced in her spot, ready to burst with excitement like on Hearth's Warming. "And this one's for Fluttershy," Twilight giggled, "the hotel's main attraction is a fish reef complete with a glass tube that runs under the water and through the middle of the reef. You can see fish above, to the left, to the right and underneath," the purple pony pointed to a poster advertising the attraction.

"Do we get to feed them?" Fluttershy asked as excitedly as she could.

"No, but we do have a touch tank where you can pet all sorts of watery creatures," a hotel employee replied from behind the check in desk. The desk clerk was a light brown unicorn with a yellow mane and green eyes that looked normal and not too overly happy. "We've been expecting you, Captain Soarin," the mare added.

"Why thank you, uh, Jitterbug," Soarin trotted over to the desk, leaning his left foreleg on top. "Are our rooms available to check in? A few of us need to take _naps_ if you know what I mean," the stallion winked, nudging the mare with his elbow.

"Uh-oh," I grimaced as Bon Bon and Lyra glared at the stallion. If they wanted to kill him over that, I'd probably look the other way for him not knowing when to keep his mouth shut. _"Dead stallion walking,"_ I whispered to Applejack; she covered her mouth to stifle her snicker. Jitter Bug gave an awkward smile in response to Soarin before scrolling through a rolodex and picking out a card.

"Ah yes, The Wonderbolts and friends for New Year's Eve day," the mare recited her card. She then put the card down for Soarin to sign and produced a box of room keys, setting them all aside for us. "Here are the keys for your guests, Mr. Skies," Jitterbug beamed.

"Your last name is 'Skies?' I asked.

"Got a problem with that, Cougar?" Soarin spat out the pen after he was done signing for the rooms.

"No, I just didn't know you had a last name is all," I smirked. I don't believe anyone could blame me for that anyway; Fluttershy had only one name as far as I knew, and not counting 'Princess' in their names, Luna, Celestia and Cadence didn't have last names either. And I'm not counting Cadence's married name.

"Fair enough," Soarin grinned and tossed a key to Rainbow Dash. "Here's our key, Dashie," the stallion announced as his marefriend caught the key in her teeth. "A key for your room," he hoofed one to Fluttershy, "one for you two," and one to Twilight and Spike. "Are the fillies sharing one room together, or is it sister with sister?" Soarin questioned, holding the remaining box in his free hoof.

"I believe sister with sister so we know they won't sneak off in the middle of the night," Rarity stated, making Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo droop their heads.

"Woah there, Rarity," Rainbow shook her head. "I think we can trust our sisters to share their own hotel room. Besides, Soarin and I do need our privacy," she added.

"If you need privacy, then it must be really bad for Scootaloo to see or hear," I joked, "normally you don't give a crap about what you do in public," I grinned like an asshole. If Rainbow Dash had fingers, I'm sure I would be getting a double bird right about now. "But seriously, I don't mind if Applebloom bunked with us, Applejack."

"And we'll take Scootaloo then," Rarity announced, floating a room key over and placing it in her travel purse.

"Okay, that makes things a whole lot easier," Soarin dug around the ever emptying box for more keys. "One for you two," Lyra also used her magic and levitated a key into mane. "One for you three," the stallion threw a key at Applejack which she caught in her hoof without blinking, "and one for Surprise's twin," Soarin gave out the final key to Pinkie Pie.

"It's a shame Luna and Celestia couldn't come," Spike said, "or their colt friends for that matter," he added.

"Or the rest of your family," Fluttershy said to Applebloom and Applejack. "At least Big Mac and Cheerilee can keep Granny Smith company," the yellow Pegasus smiled.

"Ah know. Ah was gonna ask Checkered ta take me ta the race track 'n help me bet on who was gonna win," Applebloom agreed.

"No gamblin' fer _you_ lil sis," Applejack scolded, "ya gotta be 21 or else yer gonna be in 'o heap 'o trouble." I patted Applebloom's head again as she pouted, trying to get her to stay happy while on vacation. Jitterbug then rang a silver ball, calling upon a small army of bell hops to the front desk. Clad in red suits and tiny red hats, the stallions gathered up our luggage onto carts and took the card from Jitterbug to find our rooms.

"One more thing, Mr. Skies," the front desk mare cleared her throat. "Your squad mates arrived about twenty minutes ago and are awaiting your arrival in our casino located in that direction," the mare pointed her hoof to a large area with slot machines, poker tables, blackjack tables and a few roulette wheels with various ponies surrounding them. "These three can go in accompanied by an adult, but not alone," she added, referring to the fillies.

"I'll keep my eye on them," I promised to the mare. Come to think of it, she hadn't really acknowledged me all that much, or even Spike. Whatever the case was, her fur seemed to crawl when I said I'd watch over the fillies and Spike had his hand on the back of Twilight's head. Yet, I didn't have time to think about it as I looked up to see everyone except Applejack was already halfway to the casino. The orange mare motioned for me to move it and held back to walk next to me as we followed our friends. Up ahead, Pinkie Pie was acting like her usual self, bouncing around like Pepe le Pew with a smile on her face when she suddenly froze. Her tail shot straight forward like a dog's tail and she lowered herself down like a lion waiting to pounce.

"Everypony stop!" She commanded, forcing our group to freeze in awkward positions. "I sense a disturbance in the frosting," she added, putting her ear to the floor and cramming a cup cake in her mouth. She then started moving again with her ear planted firmly on the carpet as she 'sensed' her way around the casino. Not knowing what to do, we all stood in our spots where Pinkie commanded us to. That is until Rainbow had enough and started to follow Pinkie Pie, starting a chain reaction of all of us moving again.

"Uh, this is strange even by Pinkie Pie's standards," Scootaloo trotted quickly to catch up to her sister. As Pinkie Pie drug her ear along the carpeted flooring, most of the gamblers sitting at the slot machines ceased pulling on the one-armed bandits to stare at the strange pony.

"She'd make one hell of a hunting dog," I said to Applejack before getting 'shushed' by Pinkie. Still dragging her along the floor and not getting rug burn, the pink party mare rounded a corner before she apparently collided with something.

"AHA!" The party mare exclaimed, but she wasn't the only pony who said that. On the other side of the slot machines was a white Pegasus mare with a yellow mane and tail stylized precisely like Pinkie Pie: Surprise. "TWINZIE!" Pinkie and Surprise shrieked loudly. The clones sat up on their haunches before hugging each other tightly.

"You might want to cover your-" another pony from behind Surprise began to say, but it was too late.

"EEEEEEEE!" Both mares squealed as they hugged one another. "It's so good to see you in pony again!" Surprise started to hop around in a circle with her doppelgänger. "What's it been, 2, 3 weeks?" She questioned.

"Too long if you ask me!" Pinkie exclaimed with a toothy grin. "Do you have any wild and crazy plans for the day before your big, triumphant return?" the mare gushed. "I'm gonna go check out Colta-Cola World first; they have an all you can drink sample bar!" She shook with excitement.

"Thank...Celestia," I heard a light blue Pegasus stallion groan as the rest of the cadets and squad mates trotted over to us, making our group incredibly large. "If I had to hear, '_When is Pinkie Pie coming? When is Pinkie Pie_ _coming_?' one more Celestia damned time, I was gonna punch Rapidfire in the throat!" Lightning Streak threatened. The red Pegasus standing next to Lightning did a double-take, looking at the spikey maned stallion with both anger and confusion.

"What the Tartarus did _I_ do to you?!" the larger stallion demanded.

"Soarin told me if I was angry enough to punch something I should punch you because you're a crybaby," Lightning explained. Right as Rapid was about retaliate, Lightning noticed me and stuck his hoof out. "And if it isn't the coolest human, good to see you, Cougar," the also light blue stallion grabbed ahold of my hand and shook it. "And Soarin mentioned you and your lucky marefriend; congrats to that," he winked.

"Thank you, Lightning," I released his hoof to see Applejack standing proudly next to me. "I'd watch your back from now on if I were you," I pointed out Rapidfire with steam coming from his nose and ears standing behind Lightning. Though, Rapidfire calmed down when he saw Soarin and Rainbow Dash watching him with judgmental eyes.

"About time you got here," Rapidfire butted Lightning Streak out of the way with a grin. "I was afraid I'd have to take control of the 'Bolts until you showed back up," he chest butted Soarin.

"You weren't going to get _my_ position when I had it, and you won't get Rainbow's," Soarin stood his ground. "Now just drop it, or else I'll force you to share your room with Surprise."

"Oooh, yes please!" Surprise begged, tearing her attention from Pinkie. Rapidfire looked as if he was about to hurl and backed away, albeit pissed off. While Rainbow and Soarin met up with their fellow flyers, one in particular caught my eye. More specifically, a cute, dark purple furred mare with a nerf colored mane.

"Hey Lullaby," I waved to her, "are you excited for your first Las Pegasus air show?" I asked her. The Pegasus' wings clamped onto her body as she waved back to me, shaking a little.

"Y-yeah," she gulped. "Just a little nervous and excited about being in Las Pegasus for the first time," Lullaby explained. "Th-that's all," she added, grabbing a cup of water off a slot machine.

"Oh, well you don't strike me as the gambling type," I replied. She shook her head, sipping the cup of water with her shaky hoof. "Maybe you could join Fluttershy at the fish reef?" I suggested. "You could relax a little before your show; Fluttershy's a really easygoing, kind pony," I added.

"I know, Rainbow Dash has told me about her," the purple pony waved to Fluttershy.

"I don't mind if she joins me," Fluttershy smiled, "it's always fun to have a friend to talk with about animals," she smiled warmly, seeming to make Lullaby relax.

"Well, you seem nice," Lullaby smiled and shook Fluttershy's hoof. "And I didn't plan on losing all my bits to a slot machine or getting drunk off my flank today," she joked, "like Silver, Rapidfire and Wave Chill here."

"Hey, alcohol is a very serious business young mare," Silver Lining nudged Lullaby. If I had to pick a favorite male Wonderbolt that didn't have a close connection to my friends, Silver would be the one. He sort of reminded me of Obi-Wan Kenobi. He seemed to ooze intelligence, selflessness, helpfulness and wisdom just from one stare.

"Unless you drink it like soda like Wave here," a familiar janitorial pony elbowed Wave Chill in the ribs. He rolled his eyes, shoving Feather Duster away and rubbed his ribs.

"Who let the damn janitor tag along?" the stallion grumbled. Lightning's twin brother, Fire Streak, then got in between Wave Chill and Feather Duster, staring down the Wonderbolt.

"Soarin gave me the okay to buy my marefriend a train ticket and she got to come with us, got it Wave? Or are we gonna have to take this outside?" The white stallion flared his wings at the Pegasus that insulted his marefriend.

"Rainbow, how have you not checked yourself into the looney bin yet?" I bent down to ask the cyan mare. "I couldn't handle more than eight hours with these guys, no offense," I added.

"Believe it or not, Pinkie's letters let me escape back home, and at least Lullaby's intelligent words help me relax," she explained, hoof bumping her former roommate.

"I guess fighting crazy with crazy keeps you sane?" Spike scratched his head, trying to get a handle on Rainbow's explanation. I then noticed High Winds and Blaze standing in front of Lyra and Bon Bon, all four doing the classic 'mirror' movements as they studied each other. Soarin once mentioned to me (for whatever reason) that High Winds and Blaze swung the same way as Lyra and Bon Bon, which meant that they at least had one thing in common to talk about. I wasn't the only one who noticed this as Lightning Streak pointed out the Ponyville couple to anyone who would listen.

"Wait a minute, _two_ sets of fillyfoolers?" He grinned, "That's hotter than-" Fire Streak grabbed a deck of playing cards and crammed them into his brother's mouth. I feared that Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Scootaloo had heard that, but they were giggling away at what Fire Streak did to his brother, so no harm no foul I suppose.

"You finish that sentence and mom will be buying you tail extensions, got it?!" The white Pegasus seethed to his light blue clone.

"Look," I finally said after realizing we'd just been standing here for about seven minutes just being introduced to all of the Wonderbolts. "It's nice to see you all again and it'll be nice to see your show tonight, but we're burning Celestia's daylight, so..." I hinted that if we wanted to go enjoy our one day vacation, we'd better stop acting like a reverse _Waltons_ group. "And I'm sorry I didn't get to meet _you_ officially," I pointed to a custard colored Wonderbolt with bubbly wings as a cutie mark.

"Oh, it's just Misty Fly," Surprise rolled her eyes. "No big deal, _really_," she actually seemed to _grumble._ Soarin was right: Anything _can_ happen in Las Pegasus.

"I didn't get to officially meet you," a quiet voice sounded off from below me. Looking down, I saw a fuzzy and dark blue mare staring at me with sweet eyes. "My name's Cinder," she smiled.

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked her.

"Ever since Surprise and Pinkie bumped heads," she replied. "It's nothing to be sorry about; I'm used to ponies not realizing I'm here," she explained.

"Oh, nice to meet you Cinder," I patted her mane.

"You know," Soarin apparently ignored everything I said, "Cougar's right! You're all here on vacation, especially my fellow Wonderbolts! If you wanted to do something wild and crazy before the new year began, then this is your last chance! Why don't you all skip final practice today and just enjoy yourselves for working so hard?" He suggested. "While Dashie and I practice," he added. Rainbow's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"WHAT?! Come on, I came here to enjoy myself a bit before the air show," she complained. Soarin then casually whispered into her ear before her face went from cyan to scarlet in about four seconds flat. "Okay, fair enough," she gulped.

"And I'd like to add something!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Let's just all go and do our own thing and not tell anypony else that's not accompanying you to keep this all a secret guessing game for tonight?" She gushed. A few ponies in our group had to shake their heads, trying to follow what Pinkie Pie had said.

"Awesome idea, Twinzie!" Surprise patted Pinkie on the back. We all had ideas of where to go first, but what would happen second remained a mystery. Although there was one pony we were sure of that had a whole day planned out.

"No offense Twi," Applejack wrapped a foreleg around her friend, "we know yer tryin' hard ta not let perfection take ya over, but what kinda schedule ya got fer yerself?" my marefriend asked. Instead of sweating nervously, Twilight puffed out her chest proudly like a Marine and sighed contently.

"Nope," she replied. "since Soarin said Las Pegasus is _the_ place where anything can happen, I've decided to just walk outside and go with the flow. Do what the city chooses for me to keep me on the tip of my hooves," she announced with confidence. The next thing we knew, Spike was on the floor with his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"DRAGON DOWN!" Surprise shrieked. "SOMEPONY DO THE HOOFLICH MANEUVER!"

"No, he's gotta turn his head and cough first!" Pinkie and Surprise jumped onto Spike and hopped up and down. If that shock was a just a mere taste of what this vacation was holding for us, then I was excited.

**End Chapter 36**

* * *

_And so, our characters' Las Pegasus vacation has begun. What's in store for our friends? _

**_Next Time on FALLEN EAGLE_**

_"Seriously Rapid, you've got a mare that wants to buck you without you having to pay."_

_**Silver Lining and Wave Chill call out Rapidfire on why he 'hates' Surprise**_

_"I...DON'T...SHARE...LYRA"_

**_Just who is Bon Bon pissed at?_**

_"So, how long have you had a crush on Cougar?"_

**_Fluttershy confronts Lullaby about her crush on our story's hero!_**

_"Sorry ma'am, no pets allowed."_

_**Who said this and to whom? Was it geared toward Applejack or Twilight?  
**_

_"You're going down old mare!"_

_**Lullaby faces Button Mash in a battle to the death in: GALLOPA (A parody of Galaga)**_

_"Haha, in order to catch a filly, I've got to THINK like a filly!" *Insert insane laugh*  
_

_**Scootaloo plays**_ _**'Catch me if you can!' With Feather Duster through Las Pegasus**  
_

_"CHEAP HOBO SUITS? YOU TAKE THAT BACK YOU...YOU...HUSSY!"_

**_Rarity's successful fashion line gets mocked in a sophisticated Las Pegasus mall_**

_"THERE'S TWO OF THEM?!"_

_**How much collateral damage do Surprise and Pinkie cause?**_


	38. Chapter 37: Where Anything Can Happen

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 37: Where Anything Can Happen**

So, how was Friendship Games, guys? Personally, I LOVED it and I thought I would take a crack at giving it a review.

_**SPOILERS AHEAD FOR FRIENDSHIP GAMES. SKIP THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN IT!**_

**Firstly, another great, no, FANTASTIC soundtrack from Daniel Ingram. And what a worthy successor to Rainbow Rocks. The opening credit sequence definitely was the best of the trilogy with an intense song, heart pounding song, and you could feel the tension between CHS and Crystal Prep.**

**The fact that Sunset was now friends with everyone at CHS was indeed a welcome sight after Rainbow Rocks, and that she's comfortable with the change of pace. Having the Humane 5's Twilight be sort of a rival, even though that wasn't her intention, was very intriguing to see how she would react to the magic.**

**Now, Crystal Prep, I'll admit I cheered when I saw Human Cadence and Human Shining Armor. The school of course had the stereotype that a uniformed school was snooty, but I overlooked that because of how different it was to see Twilight as a loner again, just like the Twi we know and love was sort of like back at the beginning of the show.**

**Speaking of which, Twilight's song of knowing she wants more than what Crystal Prep has to offer, but she doesn't know exactly what she wants was a beautiful song. I really can't explain it, yet when the first few notes played and she peered into the classroom and started singing, a few tears were brought to my eyes as I had an instant flashback of me and my friends enjoying ourselves in High School. The song also goes to show: You can have everything going right for you, (Twilight had the best grades and the highest test scores in school history) but you can still feel empty inside without friends, VERY powerful.**

**The principal of Crystal Prep. Jeez I was sorely disappointed in her. Granted I love seeing what new characters Hasbro can cook up, but I was hoping the principal was either Sombra or Chrysalis. If it was Crystal Prep, Sombra would've been my choice because of season 3.**

**Rainbow's Pep song was absolutely awesome and a great recap of the previous two films, demonstrating how close CHS is. Kudos to you, Daniel Ingram!**

**I had a feeling that their world Twilight would indeed somehow get ahold of the magic, but I like how the writers made her innocent of actually stealing it; it makes her more sympathetic.**

**As for the games themselves, the writers made the right choice in just doing a Montage of the chemistry, baking and wood shop events. That shot of Sunset and Twilight on the stage was again, A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and very tense. It was funny to see Derpy trying chemistry though.**

**The incident where Spike began to talk was perhaps my favorite part of the movie aside from the racing. It felt unnatural to see a doggy Spike barking and growling. And seeing Twilight scared of him was pretty humorous.**

**The best part of the games, obviously, was the motocross event and the roller short track derby. The race fan inside me screamed, "YES!" When the word 'short track' was mentioned. For those of you who don't know, whenever NASCAR goes to a short track, good luck getting my attention away from the TV. When Rarity and Pinkie were racing, I was yelling, "Protect the inside. Don't open the door!" And when they did I literally exclaimed, "YOU IDIOTS!"**

**Anyway, seeing the plant from Equestria attacking the racers really instilled a sense of urgency in me. Nothing is scarier than going full throttle in a car or on a dirt bike, only to have something make you come to a complete stop. That wasn't the only thing about that scene; seeing Sunset getting angry was not only sad because we've seen her grow softer throughout the trilogy and we hate seeing our favorite characters getting angry, but seeing Twilight cry isn't an easy thing to stomach, especially when she didn't intend for it to happen.**

**BUT, the one thing that absolutely irritated me about the movie was Crystal Prep's reaction to the magic at the motocross event. Both the students and Principal ACCEPTED that it was MAGIC and it EXISTS? A real reaction would've contained the words "Mutant" and "Freaks" for seeing Wings on Rainbow Dash. Just accepting that and not calling the Men In Black seemed really convenient. I mean, they blow it off like someone had parked squarely in a parking space and freaked out like someone was murdered when they lost the race! I know, it's just a cartoon and I suspend my disbelief when we talk about cartoons, especially ones that feature magic, but that just really irked me and a fellow author that I was messaging while the movie aired.**

**However, pushing that aside, "Unleash the Magic" was the CREEPIEST song in MLP history. It sounded like a demonic hymn and a MAJOR KUDOS to Daniel Ingram once again for that. This Is my favorite song of the trilogy. Not only because it was creepy, but because it demonstrated how selfish and just evil the principal was for blackmailing Twilight's application if she didn't unleash the magic.**

**The ending with Sunset and Twilight was absolutely perfect. Seeing a complete reversal of their situation from the first movie comprehensively painted how far Sunset Shimmer has come in understanding the magic of friendship. Just hearing Sunset explain how good the power felt, how she's been there before, that it was nothing but a lie and how Twilight would still be alone even if she understood everything about the magic perfectly completed her character development and arc. And then Spike's, "This isn't you," face to Twilight when she was in demon mode brought a few droplets of salty discharge from my eyes.**

**Sunset teaching Twilight about Friendship was the perfect way to end the Equestria Girls trilogy, showcasing how the powers of Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Generosity and Kindness can transform a selfish person into a completely new and caring friend.**

**I salute you Hasbro and the MLP writers for bringing us this alternate series, even if it got off to a rocky start.**

And there's my first official MLP review. Was it okay, guys?

Anyway, a little explanation is in order. I want to let ALL of you know that I understand the tone of the story here takes a drastic change from what you've known it to be, and I realize some of you may not like it, but understand this: All of these goofy situations you see do NOT happen to Ivan. He, AJ and Applebloom may have a bit of a comedic episode, but nothing 'cartoony' will happen to his POV which is what the story is based off, HIS POV. When I said this Las Pegasus arc is like Slice of Life, I LITERALLY meant it in that all these situations happen when Ivan is not there, so the tone of HIS story does not change.

Also, I still have some more comedic scenes left, but since I have a few right now, I'm putting these up first to get your reactions and maybe a few pointers if you think they could use some work so the _next_ chapter can be better. Of course if these are good to you guys, it works and I'll get to work on the rest of the arc. It also comes back to the tonal change of the story. I'd honestly hate to waste more time finishing the chapter and finding out you guys didn't enjoy it that much. Here, I could catch it in time, fix these few scenes and know how to write the next ones.

Okay, review reply time!

**OBSERVER01: **_Hmm, I can tell you that those are very good __possibilities..._

**Sassymouse:** _If she's the master of all evil, does she have 'Sharks with freakin' laser beams on their heads?' ;P Well, like Dixie Darlin told me, 'Skies' just rolls off the tongue so well, and I thought it would be funny that nopony bothered to tell Ivan Soarin's last name, but his defense I think was spot on! How can Misty Fly be your baby if she's a character...unless...OH MY GOD I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN! YOU'RE SECRETLY A WRITER FOR THE SHOW!_ *Insert Dun, dun, duuuuuuuunnnnnn music*

**HaloloverA001: **_Well, just keep thinking about New Vegas_

**RenaTamer: **_Oh damn, Ponyville, hell, EQUESTRIA has to have the best damn insurance of any dimension!_

**SkullCrusher550:** _Who the hell is Dietrich? Ivan is technically an only child. He was adopted at he age of two by Reaper's parents. And don't worry, I try to keep up as much as possible. As for Reaper, he kind of disintegrated when his F-16 Fighting Falcon was blown up._

**Dixie Darlin:** _Yeah, it's his '__unofficial official' name. Kind of like Derpy's ORIGINAL name was Ditzy Doo and fans just called her Derpy, thus the writers used it, and then stupid people hated it and got it removed. As for Lullaby, she wouldn't exist without Sassymouse, so you might want to thank her for the character :) But, I think that Spike WOULD react like that if Twilight announced it._

**Nostalgia Cop:** _Sorry, I've got too many to keep track of._

**adhdluke:** _I was just trying it out for the first time. This chapter sort of uses it too, but not the same way as the previous chapter. I don't mean to rub this in your face, but I'm going to Vegas again for my 21st birthday in December._

**JadenYuuki: **_Thank you. As for inspiration, I remember typing the same thing in a review, and trust me: I was as nervous as you were. Just don't let that keep you down. Keep working hard and soon YOU'LL have other authors telling you that you've inspired them. Just don't give up._

**theflammablefiredragon: **_LOL! One brief cover up for sex and it earns the Quagmire catchphrase! Nice dude!_

**Ciaran:** _The climax? Oh no, no, no! We still have a few more arcs to go through. FAR FROM OVER! As for Reaper, he's kind of dead._

**uss71832:** _I'm Batman!_

All right guys, that's it, please read and review! Only 32 reviews to go before that coveted 400th! Also, Cinder, Feather Duster, the Streak Twins and Lullaby all belong to Sassymouse, I only own Ivan.

Plus, just for those who may not get the hotel puns (I'm not trying to be a smart-ass; I don't know if some people won't get it or not) Here is a list

Maredalay Bay=Mandalay Bay

Troticana=Tropicana

Broncio=Bellagio

Celestia's Palace=Caesar's Palace

* * *

**(Maredalay Bay Casino. Ivan's POV)**

"I think he's coming to," I bent down, snapping my fingers in front of the purple dragon's face. After Spike had collapsed from Twilight's surprising announcement, the alicorn shooed Pinkie Pie and Surprise away from her son and levitated him into a chair in the cooler lobby of the hotel. "You okay there buddy?" I asked when the reptile's eyes opened as tiny slits. "Oof!" I grunted when none other than Spike's mother literally shoved me onto my ass and placed a hoof on his knee.

"Spike?!" She exclaimed, "do you need water? How about some gems?" Twilight produced a bag of multicolored gems from her suitcase, shaking them in front of Spike's face. Applejack helped me to my feet as I rubbed my backside.

"Twilight dear," Rarity's blue magic counteracted Twilight's magenta magic. "He's going to be fine; he just had a bit of a shock," the seamstress explained. "Crowding around him won't help, so just back away a little bit," she explained, slowly moving Twilight back from Spike.

"All I said was I wasn't going to be following a schedule today, I didn't mean to make him faint!" Twilight exclaimed, struggling to keep herself from lunging back at her son.

"Hey, one of us was bound to from that announcement," Rainbow Dash shrugged, dumping a bottle of water onto Spike's head. "Although Spike's known you longer than any of us, so I'd expect him to be the one to take it heavily," she explained.

"Mom?" Spike groaned, rubbing his head.

"Gimmie that!" Pinkie yanked Rainbow's ice pack from her head and placed it onto Spike's. With how long Rainbow had had that pack on her head, I was amazed that it was still cool enough to have any effects without melting.

"Yes, Spike?" Twilight's lower lip quivered. _'Okay, this is getting a little over dramatic,'_ I thought, placing my hand on the back of Applejack's head and stroking it softly. "Are you feeling okay?" She repeated the same question most of us had already asked.

"Me?" the reptile shook his head clear of stars, "Are _you_ feeling okay? Since when have you been one to ditch a schedule?" He questioned, holding down the pack on top of his head.

"Well, you know I've been trying to work on my perfection habit; I thought that not making a schedule for _everything_ would be a good starting point," Twilight replied, seeming to refresh the ice in the pack with her magic. However, Spike removed the ice pack from his head and set it onto the closest thing next to him: Lullaby's back. The poor mare yelped from the cold, bucking the pack into the air and into a nearby garbage can.

"Nice aim," I winked at her. Blushing slightly, Lullaby slinked behind Rapidfire, trying to get the attention off of her. The red Wonderbolt looked behind him before rolling his eyes and focusing his attention back on Spike.

"So, is the kid okay, or not?" Rapidfire questioned.

"He will be now that I'm back!" Surprise declared from behind us.

"Um, when did you leave?" Fluttershy shook her head from side to side. The yellow maned Pegasus was dragging along another white mare with a red mane and tail and was wearing a nurse's hat atop her head.

"You gotta stop focusing on the little details, Fluttershy," Surprise patted Fluttershy's head. "Because your auntie Surprise has come to Spike's rescue!" Surprise announced proudly.

"I'm nine months older than you," Fluttershy said under her breath, _'Apparently that's possible,'_ I thought.

"Here's the dragon that fainted, ma'am, do your magic!" Surprise shoved the pony practically into Spike's face.

"Ah think she's an earth pony there, Surprise," Applejack corrected. Surprise shrugged, not caring what she had said was wrong and patiently awaited the nurses diagnoses. I tried to call back to when we had walked from the train station to the hotel. I didn't remember seeing any hospitals or doctor's offices on the walk over.

"Ms. Surprise," the nurse pony turned around from Spike. "I tried to tell you before you yanked me from my job, but I work at a hospital themed _casino!_" She exclaimed. "I don't have any medical training, especially on somepony's pet," she added.

"That is my _son_, madame!" I could've sworn Twilight was going to chip a tooth the more often she grit her teeth that hard. "It would be wise to think before you judge," Twilight added, getting close to her face. Twilight was certainly not kidding about embracing this motherly role, and frankly she was starting to worry me a little bit. Face and ears falling from her faux pas, the casino employee started to slowly tip toe her way out of this situation before Surprise swooped in with a, ahem, _wheelbarrow_ of all things and threw the mare inside. I realized that it was Pinkie Pie's clone that was doing this, but it still boggled my mind to actually see something like this happening in front of me, though none of the Wonderbolts seemed to think it was news worthy.

Surprise ran with the mare inside the wheelbarrow until she reached the doors to the hotel and came to a stop, forcing the earth pony to fly out into the street with a hard thud. "And stay out you fraud!" The Wonderbolt mare shook her hoof before turning around and hopping like Pinkie back to us. "Can you believe the nerve of some ponies?" She asked her clone.

"I _know_! Pretending to be a nurse to get somepony's hopes up, how despicable!" Pinkie Pie grabbed a can of soda from a vending machine and chugged it down before belching. "What?" Pinkie asked me when I stared at the two ponies.

"Where did Surprise get-" I started to ask before Applejack gently tugged on my shirt sleeve.

"You'll be here all day tryin' ta figure out where them two get their stuff," she warned me.

"Point withdrawn," I adjusted my Drive to End Hunger cap. "Anyway, do you need anything Spike?" I thought of a new question. The kid might've gotten sick of everyone crowding around him, but I didn't want to leave him and make him think I didn't care.

"Yeah! If you do, we can try to get our cutie marks in caring for bed ridden creatures!" Sweetie Belle squeaked. Applebloom and Scootaloo gasped and the three jumped onto Spike's lap.

"NO!" Spike exclaimed jumping to his feet and pushing the Crusaders back to the floor, "I mean, uh, I don't want you girls to spend your first Las Pegasus vacation worrying about me; I'm fine," he waved it off. As much as I loved those three fillies, they'd probably drive him crazy or accidentally burn his face with hot soup or possibly get a thermometer stuck, somewhere. "The only thing I want is to spend the day with my mom and say, 'Buck the schedule!'"

_**Smack**_

Spike rubbed his purple arm that was slowly turning red from where Twilight had smacked him. "You may be older now Spike, but no son of mine will use curse words in public, got?" She narrowed her eyes at Spike.

"Yes, mom understood," Spike continuously rubbed his arm.

"I'm glad you're all right, Spikey," Rarity hugged the drake, forcing blood to rise to his cheeks. "But Twilight, do you think you could plan just one thing today?" the white unicorn requested. "Would you like to join Sweetie Belle and myself for lunch?" She asked. "Say around half past noon?"

"Hmm, _if_ Spike and I manage to meet up with you and Sweetie Belle, I don't see why not," Twilight smiled. "Now come on, Spike," Twilight yanked the dragon's hand with her magic, somewhat shoving past myself and Applejack, "we've got a whole city to explore in no particular order!" She then galloped out of the lobby with Spike trying to keep up with her.

"I'll give her an hour before she cracks," Rainbow Dash bet.

"Ooh, put me in on that action!" Pinkie Pie the hopped up and down.

"I'll give her 22 minutes," Sweetie Belle replied.

"Where'd you get 22 minutes from?" I asked her. The tiny unicorn just shrugged and trotted away with her older sister. Apparently Twilight and Spike leaving was the cue for everyone to leave the hotel (or stay if they chose to do so) and go spend their vacation the way they wanted to. The Wonderbolts all split off in different directions, though not before Surprise and Pinkie gave a tearful hug goodbye, repeating over and over that, _"A couple of hours is too long a wait."_

"So, what plans have y'all thought of?" Applebloom questioned once nearly all of our friends had deserted us in the lobby. The only ones that were still here were Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Scootaloo, Cinder and Lightning Streak. "Ah think there may be a boxing' match at Celestia's Palace soon," she suggested. A poster on the wall caught my eye as AJ and I were thinking of ways to say, 'No,' to Applebloom. I pulled out a pamphlet from a pamphlet holder that read, _'Las Pegasus' most popular sight seeing tours."_

"Whatcha got there, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked me, trying to crane her neck up to see the pamphlet.

"How about a tour?" I suggested. "It might take a chunk out of the day, but it'd be perfect for all three of us."

* * *

**(With Feather Duster and Fire Streak.)  
**

The dust colored janitor of the Wonderbolts Academy could barely contain her excitement as she and Fire Streak rode the elevator up to the Maredalay Bay's highest floor: 43. "Soarin picked a good hotel, huh Feathers?" Fire asked while the elevator beeped with every floor they passed. "Luxurious, tall and he stuck all of the senior 'Bolts on the top floor suites," he couldn't help but brag. All of the cadets and senior members of the Wonderbolts worked extremely hard day and night ever since their regular season schedule was scrapped. It was the only way they could keep their normal routines, normal.

Of course Fire knew he was kidding himself; every Pegasus at the Academy had their own ways of working hard, even if most of them screwed around most of the time. His marefriend even worked hard at the Academy despite not being a Wonderbolt. And by that, Fire meant she worked hard at avoiding hard work. But, he wasn't going to focus on what his friends did to work hard or relax; he had his own day to relax before the New Year's air show, a day he felt he earned. "Fire?" The stallion felt a hoof tapping his shoulder, causing him to shake his head.

"Huh, what?" He asked, looking over at his marefriend.

"I was just asking if you wanted to go swimming with me," Feather Duster nudged his flank with hers. "Or you know, we could just relax in the chairs by the pool, soaking up some of Celestia's sun," she added as the elevator jolted, having arrived at the top floor. The doors opened and the duo trotted out, looking for room 4303.

"So, you'd be doing the same thing as you do at the Academy to avoid work, just with a pool?" The white stallion smirked, "And not on the roof?" he stuck his tongue out. Feather Duster humphed, rolling her eyes.

"Do you know how hard it is to avoid work and Surprise at the same time? Soarin may be an idiot sometimes, but appointing Surprise to be the official laziness lookout keeps me on the tips of my hooves," the janitor grumbled.

"Hey, I've saved you a couple times from Surprise, Feathers," Fire lightly kissed her nose, "don't you forget that," he added as the two rounded a corner. The Wonderbolt pulled a key from his orange and cream colored mane, stopping in front of the room number they were looking for.

"Since when do you keep things in your mane?" Feather Duster cocked her head to the side.

"Kinda picked it up from Surprise," Fire Streak inserted the key into the keyhole. "As for your suggestion on swimming, I was thinking we could grab a quick bite at the hotel buffet and then go swimming," he suggested, grunting as he attempted again and again to turn the key. "Come on you piece of crap!" he exclaimed, grabbing the key with his teeth and turning his head to the left.

"You having a little trouble there, Fiery?" Feather Duster called him by his nickname. She was answered with a garbled mess of words as Fire Streak didn't take his mouth off the key. In fact, Feather Duster was one of only two ponies that knew Fire had a good mouth on him if he got _really_ pissed off. The other pony was Fire's twin brother. Still, Fire kept his cool 99% of the time; hearing him swear like this wasn't good.

"BUCK!" He screeched, releasing the key from his teeth and rubbing his jaw. "I better not have to go to the dentist again," he seethed.

"Are you sure you're turning it the right way?" Feather asked.

"Do you really expect me to pull a Soarin? That's something only Soarin and Lightning can do," Fire moved out of the way so the dust colored pony could try to unlock the door. She grabbed it with her front hooves and turned it both ways, the lock refusing to open.

"Come on you stubborn lock!" Feather grunted. Her efforts were rewarded with the key slipping out of the hole, making her fly back into the wall behind the two. The Wonderbolt quickly pried her from the wall and rubbed her sore back.

"Maybe the lock's sticky," Fire rubbed his chin. "Do you have any DW-04 on you?" He asked.

"What, do I look like a janitor to you?" Feather Duster glared. Confused, Fire Streak cocked an eyebrow, but he brushed off Feather Duster's answer as a few other hotel guests trotted past them. Seeing their key work made his anger boil over.

"That's it! We're going back down and I'm tearing this hotel staff a new one!" He shouted, stuffing the key back into his mane.

FOMP

Feather Duster's smaller than average wings popped open at the sight of Fire Streak going into Alpha mode. Embarrassed, the mare tried to shove her wings back against her torso, but to no avail. "Get a room, perverts!" Another guest shouted from down the hallway.

"We would if our bucking key would work!" Feather Duster's combined embarrassment and frustration made her lash out. The guest scoffed and entered their own room whilst Fire Streak stomped his way past the elevator and into the stair well. "Uh, Fire? Wouldn't the elevator be-" she asked before her coltfriend picked her up, placed her on his back and dove straight down the middle of the stair well. That was enough to snap her wings back to her sides.

"I'm not putting up with this on our vacation!" The stallion's shout resonated off the walls. Feather Duster grabbed ahold of his neck and never let go, doing whatever she could to stay on his back. Although she was obviously capable of flight, her smaller wings made it difficult for her, and she didn't intend to go to the hospital instead of enjoying Las Pegasus.

As the ground grew closer, Feather tucked her head into the back of Fire's neck, just wanting to get to the ground as quick as possible. The stallion landed with a thud on his hooves, throwing the door open and stomping out of the stair well. "Feathers, it's over," he realized how hard she was grasping at his neck. The mare shakily opened her eyes and released her forelegs from Fire, only to slip off his back and crash to the floor.

"Oww," she groaned, trying to loosen up her tense muscles. "Could you at least warn me before you go off the wall like that?" She seethed when Fire Streak nudged her with his nose to get her back onto her hooves.

"Hey, if you want to go lounge by the pool, then you'd better just follow me," Fire returned to his calm and cool attitude. "I didn't mean to scare you like that Feather Duster," he nuzzled her neck and lightly pecked at her fur, "I just want to relax with you all day as soon as possible," he lightly nipped at her flesh. She yelped slightly not from pain, but excitement.

"Then what are you doing here and not threatening to cram a box of staples down the hotel clerk's throat?" Feather shoved Fire Streak across the lobby and back to the front desk. Only a few other guests were either checking in or checking out, and Jitterbug was finishing up with one of them as Fire Streak and Feather Duster were spotted by Lightning Streak and Cinder. The two other Pegasi had been debating on whether to grab lunch at the hotel or at another restaurant when Lightning's twin reappeared. The light blue stallion checked a clock on the wall to see how long he and Feather Duster had been gone.

"Bro, Feather Duster, I thought you guys were in your room?" Lightning Streak asked, trotting over with Cinder in tow. The guest that Jitterbug had been assisting left, leaving the two Wonderbolts, one cadet and janitor next in line.

"The stupid desk clerk gave us the wrong key," Fire explained, turning back to his brother and slicking his mane back as it had started to stick out in all different directions. He said this a little louder on purpose, garnering the attention from Jitterbug.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Streak?" She asked, feeling a little offended yet holding up her smile. The upset Pegasus dug his key from his mane and tossed it onto the desk where it clattered loudly.

"Ahem, I believe you gave us the wrong key, miss," Fire Streak wanted to lash out at her, especially for the possibility of injuring his jaw and teeth and for what could've happened to Feather Duster. But he remembered that he was one of the most mature members of the flight squadron and he had to maintain that image, no matter how short his fuse was.

"Okay," the desk clerk dug out the box of room cards and pulled out one with Fire's name on it. "Here we go, Mr. Streak of the Wonderbolts, one room for New Year's Eve day," she read aloud.

"That's correct so far, ma'am," Fire Streak quickly replied. "I think you may have accidentally gave me the wrong key. We tried 4303 and the lock wouldn't budge," he explained as Feather Duster nodded in agreement.

"Well, that's a crappy way to start a vacay, Fire," Lightning joked, patting his brother on the back. Fire Streak slowly turned his head over to Lightning with a face that read, _'Back...off.'_ Lightning gulped, taking careful steps away from Fire.

"I'm sorry, _43_03? No, your name is written down for _42_03," Jitterbug placed the card on the desk so Fire Streak and Feather Duster could look it over.

"Excuse me? I'm positive I signed for 4303, ma'am," Fire Streak's patience was wearing thin. "There's got to be some mistake here," he added, desperately looking over the card. The white stallion's ears dropped and face fell when he saw his name scribbled under for room 4303 and Lightning's name scribbled under 4203. "Okay, so I am under 4303, then why didn't my key work?" He questioned, pointing at the metallic object on the desk.

Jitterbug took the key and placed it onto a sheet of paper that had trace outlines for every room key in the hotel. "Here's the problem, that's the key for 4203, Mr. Lightning Streak," she explained.

"Did you just call him 'Lightning Streak?'" Feather Duster asked.

"Yes, that is your name, is it not?" The desk clerk asked, confused. "And isn't that your twin brother Fire Streak?" She pointed her hoof over the blue stallion standing behind the duo with Cinder.

"No, _I'M_ Fire Streak, Jitterbug," Fire replied sternly. "_That_ is my brother, Lightning," he jabbed his hoof behind him. "Sure, we're twins, but he's light blue and I'm pale white!" He exclaimed. "And damn you Lightning!" Fire realized what was going on. The Pegasus grit his teeth and whirled around, grabbing Lightning by his shoulders, shaking him violently.

"HEY! What the buck gives?!" Lightning shoved Fire away, dusting himself off.

"You lied to the desk clerk so you could get my suite for you and Cinder, didn't you?" Fire shoved his face right into Lightning's, forcing his brother to bend low from the force of the push. Fire narrowed his eyes, intimidating his twin. Lightning gulped, looking in the other direction to keep his fears down.

"Noooooo?" He replied shakily. Fire grunted, moving away from Lightning's face and shaking his head.

"That's really low brother, and here I thought you were maturing a little. Guess I was wrong about that!" He exclaimed.

"Now hold on!" Lightning countered, "You're always accusing me whenever something bad happens to you. How do you know Jitterbug isn't just an incompetent doof like Soarin?" He questioned.

"Excuse me?" the pony in question propped herself up on her forelegs on the desk. By now, the brothers' shouting had garnered the attention of hotel and casino guests, gathering a large crowd around the twins and their marefriends. Since she loved attention, Feather Duster waved happily and posed in front of the bickering duo as flashbulbs went off due to the fact the brothers were Wonderbolts. As for Cinder, she wasn't used to being apart of any attention at all and tried to hide her face with her forelegs near Lightning Streak.

"_You purposely put your mane hair in my oatmeal,"_ Lightning mocked his brother's voice, "_you ripped my best flight suit, you stole my favorite pair of goggles, you drank my last Pegapsi, you glued my tail to my inner thigh._" Lighting stopped when Fire Streak facehoofed.

"You moron, you _admitted_ to gluing my tail to my inner thigh," Fire then slapped his brother upside his head. "Do you have any clue how hard it was to go to the bathroom?! Luckily my marefriend is a janitor," he shuddered. Lightning ignored the slap and instead started laughing at his prank, infuriating Fire Streak.

"Okay, so I did glue your tail, but Jitterbug just made a mistake. I haven't even been in the elevator yet!" He defended himself.

"Hey, GET OUT OF HERE!" Fire yelled to the crowd of ponies. Seeing fire in his eyes, the crowd quickly dispersed, disappointing Feather Duster and relieving Cinder. Seeing no other way to get the answer he wanted, Fire shoved Lightning out of the way and softly trotted to his brother's blue marefriend. "Cinder," he spoke gently, "did Lightning trick Jitterbug into thinking he was me and I was him?" He questioned.

Poor Cinder's irises shrank as suddenly being put on the spot frightened her. She began to shake a little from Fire's eyes staring intently into hers, looking for an answer. "Don't scare my marefriend, bro," Lightning shoved Fire Streak.

"Keep your hooves off me, Lightning," Fire Streak never took his eyes off of Cinder's. "Cinder, please be honest with me," Fire never rose his voice to her. The fuzzy mare sank down to her four knees on the floor, trying to stop her shaking.

"You know we're not gonna hurt you," Feather Duster stroked her fellow mare's back. Cinder then covered her eyes with her forelegs, finally making Lightning snap; he couldn't bare to see someone as sweet as Cinder afraid and under this much pressure.

"Okay, I DID IT!" He shouted, "Just leave her alone, please!" He shoved both Feather Duster and his twin away from Cinder to comfort her. "She had nothing to do with it; it was all me, okay?" Lightning added. "And do you want to know why?" He copied Fire's movements from earlier, sticking their faces together and pushing him backwards. "It's because ever since we were born you always got the best of everything."

"You know that's a crock, Lightning," Fire countered.

"Just because mom pushed you out 37 seconds before me doesn't give you the right to be a self entitled dick!" Lightning pushed his twin.

"Don't think about mom like that you immature little puke!" Fire pushed back. "Maybe if you acted your bucking age and actually worked hard, you'd get the same respect as I do!" Feather Duster bent down, helping Cinder to her hooves. Cinder had only seen the two bicker with words and had yet to see them actually duke it out, but Feather Duster had seen them go a few rounds before; it wasn't pretty.

"You might wanna step back a bit," the dust colored mare yanked Cinder back behind a lobby couch, poking her eyes above the top.

"Shouldn't we try to calm them down?" Cinder managed to choke out, still getting over being interrogated.

"Once they both push back, there's no stopping them," Feather Duster turned a candy bowl upside down and placed it atop her head like a battle helmet. Just as she said that, Lightning Streak and Fire Streak tackled each other in a large cloud of dust, punching, kicking, biting and shouting profanities and obscenities at one another. A few security guards arrived at the scene to placate the fighting brothers, but they were too busy to even notice the security guards.

"I hope everyone else is having a better time than Lightning and Fire," Cinder peeked out from behind her right foreleg.

* * *

**(With Fluttershy and Lullaby)**"Hello, and welcome to Maredalay Bay's Fish Reef," a hotel employee cheerfully greeted a small group of ponies. Both Fluttershy and Lullaby looked into the doorway where they would be lead into the Fish Reef, trying to suppress their excitement.

"You know, I've always liked animals, Fluttershy," Lullaby commented, "but you somehow make them even more adorable and exciting," she added as another hotel employee used their magic to lift the velvet rope and allow tourists to enter the reef.

"I'm just glad to have somepony to go with me, even if I didn't know the hotel had a fish exhibit a few days ago," the buttery Pegasus smiled. "I wish Discord could've come, but Princess Celestia invited him to the New Year's festivities in Canterlot," she explained. "But I do appreciate that you wanted to go too," she added. ..

"Ooh, audio tours!" Lullaby grasped the device in her hooves and quickly inserted the ear buds into her ears. Fluttershy received her audio tour and inserted an ear bud into her right ear so she could still listen and talk to Lullaby. "These are so much better than reading info cards," Lullaby added as the two passed through the doorway and down a hallway that lead to the glass tube under the water.

"I agree; it leaves more time to study and appreciate these magnificent animals," Fluttershy concurred. The Element of Kindness gulped as the light of the blue water seeping into the glass tubes frightened her a little. She liked swimming, but the thought of being a tiny enclosed glass tube was a little disheartening. But her love of animals and the fact she had a new friend that was going with her gave Fluttershy the push to forge on.

"Are you doing okay?" the other Pegasus asked, stopping to wait for her fellow animal lover.

"Sorry," Fluttershy took a deep breath and trotted up to the Wonderbolt, "just a lot of ponies in a tiny glass tube underwater," she explained, turning up the volume on her audio tour. "Wow..." She said when the pair walked out of the normal hallway and into the viewing area. Hundreds upon hundreds of fish and fish species swum all around the glass tube. The deep blue of the water looked absolutely stunning and beautiful and entranced the two Pegasi, giving them a perfectly clear view of everything the exhibit had to offer.

"A stingray!" Lullaby tapped Fluttershy's shoulder like crazy, dragging her attention to where she was pointing. Fluttershy zoomed over, pressing her hooves against the glass to see the marine animal sailing through the water, heading underneath the glass floor.

"Look at how long his tail is," Fluttershy's teal eyes gazed at how far apart the nose of the stingray was compared to the tip of its tail. One end of the animal was already passed the tube while the tail was completely on the other side. "Such a graceful member of aquatic life," she added as the stingray swum to another part of the reef.

"I can't believe there are ponies brave enough to swim with those things," Lullaby and Fluttershy took their hooves off the glass wall and settled back down on all four legs. "I heard those things are easily startled."

"Oh yes, their tails can flick up in the blink of an eye and poison a predator trying to eat them," the expert explained in sync with the audio tour in her ear. "Clown fish!" She then gasped, rushing to the other side of the tube. "Oh I'd love to keep a clown fish at home," Fluttershy never blinked as she witnessed a trio of the fish darting around the water.

"Do you think they actually know what kind of fish they are?" Lullaby asked, clicking on the button that listed off facts about the fish. "Like they know what names pony scientists named them?" The Wonderbolt added. Fluttershy took her gaze away from the glass and turned to face Lullaby with a somewhat excited expression on her face.

"I've thought about that so many times, but most ponies just think animals are dumb and that's it," Fluttershy explained, "but some still care very deeply for their pets. Sometimes I wish all of my animal friends, especially little Angel Bunny could talk, just so I could really know what they're thinking and connect with them on a more friendly level," Fluttershy smiled.

"If I had a talking clown fish, I hope he would be good at telling jokes," Lullaby chuckled, nudging Fluttershy with her elbow. The meek Pegasus shared a laugh with her new friend, holding her hoof to her mouth so she wouldn't laugh too loud and scare away some of the water life.

"Don't you have a pet of your own at home?" Fluttershy questioned Lullaby after their joke finally died down. The golden eyed mare hit pause on her audio tour so she wouldn't miss anything important.

"No; ever since I got accepted into the academy, I don't really have the time to give a pet the love and attention it deserves," she replied. "Plus, we aren't allowed to have pets on academy grounds," Lullaby shook her head.

"Not even fish?" Fluttershy's jaw dropped. She recalled Rainbow wanting to take Tank with her when she was accepted, but was told pets were against the rules. Fluttershy just assumed traditional pets like cats, dogs and birds were under the rule; not fish who just swim in a bowl all day.

"Nope," Lullaby shook her head, "although a fish tank would liven up my and Rainbow's room," she pondered.

"Aww, that's a little sad," the two started walking again, looking forward to what other fish species they could find by heading deeper into the reef. "Everypony deserves some sort of pet to keep them company," Fluttershy imagined cuddling up with Angel on her sofa with a good book on the table. "If you _could_ have a pet, what kind would it be?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, it'd have to be something that can fly," Lullaby giggled again, "I mean, I would love a dog, but then I'd have to move to a house on the ground and I really like to stretch my wings," she patted her left one.

"Right," Fluttershy blushed, feeling stupid after asking too obvious of a question. "I've just lived in a cottage in Ponyville for so long that sometimes I forget."

"The Academy has a wild fruit bat that lives in the vents," Lullaby suddenly blurted. "Soarin ordered Feather Duster to catch it, but everypony who works there knows Steamed Vegetable has a better chance of going five minutes without cursing," the duo stopped once they read a sign that informed them they were entering a fresh water tank. "Cinder and I have a bet that Surprise is secretly feeding it in the middle of the night," she added.

"Is it because Feather Duster only works when she feels like it?" Fluttershy questioned, thinking about what Rainbow told her.

"Yep, and she never does. Rainbow came up with that," Lullaby peered into the water. Both mares then simultaneously clicked 'PLAY' on their audio guides when they saw a few salmon swim by.

_"The Salmon is a magnificent species of fish. Born in rivers when hatched from their eggs, the salmon live in the very river they were born in for two years before venturing thousands of miles to the open ocean. There, they survive for another 4-7 years maturing until nature calls them back their place of birth where they spawn and die. The salmon is well known for their ability to leap out of the water to climb waterfalls, doing whatever it takes to return home; this has earned the salmon the term, "_The most noble of all fishes."

"Look at them," Lullaby rested her forehooves on a railing, resting her head on her hooves. Fluttershy followed Lullaby's eye gaze to a female and a male salmon that seemed to be dancing together in the water. Swimming in circles side by side or on top of each other, they appeared to have found a mate in one another.

"Are you okay, Lullaby?" Fluttershy nudged the more athletic Pegasus on her wing. Yet, Lullaby didn't respond.

"It must be amazing to have a special somepony," she lowered her head even further on her forelegs before pushing up from the railing. "Do you have a special somepony, Fluttershy?"

"W-what?!" Fluttershy was completely unprepared for their conversation about fish and pets to turn to this.

"Have you found your special somepony yet?" Lullaby rephrased her question.

"Ahem, n-no...I-I haven't," Fluttershy stuttered. The last time she had this conversation was nearly a month ago with Cougar in The Hayburger; she remembered not being _this_ caught off guard before.

"Just haven't found the right stallion for you, huh?" Lullaby pressed on. Fluttershy had a good idea where this was coming from, but why would Lullaby suddenly bring it up while studying fish? She didn't want to feel rude, so Fluttershy felt if she gave a straightforward answer, this topic would be dropped and they could get back to their fish.

"Oh, it's not that," the buttery pony blushed, "If I wasn't such a scaredy-cat about it, I could at least tell the somepony I have feelings for that I have feelings for them," she explained, lowering her voice to her classic near whisper for how embarrassed she felt. The next thing the Element of Kindness knew, Lullaby's eyes lit up and she yanked her to another part of the viewing tube that was deserted of any guests, perfect to have a private, quiet conversation.

"Rainbow's never mentioned the possibility of you having a crush on anypony," Lullaby thankfully didn't sound like Rarity about the issue, but it was still nerve-wracking for the meek Pegasus. "Of course, she'd rather talk about kicking somepony's butt or the latest Daring Do novel instead of 'relationship junk' as she calls it."

"W-why the sudden interest?" Fluttershy gulped. The other mare bit her lower lip, tapping both of her front hooves nervously on the floor below. "Not that I'm complaining, just curious," Fluttershy assured Lullaby.

"I don't know," she admitted, blinking a few times. "Call it a sixth sense, but I have a feeling we'll be as good of friends as you and Rainbow after this vacation," she smiled warmly. Fluttershy returned the facial movement, loving it every time she could make new friends.

"That sounds nice," Fluttershy put on a grin for her new friend. Her grin faded as she read Lullaby's facial expression; the mare was still wanting to know about who Fluttershy had feelings for, and it didn't look like she'd forget about it any time soon. With a sigh, Fluttershy said, "Are you sure you really want to know?"

"You have my word that whatever we say here, stays here between us," Lullaby placed a trusting hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder.

"Well, uh," Fluttershy gulped as she began to shake a little, "if you're really sure. But, I do want to know something about you in return," she added, "unless you think that's an invasion of your privacy of course," Fluttershy quickly exclaimed. Lullaby shrugged, not caring that Fluttershy just wanted to be a little even with her. "Okay, it's not some_pony_ per se," she started before Lullaby cut her off.

"Is it your dragon friend that Rainbow told me about?" The Wonderbolt questioned.

"Spike!?" Fluttershy shrieked much louder than she planned. She quickly covered her mouth with her wings, fearful that somepony else might've heard. "_No,"_ she said very quietly. "He's just a friend," her voice volume rose back to a normal pony level, "and besides, he's smitten with my friend Rarity," she explained.

"Oh," Lullaby scratched her head, attempting to formulate another guess. Her eyes then shot open, "It isn't..."

"And no, not Cougar; he's a _very_ nice guy and a really great friend, but I don't see him in that light and I couldn't do that to Applejack," Fluttershy quickly slammed the door on that possibility.

"Then who's left?" Lullaby seemed to ignore Fluttershy's explanation.

"Bear in mind that I've only told one other friend this," Fluttershy replied, darting her eyes around. Sucking in a huge breath, Fluttershy closed her eyes and opened her mouth, "I have feelings for Discord," she firmly stated.

"The creep who sold you guys and practically all of Equestria out to that demon?!" Lullaby blurted before Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hooves, backing Lullaby into the wall of the glass tube.

"Shhh!" The animal lover begged. "And he's _not_ a creep!" She whispered loudly. "He told us that it was his plan all along to double cross, _him_," she couldn't even dare say the monster's name aloud anymore.

"Well, whatever he did or didn't do," Lullaby removed the other Pegasus' hooves from her mouth, "what do you like about him? I mean if a pony liked a griffon or a mule or moose or a caribou, even a dragon, I'd understand. But I don't even know _what_ Discord is," Lullaby explained.

"First off, he's a draconequus," Fluttershy quickly replied. "Second, ever since that day Princess Celestia requested that I reform him, we became close friends considering he'd never had one before. And ever since then, we do a lot of things together: drink tea, talk about our day, tell each other funny stories, have sleepovers even though I've never been to his house before," Fluttershy trailed off. "He's just become a friend I can trust, and he trusts me to listen to him and be there for him, and I know he can do the same for me. Plus, his mismatched appendages are really, _cute_," she blushed.

"And he doesn't know...?" Lullaby responded, not ready to tell Fluttershy her opinion on the matter.

"Oh heavens no! It'd ruin our friendship or I'd humiliate him!" she shook her head rapidly. Letting out a cute yet understanding noise, Lullaby placed her foreleg around Fluttershy's neck and hugged her. "Uh, Lullaby?"

"Fluttershy, I may not have a coltfriend of my own, but even if Discord doesn't feel the same, if he is a friend you could completely trust, he'll understand and still want to be your friend."

"That's what I hope would happen," Fluttershy looked away, "believe me, I want to tell him, but I can't force myself to say the words to him when I feel the time is right."

"Maybe time just hasn't found you yet," Lullaby said. She was met with a completely puzzled look in return. "You're ready to tell him; time just has not found the right moment for you and Discord yet. I'm sure it'll happen soon and you actually make him sound, sweet," Lullaby joked. For once in her life, Fluttershy rolled her eyes at a joke and contemplated Lullaby's words.

"Thank you, Lullaby. Your words and Cougar's do help me, though I don't think they can help the fraidy-cat inside," she added in disappointment.

"Trust me, that little scaredy-cat will turn into a ferocious Coug... lion when you tell him," Lullaby patted Fluttershy's back, her voice raising a bit when she almost uttered out the word 'Cougar.'

"Lullaby?" Fluttershy caught on to her new friend avoiding that certain cat species.

"Yes?" The Wonderbolt felt trapped in a corner, expecting what the other pony had to ask.

"How long have you had a crush on Cougar?" She asked in the same tone Lullaby asked her about Discord. Lullaby swore she felt her own irises shrinking back into her eyeballs. She could feel her brain kick her mouth into _'Stutter mode_' and her body heat rising in her face.

"O-oh, y-you noticed tha-that?" She couldn't keep her eyes stationary for even a second. She figured it was worthless to try and lie about it.

"Well, not to be nosy, you are acting the same way you did when we arrived with Cougar and he said hello to you," Fluttershy delineated. "That and Surprise told Pinkie Pie who told me that she felt you had a connection with Cougar."

"I-I'd have to say pro-probably the minute I actually saw him at the Academy," Lullaby admitted, slowly lowering herself onto her haunches. Her musical note surrounded night cap cutie mark sort of sagged sadly. "He just looked, different, and that's not saying that's the only positive thing about him mind you," Lullaby defended. "He was more unique than any creature I'd ever seen, so that drew curiosity about him. And not only that, he's so caring and sweet yet tough as a timberwolf and can handle himself under a lot of stress. I looked into those ocean colored eyes and saw a kind creature that just wants what's best for everyone around him," Lullaby concluded.

"Awww," Fluttershy gushed.

"And that's why I accept he's with Applejack," Lullaby didn't know whether or not Fluttershy would bring that up, so she decided to beat her to it. "Sure, when Pinkie told Surprise and Rainbow and Surprise told me, it hurt to know he'd stolen another mare's heart, but I'm not a selfish bitch who would destroy their relationship to make me happy. I can only hope they live a happy life together."

"GAHHH!" Fluttershy suddenly screamed.

"What!?" Lullaby screamed as well, startled by the outburst. "So I swore a little, aren't you used to that from Rainbow?" The mare clutched her chest with her hoof.

"SHARK!" The yellow pony shrieked before zooming away, leaving a dust outline of her body in a running away position. Befuddled, Lullaby turned around to see a Great White Shark staring back at her through the glass.

"Thanks a lot, Bruce," Lullaby shook her head and flicked her tail at the shark. "Now I gotta find something to do on my own," she headed for the exit of the fish reef and wandered out onto the Strip.

* * *

**(With Twilight and Spike)**

Just as Twilight had promised her friends and son, she ventured out into Las Pegasus with Spike without a schedule to follow in sight. At first, Spike was kind of excited to see his mom acting without her OCD about scheduling, but he quickly realized that Twilight was thinking outside yet still touching the box. The princess of Friendship decided to stop at just about every hotel to see what they had to offer and to take pictures. The dragon didn't mind pictures at all, but not getting anywhere was starting to annoy him.

"Look Spike!" Twilight yanked her son, "Celestia's Palace is even more beautiful than the brochure!" She exclaimed, snapping a few pictures of the marble fountains outside the front door. The hotel itself was a nice marble replica of Canterlot Castle with statues of the princess of the day standing proudly with a pair of guards on either side.

"Yeah...it's great, just like all of the other hotels on the Strip that we've visited," Spike replied in a stoical tone. "Which is practically all of them," he added under his breath, though he was unsure if Twilight was actually listening to him. Spending time with Twilight always made him happy, but he _really_ wanted to do something based on a rash decision, not basically following a map of every hotel.

"Remember Spike, we're not going by a schedule today," Twilight reminded him. "And we don't want to miss a thing, so we have to cherish everything Las Pegasus has to offer before we leave tomorrow," she added, putting her camera back into her saddlebag and pushing Spike along with her hoof. "Come on, I heard that Celestia's Palace has an enchanted statue show depicting the fall of King Sombra before the Crystal Empire vanished!" She exclaimed giddily.

Spike, however, planted his feet firmly on the ground, preventing the two from advancing any further. Twilight attempted a few times to get the purple dragon moving again by softly pulling on his arm with her hoof, but he wouldn't budge. Her face fell a little in disappointment when she couldn't get her son to move, prompting Spike to feel bad about disappointing his mom. "Spike," the alicorn said softly, "don't you want to see one of the most highly recommended hotels in the city?" She asked, fearing that she was slipping back into her old traits. She hoped that Spike would cut her some slack if that was the case; she'd been that way for 22 years, and that's including the five years before she hatched him. Cutting it cold turkey wasn't going to work overnight.

"Please don't be mad at me, mom," Spike started.

"Spike, you shouldn't be afraid to voice a different opinion," Twilight released his arm from her hoof. "If you're not enjoying yourself, don't force yourself to put on a fake smile to make me happy," she patted his arm.

"You know I hate disappointing you, mom," Spike replied, crossing his arms over his chest. Twilight shook her head back and forth, taking the drake aside to not get in anypony's way of the entrance to the hotel. She led him over to a retaining wall that separated the sidewalk from a vast pool of water sitting in between both the Celestia's Palace hotel and the nearby Broncio.

"Just tell me what's on your mind, Spike," Twilight assured him, "I have no reason to be upset with another opinion," Twilight offered him a green gem from her saddlebag. The drake took it with a sigh, slowly munching on half of the jewel.

"Mom," Spike began, "this, this is just so _boring!_," he exclaimed, emphasizing the final word of his statement. Naturally, while Twilight was prepared for Spike to have his own opinion, she wasn't ready for him to be so brash about it. Yet, the alicorn understood that he wasn't aiming this at her directly and that since he was older now, he'd want to do his own things.

"Okay, so what's boring?" Twilight smiled, letting him know she was listening and not angry or upset in the slightest.

"I'm glad you want to take more of a Rainbow Dash approach and throw the concept of constant schedules in the trash, but going to _every_ hotel in the city one by one and in order of location is practically the same as a schedule," he explained, steering clear of a whining voice.

"Really?" Twilight asked, feeling both shocked and embarrassed at technically failing.

"And it's boring because all we've been doing is walking for two minutes before stopping to take pictures of the outside of a hotel and then running inside for another ten minutes like clockwork. And you of all ponies can see how that's definitely a schedule approach," he added. The alicorn in question had to really think about her son's words. She had been so sure that they were avoiding a schedule all morning, but had she been duping herself the entire time? Twilight placed her elbows on the concrete retaining wall and stared across the large body of water before reaching back into her saddlebag and producing every picture she had taken thus far today.

With a quick glance of every photo, she soon discovered that Spike had never spoken truer words. "Oh Spike," Twilight said in a near whisper-like voice. Starting with the Maredalay Bay, they had been to every hotel from the Troticana all the way up to the Broncio. But the worst part was the two had indeed just taken pictures and walked through the first level of each hotel. They hadn't really done anything memorable that they could reminisce about a few years down the road. Just walking and taking pictures before moving on down to the next hotel in order of appearance and location, in other words: A Schedule.

"Come on, mom," Spike gently took the pictures out of her hooves and set them back into her saddlebag. "I'm not angry; I know how hard it is to break a habit, especially one you've had for over two decades," he explained, wrapping an arm behind her neck and gently stroking her mane.

"But you're disappointed, right?" the purple pony gingerly questioned, nuzzling up to her son. Spike couldn't believe what Twilight was saying. At first, _he_ was afraid of disappointing _her, _yet now _she_ was afraid that she had disappointed _him_. When did the tables get turned against him?

"No!" Spike exclaimed, "I just thought we'd wander around the city and eat lunch at the first restaurant we saw or went to the first show that was advertised on a poster or something," he said. "This," Spike reached back into her saddlebag and pulled out a picture of him in front of the Prance hotel, "isn't exactly what I had in mind." Twilight watched as her son reinserted the photo back into her bag and released his arm from her neck.

"As long as you're not disappointed," she forced a smile as she got an idea. "How about this, Spike," she announced, turning him away from the water, "you get to pick which direction we go and choose what to do first. Does that sound good?" She asked him with a cheesy grin.

"Y-you mean right now?" Spike asked, nervous about being thrust with this chance by Twilight.

"Of course," Twilight laughed, "just pick a direction and go; I'll follow you," she patted his back. This wasn't exactly easy for Spike; he didn't know where to begin. Spike knew that they were going by a no schedule rule, but he did want at least some place to start.

"O-okay," Spike took in a deep breath. "Let's-" he started before the sound of music drowned him out. The mother and son looked at each other before turning around and dropping their jaws. A water show had erupted in the area between the Broncio and Celestia's Palace, drawing in a number of ponies to watch. Dozens of geysers shot up and danced around each other with various colors pulsating to the beat of the music. "Let's watch this!" Spike exclaimed with glee.

"That sounds perfect, Spike," Twilight placed her hooves on top of the concrete wall, propping herself up to watch the show. However, the instant Twilight did that, she had become more noticeable within the crowd. Several ponies ceased their tourist activities to get a glimpse of the princess. A few of them felt their excitement boil over, causing them to start moving forward toward the alicorn while others stood in absolute shock.

"Princess Twilight," one pony mumbled in disbelief, opening and shutting his eyes just to be sure he wasn't mistaking a Unicorn and Pegasus as Twilight. A family of four ponies all whipped out their cameras at once, trying to get the perfect shot at the perfect moment.

"The princess of friendship in Las Pegasus, during New Year's?" Another pony questioned herself. "This has to be the best vacation ever!" She exclaimed. Thanks to the music, neither Twilight nor Spike heard the commotion going on behind them. They continued to watch and listen to the water show before them as the crowd of tourists and Las Pegasus natives grew and grew. Finally, one pony couldn't take the excitement anymore and exploded.

"PRINCESS TWILIGHT!" She screamed. The pony controlling the music for the water show was so startled that he hit the off button, leaving the water spouts and geysers to perform without musical accompaniment. The crowd of ponies took this opportunity of sudden silence to try and get a word in with the alicorn.

"Oh boy," Spike gulped when the two performed a 180, only to be faced with about 300 Twilight hungry fans. "Mom?" He asked.

"Don't worry Spike. If there's one important thing I've learned from Princess Celestia, it's how to get out of a crowd," she assured the dragon just as about a dozen ponies swarmed her closer with autograph books in their hooves.

"Can I have an autograph please?" One pony begged.

"Or a New Year's photo for my vacation album?" Another pony smiled and took Twilight's picture. Twilight shook the flash out of her eyes and cleared her throat.

"This is all very exciting I know, but I'm here on vacation with my friends and son," she gestured to the now empty spot beside her. "SPIKE?! Spike where are you?" She questioned frantically.

"Mom, I'm over here!" Spike waved his arm in the air. Apparently, when the camera flash temporarily blinded Twilight, a few ponies shoved Spike out of the way, blocking him from his mother. "They won't let me through!" He added as even more ponies squeezed him further away from Twilight.

"Could you please let my son through?" Twilight asked politely with a hint of frustration hanging on the edge of her voice. "I'm on vacation with him and I'd like to spend my day _with_ him," she explained again, now attempting to wade through the crowd herself. Meanwhile, Spike was starting to deal with a more anti-Spike group of ponies. They intentionally squeezed him out of the crowd, pretending to not hear him.

"Hey! I've been nice, so could you let me get back to my mom, please?" Spike's patience was wearing extremely thin. He was used to ponies swarming Twilight, but none ever being this rude to him. One pony heard his plea and turned around with a sneer on their face. "What did I do to you?" Spike questioned, feeling offended by the look the pony was giving him.

"Spike!" Twilight called again, barely managing the crowd.

"You stay away from the princess, you _disgusting, filthy animal!_" The mare ordered Spike. Now, Spike had been called an animal before and been treated about as low as dirt around Twilight by other ponies, but he had grown accustomed to it and was gradually getting thicker skinned about the issue. But the frustration of trying to reunite with Twilight coupled with what had just been said to him cut under his scales.

"I-I'm not a filthy animal," Spike struggled to hold back the tears.

"Have you seen your reflection lately? You're a _dragon_, quite possibly the most violent and hideous creature on Celestia's green earth next to griffons and changelings of course," the mare added with a huff. "Ah, princess Twilight," she said when she turned from insulting Spike to see the alicorn right in her face.

_**"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO MY SON?!**_**"** Twilight screamed through her first ever Canterlot voice. The entire street came to a grinding halt in front of the crowd. Ponies on the other side of the street froze in place while a few taxi carriages crashed into one another from the shaking of the ground.

"Um, I was just saying-"

"Save your breath," Twilight refused to hear a lame lie. She stomped her way over to Spike, much like Luna stomped her way through Ponyville during her first Nightmare Night back from the moon. "Come on Spike, let's go find a less judgmental crowd," she folded a wing over Spike's back. The two vanished in an instant, leaving the crowd staring like a bunch of idiots at an empty spot.

When the magic light cleared, Twilight found herself and Spike in front of a seemingly abandoned casino somewhere on the North end of the Las Pegasus strip. "I'm not violent," Spike mumbled, sitting on his behind with his back to the wall of the deserted gambling hall.

"Spike," Twilight touched her hoof to his chin, "are you feeling okay?" She asked, still holding his chin as she sat down next to him.

"I-I don't know," Spike replied, setting his hands on his knees and resting his head. "You know, I thought I was getting better at ignoring that kind of stuff," he said dejectedly.

"You have, Spike. And you were handling yourself extraordinarily well," his mother complemented.

"Well, I guess I should get used to it now," Spike replied. "Since I'm getting bigger now, everypony's gonna get more and more afraid of me before I have to leave Ponyville and eventually Equestria."

"Not on my watch, mister," Twilight said sternly yet affectionately. "I know most ponies are afraid of dragons, but they just don't know the real you."

"They know I played a hand in saving the Crystal Empire from King Sombra, and they still think I'm nothing more than a lowly pet with the IQ of a bucking rock!" Spike cursed yet was surprised when he wasn't scolded for it.

"They're just ignorant Spike," Twilight countered. "Ignorant and too selfish to look past your outer shell to see the sweetest little boy in the whole world," she rubbed her hoof on his cheek. "And no matter how big you grow, even as big as when you went on your birthday rampage, you'll always be my little Spike." Spike blushed in embarrassment when he felt his mom's lips kissing his cheek. "And you can always come to me for advice or if you just want somepony to talk to."

"Aw mom, in public?" Spike tried to sound like he was hating the affection, but his chuckle ruined it.

"Hey, I've got 17 years of mothering to catch up on," she returned the chuckle. "And that includes giving you kisses in public," she kissed his cheek again. The two shared a good laugh and hugged each other, just enjoying each other's company before Spike said something.

"Fluttershy."

"What? What about her, Spike?" Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, FLUTTERSHY!" Spike picked up his mom and shielded her just as a butter and pink colored blur slammed into the two of them. All three figures crashed through the front doors of the defunct casino, rolling together in a ball before coming to a stop in a dark room. "Oh," Spike groaned, "are you two okay?" he picked up the two ponies and dusted them off.

"Sh-sh-sh," Fluttershy shook with fear.

"Fluttershy, what happened?" Twilight asked, " I thought you and Lullaby were visiting the fish reef?" Fluttershy's teal eyes drifted over to Twilight ever so slowly. Her teeth chattered like crazy, as if she was freezing cold.

"SHARK!" She screamed, folding her wings over her body.

"You do know they don't let the fish inside the tube, right?" Twilight questioned the Pegasus.

"That shark could've broken the glass at any moment and swallowed me and Lullaby whole!" the animal lover cried. Spike and Twilight both exchanged a look of exhaustion before patting their friend simultaneously.

"Would you like to spend the rest of the day with us?" Spike offered. Teeth still clacking together, Fluttershy nodded to both of her friends.

"And yes, it's okay with us," Twilight winked before Fluttershy could ask permission.

"W-what were y-you t-two do-doing here in the first place?" Fluttershy asked. Twilight was about to answer when she actually took a look around the darkened room for the first time. Numerous gambling machines were covered with dust-caked sheets and crumbs of ceiling littered the poker tables.

"Where the Tartarus are we anyway?" Twilight asked, casting an illumination spell. Spike squinted his eyes at the floor, seeing some sort of logo on the casino rug thanks to the extra light. Lighting some of his own fire, Spike scooted dust off of the logo to get a clue of where their current location was.

"What the heck is the Lucky 38?" He asked himself. All three suddenly froze when a deep, drawn out moan entered the lifeless room.

* * *

**(With Surprise)**

"Hmm, I wonder what's going on?" Pinkie Pie's clone scratched her head as she saw numerous security guards gunning for the lobby. She peered around the corner of the casino entrance to see two stallions duking it out as the guards tried to anticipate the perfect time to try and break them apart.

"Calm down sirs!" One of the guards pleaded. Surprise cocked her head before shrugging and turned back to the glorious sight of the Maredalay Bay's casino.

"Oh well, it's probably got nothing to do with me," she rubbed her hooves together, trying to figure out where to start. Of all the cities in Equestria, there was one she had always circled on the map in her room: Las Pegasus. Seeing pictures of her parents visiting the city when they were her age always brought fantasies of the Pegasus spending a vacation there herself. The bright lights and flashy signs definitely attracted the Wonderbolt to the city, but she was always curious about trying out slot machines.

Surprise had played poker before at the academy with High Winds, Blaze, Fleetfoot, Soarin and Rapidfire, but that was about all they could do to gamble legally in Cloudsdale; slot machines were considered illegal up in the clouds. So when Soarin announced that the Wonderbolts would be performing a New Year's air show in her dream city, she nearly exploded with joy, or she would have if she didn't get a letter from Pinkie Pie spilling the beans about Soarin's announcement on Hearth's Warming.

Her biggest unknown now was which slot machine to pick. There were video slots, normal slots, Daring Do slots, Princess Celestia slots, Crystal Empire slots, Colta-Cola and Pegapsi slots just to name a few, and there were dozens of each! "Hi girls!" Surprise waved as she bounced her way past High Winds and Blaze as they ventured to a blackjack table. "Those mares just love to play cards," Surprise said to herself, still scoping out the perfect slot machine.

The hyper mare padded her mane which held a small bag of bits brought specifically for a slot machine. She may have been overly excited about playing the slots for the first time, but she was smart enough to know not to gamble away her entire life savings; that was set aside for candy. As she bounced her way through the casino around cocktail waitresses, card dealers, other security guards and patrons, Surprise came to a grinding halt in front of the perfect bank of slot machines. Eyes widening and mouth starting to drool, the white mare reached up with a hoof and gently rubbed the side of the gambling device. "A-a-a Wonderbolts slot machine!" She choked out. "This is more beautiful than the time the peanut butter cup delivery pony crashed in front of the Academy! There I am!" She gasped, tapping a hoof on a picture of her above the rolls within the machine.

Her eyes then drifted upwards to a flashing sign above the bank of slot machines. Right then and there, Surprise knew she found the perfect slot machine for her first time. The sign claimed that the highest payout for these machines was 50,000 bits. To her, it was an opportunity she couldn't pass up. Possibly winning 50,000 bits on a Wonderbolt slot machine on her first Las Pegasus vacation? "Yep-a-rooni, I'm going for it!" The mare zoomed to a seat and pulled her bag of bits out of her yellow mane.

The clanking sound of one of her bits being accepted by the machine was nearly euphoric for the child-like mare. The Wonderbolts anthem blasted out of a speaker on the machine as it started up. _"Do you have what it takes to fly with the best of the best?"_ Her old Captain Spitfire's voice asked from a recording, "_Let's see what you got, rookie,"_ several lights lit up in sync with the voice.

"EEEEE!" Surprise squealed as her hoof grabbed the lever and pulled down. Once she released it, the three spools of symbols started to spin. But instead of the noise she expected, Surprise heard the deep, throaty rumble of the Wonderbolts in the sky. "Aww," she said sadly as the spools stopped, showing a lemon, a number seven and a black rectangle that read 'BAR'.

_"You keep screwing up like that and you'll end up flying shipments of doughnuts all around Equestria!"_ The video Spitfire insulted. Yet, Surprise didn't mind and instead grabbed another bit and inserted it into the machine, repeating the process over again. Despite losing her first bit, Surprise was still as happy and cheerful as every to finally conquer another dream on her list. She put in coin after coin, just having fun until frustration took over.

"Oh Surprise," a voice said from behind her. Surprise froze up as she was about to pull the lever for the seventeenth time. "I should have known you'd be lured in by the empty promise of a jackpot."

"Go...away...Misty Fly," Surprise growled, squeezing the lever in her hoof. Nothing could have put a bigger hamper on this vacation than the mare standing behind Surprise. Like Pinkie Pie, Surprise could handle the biggest asshole in Equestria with a smile, a laugh and a plate of cookies. But no matter what, she could not and _would_ not stand Misty Fly. Living with her didn't help the situation either.

"Don't tell me you're wasting your life savings on these traps, are you?" the light yellow flyer asked, taking a seat in the slot machine next to Surprise. The white mare sighed, releasing the lever from her hoof.

"Tell me, Misty Fly," Surprise got into Misty Fly's face, pushing her nose against the latter's, "what do you see when you look at me, an idiot!? She demanded. Misty Fly blinked uncomfortably, pushing the mare out of her face.

"No, what do you take me for, a bully?" Misty Fly defended.

"A bully? No, but you _are_ a pretty judgmental pony," Surprise accused, crossing her forelegs across her chest in a huff. Now Misty Fly felt offended, not that she hadn't been by Surprise before.

"Judgmental? I've always tried to show you compassion and kindness. All I wanted to do was warn you about the dangers of getting addicted to gambling," she explained, huffing in reply to Surprise.

"Excuse me ladies, may I interest you in a cocktail?" A waitress trotted up to them with a tray of free drinks.

"Can't you see we're having a private conversation here?!" Surprise shouted. "No eavesdroppers allowed!" she added, scaring the waitress away. Misty Fly's jaw dropped, not believing that she saw Surprise _yell_ at somepony, and not in her hyperactive voice.

"Surprise, don't you think that was a little rude? She was just doing her job," Misty Fly placed a hoof on Surprise's shoulder. The poofy maned mare shook the hoof away, turning back to face the pony that drove her insane.

"Maybe it wouldn't have happened if you had left me alone and just minded your own beeswax," Surprise slammed the slot machine. "If you wanted to warn somepony about gambling, why don't you go bother High Winds and Blaze? They were heading for the blackjack tables."

"Well, perhaps that wasn't the _real_ reason I came over to talk to you," Misty Fly held her dignity intact.

"Okay, I'll bite, but only if it makes you less annoying quicker," Surprise pouted, wishing she could get back to the slot machine. Gently, as if she were trying to pet a rabid puppy, Misty Fly put her hoof back on Surprise's shoulder.

"I've noticed a little tension between us over the past few years, you know, since we joined the Wonderbolts. Did I do something to upset you? Did I take your last cookie or something?" Surprise squeaked, not prepared for Misty Fly to open up with a question like that.

"No," Surprise mumbled. "What's your problem anyway? Do I _have_ to like _every__pony_ I meet? Why can't there be one pony I don't particularly like, huh?" Surprise flipped the conversation around on Misty Fly, jabbing her chest with her hoof.

"Well, to be fair you instantly liked Rainbow's friend, Cougar, before you even met him!" the other Wonderbolt was losing her patience with Surprise.

"Are you saying _you_ don't like him?" Surprise once again successfully changed the topic. Misty Fly began to grind her teeth, trying to keep her cool and not explode on Surprise in public.

"All right fine, if you want to be immature about this, I'll leave you be. If you want to act like a grown up pony, I'll be in my room."

"Good!" Surprise replied.

"Just remember to quit when you're ahead," Misty Fly reminded Surprise, going back to her normal sweet personality.

"You're not the boss of me, only Soarin and Rainbow are. I'll quit WHEN I WANT!" Surprise reared her hoof up and slammed down onto the lever of the slot machine. All three spools spun at an incredible rate, clicking as they came to a stop at different intervals.

**BRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGG**

A loud alarm went off, scaring Surprise and Misty Fly. "Did I say the secret word again?" Surprise questioned.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Misty Fly face-hoofed. The slot symbols all stopped on three Wonderbolt logos, indicating a jackpot. The sign above the bank of slot machines flashed, '_WINNER'_ multiple times.

"I...won," Surprise started to hyperventilate. "I WON FIFTY THOUSAND BITS! I'M RICH!" She exclaimed, dancing and flying around. She grabbed Misty Fly by her shoulders and shook her like rag doll. "THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE!" She screamed.

_"Congratulations rookie, you've earned your wings."_

"Only to you," Misty Fly's jealousy was building.

"I gotta write to my mom, my dad, my third cousin four times removed," Surprise listed off the ponies she had to tell. "My high school algebra teacher!" she gasped. Mountains of confetti then burst from the machine as the owner of the casino appeared.

"Congratulations, Ms. Surprise on winning the Wonderbolt jackpot!" He announced as another pony produced a giant check.

"She's still eligible for that even though she's a Wonderbolt?" Misty Fly asked while Surprise drooled over her humungous check.

"Well, it's not like she had an advantage," the owner explained, "it's just a slot machine after all."

"Here, can you put my bits in my room?" Surprise requested, folding up the check to a teeny square and put it in her mane. "I've gotta go share the news with my twinzie at Colta-Cola world!" Surprise's wings went crazy.

"Wait, don't you think maybe _I_ deserve a cut?" Misty Fly tugged on Surprise's poofy tail.

"Excuse me?" Surprise dug her hoof into her ear. "What in the wide, wide world of Equestria makes you think you deserve a cut of my loot?" Misty fly ran a hoof through her light blue and white mane, gulping nervously.

"You know, because it was _me_ who made you hit the lever so hard?" She explained with a nervous chuckle. Surprise narrowed her eyes and pouted her lip at Misty Fly. The light yellow Wonderbolt suddenly felt the temperature drop around her as Surprise pressed her nose against hers.

"PBBBBBTTTTT" Surprise abruptly spat a raspberry in Misty Fly's face before turning around, flicking her nose with her yellow tail and hopping away.

"Can't blame a mare for trying," Misty Fly rolled her eyes. She looked around to see another waitress walking by with a tray of alcoholic beverages. "Might as well," she followed the waitress before grabbing a drink.

**End First Half**

* * *

_Next time: We see the outcome of Twilight, Spike and Fluttershy's visit to the Lucky 38. We find out where Ivan and AJ took Applebloom, who pissed off Bon Bon, who does Rarity get into a shouting match with, how much shit to Silver Lining and Wave Chill give Rapidfire? And what will Scootaloo do to get away from Feather Duster? _


	39. Chapter 38: But was it Worth It?

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 38: But was it worth it?**

**I'm updating at 3:00 am just for you guys! I feel bad about making you guys wait long again, but classes last week went until 6:00 instead of ending at 3:30, eliminating two and a half hours from my writing time. So I worked extra hard to get a few days ahead in class so I work on pumping out the next chapter. **

**There's a reason why I'm splitting up the last few scenes: Thursday the 15th is the one year anniversary that I've been writing this story. And I wanted to update the Las Pegasus finale on the 15th as a special treat; I have trivia about the story that I've never revealed to anyone and I thought you guys might want to hear more about it. **

**As for the Lucky 38 fans. I did my best and I used the Wiki as best as I could. I've never played New Vegas before, so I'm hoping you guys can understand that. I mean if I were reading a story by any of you and it involved NASCAR for instance, I'd let slide a few minor errors if you didn't really watch it as much as I do. **

**Another shoutout to Sassymouse for allowing me use of her OCs; writing Feather Duster was fun!**

**I'm going to save replying to reviews for the Las Pegasus finale because we're only ELEVEN short reviews away from cracking my goal of 400. And that's another reason why I want to update on the 15th. I would've done the whole trivia thing about the story if we reached 400 reviews which I think we can get by the end of this chapter. **

**Anyway, there are two episodes I want to briefly discuss. I also have a ratings system based of the RIAA's rating system.**

**Crap: The episode was utter garbage either by a storytelling standpoint or the characters were completely OOC and obnoxious. An episode that looks like the rough draft and was never revised. Little effort or it was intentionally bad. Example would be Rainbow Falls, Somepony to Watch over me or Over a Barrel.**

**Gold: Only one or two memorable scenes. Certain characters either over or underused. Songs placed in too weird of places or the episode didn't get anywhere. AKA a background noise episode. Certain characters do things that make you question their motives. Example: Canterlot Boutique, Swarm of the Century, Boast Busters, A Canterlot Wedding, Appleoosa's most wanted, Heart's and Hooves Day or the Season 4 Premiere**

**Platinum: At least 3/4 of the episode is watchable. Jokes are spot on and the moral isn't half assed if there is one. Certain characters don't get more screen time than needed and you feel complete when the episode is over. You WILL go back to watch the episode. Example: the Series opener and season 1 finale, The Ticket Master, Applebuck Season, Wonderbolt's Academy and For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils**

**Diamond: This episode left an IMPACT on you emotionally. EVERY single part of this episode is memorable in all the RIGHT ways. You either laughed all the way through or you cried at the end. Every joke is a bulls eye, every character is used to their full potential without dominating the episode, the moral (if there is one) hits you and is meaningful and not forced, and you're sad when the episode is over. Example: Amending Fences, Tanks for the Memories, Twilight's Kingdom, The Return of Harmony and The Equestria Games. **

**1) Rarity Investigates. When I was told by a fellow author what the general plot was for this episode, I was a tad skeptical. Rarity definitely wouldn't be my first choice to help me on an investigation. But I was also thinking she could really make the episode interesting since it also involved Rainbow Dash. As much as I didn't care for Canterlot Boutique, I did like the character Sassy Saddles mainly because I usually am intrigued about what new characters Hasbro can come up with. And that brings me to Wind Rider. I don't know what it was, but the first FRAME I saw him and the first line he spoke made me instantly think of Clint Eastwood, not sure why. **

**I got my Top Gun fix this episode when the Wonderbolts arrived on screen yet again. And Rainbow when she met Wind Rider reminded me when I got to meet my idol, Jeff Gordon, nine years ago in Las Vegas. That special moment when you meet your idol and then start spouting off all the facts you know about them in your head, yeah. I've never told any author this before, but I am a huge sucker for film noir. Any episode of a TV I like, if there's a 'Whodunit' episode, I'm watching with my eyes glued. **

**I just love trying to figure out who did it and why, just like one of my favorite movies, Clue. Having Rarity narrate the story from her perspective and even narrate out loud in front of Rainbow was not only funny, but well done. Kudos to Tabitha St. Germain! And no I'm NOT, repeat, NOT a clopper, but seeing Rarity not mildly flirt, but I mean SULTRY flirt was kind of risqué for the show IMO. I was half expecting her to lick one of the guards' ears at one point when she was interrogating them. **

**Spitfire's mom, Stormy Flare was a welcome site to see, especially since we've never seen a lot of character's parents, including the other Wonderbolts. And although I liked her, she killed Sassymouse's headcanon in Dashing and Soaring. I've had head canon's ruined before, but it sucks! Where was I? Oh yes, while I claim to like trying to figure out the 'Whodunit' part, I figured out it was Wind Rider from the beginning. Why? Because A) The plot is Rainbow gets accused of a crime she's innocent of, and B) Somepony mentioned that Rainbow was on the verge of breaking his record. WAY TO BE SUBTLE HASBRO! I'm not mad; they have to make it a little easier for kids to try and figure it out, but it was too easy for me. **

**I chat with other authors while watching new episodes and Wind Rider's motive crushed my theory. Okay, he wanted his record to stay intact, that was his motive. MY theory was this. I paid close attention to his fur color. You might be thinking, "Captain, why are you paying attention to fur color?" Well, if you pay attention to fur color you'll notice Starlight Glimmer in Amending Fences, but that's beside the point. What I was hoping Wind Rider would claim to be his motive was, "Yeah, I did it! I DID IT ALRIGHT! And do you want to know WHY? It's because YOU got my only daughter BOOTED from the Academy!" **

**Yes, I was predicting that Wind Rider was Lightning Dust's father and he was getting revenge on Rainbow for it. Of course, I kind of look like an idiot since that didn't happen, but I think it would've made for one hell of a twist. All in all, Rarity and Rainbow have a pretty good chemistry together to make a fun story. And this episode gets a Platinum Rating from me. I think it was just TOO obvious who the villain was. Remove the line about Wind Rider's record and at least it would've been less obvious. **

**2) Brotherhooves Social**

**When I found out this was not only an episode that took place directly during another episode, but that it was a Big Mac episode, I was ecstatic. I really want to see more of Big Mac, not in the way that he becomes a MANE character, but just to hear him talk more. When he said, "Eeyup" as goodbye in Somepony to Watch over me, I was pissed! But I digress. **

**I am an only child, so I don't know or understand when a younger sibling attaches themselves to a different sibling than you, but the writers pulled it off so perfectly with Big Mac just wanting to recapture some old memories with the old toy that I felt his joylessness. The scene where he throws food on his plate to make a funny face for Applebloom was adorable and sweet, just so he cheer her up. **

**As for the Social itself, I was expecting Big Mac to contend as Big Mac. It crossed my mind once that he may go in drag to at least be qualified to participate as a 'sister,' but I believed (since it was called BROTHERhooves Social) that he would just show up as himself. I guess you can say it was obvious what he was going to do, but when Orchard Blossom showed up, I admit I cracked a laugh, not because he was in a dress and wig and spoke in a falsetto voice, but because of the shock of seeing it at first.**

**Hearing Big Mac sing the song with Applebloom and then ending with his DEEEEEP voice was hilarious because of his facial expression at the end. Not to mention it was cool seeing Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo competing. The jump roping part where Big Mac is too big to jump up almost made me laugh like the crazed Hyena from the Lion King. And the two stallions who were like, "Is this a joke?" when he couldn't jump was the icing on the cake. **

**What I liked most about the social was that when Big Mac's disguise popped off of him, it was a refresher to hear someone say, "Oh, we knew all along. The social has always had loose terms when it comes to what qualifies as a sister." I would've rolled my eyes if someone had said, "OH MY CELESTIA IT WAS A GUY ALL ALONG!" It was also nice to not hear mocking Big Mac for what he did. They knew he had good intentions and while the victory was stripped from him and Applebloom, no one really punished him for that, another good thing. **

**But that ending, holy crap. I'm man enough to admit this: I Cried. Not just watery eyes or one or two tears down my cheeks. I full on cried at Big Mac's speech about wanting to be Applebloom's hero for just one more day. Let me tell you guys something, Brotherhooves Social should be the GUIDE on how to be a big brother. All Big Mac wanted was for Applebloom to be happy, and he would do anything to see her smile again. THAT'S a beautiful and uplifting message that doesn't stop there. This episode also teaches everyone how to open up. Big Mac was unhappy because he missed Applebloom, yet she had no clue because he rarely talks. I compare Big Mac to a locked door. No matter how hard we try, if that door doesn't open, we'll assume it's ALWAYS supposed to be locked and we'll resume our normal lives and think everything is fine when it's not. Big Mac couldn't be happy, and he couldn't make Applebloom happy until he opened up to her about WHY he was unhappy. Sometimes one has to be the rock in a river and disrupt the flow in order to be happy. **

**This episode gets the coveted Diamond rating from me and has replaced Tanks For the Memories as my favorite Season 5 episode. And while I have yet to make an actual list, Brotherhooves Social lands itself in my person Top 5 episodes. **

**Onto the story. Please read and review. The 400th reviewer will get something even better than a shoutout...**

* * *

**(With Rarity and Sweetie Belle)**

"Your change, Ms. Rarity," an owner of a luxurious mall said cheerfully to Ponyville's best seamstress. The unicorn gladly accepted a hoof fuill of the golden coins, dropping them into her purse before levitating her new sun hat onto her head. "And thank you for shopping here," the unicorn owner added as Rarity checked herself out in a mirror one last time.

"And thank _you_ for stocking my latest fashion line," Rarity replied, turning her gaze to the airman look that Cougar had helped her start back before the Summer Sun Celebration. Despite many other clothing chains accepting her numerous lines, Rarity was still rather excited about this one, having been the first pony to create an outfit for a human that spawned into her most profitable one yet.

"All the best celebrities wear it, even a few flight squadrons have taken a shine to its unique look," the owner whose name tag read _Keen Eye_ and had a cutie mark on her flank of a pair of glasses and a scarf complemented. "Tell me, how _do_ you manage to make so many new and original outfits out of your own home?" Keen Eye questioned, placing her elbows on the counter.

"It isn't easy, trust me," Rarity assured her, "but the simplicity of Ponyville coupled with how humble it is to run one's business in their own home gives me the time and space to keep creating," she explained, peeking her blue eyes out from her sunglasses. It was true, there were numerous times where Rarity felt that Ponyville simply was not enough and wanted to open a new boutique in Canterlot, but after thinking it over and realizing how she would have to pay for rent of a space and having to be away from her friends (more importantly Sweetie Belle and Spike) for sustained periods of time encouraged her to stay put.

"Most ponies would let success like this go to their head, but not you," Keen Eye complemented yet again.

"Having friends like mine to keep reminding me how much I'm helping my lovely community keeps that in check, I can assure you of that," the purple maned pony chuckled along with the owner. An exhausted grunt snapped the two mares out of their conversation. Sweetie Belle's knees felt as if they were going to burst right out of her fur as the weight of about twenty shopping bags filled with heavy clothing and accessories compressed her tiny body.

"I do believe you two could use a break, Ms. Rarity," the green owner advised. "There is an ice cream stand about six stores down that sells the most delicious frozen yogurt. Tell them Keen Eye sent you; they'll give you a thirty percent discount," she winked.

"Why thank you, and I'll be sure to give my clients a good word about your store. I bid you adieu," Rarity gracefully waved with her hoof, exiting the store as Sweetie Belle attempted to keep up. Once the two sisters exited the story and entered the corridor, Rarity sighed happily at what she considered a great morning. "Isn't Las Pegasus just marvelous, Sweetie Belle?" She asked, keeping her eyes peeled for the ice cream shop. Sweetie Belle could still see where she was going, but the heavy bags continuously tossed her weight to and fro, making it difficult to keep her balance enough to walk in a straight line.

"Yeah..." Sweetie groaned, "It's just...peachy," she grunted. Sweetie Belle loved spending time with her sister, even if she treated her more like a pack mule than a sister. Yet, the filly knew that Rarity still loved her very much and that she always knew when to call a shopping day quits before it would permanently injure Sweetie. The purple and pink maned filly tried her best to walk behind Rarity so as to not block the paths of other ponies. "Sorry!" she exclaimed when her shoulder bounced off the knee of another tourist.

"Do you want some ice cream, darling?" Rarity paused to turn around to her baby sister. She hadn't found the ice cream shop yet, but Rarity didn't want to put Sweetie Belle on the spot unprepared for when it was time to order.

"Cookies and cream please!" the green eyed filly sputtered, huffing and puffing. Rarity was about to move forward again, but a quick look towards her sister canceled those plans. The older unicorn felt a twinge of guilt seeing Sweetie Belle struggling to hold all of the shopping bags atop her tiny body. _'My shopping bags,'_ Rarity's inner voice said. She couldn't decide which was worse, shopping for only herself on their vacation or making Sweetie Belle carry the bags by herself, to which the filly didn't complain once. "Rarity, could we, ugh, please get going?"

"Hmm, what?" Rarity shook her head, just barely hearing what her sister had said.

"I don't mean to complain, but these bags are getting heavy," Sweetie Belle's knees buckled slightly. With a quick blink and an apologetic smile, Rarity's blue magic surrounded the shopping bags and lowered onto her back. "Hey, I can carry those!" Sweetie tried to plead, believing she had upset Rarity. However, Sweetie Belle found herself also engulfed with her sister's magic, pulling her closer into a hug

"Oh Sweetie Belle, this was supposed to be a vacation for us to bond even closer," Rarity said, squeezing the filly like a teddy bear, "and yet here I am, shopping only for _me_ and making you carry all of my things. Mother and Father would be so disappointed." Surprised, Sweetie Belle trotted in front of her sister, blocking her path from moving any further.

"But we're getting to hang out," she explained, "that's really all I care about, Rarity. I like to spend time with you, no matter what we're doing," she put her green eyes on display in the puppy dog look.

"Yes, I understand that Sweetie Belle, but are you _really_ having fun carrying all of my things?" Rarity questioned, moving over to a bench to allow Sweetie Belle to sit down. Pursing her lips, the smaller unicorn looked away, thinking of a response.

"Well, to be honest," she began, looking upwards to her big sister, "not really."

"You're my sister," Rarity lifted up Sweetie Belle's chin with her hoof so she could keep her eyes on Sweetie's. "my _only _sister, and here I am treating you like a pack mule or a bell hop at the hotel. I need to treat you much more fairly, especially since you're starting to notice colts more and more."

"Colts? But what does that have to do with spending time with me?" Sweetie shook her head so Rarity would let go of her chin. Rarity sighed, drooping her own head low.

"I'm going to get straight to the point, Sweetie Belle. You're getting older; pretty soon you'll be much more sociable with your friends and going on dates with colts or just little Pipsqueak of your class," Sweetie blushed at the mention of his name. "And while I can help you with that, you're not going to have much time to spend with me whilst I'll want to spend time with you."

"Rarity..."

"I've been such a fool, letting these precious opportunities slip through my hooves. Well, no more!" Rarity declared, startling a few passersby. "I promise you now, little sister, that after we get some ice cream, we'll return to our hotel to drop off the bags and then we'll do whatever _you_ wish to do. And I'll be carrying my own shopping bags and camping gear from now on," she ruffled Sweetie's bi-colored mane.

Sweetie Belle felt multiple feelings at once. She was happy that Rarity was now going to try even harder to have more sisterly bonding time, surprised that she would (for the foreseeable future at least) not have to carry her shopping bags or camping gear anymore, and surprised that Rarity decided this course of action. But she snapped from her thinking by Rarity wrapping her leg around her tiny body again and squeezing her tightly.

"Now then, is there anything that you_ really_ wanted to do here?" Rarity lifted her off the bench, gently setting her down on all four hooves and resuming their trek to the ice cream shop.

"Uh, well, there's this hotel down the Strip that has a huge indoor amusement park," she sheepishly replied, thinking that Rarity would find it childish and immature. "Twilight was telling me all about it a few days ago," Sweetie Belle explained.

"An amusement park?" Rarity immediately began to think of all the screaming fillies and colts, the long lines, the pushing and shoving, and not to mention the possibility of being vomited upon by a stranger. She adored foals and other young ponies, but if they got into a screaming fit, she would avoid them like a disease if their parents completely ignored them.

"If you don't want to, I understand," Sweetie Belle trotted alongside Rarity albeit feeling like she already had an answer. Rarity, however, sensed the drop of tone in Sweetie Belle's voice and briskly saved herself.

"An amusement park sounds like a _wonderful_ idea, Sweetie Belle!" Rarity gushed for her sister, "I'll go on whatever ride you wish."

"Really?!" the filly squeaked, grinning and practically hopping up and down. She realized what she was doing and blushed apologetically. "Ahem, I mean, that's cool, Rarity," she attempted to sound more like her 'proper' sister.

"Oh Sweetie," the fashion expert patted her little sisters mane, "like I said, you'll only be a filly a little while longer. Enjoy it while you can," she smiled. Sweetie took the opportunity to dance around and hug Rarity's leg, somehow managing not to trip her.

"This is gonna be the best final day of the year ever!" She exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of other ponies. Rarity cooed, nuzzling her sister close before looking up and seeing where they had stopped.

"Now, you wanted cookies and cream ice cream, correct?" The duo found themselves right in front of the ice cream shop. Sweetie Belle released Rarity's leg, only to grab it again with her own leg, dragging her inside the tiny parlor. "Slow down Sweetie Belle!" Rarity giggled and exclaimed at the same time. "I'm positive neither the ice cream parlor nor the amusement park will be going anywhere anytime soon."

"Sorry, I'm just _super_ excited!" Sweetie squeaked yet again. Levitating her bags in front of her so nopony could take anything, Rarity set them upon the ground in front of the counter where a mocha colored unicorn stallion was grinning.

"Welcome to the Whinnetian ice cream store! What can I get you lovely ladies?" He winked at Rarity, just playfully flirting with her. The mare was sensible enough to know that it was normal routine for ponies to practice a little harmless flirting with the opposite gender of customers to make them feel welcome; she didn't perceive him as a pervert or anything.

"Oh, you charmer," Rarity playfully flirted right back at him. "My sister will have a medium cookies and cream," she began.

"With whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, hot fudge and a cherry!" Sweetie Belle drooled over the numerous toppings at the ice cream bar. The stallion currently in charge of the parlor chuckled, looking back and forth between the sisters.

"Do you think you need all of that, Sweetie Belle? You sound like Pinkie Pie," Rarity questioned, placing a gentle hoof on her mane. Rarity's response was another puppy dog face from Sweetie Belle, instantly making her stomach wrench. "Oh fine, but no more sweets today," she ordered. Another stallion began to put Sweetie's ice cream order to ether while Rarity studied the menu.

"And for you, miss?" the cashier pony asked, levitating a pen and pad in the air. The mare looked away from her sister, studying the menu and calculating the amounts of calories in each flavor.

"Hmm, just a small, plain coffee ice cream if you please," Rarity batted her eyelashes. The stallion's magic scribbled her order on the notepad and then added up the totals of both ice creams whist scooping hers into a styrofoam bowl.

"Okay, that comes to five bits, please." Rarity opened up her saddlebag and emptied seven bits into the stallion's outstretched hoof.

"Keep the change," Rarity winked, trotting down to the end of the ice cream bar where her ice cream awaited her. "Careful," Rarity advised Sweetie Belle, "don't rush too fast; I won't buy you another one if you spill," she warned.

"You worry too much, sister," Sweetie Belle held the large bowl within her hoof. A faint aura of green magic from her horn surrounded the bowl as extra insurance should anything happen.

"And you can never be too certain," Rarity chuckled and sat down at the nearest table. She set her bowl on the table before whisking her shoppings bags under said table. The smaller unicorn slowly trotted to her seat, set the bowl down next to Rarity's and hopped onto the chair, sitting right across from her. The two began to eat their ice cream in two distinct ways. Rarity elegantly scooped up tiny portions and politely inserted the spoon into her mouth while Sweetie Belle dug in with her spoon like it was a shovel, slurping the chilled treat.

"Hey Rarity," Sweetie Belle burped, sloppily wiping her mouth, "there's somepony else wearing your new look," she pointed out, jamming the spoon back into her ice cream. Rolling her eyes at Sweetie Belle eating like a piggy, the elder Belle sister set her ice cream aside to see two mares enter the shop. One was an green Earth Pony with a white mane, tail, orange eyes and a musical note cutie mark in the form of a wave while the other mare was a dark red Pegasus with a jet black mane and orange eyes. The Earth Pony was the one Sweetie Belle pointed out.

"Hmm, it does look rather fetching on her," Rarity admitted, studying the two ponies.

"I don't know why you hate this outfit. I think it's rather attractive," the Earth Pony remarked to her friend. The red Pegasus rolled her eyes with a condescending scoff, slapping the mare in the shoulder with her wing. Her flank had a picture of an iron plated hoof with lightning raining out of the bottom.

"There's a couple of reasons why, Ballad," the red Pegasus rudely replied. "First, you are definitely _not_ a leather friendly pony, second, that outfit was created by the Ponyville seamstress that's friends with that primate freak!" Rarity's spoon exploded, sending shards of plastic every which way. "You can't be in anyway associated with that disgusting animal."

"Excuse me!" Rarity exclaimed, gathering the attention of both mares. "Who do you think you are saying awful things about one of my friends?" She demanded, standing up from her seat. "Stay here, Sweetie Belle," she quickly ordered before Sweetie could join her.

"Oh my Celestia!" Ballad squealed, "I love your outfit so much!" She complemented before her friend shut her up. Rarity marched her way over to the red mare, not wishing to start anything, but to set the record straight with her. Stopping right next the red pony, Rarity had a frumpy look on her face.

"Yes, can we help you?" the red Pegasus asked coarsely.

"Forget my outfit, you do _not_ say such awful things about a friend I am honored to know. Especially one as selfless and courageous as him," she defended Cougar. Rolling her eyes, the Pegasus turned away from her green friend.

"Last I checked, Princess Celestia granted us permission to say whatever we wanted as a basic right." Rarity bit her lip as blood rushed to her cheeks and her forehead wrinkled. She loathed ponies who pulled that card when talking rudely about somepony."But don't think I'm praising her or anything; she should've locked _it_, not him, _it_ in the Canterlot zoo instead of letting it loose upon all of Equestria."

"Free speech or not, what is your problem with him? Are you a speciesist?" Rarity accused. The Pegasus chuckled, placing a hoof on Rarity's shoulder which the seamstress shook of immediately.

"Heavens no, I'm just an advocator for the purity of us ponies. Animals _should not_ have the same privileges as ponies," she reiterated.

"Normal animals like cats, birds and dogs I agree, but Cougar is _vastly_ different!" Rarity exclaimed. "He's capable of complex thoughts and feelings," she added.

"An animal is an animal, no matter how much you delude yourself," the Pegasus stood firm on her opinion. Both Ballad and Sweetie Belle stood their distance from the Pegasus and Rarity, not knowing where their bickering would lead.

"Well, perhaps you're unfamiliar with complex thought," Rarity insulted, "otherwise you'd consider retracting your statement," she rolled her eyes.

"I've heard he's in a relationship with some inbred farmer," the mare spat, "do you know how disgusting that is!?" Sweetie Belle took this as more of an offense than Rarity did. She galloped over and tapped rather hard on the mare's leg. "What do you want?" she demanded from Sweetie Belle.

"Hey! That's my best friend's sister you're talking about!" She declared, "And two of my friends as well!" She tried to stand as tall as she could, though she didn't intimidate the red mare any.

"Control your sister please," Sweetie Belle felt herself being scooted back over to Rarity who folded a protective leg around her torso. "We _are_ in public after all." Rarity growled, again trying to bite her tongue.

"Don't _you_ try and lecture me about manners; I'm not the one who decided to badmouth somepony in public without knowing all of the facts!" She responded, feeling proud for keeping her language tame. "Oh and that so called 'inbred farmer' happens to be one of _my_ friends as well; you leave her out of this, especially since she's fallen for Cougar and he's fallen for her. Obviously it's a little shocking, but haven't you heard the phrase, '_Love knows-"_ Rarity tried to explain before she was interrupted.

"No bounds. Yes Ms. Rarity, I am well versed in the immortal words of Shakesmare." Rarity's jaw dropped, not expecting this mare to know of Shakesmare after so easily insulting her friends.

"Okay, so you _have_ heard of Shakesmare before, so why are you so against this? I can understand disagreeing with it, but to go so far as to say he must be locked in a zoo?" Rarity closed her jaw.

"Etherea, I think you've made your point," Ballad tapped the red Pegasus's shoulder, only to have her hoof be slapped away with a wing.

"All I want is to keep the purity of ponykind intact as it has been for centuries. Is that so wrong?" Etherea questioned, starting do encircle Rarity and Sweetie Belle like a shark.

"Ponykind shan't be effected you hussy!" Rarity exclaimed. "Cougar is but one of his entire species who unfortunately cannot procreate, so just let him and my friend Applejack be so they can be happy!" she demanded, "_Etherea,"_ she added with a sneer, holding Sweetie Belle closer.

"Your friend is in a committed relationship with an **ANIMAL**!" Etherea screeched, making the entire shop grind to a stop. "That, my dear, is _bestiality, _disgusting and not to mention immoral! Something like this cannot stand in modern society!"

"What would you say if I were in a relationship with a dragon?!" Rarity didn't even give Etherea the chance to feel smug about her most recent explanation. Sweetie Belle's eyes bulged from her sockets, looking up at her sister.

"That's just as bad!" Etherea got right into Rarity's face. "How do you live with yourself you slut?"

"By the way my mother and father taught us and how the royal sisters expect us to act: With friendship, common decency and love you self centered, hateful, speciesist skank!" Rarity screamed, finally losing her temper. Her rage increased when Etherea did nothing but chuckle.

"Hmm, ironic. You're supposed to be the elegant and polite one of your group, yet here you are losing your temper and calling me names like a foal. Perhaps you're not fit to take care of your sister?" With a huff and an angry snort, Rarity whisked Sweetie Belle away, grabbing her shopping bags with her magic and stomping her way out of the store while Etherea and Ballad watched them. The former grinned and chuckled in victory.

Out in the walkway of the mall where hundreds of Las Pegasus guests were shopping, Rarity lowered the bags onto her back, stomping her way back in the direction of her and Sweetie Belle's hotel to drop off the bags. The older unicorn was angrily muttering to herself through a clenched jaw while snorting out of her nose, trying to quietly channel her anger out of her body. Sweetie Belle bit her lower lip, trotting alongside her sister, but was nervous of how short her sister's fuse was.

"Rarity?" Sweetie Belle tenderly asked, not liking how angry her sister was.

"_Yes?_" The seamstress grunted through clenched jaws.

"A-are you really dating Spike?" Sweetie Belle questioned, making Rarity slow her pace. Her dark blue eyes locked with her sister's light green ones, softening her emotions.

"No, I'm not," she replied. "That was just an example; please don't mention that to Spike or it'll break his fragile little heart," Rarity begged. Sweetie Belle may have just barely began to notice boys, but her mother has shown her so many sappy romance movies and told her the story of how she met their dad that she was rather astute about seeing other's feelings.

"Well, _do_ you want be Spike's marefriend?" She pressed the issue forward. Rarity bit her lip, looking away from Sweetie Belle and continued trotting her way back to their hotel, albeit with a little less pep in her step.

* * *

**(With Lyra and Bon Bon)**

"Stay or hit?" A card dealing beige Earth Pony leaned forward at his blackjack table in the Maredalay Bay casino. He had just recently clocked in for his shift when a light brown Earth Pony and a mint colored unicorn approached his table; both were mares. Only the Earth Pony was playing cards as her apparent marefriend watched with her golden eyes. Bon Bon studied the three cards in her hooves, darting her eyes back and forth from her cards to the dealer. She currently had the eight of diamonds, the three of clubs and the seven of hearts, a pretty good set, but she wanted more.

"You have 18 already Bonnie," Lyra said, gently nudging her marefriend's shoulder. "I'd stay if it were me," she advised. Bon Bon's eyes shifted from her cards to he marefriend, analyzing her advice. She could stay and potentially win the game, or go for it and lose ten bits.

"Haha," a cigarette bobbed within the gambler's mouth, "18 is a good deal, but I think I'll go for it," she grinned, setting her cards onto the tabletop. Lyra smacked herself in the face, fearing that Bon Bon would lose another ten bits, making it thirty she'd lost so far. "Hit me, dude," the candy making pony took a drag of her cigarette, blowing toward the dealer in a ring.

"Hmm," he smirked, taking a card from the deck and smacking it down on top of Bon Bon's set.

"Buck me!" Bon Bon cursed, dropping her face onto the table. The cigarette loosely fell out of her mouth and onto a nearby ash tray as she picked herself up.

"Aww gee, _four_ of spades. 22 loses!" he cackled, sweeping the cards back into the deck and reshuffling it. Lyra lovingly placed her cheek on Bon Bon's shoulder, nuzzling her marefriend. "Are you going to be giving me more money, ma'am?" the dealer chortled, finishing his shuffling. Bon Bon scowled at him and reached down into her saddle bag. Lyra, however, lightly touched her hoof to Bon Bon's, stopping her from reaching into the bag.

"Bonnie," Lyra lifted her cheek from Bon Bon's shoulder, "come on, you've had your fun at the tables and have lost three times. Why don't you just stop and we can go see a show or go visit the fish reef or something?" she pleaded. "Maybe go take a _nap_?" she winked. Her Earth Pony marefriend blinked a few times before continuing to reach into her saddle bag, producing another ten bit coin.

"Lyra, sweetie," Bon Bon replied, "I can't just leave after losing like that. If I leave on a loss, he's beaten me for good," she pointed to the dealer who was cracking an asshole smirk. "But if I can go out with a blackjack over this stallion, then I can possibly get my money back and have the satisfaction of winning a Las Pegasus card game over a snarky dealer."

"You're far too kind, miss," the stallion winked, creeping out Lyra a bit. "I get paid whether you win or lose, so take your pick," he leaned forward on the table again. The music loving unicorn shook her head free of the stallion's gaze and turned back to Bon Bon.

"Please," she begged, "it's not every day we get a free hotel room in one of the fanciest hotels in Las Pegasus. I want to do something other than watch you gamble, anything," she pleaded. She even stuck out her lower lip and put on her puppy dog eyes for Bon Bon, knowing that this trick usually worked. The light brown mare sighed before placing her ten bit coin onto the table.

"After this round, I promise we'll go do something Lyra," she swore, grabbing ahold of her hoof and bringing her in for a hug. Reluctantly, Lyra lazily patted Bon Bon's back, backing away to watch her marefriend try her luck again at blackjack. Though she was willing to bet she'd lose again. Lyra shuffled her front hooves on the carpet of the casino, trying to make time move faster just so she could spend the day with the mare she loved.

"Willing to try again, are we?" the dealing pony snickered, tossing some cards Bon Bon's way. "Place your bet, please," he requested. The blue and pink mane colored pony shoved her ten bit piece forward to the betting area on the table, ready to go one more round before a pair of pegasi joined the table. Lyra moved out of their way politely as they sat down, sliding their own bits near Bon Bon's coin. The mint unicorn couldn't quite place her hoof on it, but these mares seemed familiar.

"Count us in for this," the first Pegasus grinned. She was orange all around. Orange mane, orange tail and an orange coat. The only things that weren't orange about the mare was her blue eyes and her horseshoe cutie mark that had a bolt of lightning zapping through the middle. "Name's Blaze," she added, sticking out her hoof towards Bon Bon.

"Now I remember who you are!" Lyra squeaked. "You girls look totally unrecognizable without your Wonderbolt suits," she moved closer as the second Pegasus, High Winds, took a seat next to Blaze.

"Well, we do _sometimes_ like to stay incognito and relax," High Winds replied, taking her cards that the casino stallion had dealt. "But we normally like to soak up attention and sign autographs. Oh, no thanks," the curly maned mare shook her hoof when Bon Bon offered her a cigarette. Bon Bon shrugged, stuffing the cigarette back into its box and put it back into her mane.

"Suit yourself. But this is pretty tight, playing blackjack with two Wonderbolts?!" She gave Blaze a cocky grin, as if saying, '_Bring it on.'_ In return, Blaze gave off her own cocky grin to the candy maker, but for different reasons. Known to pretty much every Wonderbolt fan and every Pegasus in Cloudsdale, both High Winds and Blaze 'played for the same team' and had been a couple ever since they were paired up at the Academy. Yet, the Wonderbolt was interrupted by her marefriend.

"And what would you know about tight, Blaze dear?" High Winds nudged her elbow. She was more polite half of the couple, but whenever High Winds saw an opportunity to publicly tease her marefriend, the purple eyed mare couldn't pass it up. Lyra snickered, covering up her mouth with her foreleg and looking away from her own blushing marefriend. Bon Bon's new cigarette fell right into the ash tray from her opened mouth while Blaze could only move her eyes. "Oh, you know you love it when I tease you," the midnight blue maned pony kissed Blaze's nose.

"N-normally I don't mind, but you just came out of left field with that, hun," the orange Pegasus shuddered, getting her train of thought back on its rails. Seeing all of this unfold, the casino employee cleared his throat and shuffled the cards again after Blaze and Bon Bon dropped theirs, mixing them up. After finally getting over the surprise of the joke, Lyra removed her foreleg and cuddled up against Bon Bon who received a new set of cards.

"Okay then," the employee said uncomfortably, "first to 21 or closest without going over wins," he cleared his throat. The three gambling mares then studied their cards, counting up what they had.

"Aren't you guys gonna practice your stunts with Rainbow Dash and Soarin?" Lyra asked High Winds who was holding a four and a five.

"Please," Blaze snorted, "we've been training our flanks off since May. When Soarin told us we could spend an entire day in Las Pegasus doing whatever we wanted, buck yeah we're going to take advantage of that. Hit me," she slapped the table top with her hoof.

"So, we just walked around the hotel a bit after finding our room and thought we'd play some cards before finding something to do," High Winds added, scratching at her chin. Blaze opened her mouth to crack a joke, but Bon Bon had other plans.

"Just so you know, I know what you're about to say, and I've said it Lyra plenty of times," Bon Bon peered over at Blaze, preventing her from getting revenge on High Winds for her earlier joke.

"Ladies, while this is a casino, could we please have more civil conversation?" the dealer asked, drumming his hooves atop the table to keep his mind occupied elsewhere. All four mares looked from each other to him. "Now, anypony happy with where they are?" He questioned, placing a hoof on top of the deck of cards.

"Hit me," High Winds tapped the table top. The dealer tossed her another card, letting it gently slide in front of her where she grouped it with her others. She now had a five, a four and a seven. "So, what are your plans for the day?" she looked over at Lyra who was looking pretty bored at the moment, even if she was still snuggling against Bon Bon.

"I have no idea; Bonnie wanted to hit the tables first thing after getting settled in. And we promised to take a _nap_ first," she alluded, moving herself away from Bon Bon, "stupid blackjack." Despite focusing her attention on the game at hoof, Bon Bon was still hearing every word Lyra was saying, and it _was_ making her feel guilty. But from another view, she _did_ promise to do something with Lyra directly after this game, so the guilt wasn't really washing over her, more like trickling. The Earth Pony then tapped Lyra's side, motioning for her to come closer.

"Lyra, sweetie," she said into her ear and held her cards up, "this'll only take another 15 seconds with these puppies," she showed Lyra her three cards which consisted of a Queen of Hearts, five of spades and four of clubs. She then gave Lyra a good shock by quickly, yet tenderly giving her ear a little lick, knowing that was one of her biggest kinks.

"Ugh," the golden eyed mare shuddered, nearly losing her balance.

"Ahh, I know how you feel," High Winds cut in, setting her cards face down and turning her chair to the side. "Blaze is the same way. I love playing cards too, but what I was _really _hoping for was us ordering a bottle of champagne in our room and locking the door," her wing playfully smacked Blaze's back, making her blush a little. "You know, something romantic," she grinned.

"Well, Windy," Blaze used her marefriend's pet name, "we can't just _dive_ right into bed. That would just waste the magic like eating a doughnut before you leave the bakery. I know I'm _not_ a touchy-feely kind of mare, but I do want to make today special enough for you."

"Awww," Lyra gushed. Not to be outdone, Bon Bon set her cards down and spun to face Blaze and High Winds.

"Oh yeah, well I was going to order champagne, chocolates and rent a new phonograph to play Wayne Neighton records for our room!" She bragged, grabbing ahold of Lyra's shoulders and pulling her close.

"Ooh, now _that's_ a romantic day, Blaze," High Winds said dreamily. Confused, the dealer cocked an eyebrow, unsure of how this went from a friendly game of blackjack to two pairs of lesbians trying to outdo one another romantically.

"Anypony need anymore cards?" He coughed, trying to get their attention.

"Not now!" All four mares shouted at the poor stallion. He shrugged, ducked below the table and pulled a cold Smarenoff beer from a blue cooler. Popping the top, he sipped the refreshing beverage and leaned in closer to hear the conversation better.

"I get paid no matter what; continue," he smirked, sipping more of his beer. Bon Bon, Lyra, High Winds and Blaze rolled their eyes at the stallion and set their cards aside.

"While I think both ideas are perfect for each couple, we shouldn't be trying to outdo one another," Lyra spoke, petting the back of Bon Bon's mane. "I came here to spend time with Bon Bon, and you came here to spend time with High Winds," she pointed to the orange Wonderbolt, "and vice versa for you two," Lyra added.

"I think I know where you're heading with this, Lyra," Blaze grinned with half-lidded eyes.

"Oh no, don't tell me you're thinking of _that_ again, Blaze," High Winds pleaded. "I just got you off that idea a few weeks ago. Leave it to Las Pegasus to bring those thoughts roaring back," she slapped her own face.

"Thinking of _what_ exactly?" Bon Bon snapped. If she was reading Blaze correctly, then she was hatching an idea that Bon Bon would absolutely _refuse_ to partake in. Blaze kissed High Winds' cheek, trying to ease her worry about what was going on within her marefriend's head.

"Just hear me out, ladies," Blaze winked. "What if we combine our ideas together? You know,_" _her voice lowered into a whisper, "_the four of us, together. Two Pegasi, one Earth Pony and one unicorn in one bed..."_ she whispered lustfully. Lyra's mint green face turned completely scarlet as sweat formed at the edge of her mane line. High Winds groaned in frustration while Bon Bon was turning red as well, but for the opposite reason as her marefriend.

The Earth Pony grabbed Blaze by her ear, yanking her head down even with her mouth. "I...don't...share..._Lyra_. She's _MINE bitch!"_ She growled into Blaze's ear. Blaze wriggled out of Bon Bon's grip, but didn't look too afraid or anything. Instead, she had a sly smirk on her face and propped her head up on her hoof.

"Come on, it's Las Pegasus Bon Bon. _Anything_ can happen here; why not a little experiment? And it's not like it'll buck up our minds; we're all already on the same side here," Blaze reasoned. "And you getting jealous _is_ kind of hot," she winked.

"I'm _not_ jealous. Jealousy is aggression and the want for something you don't have that somepony does. I already have Lyra; I'm _territorial _of what's mine," she slammed her hoof on the table, leaning closer to Blaze.

"You do know I'm my own pony, right Bonnie?" Lyra questioned, still looking as red as a piece of licorice.

"Of course, Lyra, but you have to understand that I'm perfectly happy with _us_; I don't need to experiment with two other mares when you're all I need," she explained, moving away from Blaze.

"She's right, Blaze," High Winds concurred. "This stupid little fantasy will never happen, no matter how excited you get. Am I suddenly not good enough?" She demanded, pouting to add extra sympathy. Blaze's sultry look vanished, only to be replaced with worry.

"You've always been good enough for me, Windy. I just thought we could have a little fun and try out a fantasy that everypony that's ever existed has dreamt of."

"Not me!" Bon Bon exclaimed, standing up from her chair. "You're never going to persuade me to cheat on Lyra with one of you, no offense, but I'm a one mare, uh, mare," she stumbled at the end of her explanation. "Lyra, why aren't you siding with me and High Winds?" she cocked an eyebrow. Lyra shuffled her front hooves together before rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well, it's _different_, and it'd be one Tartarus of a memory to look back on," she gulped, knowing that disagreeing with Bon Bon on this certain issue wasn't the smartest idea. Yet the unicorn was a little optimistic. "And who knows, it could spice up our love life," she grinned. Grabbing one of the card dealer's beers, Bon Bon popped the top and drank half the bottle in one big gulp, burping loudly after swallowing.

"Our love life is fine, Lyra; I don't know how bucked up _yours _is," she motioned to Blaze and High Winds with the bottle, "to suggest that, but as I stated previously: I...DON'T...SHARE...LYRA, so drop it!"

"For your information," High Winds huffed, "I _agree_ with you," she pointed out, rolling her eyes at the Earth Pony.

"Well, that's technically not true, Bonnie," Lyra took the beer away from her and set it on the card table.

"What? Lyra I've never even entertained the idea of sharing you with anypony," Bon Bon thought back to every moment she'd been with Lyra; not a moment like that could be four within her memories. Her marefriend, however, seemed to remember something as she cleared her throat.

"Remember back when we finally got to go to the Grand Galloping Gala?"

"Yeah, so what? We had a blast and rocked our house all night after that," the candy maker sighed happily at the memory.

"Uh, do you remember what you said to me _afterwards?_" Lyra questioned, stroking Bon Bon's leg. Blaze felt a little insulted that she was being completely ignored now by the two Ponyville mares, even after offering them something like that. It took some doing, but High Winds coerced her marefriend to be more calm as Lyra and Bon Bon worked things out.

"No, Lyra. I remember going to the Gala, coming home and sharing a bottle of wine with you and then, you know..." she blushed as what she believed to be the full memory returned to her.

"You told me that you were so grateful for Cougar getting us those tickets because we were his friends that you were willing-" Lyra explained before Bon Bon clamped her mouth shut with her hooves. _Now_ the full memory was resurfacing in her brain. The entire pillow talk after they had made love. She assumed it was some weird dream she had after a night mixed with drinking and love making.

"NO! NO I DIDN'T!" Bon Bon suddenly shouted, making all three mares jump. "You're just upset that I've been gambling over spending time with you. And you're right; let's get up and go back to our room!" She tried to push Lyra away from the Wonderbolts, but Blaze wasn't ready to give up so easily.

"Hold on, what were you going to say, Lyra?" Blaze loved getting juice on couples, not to sell to tabloids or anything, she just wanted to be in the loop.

"She wasn't going to say_ anything_ you Spitfire clone, now move it so I can spend time with the mare I love," Bon Bon demanded, getting nervous about her secret getting out. But the Wonderbolt refused to move. Every time Bon Bon tried to push Lyra one way, Blaze would get in the way. No matter what she did, Bon Bon couldn't get away from the Pegasus, even with High Winds telling her to let Bon Bon and Lyra go.

"I just want to know. Your secret will be safe with us," Blaze swore, putting a hoof over her heart. Bon Bon realized that she wasn't going to get rid of this mare so easily; she had to come up with something that would distract her long enough to get away and get back to their room. What would be a good distraction though? Bon Bon thought long about this, looking from Blaze to Lyra back and forth several times before she took a long look at Lyra's horn. Suddenly, an idea flooded her mind, overtaking her mind momentarily as well as her basic motor functions.

"Oh Lyra?" the Earth Pony asked, grabbing ahold of Lyra's hoof.

"Bonnie, you know I'm not advanced enough in magic to teleport," Lyra rolled her eyes. "Otherwise I would've foal napped you back to our room a long time ago," she winked. Her marefriend chuckled, lightly licking her ear again.

"Not that, I promise," Bon Bon rubbed her hoof on Lyra's. Having not thought too much on doing this in the past, Bon Bon already set forth her plan and couldn't back away now. "Lyra Heartstrings," she continued, looking into those golden orbs she fell in love with.

"H-hold on," Lyra's breath started to shorten. "B-Bonnie..."

"Will you marry me?" Bon Bon asked, falling onto one hind leg. Blaze and High Winds' jaws dropped at the sudden proposal, not being able to move an inch. "Now, I know this is sudden, but you said you wanted something exciting to happen in Las Pegasus," Bon Bon grinned.

**BRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGG**

A sudden loud alarm snapped all four mares into reality. "What the buck is that?" Blaze asked, turning around. Seeing an opportunity, Bon Bon tightened her grip on Lyra's hoof, whisking her away from the Wonderbolts and hiding within a crowd of ponies gathering around a bank of slot machines. After ducking into a hallway of elevators, Bon Bon shoved Lyra inside one and quickly pressed the door close button.

"Whew, glad to get away from that psycho," Bon Bon wiped her forehead, breathing a sigh of relief. Leaning against the wall of the elevator, she looked over at her unicorn marefriend to see a puzzled look on her face. "You okay, Lyra?" She asked.

"B-Bon Bon? Did you really mean that proposal, or was that just to get us away from Blaze and High Winds?" She asked, feeling slightly hurt if the latter was the case. Reality smacked Bon Bon in the face. She now had a tough decision to make, one that could either make Lyra mad enough to take a break from their relationship, or one that could end up with them together forever.

"Well, you see..."

* * *

**(With Rainbow Dash, Soarin and Scootaloo)  
**

"Idiots," Soarin shook his head when he, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo witnessed hotel security carting off Lightning and Fire Streak after their brawl in the lobby. As the exhausted and bruised twins were escorted to the hotel's main security office, Scootaloo cocked an eyebrow, looking between her sister and Soarin. She was waiting for one of them to stop the security ponies and retake Lightning Streak and Fire Streak, but that never happened. Puzzled, the orange filly tapped Soarin's leg to get his attention. "What's up, squirt?" He asked with a big, goofy grin that replaced his upset frown.

"Hey, that's _my_ nickname for her," Rainbow chuckled, punching his shoulder jokingly, "get your own," she added when Soarin rubbed where she had punched him.

"I thought 'Scoots' was," Soarin questioned, deciphering how many nicknames his marefriend had for her little sister

"I've got plenty of them, Soar," Rainbow waved her hoof. "Now, what'd you need little sis?" she bent down lower to Scootaloo's height. The tinier Pegasus rolled her eyes at the flirting between Soarin and Rainbow Dash, mainly having to put up with it just about every time she was around the two.

"Aren't you two going to get the Streak twins back?" She inquired, "You kinda need them for your show, don't you?" she added, turning from Rainbow Dash back to the Captain of the Wonderbolts.

"Meh, I'd rather hit the all you can eat buffet for some fresh apple pie," Soarin licked his lips. "Besides, I think they'll fine. They won't go to jail just for fighting in a hotel," he waved off the doubt.

"Soar, I think one or two of those security ponies had some bruises of their own. I think we should try and bail them out before they go to jail like Scoots says," Rainbow nudged Scootaloo's wing. The blue stallion's tongue retreated back into his mouth only to be replaced by a groan.

"Can't we get something to eat first?" He whined, snapping his head in the direction of the hotel's buffet. Rainbow glowered at her coltfriend, flaring some of the fur on the back of her neck and invading his face with hers. "Ugh, fine we'll bail them out, but we eat right afterwards!" he stepped away from the intimidating cyan mare. She grinned in triumph and patted Soarin's back for listening to her.

"Hey Rainbow, Soarin!" Feather Duster exclaimed, jumping from behind the couch with Cinder right behind her. "What a fight! Better than some of the regular fights Las Pegasus has to offer huh?"

"Don't you think you could be a little more sympathetic since it was _our_ coltfriends that were fighting?" Cinder tried to raise her voice.

"Fire's tough as a rock and Lightning's thicker than one; they're gonna fine, Cinder," Feather Duster chuckled. The blue mare didn't know whether to be mad for the insult geared towards he coltfriend or laugh at how true it was sometimes.

"What's with the candy bowl on your head?" Scootaloo asked condescendingly. Realizing that it was indeed still sitting atop her mane, the lazy janitor whisked it off of her head and tossed it back near the table where she had gotten it. There was a loud _crash_ promptly followed by hotel staff swearing after which the dust colored Pegasus innocently whistled.

"Ahem, what candy bowl you little, uh, scamp?" Feather Duster attempted to pat Scootaloo's purple mane, but the orange filly ducked out of the way, instead scooting closer to Rainbow Dash. The janitor shrugged it off, not really giving a crap about colts and fillies anyway.

"Dashie, Cinder, come with me so we get Fire and Lightning out of hotel jail," Soarin grumbled. "They're probably locked in a broom closet or something," Soarin started off.

"Hey, if they _are_ locked in a broom closet, shouldn't I go with you since I'm a janitor?" Feather Duster cocked her head to the side. Soarin, Rainbow and Cinder stopped in their tracks before looking at each other and bursting out laughing. "What? What's so funny dammit!?" The Pegasus demanded, flaring her smaller than average wings. Rainbow Dash wiped a tear from her eye with her hoof, catching her breath.

"Do you know what color the floor is in your janitor closet at the Academy?" Rainbow asked. When Feather Duster replied with a blank face, Rainbow added, "I didn't think so. You'd be as much help as a match to a pony that's on fire."

"Woah, sis!" Scootaloo hopped in front of Rainbow's face to get her attention. "Can't I go with you guys?" She begged.

"Nah, you'd probably get bored out of your mind, kid," Soarin replied. "Besides, what were you planning on doing while Dashie and I are practicing?" He asked, scratching his ear.

"Watch you guys, duh," Scootaloo collapsed onto her flank.

"How much fun would that be, squirt?" Rainbow knelt down again to Scootaloo's height. "Trust me, if _I_ had to just watch and not even be able to talk to a pair of practicing Wonderbolts, I'd totally lose my mind over how awesome it would be to get a private show!" She gushed. "Oh, wait, I wouldn't be able to even sit still. No, where was I going with this?" She shook her head after her train of thought hit a bump and derailed.

"I think what you mean is just sitting and watching the same thing over and over would get a little boring," Cinder corrected, lifting Scootaloo's chin with her hoof. "No offense to you guys, but practice isn't as exciting as the real thing."

"Eh, she's got us there, Dashie," Soarin agreed. "Why can't Feather Duster take care of you while we get the Streak twits out of hotel jail?" He suggested. Both Feather Duster and Scootaloo's eyes nearly burst from their skulls as they looked at each other and immediately looked away with a sneer.

"You were right, Rainbow. Soarin _is_ a grade-A doof," Scootaloo folded her forelegs over her chest.

"Hey!" The captain replied with a stern yet hurt look.

"Yeah, kids and I don't mix well together," Feather Duster nodded. "Besides, she's how old, exactly?"

"Old enough to not need an incompetent foalsitter, that's for sure," Scootaloo said in a snarky tone. "Can't you just let me explore the hotel or something, Rainbow?" She begged, tugging at Rainbow's wing.

"Absolutely not! No sister of mine that's still in school is gonna wander Las freakin' Pegasus alone!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Feather Duster might be a lazy ass at her job, but she's not an idiot."

"Right, Dashie," Soarin nodded. "By the power vested in me by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, I herby pronounce you two foal and foalsitter," the pie loving stallion announced, shoving Feather Duster and Scootaloo together. "Live with it," he added with a sly smirk.

"We shouldn't be long. Just come back when you can and we'll go swimming, Scoots," Rainbow hugged her little sister who tried to cling to her leg. "Come on Scootaloo, you're way too old to pull this," the cyan mare shook her leg until Scootaloo let go, only to fly up and land on Feather Duster's back. "See, you're bonding already! Have fun!" And with that, Soarin, Rainbow Dash and Cinder trotted away to let their friends out of hotel jail.

"Great, now I'm stuck with you all day. My sister hates me," Scootaloo griped. She knew that Rainbow couldn't possibly hate her, but it sure felt like it for being paired with Feather Duster.

"Yeah? Well, my boss hates me!" Feather Duster whined. "And another thing, OFF!" she shook her body, jarring Scootaloo until she fell onto her butt on the floor. The filly stood up and rubbed her rump until the pressure from the hit wore off.

"Ya know, maybe if you actually did your job, Soarin would have more respect for you than just making you a one-day foalsitter," Scootaloo huffed. She turned to look where Rainbow Dash had trotted away, wishing she could've stuck by her and Soarin. The orange school pony sighed sadly before casting her gaze upon the door leading outside the hotel. The janitor scoffed, turning away from Scootaloo and held her nose in the air, sniffing at what the buffet had out.

"Whatever," Feather Duster rolled her eyes, checking a clock on the wall. "I'm getting hungry. Do you think you can sit still and keep quiet long enough to," Feather Duster turned back around, "...eat?!" she exclaimed when she discovered that Scootaloo was gone! "Scuttleloo?! No, wait, Scootaloo!" She yelled, making every other pony in the lobby freeze. "Come on you little heathen, this isn't funny," the dust colored mare started zooming around the lobby.

After pulling the plant out of a pot, turning over hotel furniture, snooping behind the front desk, checking the buffet and the bathroom, Feather Duster knew she was gone. "Oh crap, crap, crap! This is the worst thing that could happen to me!" she cried out dramatically, catching the attention of a few passing guests. "Excuse me," she slammed her hooves on Jitterbug's desk, "have you seen a little filly that's orange with teeny wings, a purple mane and tail, and is really annoying?" She questioned.

"No, maybe you should keep a better eye on your children, ma'am. I can put hotel staff on alert if they spot her," she offered. Feather Duster groaned yet agreed to the idea before an awful realization hit her.

"Never mind, I'll find her myself. Just forget I even asked!" She said, frustrated and galloped away from the front desk.

"Weirdo," Jitterbug rolled her eyes and helped the next guests in line.

"Damn it, I've got to think of something to find that filly before Soarin kicks me out of my napping spot, er, the Academy!" She exclaimed. Taking a seat on one of the couches she'd overturned, Feather Duster plopped her head on her hoof, trying to think of ways to save her flank. "Trail of candy? No, too many drunks would trip over the pieces," she pondered. "Super glue trap with a doughnut as bait? Nah, that stuff sticks to my hoof too easily," the mare drummed her hooves on either side of her body, hoping that inspiration would hit her soon enough. "Hmm, I know! I'll load a tranquilizer gun, shoot the kid from a roof, put her in a box, then put that box in another box, then mail the box to myself and then lock it up until Dash and Soarin get back. It can't go wrong!"

"Excuse us, we need to fix this couch so other guests can use it," a maintenance stallion tapped her on the shoulder.

"Go on ahead, but I'm still using it!" the dust colored pony sat up, moving out of the way so the furniture could be reoriented. Not caring at all, the maintenance stallion and his partner uprighted the couch just Feather Duster started to analyze her plan. "Eh, what tranquilizer store is open on New Year's? Plus the stupid postage fees are outrageous!"

"Okay, we're done here," the hotel worker trotted by Feather Duster to go upright other pieces of furniture. However, the Wonderbolt janitor spotted a piece of decoration on the wall and wasn't paying attention. Since the Maredalay Bay was an ocean themed hotel, some pieces of decoration included pictures of sailing ships and fishing while others included actual fishing nets. "Oh Feather Duster, you evil, cheap genius," she rubbed her hooves together evilly and yanked the net from the wall.

"STOP! That's Maredalay Bay property!" The second hotel worker shouted.

"Official Wonderbolt business! I'll bring this back if I remember!" She replied, galloping out of the hotel. As the stallions chased her, Feather Duster burst from the hotel and ducked behind one of the many outside decorations, barely eluding the ponies that stood still, waiting for any sign of her. Another guest shook their head at Feather Duster whilst trotting their way into the hotel, thankfully not giving away her position.

"Do you really think she's a Wonderbolt?"

"Did you see those wings? Tartarus no she's not a Wonderbolt. She probably couldn't even carry parchment with those puny things," the other maintenance worker joked. While it didn't make her sad or upset, Feather Duster loathed anypony that brought up her wing handicap. Having been teased about it all through school, she held a grudge against ponies that taunted her. Yet, she had to keep quiet or else they'd find her and possibly throw her in hotel jail with Fire and Lightning Streak, and possibly getting fired from the Academy.

"We'll just tell the cops; she can't hide forever, at least until the 'Bolts have to do their show tonight. Let security know too," the maintenance duo re-entered the hotel, making Feather breathe a sigh of relief. She rolled the net up into a ball, making it easier to carry, and peeked her eyes around the corner, making sure no hotel security was waiting for her. The sound of clopping hooves on the stone staircase nearly made her squeak in surprise, but she bit her lip and shrank back behind the pillar. As the hoof steps faded against the sound of the street traffic from taxi carriages, Feather Duster darted from her hiding spot and mixed in with the street crowd, blending in quite nicely.

Once she felt that nopony else was chasing her, Feather Duster wiped the sweat from her forehead and trotted along merrily on street, soaking in all of the sights that she had been wanting to see. "Now, where was I?" She asked herself, stopping in front of the Neigh York Neigh York hotel and casino. "Oh right, I've got a little brat to catch," she juggled the net within her hoof. "Okay, where to first?" She asked herself, looking at every possible shop and tourist attraction Scootaloo could've gone too. "If I were a kid, where would I go? SHUT UP MISTY FLY!" She suddenly shouted at a poor Unicorn that had the exact same color fur as Misty Fly.

"Umm, excuse me?" She asked fearfully from the outburst. Comprehending what she had done, Feather's dust colored face blushed as she waved off what she had said. The possibility of being fired from her cushy job where she rarely lifted a hoof to work was in the beginning stages of clouding her judgment. She laughed nervously, patting the Unicorn's horn politely, only to have her hoof nearly cut when the mare snapped her head away, again from fear.

"I'm sorry. I have a co-worker who keeps telling me that talking to myself will lead others to believe I'm crazy," Feather Duster twirled her hoof around the side of her head, "and normally I just tell her to shut up. You sort of remind me of her." The Unicorn rejected her explanation, groaning in annoyance and trotting away.

"Talking to yourself _is_ crazy!" She retorted as the distance between the two grew.

"Hey, I didn't judge you!" Feather shouted back, "_F__at flank,"_ she added under her breath. Reorienting herself, the janitor spotted a possible location for where Scootaloo could have gone. "The largest candy store in Equestria?" She thought, checking out all of the fillies and colts amongst a crowd of older ponies. Sure, it would be a great place to start, but the place was four levels high; it would take her at least an hour to check every orange filly in the building. And Scootaloo could just leave if she spotted Feather Duster first. "Meh, too obvious anyway," she shrugged, turning her attention to other locations. It was hard though with the amount of tourists and business ponies trotting about.

"How much?" A gruff, stallion voice tapped Feather's shoulder.

"Are you talking to me?" She cocked her head to the side after turning it towards the source of the question.

"I've got fifty-three bits on me, is that enough for an hour?" He asked. His were darting up and down, checking her out. Disgusted, Feather Duster reared back and walloped the stallion in the jaw, sending him flying back into a nearby fountain.

"I don't need money when I've got Fire," she said proudly while the stallion picked himself up from the water. "Though I _do_ need a new projector for my room," Feather Duster walked away from the fountain. "Maybe I can suck up to Surprise again and get some bits from her. Dammit, don't get distracted!" She berated herself, stomping her hoof on the ground. "In order to catch a kid, I need to _think_ like a kid," she looked past the candy store and landed her eyes on one of the biggest tourist traps ever invented: The gift shop.

Naturally, Feather Duster couldn't just assume _this_ gift shop would be the one Scootaloo could be exploring. Las Pegasus was a popular attraction in Equestria; it must have hundreds upon hundreds of stops for souvenirs. Even if all of them claimed to be the best one in the city. The mare was about to complain about how much work that sounded like when she got a vision of Rainbow kicking her flank for losing her only sister in Las Pegasus and promptly getting fired by Soarin. "Meh, I'll just go for it," she cricked her neck and trotted into the gift shop.

Trying to not get distracted by all of the flashy items and bargain discounts, the mare kept her eyes peeled for fillies that resembled Scootaloo in anyway, hoping that she could get lucky, bag the little nuisance, lock her in her hotel room and then order five hundred bits worth of room service. "Hahahahahahahah," she chuckled evilly at the thought locking up Scootaloo so she wouldn't get fired. "Hmm, this'd go great on the shelf in my room!" she picked up a tiny _Welcome to Fantastic Las Pegasus, Neighvada_ sign from one of the displays. "Focus, Feather Duster!" She set the trinket back on its shelf. "T-Shirts!" She exclaimed, knowing how much fillies and colts loved getting T-shirts for souvenirs.

"Mommy, I want a T-Shirt!" A little colt exclaimed, yanking his mother over to the T-Shirt rack. Grinning proudly to herself, Feather Duster slinked her way secret agent style near the shirts, hiding just in case Scootaloo appeared.

"Hello? What exactly are you doing, miss?" the manager of the gift shop opened up the shirts that Feather Duster was hiding behind. Trying to think of a lie so she wouldn't be deemed crazy again, she pulled out a shirt from the back row, emerging from the wall.

"They _always_ have my size in the back," she chuckled nervously, holding up a mare sized medium Las Pegasus shirt. "THIRTY BITS!" She screamed when the price tag dangled in front of her face. "I didn't know this was the gift shop for millionaires," the shirt was thrown back onto the floor. "What kind of racket are you running here, dude? What about us normal working ponies?"

"One of the finest in Las Pegasus," the manager sneered. "You better watch your tongue; I'm very proud of my merchandise and employees," he gave her the stinky eye and properly set the shirt back onto the rack before assisting another customer.

_"Rip off artist,"_ came a murmur from Feather Duster. She knew that Rainbow said she and Scootaloo could return to the hotel whenever, but if Scootaloo returned _before_ Feather Duster, yikes. "Hmm, maybe the hoofball hats?" She zoomed over only to find nopony else in that section of the store. Growling, Feather was about to just buck her rear legs into a sunglasses display when she saw a flash of orange fur disappear into a dressing room. Grinning, the mare took the net out of its ball and held it open in her hooves.

_'This is it,'_ she thought. She'd finally catch the brat, drag her back to the hotel kicking and screaming if it came down to that, and lock her in the closet of her hotel room until it was time to see Rainbow again. That way, at least nothing _terrible_ happened to her. "Oh Scootaloo," Feather Duster sang evilly, "come on, your auntie Feather Duster just wants to see the Blue Stallion Group with you. Then we can grab a bite at Whinnihana, doesn't that sound like fun?" She peered her head low to see four orange legs behind the door. "GOTCHA!" She burst through the door, tackling the pony and wrapping the net around them.

"Let me go!" The pony demanded, kicking and thrashing about.

"Stop squirming you little runt. You're lucky that I'm nice and I won't tell your sister that you ran off on me," she tied up the net and flung it onto her back.

"JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING WITH MY SON!?" A mare's voice ripped through the gift shop.

"Son? No, no, no, ma'am. This is a little filly I'm looking after named Scootaloo. She decided to ditch me, so I'm bringing her back to the hotel."

"Help me, mommy!" A colt's voice emitted from the net. Feather Duster's eyes about popped from their sockets. Wanting to be sure, she tossed the net onto the floor and got a good look at who she had captured.

"Uh-oh," she nearly crapped herself when she discovered she bagged an orange colt around Scootaloo's age that had a red mane and tail instead of the filly in question. "Totally my bad, miss," she untied the net, allowing the frightened colt to run to its mother. "Look, I found the wrong kid-" she tried to explain.

"FOALNAPPER!" Another pony accused, pointing their hoof at Feather Duster.

"What? No, I just wanted to get back a filly that ran away from me!" She tried to reason.

"I'm calling the cops!" The manager got on a megaphone and shouted out the doorway.

"THERE SHE IS, GET HER!" Another store patron exclaimed. Feather Duster soon found herself playing hoofball with about twenty mares and stallions, with her playing the ball! Darting around, weaving in and out, and dodging to and fro, the dusty mare slid underneath several stallions out onto the street where she proceeded to run for her life from the angry mob.

"WHY ME?!" She cried out. "THIS IS THE WORST VACATION EVER! DAMN YOU SCOOTALOO!"

Back with Scootaloo, the conniving filly slurped a milkshake happily as she watched the first act of the popular musical _Stone of Time_ at the Heavy Metal Hotel and Casino. "It's a good thing that half of the Academy are idiots." She figured that she would avoid the Maredalay Bay just to screw with Feather Duster.

* * *

**(Back With Spike, Twilight and Fluttershy)**

"I-I th-think we sh-should go!" Fluttershy squeaked whilst the three huddled together in the middle of the defunct casino. The yellow Pegasus grabbed both Twilight and Spike by their tails, trying to pull them toward the front door of the supposedly haunted building. Now, this didn't hurt either of them, but getting their tails pulled on wasn't exactly a back massage.

"Yowch, hold on there, Fluttershy," Spike yanked his tail back from Fluttershy, rubbing the base which was still vibrating from discomfort. Twilight successfully levitated Fluttershy's grip from her tail and spun around so it couldn't be grasped again.

"Spike's right, there's no need to freak out Fluttershy," Twilight coerced. "Sure, an abandoned casino _is_ pretty unsettling, but so is Luna and Celestia's old castle; we go there all the time," she pointed out. That wasn't enough to stop the frightened shaking of the animal lover. Having been scared by the great white shark earlier was plenty of 'excitement' to last her a week.

"Y-yeah, b-but we go when it's _daylight,"_ she replied and cowered again when she heard a floorboard creak.

"Um, it's only 2:00 in the afternoon," Spike cocked an eyebrow. It's still plenty bright outside, right mom?"

"Yes, that's true," Twilight concurred.

"An-and the castle at least has holes in the ceiling to let light in!" Fluttershy countered yet again, still pawing her hooves at what she thought was the door. Chuckling and rolling his eyes, Spike inhaled deeply and exhaled a large green flame, illuminating a good area of the room. Twilight copied this, casting a spell that lit up her horn with her magic, hoping to find a light switch somewhere.

"And for all we know, Fluttershy," the purple alicorn scanned the wall with her eyes, "that moan we heard could have just been a decrepit air conditioner trying to run," she suggested. "Celestia knows how old this place is." Not wanting to take any chances, Fluttershy glued herself to Twilight's side, jumpy and nervous as ever. As the three looked around for another source of light, Fluttershy had the classic feel of being watched; her fur was standing straight up on her neck.

"Mom, have you read anything on the Lucky 38? At least I _think_ that's what it's called," Spike ran his hands along the wall. "I mean, if you can trust a rug," he added. Still scouring the wall, Twilight thought all the way back to the last few days when she researched the history of Las Pegasus up to future attractions. The Lucky 38 definitely didn't ring a bell with the scholar.

"Not to my knowledge, Spike," she checked back behind her, "even on upcoming casino plans," Twilight added. _"_I _knew_ I should've read a copy of the city plans," she seethed before remembering that she wasn't supposed to talk about planning.

"EEP!" Fluttershy squeaked when Twilight came to a stop. "Oh Twilight, you startled me," she took several deep breaths. Despite what little light Twilight was radiating from her horn, visibility was still pretty low. "Have we circled the entire casino?"

"I think that's gonna be a little hard to tell, unless you have night vision," Spike joked.

"Hmm, it's a shame Owlowicious couldn't come," Twilight grinned, though was uncertain if Fluttershy or Spike saw it. "But to answer your question, Fluttershy, I'm not sure myself," she added. "Oof!" Twilight exclaimed after bumping into an object. "Ow, who left this door open?" She questioned.

"M-maybe i-it was wh-whoever wants us out?!" Fluttershy began to chew her hoof. Poking her head into the open doorway, Twilight's magenta aura briefly illuminated a small maintenance room, complete with a breaker.

"Aha! Let there be LIGHT!" Twilight placed her hoof upon the lever, thrusting it upwards as bright light flooded the casino. Because the three were so used to the dark, the light was near blinding to them.

"No sunglasses, mom?" Spike picked up Twilight's wing and shielded his eyes while she did the same with her other wing. Fluttershy just hid behind her pink mane until all three gradually got accustomed to the new levels of light.

"Even _I_ don't plan for sunglasses indoors, son," Twilight took her wing from Spike's grip whilst the three exited the maintenance closet. All three pairs of eyes widened and narrowed in less than a second. They all saw their hoof and footprints in the floor caked with layer upon layer of dust and dirt, indicating that nopony had been inside for quite possibly years.

"Are you _sure_ that this had to be a future casino, Twilight?" Fluttershy looked across the huge room at the slot machines and card tables that too were coated in sheets of dust. "It looks like it was ready for a grand opening and then everypony just left, or _vanished_," she gulped.

"Maybe the editor of your history book forgot about it?" Spike considered, dragging a claw across one of the slot machines, knocking the dust to the floor.

"Impossible, Spike; I read three books on the founding of Las Pegasus. Not one mentioned this place," Twilight replied, feeling a little suspicious.

"Well, how could a city this big not notice a brand new building?" Spike questioned, flicking some remaining dust off his thumb and finger. Still looking at the slot machine, Spike grinned and produced a bit from a fanny pack he'd been wearing. "Since nopony's around," he said, inserting the coin into the gambling machine.

"I don't think so, mister!" Twilight's magic yanked Spike's hand away after he pulled the lever on the side.

"Oh, come on, mom. Just let me try this once," Spike begged. Twilight shook her head, pulling Spike further away from the slot machine.

"One, you're not old enough. Two, what we're doing _could_ potentially be trespassing if we're caught. And three, that machine doesn't even work and you just wasted a vacation bit," she sighed, disappointed.

"Aww crap," Spike grumbled, glowering at the slot machine.

"Um, guys?" Fluttershy tried to garner their attention.

"It's okay, Spike. You just learned a lesson about how serious gambling can be," Twilight released Spike from her magic. "Just be thankful you didn't waste _all_ of your vacation money at once," she chuckled.

"Hello? Guys?" Fluttershy asked again.

"I'm still trying out the 'anything can happen' angle, mom," Spike explained.

"**GUYS**!" Fluttershy yelled so loud that some card tables were blown clean of dust. Spike and Twilight froze in place as they proceeded to dig their finger or tip of their hoof in their ears. "S-sorry," the animal lover apologized.

"Uh, you wanted something, Fluttershy?" Twilight patted her ear softly. The yellow pony pointed a shaky hoof to the spot where the trio had crashed through earlier. "Yeah, what about it? So we disturbed the dust a little, nopony can prove it was actually us," the alicorn explained.

"I-I d-don't think _those_ are our hoof prints!" Fluttershy exclaimed frightfully. Spike and Twilight followed where she was pointing to two trails of hoof prints in the dust covered floor leading towards what appeared to be an elevator. "There aren't even dragon tracks," she added. "Somepony else lives here!"

"Woah," Spike replied. "I say we check it out!" the dragon cracked his knuckles. Obviously, Fluttershy was against the idea, shaking her head violently and backing away slowly. Twilight on the other hoof was on the fence about the idea.

"Spike, are you sure that's smart? Suppose somepony does live here, and it's some sort of escaped criminal?" Twilight placed her hoof on his shoulder. "Or some psychopath that purposely shielded themselves from the outside world?"

"To be honest, I don't think it's anything to worry about. You two have that weird Rainbow power pops up whenever it feels like it, and I'm a dragon that hasn't even tested my new strength in defense mode," he retorted. "I think we'll be fine," he smiled.

"I vote we leave and go back to our hotel!" Fluttershy shouted when another loud groan sounded off within the room.

"What if it's somepony that lives here and they're in pain?" Spike added, "We can't just leave them here."

"That sounds like it's coming from somewhere upstairs," Twilight trotted over to the elevator and pressed a button. "Spike's right, Fluttershy," Twilight turned to her longtime friend, "as much as it frightens you, that could be somepony who needs medical attention."

"How about you two go check on whoever or whatever is up there and I'll stay down here where it's bright and there's a maintenance closet I can hide in?" Fluttershy asked. Getting a sly grin on his face, Spike turned away from his mom and laced an arm around Fluttershy's neck.

"Yeah, I think that'd work out, Fluttershy. Mom and I can go upstairs while you wait down here for bloodthirsty looters, ghosts or possibly changelings to show up," the dragon agreed with the Pegasus. Feeling confused, Twilight wanted to ask why Spike didn't want Fluttershy to go when the rusty elevator doors opened loudly. Following Spike with her eyes, the alicorn stayed in between her friend and son, unsure of what to do.

"So, are we doing this, or not?" Twilight questioned.

"I'm glad you agree Spike," Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. "You two go on ahead while I make sure things stay relatively normal down here," she smiled, pushing Twilight into the elevator. Spike grinned, pushing a button that made the doors close with a still puzzled alicorn standing beside him. Fluttershy sat down on her flank, watching the big pair of front doors about twenty feet in front of her. _"Got the music in me,"_ Fluttershy sang softly to herself. She thought the elevator was a rather silent one for one that hadn't been used in seemingly years.

_"Ugggggghhhhhhhh,"_ the same moan from before reverberated throughout the casino.

"Bl-bloodthirsty looters? Ghosts? _Changelings?"_ The Pegasus realized what Spike had said and started pounding on the doors. "WAIT FOR ME PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE ALONE!" She pleaded.

"And that's how you get Fluttershy to go along, mom," Spike hit the DOOR OPENbutton, allowing Fluttershy to zoom in and cling to Twilight for dear life.

"Hmm, easy for you to say," Twilight replied, "_you're_ not the one she's glued to." With a cocky smile, Spike hit the only other button that was glowing: The Penthouse. After a long elevator ride that made all three uneasy with how many times the machine jarred and slowed, the doors opened with a _ding_, revealing a lone door about five feet in front of them within a tiny room.

"What's _this_ room for, mom?" Spike asked, slowly exiting the elevator.

"I'd have to say this is the waiting room in case the owner was throwing a party. Or it's for privacy," Twilight rubbed her chin. "I mean, how uncomfortable would _you_ be if anypony could just willy-nilly use an elevator and have instant access to your house?"

"Probably as uncomfortable as Fluttershy right about now," Spiked joked. The yellow pony in question still hadn't moved from Twilight's side. Her foreleg was intertwined with Twilight's refusing to let go until they were back outside.

_"UUUUUUUGGGGGHHHH!"_

"Yep, the moaning is definitely coming from the penthouse," Twilight trotted up to the door, yet she was hesitant to knock.

"Okay, we diagnosed where it came from," Fluttershy said quickly, "now let's go home!" She unlatched her leg from Twilight and bolted for the elevator just as the doors were closing. Poor Fluttershy smacked right into them face first, falling onto her back with a crazed laugh.

"Come on, Fluttershy." Helping her to her hooves, Spike laced one of her forelegs over his back, supporting her as they walked towards Twilight.

"Shh," Twilight shushed them. "I hear, arguing..." she muttered, pressing an ear to the door. Spike did the same, just barely able to hear a muffled debate. They had concluded that somepony else was at least here, but who they were and why they were here was still unanswered. Without warning, the apparently unlocked door opened, causing all three to fall through a second door that day.

"INTRUDERS!" One familiar voice shouted.

"I'm too sick to care, Flam," a second voice said before the sound of vomiting overtook him.

"FLAM!?" Spike, Twilight and Fluttershy (who had gotten over hitting her head) exclaimed. Standing up, all three Ponyville residents slacked their jaws at a pair of ponies they never thought they'd see again.

"Oh, it's just the friends of the mare that bankrupted us," a mustachioed, yellow pony scoffed, rolling his eyes and tossed a bottle of antacids to his twin brother. "This is our property; we can have you arrested for trespassing you know," he twirled his facial hair.

"What brings _you_ three- BLERRRRGGGH!" Flim tried to question before he vomited into a sink again. "Here?" he muttered a little dazed.

"Flim and Flam?" Twilight questioned, "What are you two doing in this defunct casino? I thought you'd be back wherever you came from, trying to come up with more get rich quick schemes."

"Sorry to burst your bubble princess," Flam cracked open a Coltweiser from a mini fridge, "but we need a little money if we're going to try a get rich quick scheme, and money is one thing we don't have anymore, thanks to that redneck friend of yours."

"Don't talk about my friend like that," Spike warned.

"What happened to _you_, kid? Did you drink an age advancing potion or something?" Flim had turned on the faucets of the sink to help drain his bile.

"No, he's grown up," Twilight replied, getting in between her son and the two con artists, "something that _you_ two obviously haven't figured out yet."

"Look little missy," Flam ducked around and appeared behind Twilight, "we'll cut to the chase. We're just about flat broke, is there anything in this room that might interest you? Perhaps a T-shirt?" He offered a blue shirt with the words _Take her for a spin!'_ imprinted on the front.

"Or quite possibly a deck of cards from the same day the Troticana opened up?" Flim held up a deck of cards, shuffling them around like a magician.

"Perhaps this spiffy orange tuxedo complete with a top hat and cane?" Flam pulled the tuxedo out from a wardrobe. "I think this'd look mighty handsome on that reptile son of yours," the smooth talker tossed it to Spike. Right before he could catch it, Spike had his hand slapped away by Twilight who caught the tuxedo within her magic and levitated it back into the wardrobe.

"Sorry boys, but we're not here to shop, just curious about how you two acquired this piece of property if you're broke as you say," Twilight explained, still staying in front of Spike.

"Ahem, I can answer that," a third, yet also familiar voice sounded off.

"Discord?!" Fluttershy exclaimed, surprised yet happy. A light fixture on the ceiling of the room turned into the draconequus as he teleported from the ceiling down in front of the trio.

"That's me!" He said proudly as a news studio backdrop with his name appeared behind him. "It's so good to see you all in Las Pegasus. Things were beginning to become quite a bore with these two numbskulls always bickering with each other," he turned into a large 2x4 before appearing with a tea party table in the middle of the room.

"Okay, did _you_ make this casino appear, Discord?" Twilight asked, "Is that why it looks abandoned and the city hasn't noticed it?"

"Where_ever_ would you get an idea like that?" Discord asked innocently, stirring up a pot of tea. "Come, join us won't you?" he offered to everypony and dragon. Giddily, Fluttershy galloped over to hug her friend while everyone else just stood there.

"You know we don't drink _tea, _Discord," Flam shook his beer can at the animal hodgepodge. Discord ceased stirring the teapot as the spoon turned back into his protruding fang and inserted itself back into his mouth.

"Well since it's one of the few things you _can_ afford, why pass it up?" the draconequus questioned.

"We _would_ be able to afford more if _somepony_ hadn't spent the last of our money on a year's subscription to PLAYCOLT and beer!" Flim shook a hoof at Flam. Shrugging, the older twin tossed his beer can into a garbage basket.

"At least we have _some _entertainment, brother. Can't you at least be grateful?" Flam asked, putting on the hat he and Flim used to help con ponies with. Ignoring them, Discord snapped his eagle talons, making Twilight and Spike appear at the table.

"I bet you're wondering how these two got here," Discord began. "It all started a few months ago. Fluttershy was, as usual, showing me how great it was to offer her home to others when they didn't have one or if they were sick or injured. I was taking a nice Sunday stroll through Las Pegasus when I happened upon the Flunk Fail brothers trying to start up another con. Unfortunately, Las Pegasus ponies are so used to cons that they failed relatively quickly. So what did I do? Instead of just making them my entertainment puppets for the day, I offered them a place to stay until they got real jobs and got back on their hooves."

"And how long ago was this?" Spike asked, taking his own tea cup and slurping some of it.

"Two months starting tomorrow," Discord poured Fluttershy a fresh cup. "Two lumps, correct Fluttershy?" He questioned.

"Please," she smiled. "It's so kind of you to offer somepony a place to stay during their downtimes," she complemented her friend. Discord pulled out a ball peen hammer, smacked his head a few times until a pair of lumps formed and rolled off the side of his head into Fluttershy's tea.

"Even if the place is pretty creepy," Twilight agreed.

"How else do you think we're going to keep others from taking our stuff?" Flim demanded, still giving his twin the evil eye.

"Stuff?" Spike looked around to see only a pair of cots, a sink, a door leading to presumably a bathroom, a stack of magazines and the wastebasket full of empty beer cans. "I think you two could leave this place unlocked and it'd still look the same." Flim and Flam glared at the purple dragon.

"Anyway, what brings my friends to the Lucky 38?" Discord began to munch on his tea cup. "I conjured up a fake property plan so these two could live here, but I made it look haunted to keep the curious ones out. I guess I was no match for Twilight over here," he waved a Twilight pennant. Before one of the three could answer, Discord remembered something, "Oh, and before I forget. Send my congratulations to your 'Ivan' friend and Applejack for me," he pulled up a photo of the two kissing in Cougar's shack.

"How did you know about that?" Fluttershy asked, "I was going to send you a letter about it, but with the travel planning it slipped my mind," she blushed. Discord laughed, patting Fluttershy's mane kindly.

"Oh Fluttershy, I thought you knew me better than that." With another snap of his eagle talons, Discord appeared as a tiny fly on the end of Twilight's nose, almost drawing a sneeze from the pony. "It's amazing how little everypony notices you when you're a teeny little fly," he crawled up in between Twilight's eyes where the alicorn flicked him off with her hoof.

"You spied on them when they confessed? That's a huge invasion-" Discord's magic made Twilight's mouth zip up with a zipper.

"Well, I was bored. What do you expect me to do? Moon Cheeks and Sunny Butt were there too, so why am I the one being outed here?" Discord appeared in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs while Spike and Twilight were wearing blue police pony uniforms.

"Celestia and Luna helped them get together; they didn't watch just because they were bored," Spike spoke for Twilight as she unzipped her mouth.

"Oh, he was just curious," Fluttershy placed her hoof on Discord's lion paw. "Besides, as long as he didn't do anything to them..." Fluttershy gave Discord a stern look. A golden halo appeared above his horns along with an innocent smile. "Good boy," she smiled.

"Hold on here!" Flam cut in. "Did you say that your friend, who for all intents and purposes bankrupted us, is dating that human friend of yours?" he asked.

"Hmm, there's nothing blocking the ear canal," Discord stuck an otoscope into Flam's ear canal. "Perhaps you're slower than I thought. Now before this gets out of hoof and we're at each other's throats over the issue, how about I treat us to a late lunch at the Prance hotel?"

**End Chapter 38**

* * *

_So, we find out that Discord's been bunking the Flim Flam brothers in the Lucky 38 until they get back on their hooves. Since they're con ponies, I don't think that'll happen overnight. And before anyone points out that they could just turn it into a real __casino, they don't have the proper licenses to do that._

_NEXT TIME: Lullaby faces Button Mash to determine who is the grand champion of Gallopa! Pinkie Pie and Surprise celebrate the latter's casino winnings by visiting Colta-Cola world, Ivan talks to Applejack about how Applebloom views him as a big brother and Wave Chill and Silver Lining have a drink with Rapidfire before the airshow. _

_PLUS: Here's a little sneak peek at one line of AJ dialog:_

_Applejack: Ivan, Ah am SORELY disappointed in ya. Ya KNOW better than ta do this._


	40. Chapter 39: Happy Freakin' New Year

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 39: Happy Freakin' New Year**

_FIRST OFF, CONGRATULATIONS TO NUKEM99 ON BEING THE STORY'S 400TH REVIEW. _

_So, here we are one year later. The fact that more than a year has passed since I published the first chapter seems almost surreal to me. Just one year ago, I'd watched every episode of the show, but I still didn't really know that much about it. I fell in love with the show back in London in July of last year, but my appreciation for the show grew and grew to the point where I had to publish a story. I can tell you, every single one of you that in terms of Fanfiction writing, the past year has been the biggest blast I've ever had on this site. I've never worked on a story for more than a year, but I am glad it is this one. _

_From its inception, I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd ever have a successful story. I understand it's not as successful as numerous others, but in terms of what I've written before, holy shit. What started out as nothing more than a simple story about a human in Equestria helped me to get further involved with the show. I _

_The biggest thing I can take away from this isn't the number of reviews of I have or the favorites or follows. It's the friendships I've made with fellow authors and the privilege of discovering stories far beyond the qualities of this one. I just want to say thank you to each and every one of you who made this story possible. While I care more for the quality of fans (ones that help me when I'm stuck with writer's block or point out mistakes that I can fix) over quantity, the amount of people giving me feedback is the main __reason for why I continue to strive to bring you the best story I possibly can. _

_The memories I've made over the past year not only writing the story, but just talking with other authors about it and MLP in general are ones I'll always treasure. _

_What started out as a story to help me explore more themes for the show has exploded into something so much more. It's helped me to connect with an audience better than any story I have ever written and it's also helped me realize that I may want to write for a TV show one day. _

_I don't plan to still be working on the story at the two year mark, but we still have quite a ways to go before the story reaches the finale. _

_Once more, a HUGE Thank you to everyone who has stuck by this story for so long and thank you to the more recent fans. You guys are the best and I just can't thank you enough for the support. _

_We're past the 400th review mark, now let's get to 500!_

**_ALSO. Please take note that since this is the one year anniversary, at the end of the chapter I have rounded up over twenty pieces of unreleased trivia for the story. I only wish for everyone to read them before reviewing to tell me what you think. Some pieces would have been HUGE game changers for the story. _**

**_This chapter is dedicated to all of the friends I've made on the site since joining the Brony fandom. This is the absolute best fandom I've been apart of since joining the Jeff Gordon fandom in 1998._**

**Episode Ratings! (Since this Author's note is long enough, I shall just give the rating for the past two episodes)**

**Crusaders of the Lost Mark: Platinum**

**The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows: Platinum**

**OBSERVER01: **_Obviously Etherea needs a hoofslap, but one can at least understand her motives. And don't worry, she's not a one scene character..._

**Dixie Darlin:** _I don't say this often, but one of my favorite episodes is Sisterhooves Social. It's great to see Rarity take a break from dressmaking and acting all proper so she can spend quality time with Sweetie Belle. Sleepless in Ponyville is also a great one near the end where she partakes in a race with Sweetie Belle. The foursome suggestion was not my idea, just saying. But we don't know Bon Bon's answer yet...If you want a Feather Duster episode, you can contact Sassymouse; she's got a ton of great ideas for her. _

**Sassymouse:** _Just barely Rarity and Spike stuff. Mainly Sweetie Belle seeing teeny hints that Rarity feels she's making a mistake. I figured the cliffhanger would help people realize that I'm not going to write Ivan and AJ's relationship as a perfect one where nothing goes wrong. How boring __would that be? And I'm glad you got the Fly on the wall joke, too bad no one else noticed it. I hope you write Feather Duster like that or else I'll feel like I'm making her OOC :P You know an epic author? Can I meet them?_

**SkullCrusher550:** _Thank you; I hope you enjoy what I have in store_

**theflammablefiredragon:** _Discord's just being Discord. I still honestly can't believe the positive reception he's gotten from my writings. He's so complex and intriguing that I see how hard it can be to write him. _

**chaos stripe: **_Scootaloo can be conniving when she wants. _

**Srey:** _We've already had loads of emotionally romantic and emotionally sad chapters that it was time to have a more comedic touch to get everybody cooled down before we get an action chapter. I guess you could say Discord and the Flim Flam bros had cameos. I wanted to put in Flim and Flam at some point without trying to hatch a new scheme, and Fallout fans wanted a Lucky 38 reference, so I mashed them together. Actually, until I read your review, I did NOT realize that Feather Duster's planning was akin to Yzma's planning from The Emperor's New Groove, nice spot! I'll give more of a brief snippet of the episode later on in the author's note. _

**StacheKing:** _Feather Duster's just a lazy mare trying to accomplish something. She's a little klutzy. As for the 400th review, I __understand that you want someone else to have it, but in all honesty, you and just a select few were ones I was hoping to be it. However, that doesn't mean I can't thank you, Nukem999 and Srey for being more critical than fans. And that does NOT take away from any of my fans at all. I cherish every review I get it (with the exception of flames) and seeing how much someone enjoyed a chapter makes me feel happy, but thanks to more critical reviews like the ones you, Srey and Nukem999 have given me, they've helped me to be a better writer, and that's something that can't be appreciated enough. _

**KillerWoW:** _I shan't forget Pinkie!_

**Nukem999:** _Thank you for being the 400th review my good friend! Of course the main genre is drama, but I do like to mix it up a bit to help keep readers entertained. _

**SquirtlePWN:** _Thank you Squirtle. We have a lot more to come, so stick around!_

_One final note, yes the next chapter IS the Nightmare episode from Season 5. The first time I watched it, I knew right away it HAD to go into Fallen Eagle, especially now that I've given Luna a special somepony to make the episode a little more interesting. _

* * *

**(With Pinkie Pie)**

The element of laughter had not yet explored the wonders that her specific destination had to offer. That, of course, didn't mean she was going to blow it off. As much as Pinkie Pie wanted to visit this place, she knew that if she waited longer, it would feel that much more special. And by that, she was so full of excitement that even the largest candy store in Equestria couldn't keep her occupied. "Okay," Pinkie exited the candy store with frosting, chocolate and crumbs coating her face. "Now onto the granddaddy of them all," she checked off a checkmark on a list, circling the final item on the list. Licking all of the candy residue from her face, Pinkie tucked the list into her mane, looking across the street to the conclusion of her travel day, the one place she's always wanted to visit.

"Hey, watch it!" A taxi carriage pony scolded her as she darted across the busy street traffic. She didn't even wait for a traffic signal; Pinkie couldn't wait any longer. Like a hound dog that had a strong scent infiltrating its nostrils, Pinkie knew precisely where she was going, zeroing in on her target. She didn't even notice the street traffic at all whilst crossing the road. Nothing would get in the way of obtaining her goal. She hopped to and fro, bouncing around, a little higher each time as the words _Colta-Cola World_ written in cursive grew closer and closer.

"OOF!" Perhaps a little too close. Pinkie face planted the red and white sign, sticking to it like superglue. When she pulled her head away and shook it to get the stars out of her eyesight, she almost felt like crying. Her tongue fell out of her mouth and licked the sign, imagining the taste of fresh Colta-Cola right from the main tourist attraction. "No," she sucked the salty droplets back into her tear ducts. "No crying, Pinkie Pie," her cheek nuzzled the red sign affectionately, "in moments like this, you must remain strong!" The party pony then felt her body slipping from the sign, "Uh oh," was all she could say before she detached and fell to the ground below.

"Are you okay, miss?" A passerby stopped to assist Pinkie. The energetic mare hopped right to her hooves as if nothing had happened, even if her vision was once again clouded by stars. "I...guess...so," the pony uncomfortably walked away while Pinkie hopped up and down as if the sidewalk were a trampoline.

"I can't believe it!" Pinkie grinned. "The one place in Equestria dedicated to my favorite soda, at last I get to pay my respects," she softly put her hoof on the door, pushing it in slowly. "Good thing I haven't had a drink today," she smacked her dry lips and stuck out her parched tongue. Continuing to push the door forward, Pinkie Pie entered one of the biggest places she'd dreamed of visiting and nearly fainted.

The first thing she came upon was a giant fountain bottle spewing out Colta-Cola into a pool below. Numerous ponies surrounded the pool with sample cups, dipping them into the cola and savoring the flavor that washed into their mouths. Tongue panting, Pinkie rubbed her hooves together as drool began to drip out her now moist mouth. She galloped towards the table where she could get a sample cup, yet something else caught her eye. A soda bar serving every different flavor from classic Colta-Cola up to cherry Colta-Cola was placed near the back of the building with about thirty barstools placed in front of the bar. Pondering whether or not there was a soda drinking contest, Pinkie jerked her head around to see a video playing from a projector about the history of the soda. "Hey, could you please move it?" A Unicorn pushed her way past Pinkie Pie; the party pony didn't care.

All of the sights, sounds, smells and tastes she imagined flipped Pinkie's excitement meter up to the max. She felt like bursting out and singing a song, but she clamped her hooves down onto her muzzle before anything could happen. "Just calm down, Pinkie," she advised herself, "you've trained for years for a moment like this," she took several deep breaths like Cadence taught Twilight, helping her relax. "GIFT SHOP!" She suddenly exclaimed after opening her eyes on a different part of the building. Rushing over so fast that she left a dust image of herself floating in the air, Pinkie shook with glee at all of the glass bottles, mugs, travel mugs, lunch boxes, ball caps, T-Shirts, jackets, commemorative plates and puzzles that lined the shelves. "So many things to choose, so little luggage space!" she popped in and around different items, scanning for the perfect souvenir to bring home.

"Can I help you?" an employee approached Pinkie from behind. The worker then found himself within the grasp of Pinkie Pie's hooves, being shaken like a rag doll. "Ma'am, what are you doing?!"

"How do you live with yourself?! Putting up so many colorful collectibles, it's enough to drive a pony mad from having to choose!" Pinkie released the stallion, hyperventilating. Without warning, Pinkie suddenly grabbed numerous amounts of anything she could fit in her forelegs, dropping them onto the counter. "I'll take six of these, eight of those, three of that, twelve of these, twenty-three of those," the salespony completely lost track of how many items per product Pinkie was picking out. She was zooming around the shop so fast that she could rival one of his favorite superheroes, Fillysecond. "And two hundred mini cans; they're so adorable!" Pinkie slowed to a stop in front of the counter, counting off everything she had selected.

"Uh, miss, are you 100% _certain_ you wish to purchase all of these?" the salespony asked, not even grabbing his price gun.

"Of course I'm 100% certain! I'm the customer aren't I? And isn't the customer always right?" Pinkie pushed her face into the salespony's and braced her hooves on top of the counter. Gulping, the stallion scanned all of Pinkie's items about as fast as Rainbow Dash clearing the clouds in Ponyville. "I got my own system for this," Pinkie bragged, "buy your souvenirs first; then you have time to soak in the sights without forgetting everything. Oooh, I can't wait to show my twinzie what I got. I did grab a picture frame right?" Pinkie asked, checking through one of the countless bags.

"Yes, seventeen as a matter of fact," the ever growing annoyed salespony replied with an eye roll. He was consistently a nice, hard working pony and could easily deal with awestruck tourists, but Pinkie Pie was of an entirely different breed. He didn't mind selling her dozens upon dozens of souvenirs and trinkets to help make money for the store, but her enthusiasm and near endless chatter was grating against his brain.

"_Perfect_!" She beamed, "Oh boy I can't wait to fill these up with pictures of me and my best friend, Surprise!" Pinkie thought cheerfully, "She's a Wonderbolt you know," the mare added, playfully jabbing her elbow into the cashier's side.

"I am well aware," the Unicorn replied, scanning the last can of Colta-Cola as the final price appeared on his register. "I'm going to have to ask you again, ma'am," he began before Pinkie corrected him.

"Aw, just call me Pinkie Pie; I don't like all this 'ma'am' business unless I'm in charge of running Sugar Cube Corner. Have you been to Ponyville? Because that's where Sugar Cube Corner is and it has the _best_ goodies in all of Equestria," Pinkie started to ramble, giving the poor stallion behind the counter a headache. "And when _I'm_ not in charge, don't worry I work and live there anyway, Mr. and Mrs. Cake run it-" Pinkie stopped rambling on when a thought hit her. "Wait, what was your question, sir?" She asked politely. Slapping his hooves against his face, the stallion yanked down on his face until his bottom eyelids sagged.

"Are you _100%_ sure you wish to purchase all of this?" He asked, his patience about as thin as fishing line. Chuckling, Pinkie playfully patted his cheeks, only increasing his rage.

"You silly, I'm completely positive. Nothing could make me not want all of this cool, collectible stuff that'll totally help make my room back home the coolest room in Equestria!" She bragged again, this time displaying her classic big goofy smile. Just to make her go away, the stallion was happy enough to burst her bubble and tapped the cash register display.

"Well, then, you owe Colta-Cola world thirteen thousand eight hundred seventy-two bits," he grinned, removing his hoof from the register display. Pinkie's face was stuck with her huge, toothy smile and wide eyes. She couldn't move as her sugar charged brain over and over again processed the amount of bits both the employee and the register had given her. "Miss?" the employee clapped his hooves in front of her face. Without warning, the pink pony face planted the counter, only to slowly bring her head back up eye level with the stallion. Her grin was still sculpted into her face, but it was slowly morphing into something else.

"Ehhh," Pinkie cocked her head to the side, squinting her right eye and pouting her lips, "on second thought, maybe I'll_ think_ about it. Just keep my stuff off to the side would you?" She requested. "Don't go away," she added. The salespony couldn't get another word in as Pinkie hopped away, looking to explore the rest of the attraction. _'She's not coming back_,' the stallion looked at the mountain of knick-knacks that Pinkie left for him. "Hmm, what to do now?" Pinkie continued hopping her way through Colta-Cola world. Everything seemed so exciting, intriguing and memorable that picking _where_ to start seemed impossible.

_"Colta-Cola was originally invented over 100 years ago,"_ Pinkie heard the narration from a Colta-Cola documentary as she bounced her way around the building. The pink mare came to a screeching halt and zoomed her way over to where a few fillies and colts were standing with their parents. She collapsed onto her flank, copying what the smaller ponies were doing and bit her lip in anticipation. _"And today of course, it is nothing short of one of the most delicious inventions to ponykind, selling more than five million bottles annually all across Equestria."_

"Aww, must've missed the beginning," the party pony said dejectedly.

"_Now, in appreciation for being loyal customers for so many years, you may now receive your free samples courtesy of-" _the narration continued while the other ponies in attendance grinned at the thought of free soda. Pinkie Pie spun around and let out her trademark gasp. Her jaw hit the floor and her irises grew to the size of pancakes, glistening like finely polished crystal.

"CLINKY THE COLTA-COLA BOTTLE!" Pinkie screeched excitedly at a pony wearing a glass bottle costume, holding free mini cans of the soda. Colts and fillies swarmed the mascot while Pinkie Pie dug a small book out of her mane and a pen. "I didn't expect this, but I'm definitely getting his autograph!" She said cheerfully to a random pony next to her. "Right between two of my friends: Minuette and Colgate," she explained, staring at the empty space that would be filled with Clinky's autograph. "HEY!" she noticed something peculiar about the two autographs on the page. Rolling their eyes, the other pony took advantage of a distracted Pinkie Pie and swiped her free sample.

"Would you like a picture, ma'am?" the stallion inside the costume asked.

"Maybe my autograph book is broken?" Pinkie darted her eyes in between the two names. The mare shook her head and looked up to see the cheery mascot of her favorite drink waiting for her. She could hardly believe it. Having looked up to Clinky since she was a party filly, getting to meet him in Las Pegasus would be a dream come true. With an ever expanding smile, Pinkie zoomed over, forelegs outstretched, ready to tackle-hug the bottle when her left ear twitched.

"Uh, is everything okay, ma'am?" the mascot questioned when she skidded to a stop right in front of him. Pinkie held a hoof in the air, telling him to keep quiet. Like a bloodhound, she dropped her head to the ground and put her ear on the floor rather than her nose. "Okay, next!" the Clinky stallion motioned. Pinkie Pie scooted across the ground, getting the same sense she'd gotten a few hours earlier in the hotel casino.

"Hmm, could it be?" she questioned herself, moving in and around dozens of legs without bumping into any of them. The thrills, sounds and tastes of Colta-Cola world took a sudden back seat to Pinkie as she sensed something even more fun heading her way. Or some_pony_ as she found out after bumping into a mare.

"TWINZIE!" Surprise yelled when Pinkie walked into her legs.

"SURPRISE!" Pinkie Pie hopped up from the ground and bear hugged her Pegasus clone. They both squealed in delight at being together once again, garnering quite a bit of attention from the other attendants.

"Wow, it's been like forever since I've seen you!" Surprise pet Pinkie's poofy mane.

"I _know_! It's already been like three hours!" Pinkie agreed.

"Felt like four honestly, especially with the big news I have!" the white Pegasus was prepared to show Pinkie a smaller version of the check from the slot machine she'd won, planning on throwing the biggest bash after the air show that night. Throwing a massive party, on the name night as a New Year's Eve air show with Pinkie Pie as her co-host? Surprise couldn't fathom a better way to end an old year and begin anew.

"You won fifty thousand bits from an old Wonderbolts slot machine back at our hotel after Misty Fly specifically told you to quit while you were ahead and it got you _sooooo_ angry that you hit the lever on the slot machine and it gave you the big jackpot that you're now gonna use to throw a New Year's party after the air show?!" Pinkie began to take deep, long breaths after spouting off her long winded guess. Surprise blinked in amazement from a few different things really, but mainly from Pinkie's guess.

"Wow, when you're on the receiving end on that, it feels like you were just quoted every Daring Do novel ever written with no breaks!" the yellow maned pony held her head, remembering all of the times at the Academy that she'd done that to her friends.

"Eh, just call it my seventh sense," Pinkie breathed onto her hoof and shined it on her chest. "But, FIFTY THOUSAND BITS! You've struck gold, Twinzie!" She congratulated by hugging Surprise once again.

"And it looks like _you_ were already in the right place! But don't tell me you've seen everything already," Surprise feared, "I wanted to explore Colta-Cola world with the coolest and funnest mare in Equestria."

"Hmm, I think Rainbow Dash was wanting to spend time with Soarin," Pinkie rubbed her chin. When Surprise looked confused, Pinkie laughed and patted her shoulder. "Gotcha!" She giggled. "And don't you worry, sister; I just barely got here in time to nearly get scammed by the outrageous souvenir prices. Other than that, I was hoping I could challenge you to a soda drinking contest back at the soda bar," Pinkie pointe her hoof towards the back of the giant room. "They've got every Colta-Cola flavor and every flavor of other soda made by the company." The Wonderbolt smirked, chuckling at Pinkie and wiped a tear from her eye.

"I'll have you know I was the soda binging champion in eighth grade!" Surprise instilled a sense of competition within her friend.

"Well, I drank a whole barrel of soda to put out a fire in my mouth. All in eight seconds," the two look-alikes narrowed their eyes like ponies in a Western film. They both realized that with those words, there was but one thing they could do. "You may be my twin and may have won fifty-thousand bits," Pinkie added, moving closer to Surprise.

"But there's only gonna be one way to see just who's the _real_ soda fan among us," Surprise concluded, bumping her nose against Pinkie's.

"Do you girls want Clinky's autograph at all before he goes on break?" another employee questioned. The two mares narrowed their eyes even more, breaking apart their faces and ignored the employee's inquiry. Glancing over toward the soda bar which was only occupied by three other ponies, Pinkie Pie and Surprise kicked off their venture to determine who could handle their soda better.

"Any rules?" Surprise asked Pinkie, seeing how the latter was the one who had suggested the idea. They had chosen the two most centered stools at the bar, perfect so the barkeep could refill their drinks almost immediately.

"First one to collapse loses," Pinkie explained as two 64 ounce mugs of Colta-Cola cherry found their way to the duo. "Oh, and I hope you have a strong bladder," she added with a wink.

"Pssh," Surprise snickered, "if I can hold it in during an entire air show without stopping, I think this should be cake," she winked.

"Don't try and distract me with thoughts of cake!" Pinkie slipped her hoof through the handle of the mug, ready for action. Surprise repeated the same motions, bringing her mug up close to her mouth and waited for Pinkie's command. "Barkeep, you might not want to move," Pinkie advised the mare behind the bar.

"But my break is in five minutes," the mare responded, "and you're not my boss," she added.

"GO!" Pinkie Pie shouted, completely ignoring the barkeep's explanation. Both ponies instantly slammed their mugs against their muzzles, guzzling down the cherry flavored soda without stopping to breathe. A few streams of the drink escaped their mouths and spilled down their necks, but they got the majority of the soda down. The only thing left to do was to keep drinking as much as their stomachs and bladders would allow.

**BUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRP**

Both mares let out dragon sized belches, wiping their mouths clean of residual liquid before thrusting their mugs back toward the mare running the soda bar. "You're looking a little full there, Pinkie," Surprise cocked an eyebrow.

"I may be in shape, but my tummy can handle any amount of food or drink at once," Pinkie swore as their mugs were refilled.

***Twelve drinks later***

Word of the contest quickly spread through the building, drawing a huge crowd to watch. Another barkeep had taken the spot of refilling the mugs as extra bags of soda syrup were placed near dispenser for quick refills. "Do you have any plans for your winnings?" Pinkie and Surprise still held normal conversations during their game so it wouldn't get too competitive. Although, after so many ounces of soda, their words were starting slur a bit from the amount of grogginess their bodies were expelling.

"A New Year's party to end all New Year's parties!" Surprise slammed her mug down onto the bar top. "I'll rent out the entertainment room at our hotel and invite The Blue Stallion Group to entertain us!"

"Didn't Soarin already rent it out?" Pinkie questioned. Surprise let out another belch before replying.

"Oh, details! Besides, I think he's gonna try and bed Rainbow finally, so what does he care what goes on in the entertainment room?" She asked, demanding another refill. Pinkie wanted to contradict that explanation due to the estrus, but she was still determined to outdrink her twin, no matter what she had to do.

***Thirty-two drinks later***

"You know my friend, _hic_, Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie now had a case of the hiccups and burps. Her face was starting to turn a shade of green and she was starting to feel sleepy and icky at the same time.

"The one that lives in a cottage, or the one that's the dressmaker?" Surprise's vision was starting to cloud up; she was almost positive that her blood was slowly morphing into cherry Colta-Cola.

"The cottage lover that lives in an animal," Pinkie explained, still sipping the remnants of her next drink. "Oh, wait, switch those around," she corrected herself.

"What about her?" Surprise braced her foreleg on the bar top to keep from collapsing.

"I think she and _Big Mac_," Pinkie slurred in a whisper, "would make a cute pairing."

"You mean Cougar's marefriend's big bro?" Surprise snapped her head around, only to slap her mouth with her hoof to keep from barfing. Normal Colta-Cola wouldn't have this effect on them, but the extra sweetness from the cherry flavoring was taking its toll on the two.

"That's the one, Surprise," Pinkie chuckled. "They're both kinda shy, and they like to sing with each other in the Pony Tones," she explained.

"What about his current marefriend?" Surprise questioned, rocking back and forth in her stool.

"Oh yeah, must be the soda making me all loopy!" Pinkie laughed at her reflection in her mug. "What would be a stranger couple, do you think?" She tapped Surprise on the shoulder.

"Rarity and Applejack!" Surprise exclaimed as the effects of the soda were really beginning to hammer down on her. Both mares looked at each other before bursting into laughter, cackling like hyenas on speed.

"Y-you're funny, Surprise!" Pinkie slammed her hoof on the bar multiple times. "Even in an alternate universe where every straight pony was interested in the same gender and vice versa, what in Equestria would they even _talk_ about?!"

"I think we should cut them off sir," the gift shop employee said worriedly to his superior. "They've drank nearly a combined six week supply!" he complained.

"Hmm, not yet," the manager didn't care about the current conversation. He had a bet against the assistant manager that Pinkie would win; he didn't want to call it off and lose.

***The 92nd drink***

"I think I can taste SOUND!" Surprise whined. Both Surprise and Pinkie Pie's bellies had swollen to the size of boulders. The stools had long since snapped around their 56th drinks.

"You think that's bad, I can hear _colors_!" Pinkie held her ears shut. Being in a room full of ponies consisting of every color imaginable was becoming quite painful.

"Okay, we're done here!" The _owner_ of Colta-Cola World stepped forth. "This was intriguing at first, but half a year's supply has been consumed by TWO MARES!" She snapped at the manager. "And I do believe they may require medical attention!" She added.

"Fine, I'll make them stop. And I thought I was close to winning too," he replied, trotting behind the bar and confiscated the mugs from the mares. "Sorry ladies, but you're both cut off," he apologized. "We're starting to lose money, but you may each take a free Colta-Cola hat," he tossed them a pair of red caps.

"After over ninety drinks, all we get are achey tummies and hats?" Pinkie's face was about lime green by now. Surprise's was no better; she had began to convulse a little from the massive amount of sugar she had consumed.

"TOTALLY WORTH IT!" The duo high-hoofed, putting the caps on. The two stood up from the ground, waddling as they attempted to walk out of the store.

"Are you two certain you don't need to go to the hospital?" The owner worriedly asked the two not because she was concerned for their health, but because she was afraid of a lawsuit.

"We're big girls, missy," Surprise tried to jab the owner in the side, but she couldn't feel her foreleg for some reason. "We don't need no stinkin' doctors!" she added, lightly shoving Pinkie Pie. This playful shove, however, proved disastrous as Pinkie fell over onto her side and began to roll like a watermelon. "RUNAWAY TWINZIE!" Surprise attempted to fly after her clone, but her added weight barely lifted her off the ground, so she settled for 'running.'

"Oh no, somepony make the room stop spinning!" Pinkie snapped her eyes shut so she wouldn't get motion sickness.

"Come back, Pinkie!" Surprise begged, "And could you slow down, please? I can't keep up like I used to!" A few workers tried to get in front of Pinkie to slow her down, but she was rolling too fast and was far too heavy for regular ponies.

"Uh-oh, move outta the way!" Pinkie cracked an eye open to see numerous guests and workers standing in her path. "Sorry! Excuse me! I can't steer!" She exclaimed after running over a few patrons. "Who's driving this crazy thing!?" She cried out before slamming into the giant Colta-Cola fountain which finally stopped her.

"About time," Surprise wheezed and huffed. "You shouldn't run off like that Pinkie; you had me worried!" She scolded her twin, trying to help her to her hooves. "At least you got a strike," she joked.

"Ugh, I'm never drinking soda again," Pinkie burped again.

_Crrrrrraaaaacccccckkkkk_

The two mares looked up in horror to see the fountain cracking from where Pinkie had ran into it. "SHUT OFF THE SUPPLY!" The manager yelled before it was too late.

"EVERYPONY OUT!" The assistant manager ordered as the crack grew larger. Surprise desperately tried to get Pinkie off the ground so they could run to safety, yet Pinkie was stuck on her back, and pushing her over wasn't easy.

"Come on, Pinkie, we've gotta move!" Surprise flapped her wings fervently, doing whatever she could to move Pinkie.

"I'm trying, don't rush me!" the party pony snapped. "Oh, sweet karma," Pinkie's irises shrank as the entire bottle cracked, leaving thousands of gallons of Colta-Cola raining down upon them before an ocean of it poured out.

* * *

**(With Lullaby)**

"Wow," the dark purple mare said astonishingly. "How come I've never heard of this place?" She questioned rhetorically as she trotted around an arcade. Yet, this was no ordinary arcade; this was _the_ arcade set up specifically for fans of retro gaming with games such as Super Mareio Sisters, Pac Mare and Coltra. "Okay, I'm kind of happy now that Fluttershy ditched me," Lullaby fought to contain bursting out into gleeful tears at the beautiful sight. The games weren't the only reason the Wonderbolt was happy; she had foalsat plenty of colts and fillies in her day and had acquired a soft spot for them. Witnessing happy ponies playing video games was one of Lullaby's favorite sights.

"Look mommy, I won sixteen tickets!" A colt waved the red strands of paper.

"Then let's go pick out a prize, sweetie!" The colt's mother hugged him and walked him over to the ticket counter. Contrary to a popular belief that all arcade gamers are in it for ticket prizes, Lullaby didn't care about winning anything other than a high score. Usually she'd give her tickets to a little kid so they could trade them for a prize at the counter. Still, seeing happy colts and fillies brought a smile to her face.

"Oh, what to do first?" Lullaby deliberated. She patted a small bag of bits she carried under her wing when she wasn't at the Academy or at an air show. At the moment, she knew not if she was supposed to trade in her bits for tokens. Yet, she put that aside, wandering around the gaming paradise and checking out every possible game. "Maybe I should talk to Soarin about getting a few arcade games in the break room," she added, darting her head back and forth at the games lining the walls. "Nah; I'd probably get too distracted and miss practice."

The mare then felt a tapping at her rear leg, causing her to come to a stop and look behind at what was touching her. "E-excuse me, miss?" A little colt, only about four or five years old and wearing a Wonderbolts T-shirt asked timidly. "I-I'm sorry to bother you," he apologized. Smiling, Lullaby turned around completely and knelt down to the colt's level.

"What can I do for you, sweetie?" She asked kindly. The poor little guy's nervousness seemed to only grow as what appeared to be his mother appeared, sighing in relief.

"Honey, you _can't_ just run off like that! Especially in a crowded place such as this," the mare picked up the colt, nuzzling him in her foreleg. "I'm sorry ma'am; he saw you and started exclaiming that you were a Wonderbolt and wanted to meet you," she explained, still cradling her Earth Pony colt. Chuckling, Lullaby stood up on all fours and waved her hoof.

"Oh, it's no trouble, ma'am. Not a lot of ponies recognize _me_ as a Wonderbolt yet. I'm still a rookie," she said. "Did your son want an autograph?" She asked, looking at the colt and made a funny face for him. The little colt nodded, pointing to his T-shirt near the Wonderbolt's logo.

"If it's not a problem; I don't like bothering other ponies in public like this," the mare held out a black permanent marker, trying her best to smile, but ended up looking embarrassed for looking like she was annoying Lullaby. The Wonderbolt quickly grabbed a permanent marker from the colt's mother and scribbled her name plus a few musical notes around her autograph for the colt.

"I don't see a problem with it at all," Lullaby grinned, patting the colt on the head. "There you go little buddy," she tickled her hoof under his chin. Looking down, the Earth Pony smiled, ready to burst with excitement before thrusting his forelegs around Lullaby's neck.

"Thank you, miss Lullaby!" He exclaimed happily, "You're my favorite Wonderbolt!" he added. The rookie 'Bolt had to do a double take. _She_ was just barely in her freshman year of being in among the best of the best Pegasi, yet she already had a rather large fan? The flight demo team hadn't even performed an air show in nearly a year!

"Um, thanks?" the filly and colt loving mare replied, puzzled. Luckily, the colt's mom was there for another explanation.

"Ever since we received the team's new lineup from the Wonderbolt magazine, he's just been so fascinated with you," she explained. "I guess since he's just a little guy he picked a rookie Wonderbolt to look up to. And going off your bio, I think he made the right choice."

"Aw, thank you," Lullaby felt touched.

"And I also think he has the teeniest crush on you," the mother teased.

"MOM!" The colt blushed, releasing his grip from Lullaby's leg. Lullaby couldn't help but giggle and feel honored. "I just thinks she's pretty!" he humphed, hiding his face from the Wonderbolt.

"That's so sweet of you," Lullaby played along. "I hope you two are free tonight; we're having our New Year's air show at the Maredalay Bay hotel around midnight," she acknowledged. As if the embarrassment was sucked out with a vacuum, the colt perked right up and put on a begging face for his mom.

"Hmm, you don't have school tomorrow," she tapped her chin. "Is the show affordable? Sometimes your ticket prices are a little steep," the Earth Pony mother seethed, trying to not offend Lullaby.

"Our newest captain made sure that because it's our first show in a long time, the average ticket price is only twenty bits a pop. VIP is seventy-five bits," Lullaby replied.

"Then I do believe we have something to look forward to tonight," the mare nuzzled her son's nose with her own. "We'll hopefully catch a good glimpse of you tonight, Ms. Lullaby."

"Bye!" the colt waved goodbye to Pegasus as his mom escorted him out of the arcade. Lullaby waved back, having a special feeling that she already had a fan so early in her career.

"It's so good to see high status ponies that don't have swollen egos," a stallion remarked next to Lullaby. She wasn't as caught off guard as last time, but her heart rate increased slightly. "I didn't really expect to see a Wonderbolt in an arcade," a brown Unicorn grinned out of the corner of his mouth. "Unless you scheduled an autograph session and our manager didn't tell us?"

"No sir," the purple mare shook her head. "I was just seeing what all the hubbub was about Las Pegasus and came across this place. I'm a sucker for classic games," she explained.

"Ah," the stallion nodded, "well then, are there any particular games you're interested in playing? We have a change machine right here that converts your bits into tokens," he tapped the side of machine where a few ponies were receiving said tokens.

"Well, I've seen a few of my favorites from when I was filly," Lullaby began, moving over and digging out her bag of bits from her wing, "you know, Super Mareio Sisters, Pac-Mare, and Coltra, those kinds."

"Any idea which one you'll play first?" The employee asked.

"It's gonna be a tossup, but I guess I'll leave it to fate," Lullaby grinned, jingling her new tokens in her hoof. She turned around to scope out the aisle of games again before seeing a most beautiful sight.

_Clink, clink, clink_

Her tokens clattered to the linoleum floor, rolling around yet staying right in front of Lullaby. Eyes widened, jaw dropped, breathing labored and shuddering, Lullaby felt like she had been conked on the head and was having a dream sequence like in many books she'd read. "Uh, Ms. Lullaby?" the employee gently tapped her side, hoping to get a response out of her.

"I-I thought I'd _never_ see this again," Lullaby subconsciously picked up her tokens with her wing, setting them gently on her back and gradually made her way over to her new destination. Cocking an eyebrow, the Unicorn looked up at the game Lullaby was referring to and cracked a small smile.

"Yep, our owner finally got enough money to renovate some old machines. Customers retro and modern just love it," he bragged. Not hearing this, the purple Wonderbolt continued marching on until she arrived in front of just one of six games, stopping at the one in the center. The cabinet was sleek, as black as the long-retired Captain Nighthawk's fur with beautiful hoof-painted imagery of Celestia clad in golden battle armor and Luna clad in silver battle armor adorned the sides. Above the screen in silver and gold cursive lettering was the words: _Gallopa. _The theme music she'd cherished from her foalhood played over the demo mode of the game, only making her feel more euphoric from her memories.

"You know, wouldn't it be _cool_ if the all the characters in the arcade came to life after closing time?" Lullaby heard a couple of colts talking chatting as they walked on by the game cabinet. Grabbing a single token from her back with her wing, Lullaby gracefully traced it with her hoof before inserting it into the coin slot. The theme music played once again, only furthering the tingles in the tips of her hooves.

_STAGE 1_ in pixelated, blue letters appeared on the screen with an overhead view of Celestia flying over an enslaved Crystal Empire on the bottom of the screen. She moved the joystick around, testing how fluid the controls were to see if there were any challenges. The on-screen Celestia moved flawlessly, eliciting a determined grin from the Wonderbolt. Suddenly, a group of Sombra's guards appeared at the top of the screen, firing spears and arrows at the game Celestia. As if she were a computer, Lullaby moved her joystick in a very specific pattern, easily maneuvering around the projectiles without trying. The mare then nearly obliterated the fire button, punching it so many times until the guards were destroyed. _STAGE 1 CLEARED_ flashed across the screen. "Ah, Stage 1, could you be any more predictable?" Lullaby sighed happily.

"Geez, took you long enough to beat Stage 1," a cocky colt's voice interrupted Lullaby's relaxing moment. Throwing her concentration off temporarily, Lullaby checked behind her and found a small brown colt with orange eyes, a brown and tan colored mane and tail with a propellor beanie atop his head.

"Beg pardon, little buddy?" The Wonderbolt questioned as the colt trotted to the arcade machine next to her. "NOOOO!" She screamed when she heard the sound of her ship exploding multiple times. Snapping her head back around, she saw that all of her ships were gone with the words _GAME OVER_ flashing on the screen. The colt behind her started guffawing rather evilly.

"A _true_ gaming pony _never_ let's themselves get distracted," he bragged. Sliding a dejected hoof down the screen, the purple Pegasus slowly turned to face the colt once again. "I once went on a thirty-three hour binge of Gallopa without bathroom breaks. And there was also a lightning storm outside. My mom had to liquify my food so I could eat it through a straw," he added.

"I'm more of a game hobbyist than a gamer," Lullaby responded. "Sure I love video games, but not to _that_ extent."

"Pfft, it's because you don't have the guts to be the best," the Earth Pony scoffed.

"Have you ever thought of playing games for _fun_?" Lullaby squinted her eyes, trying to regain her patience skills from years of foalsitting. The colt laughed even harder before taking his beanie off his head to scratch his mane. "I've pretty much mastered the patterns on Gallopa and Pac-Mare, yet I've been able to keep the _fun_ in gaming, little colt," she finished with a sneer.

"First off lady, my name is Button Mash, not 'little colt,'" Button lightly slapped his hoof on the game cabinet he was standing in front of.

"Oh? Well, my name isn't 'lady,' it's Lullaby," the mare's strong patience was gradually beginning to diminish.

"Fine, whatever," Button Mash rolled his eyes, "second, I used to be as naive as you back when I was younger."

"You mean in your mother's womb?" Lullaby joked.

"HEY! Nopony talks about my mom like that!" Button jumped up and bopped her nose. The mare stood, stunned that a little colt had just scolded her rather than the other way around. She'd dealt with disobedient kids before, but none to this extreme.

"Woah, just calm down Button," Lullaby breathed in and out of her nose several times. "We're on the same team. Just a pair of gamers looking to waste a few hours in front of a screen," she attempted to smooth out the situation.

"But you _just_ said you were hobbyist, not a gamer, so we're _not _on the same team," Button called her out.

"We both enjoy video games; what does it matter?" Lullaby was completely lost on what to say or do with this stubborn little guy. "You know what? So what if you're a gamer and I'm just a hobbyist? I can guarantee that a hobbyist is just as a good as a 'true' gamer," she quoted with her hooves.

"Ha! That's like saying a Hoofball fan can play for their favorite team and take them to the Championships," Button scoffed, folding his forelegs over his chest. "But if you really think you're just as good as me, then we'll play Gallopa at the exact same time. And we'll just play the most simple way: Whoever can get to the furthest stage, no matter the score, wins," he offered.

"Little colt," Lullaby mocked, "I've had experience with this baby longer than you've been able to talk," the Wonderbolt lightly tapped the side of her game cabinet. Hearing the insult, Button Mash took off his beanie and shook it over his hoof, dropping out a bit.

"You're going _down_, old mare!" he taunted right back, shoving the bit into the Gallopa machine right next to Lullaby. Having never been called old before, Lullaby clenched her jaws and crammed her own bit into her machine, grasping the joystick in her hoof and hovering the other over the start/fire button. "We go at the same time, right?"

"layerteS gho, veqlargh ghaH tIv," was Button Mash's response before adding a cocky nod.

"Are you deranged or something?" Lullaby felt a little weirded out by his strange language. She couldn't ponder on it for long as simultaneously, their game cabinets chirped with the theme song and flashed _STAGE 1_ across their screens. Both ponies clicked and clacked their fire buttons, shooting off Celestia's beams of magic and blowing up the computer guards.

"See? Told you that you were slow," Button bragged as _STAGE 1 CLEARED _flashed across his screen before Lullaby's.

"It's not how you start, it's how you finish, brat," Lullaby replied as she received the same message on her game.

***45 minutes later***

"I think we have a Gallopa record in the making," one of several dozen spectators commented as he watched the battle before him. In less than an hour, both Lullaby and Button Mash had surpassed Stage 200, the highest stage that anypony in the game's history had reached, and had beaten it in the quickest time as well by twenty-seven minutes. A few employees had gotten word out to the city's newspaper who in return dispatched several photographers and two columnists to document what was happening.

"Complimentary Colta-Colas?" a few other workers offered to both gamers. They had stuck straws into the glass bottles so the risk of distraction would remain at a minimum. Lullaby quickly wrapped her lips around the red and white straw, sucking up the drink and cooling herself off while still smoothly maneuvering her joystick and pressing the fire button. Button Mash's mother had arrived and per the norm was waiting to get it over with since the arcade workers tended to his thirst.

"Maybe I underestimated you," Button Mash chatted with Lullaby, never blinking or taking his eyes off the screen, "but that doesn't mean I'm ready to throw in the towel."

"You have a lot to learn, kid," Lullaby replied as she reached the 205th stage of the game. At Stage 5, both ponies had received an upgrade and now had Celestia _and_ Luna to destroy Sombra's evil guards.

"_I _have a lot to learn? You're three stages behind me, toots," he teased. "I guess when I reach your age my reflexes will wither too."

"Good, good, let the arrogance flow through you," Lullaby encouraged, hoping to force him into a mistake. Despite the amount of skills both ponies possessed at Gallopa and how far they'd gotten, Lullaby only had two extra lives and Button Mash had one. That was the price he paid for immediately tackling the later stages of the game rather than using strategy to stay ahead.

"It's not bad if you can back it up," Button Mash's irises shrank as he tried to kick his concentration into high gear. With sweat pouring off his forehead and running down his face, Button Mash extended his lead on Lullaby to four stages with no end in sight. "You know, nopony knows what the highest stage is."

"I'm well aware. Some say the game crashes if you beat stage 250, but it keeps your high score," Lullaby ate up some of Button's lead, closing in by two stages.

"Guess I'll be the first pony in history to see if the legends are true," Button quickly stuck his tongue out of the side of his mouth. Seeing that another wave of evil guards was incoming, Button parked his Celestia/Luna combo at the bottom left of the screen so he could quickly study the pattern of the stage.

_BOOM!_

"WHAT? NO, NOOOOOO!" Button screamed as his 8-Bit Luna vanished after an 8-Bit guard hit her. "B-b-b-b-b-but how can the rules change now!?" He demanded. "That's totally cheap; I call redo!" He quickly manipulated his last Celestia across the bottom of the screen to avoid getting a GAME OVER.

"You can't get a redo in Gallopa," one onlooker sneered.

"But the enemies NEVER get that close to the edge!" Button argued.

"Maybe that's why the higher stages are _harder_, sweetie," Lullaby said in a condescending tone.

"Only _mom_ gets to call me that," Button Mash seethed.

"Come on kid!" Another bystander shouted, "I've got five hundred bits on you to win!"

"Go Ms. Lullaby!" The colt from earlier cheered on his favorite Wonderbolt. Lullaby was glad to have some ponies rooting for her to win, but her mind was drifting elsewhere. She called fillies and colts 'sweetie' all the time; it was in her nature. But Button Mash's negative response to the nickname gave her an evil idea. It wasn't exactly cheating per se, but one could call it questionable.

"You better win; you wouldn't want to disappoint your fans, would you sweetie?" Lullaby quickly darted her eyes over to Button Mash.

"Hey! I said only my mother gets to call me that, pervert," Button Mash growled, nearly allowing his final Celestia to get blown up.

"Hmm, how about this," Lullaby suggested as she closed up to only one stage behind Button Mash. "If you win, I can give you a victory kiss on the cheek how about?" she suggested. Button's eyes shrank and he gagged.

"EWWWW!" I don't want old lady lips on my face!" His hoof bumped the joystick, leading his 8-Bit Celestia straight into oncoming fire.

_BOOM!_ His final life exploded.

"NOO! NOOOOOOOO!" Button cried, repeatedly hitting the fire button over and over, thrusting the joystick around.

_GAME OVER_ appeared on his screen along with the game over theme. Lullaby on the other hoof reached the exact same stage as Button, and with two lives left, there was no way she could lose.

"Oh crap, that was my kid's college fund," the mare who had bet five hundred bits on Button Mash turned pale.

"AND WE HAVE A WINNER!" One of the employees announced as Lullaby surpassed Button's last stage, winning their little competition. "And now I'm off work! SO LONG SUCKERS!" He galloped away.

"Well, that was exciting," the dozens of bystanders suddenly cleared the area as soon as Lullaby had won.

"Aww," Lullaby did feel a twinge of sadness as she saw Button suppressing tears whilst hugging his mother. "You're a heck of a gamer, Button Mash, but..."

"I guess I'm _not_ the best at video games. No matter how good I am, there's somepony who might be better," he sighed dejectedly. "You win, old- Ms. Lullaby," he caught himself before he called her an old mare again. "And I'm sorry for saying those awful things to you; I just get a little competitive."

"It's okay, Button Mash," Lullaby ruffled his hair. "I used to let competition rule me when I was your age, but I learned having fun makes better memories that getting the high score, even if it _is_ a pretty cool feeling. Which by the way," she lifted up his chin and pointed his head at the game he was at.

"I, I got the high score?!" He exclaimed.

"Yep; even though my strategy of taking it slow worked in my favor, you obliterating every enemy in sight instantly got you the higher score, so you kind of won and lost," Lullaby smiled. "Come on, Button and Button's mom, I'll treat you two to a milkshake."

"Highest score! Oh yeah! Just wait until I tell the whole class when Hearth's Warming break is over!" As the trio left, none of them saw the gallons upon gallons of Colta-Cola seeping through the ceiling and running down the walls of the arcade.

* * *

**(Hoofer Dam. Ivan's POV)**

The 1:00 Las Pegasus sun was making my sweat glands work overtime in our train car. Luckily, AJ, Applebloom and I had the car all to ourselves so we could lower the window however far we wished. The only downside was it was still too hot to cuddle either of the Apple sisters. Even though we had to take an early train just to get to Las Pegasus, the three of us still dreaded another train ride, but we were thinking more along the lines of what we would get to do once we reached the tour we had agreed upon. But still, fuck this damn heat! I got cooked up sometimes in my F-15, but at least we had some cooling systems to prevent heat stroke! Yet the stuffy car coupled with three bodies of heat just about made all three of us go insane. "Thank goodness!" Applebloom groaned once the train came to a stop and the three of us departed our train in a small town on the outskirts of Las Pegasus. "If Ah had ta sit in that train car one more minute, Ah'd be about ready ta be flipped over!" She stretched and stuck her head in a small pond near the train depot.

"Come on lil sis," AJ pulled her sister from the water, "we'll get some bottles 'o water 'n some electric mini fans ta cool us off." Applebloom whined when the sun quickly dried off her head and bow, but followed AJ's orders and stuck to the shade her elder sister had. The three of us got off of the train platform and followed a large group of ponies over to where the brochure said to wait for our tour guide to show up. ""I thought you two would be used to high temperatures," I cricked my neck, looking for a magazine stand or a gift shop to buy anything that could cool us off. "Working all day every day in the summer for years has to feel normal by now, right?"

"We _do_ have a nice, big barn ta cool off in, Ivan," Applejack reminded me as she and Applebloom trotted up to where I was standing so we could wait for the tour to start. "Not ta mention the pond we have at the south end 'o the property."

"Besides, it ain't too hot in Ponyville except on rare occasions," Applebloom looked up at me. "Here is kinda like Appleloosa, a hot, dry desert with very little water resources. Plus, sittin' in a stuffy compartment with _fur_ on our bodies doesn't help." We stopped at a building entrance where most other ponies from our train ride had gathered. A sign with tour information was taped up in the window, more than likely a clever trap for tourists to go in for drinks and souvenirs after the tour or after reading the sign. But the small waft of cool air from inside felt like heaven.

"Let's see, the tour doesn't start fer another ten minutes," Applejack read off of the sign and double checked a clock within the shop. "How's about a nice, cold soda pop?" She suggested, digging some bits from her fanny pack. Applebloom's dry lips and tongue was the only answer AJ needed from her, but I wasn't really in the mood for a true soda per se.

"If they have it, I'm sort of craving lemon lime soda please," I smiled. Quickly fanning herself with her cowgirl hat, Applejack mentally took note of what both Applebloom and I wanted to drink.

"Okay, so two Colta-Cola's 'n a lemon lime, Ah'll be back in a jiffy," she put her hat back atop her head and wiped some sweat from her forehead before trotting into the air conditioned paradise. Deciding to get out of the way and the scorching sun, Applebloom followed me over to where we would eventually be getting a brief description of later. With dozens upon dozens of picture taking vacationers, Applebloom and I braced ourselves against a concrete wall and peered over the side of the Hoofer Dam.

"Any reason why you didn't go with your sister?" I questioned, squinting my eyes and wishing I remembered my sunglasses before leaving Ponyville. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Applebloom shift in her position so she could talk to me and look out at the deep canyon.

"Eh, Ah may be gettin' a little too warm, but we're gonna hit the souvenir stand after the tour anyway," she shrugged. "That 'n Ah just like spendin' time with ya." she added. I chuckled, ruffling her red mane.

"I appreciate it, Applebloom; you're a sweet kid," I responded, resting my chin on top of my hands. "Have you thought of any New Year's resolutions?" I asked her a second question to help pass the time before Applejack would return. I absolutely adored Applebloom like a little sister, but since I was now, as Rarity would put it, 'courting' Applejack, I still liked to be as close to her as possible. "Anything besides getting your cutie mark?" I corrected as she sucked in a deep breath to answer me.

"Darn it," she pouted as I crushed her little moment. "Yer gonna have ta come back ta me then," she lightly bumped my arm with her hoof. "Do you have any, then?" She questioned me as we moved to get some more cover from the sun.

"I guess work to be a little more open with my friends and make sure your sister is happy," I explained, crossing my arms over my chest. "And maybe even try and get closer to Twilight," I added. "We bonded during Hearth's Warming; I don't see a reason why we can't become even better friends now that we're on the same page." Applebloom didn't respond to my proposed resolutions, but I didn't mind as she was intrigued by everything about the dam.

"Would ya look at this, Cougar?" Applebloom looked straight down to the bottom of the dam, gazing in amazement at how something this large was constructed. "How tall do ya think this here dam is? A thousand feet? Five thousand feet?" she guessed, gazing around at the river below.

"Well, it says here that it stands 730 feet from base to top," I grinned, reading off a small description from the brochure I'd acquired back at the hotel. Feeling a pretty good gust of wind, I clamped one of my hands over my hat so I wouldn't lose it to the wind and I quickly folded up the brochure with my other hand.

"Oh, Ah guess Ah was _way_ off," Applebloom blushed.

"Hey, who really cares as long as we're having fun?" I chuckled, bending down to pat her head.

"Ah just can't wait ta go inside the dam 'n see how it works!" she clapped her hooves together. "Maybe if Ah talk ta some 'o the workers, Ah could work towards gettin' a cutie mark in hydro electric engineerin'!" she then rubbed her two hooves together. "Wouldn't _that_ make a flank kickin' cutie mark?" She asked me. A sudden image of Applebloom playing with the controls followed by the flooding of the canyon and a power outage across Las Pegasus appeared in my mind. I gulped, thinking of the correct words to say without sounding condescending.

"Uh, maybe you should just look with your eyes, Bloom," I ruffled her mane while biting my lower lip, "and not your hooves," I added under my breath. It wasn't that I always assumed something catastrophic would go wrong when she tried to earn her cutie mark, but the stakes were raised when dealing with something like hydroelectricity. Thankfully, Applebloom didn't pout or resist; she just shrugged and turned back around at the sight below the dam.

"Oh well, Ah don't really want a talent that keeps me inside all day come ta think of it," she agreed. "Hey, do ya think if Scootaloo 'n Sweetie Belle were here 'n we had a couple 'o bungee ropes," she began.

"Your family would murder me if I ever let you bungee jump off anything higher than three feet," I scooted her away from the edge of the concrete barrier.

"Don't ya think that's takin' it a _little_ far?" Applebloom cocked her head. "Ah mean, yer datin' my sister; Ah'd think she'd just be a little miffed at ya, but not enough ta kill ya. 'O course Big Mac would be the one ta worry about," she rambled.

"Just a figure of speech, Applebloom," I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Slowly turning my gaze around, I found half a dozen ponies staring at me with cameras pointed in my direction. A few of them snapped pictures while others just stared or pointed. Right, _these_ types of ponies were still around. Living where just about the entire town had grown accustomed to me had blinded the fact that there were still ponies and other residents of Equestria that had yet to actually meet me in person. I didn't mind that ponies were curious about me, but I loathed being stared at. So I stared right back at them, like we were in a Western film just so they'd mind their own business.

Most of them took a few pictures and went on their merry way after losing interest, yet some stayed, still feeling a little intrigued. Maybe my ears were playing tricks on my, but I thought I had heard one of them say, "I hope that thing has had its shots, whatever it is." I suppose that news article about the timberwolves didn't make it out this far, but then again, I didn't care for the news article to begin with. Snorting, my attention was grabbed from Applebloom as an orange pony that I loved had found us.

"Ivan, Applebloom!" Applejack's voice cut through the chatter of the other tourists. "Can you believe the prices here?" She exclaimed, taking her hat off which was now holding all three of our drinks. "Eight bits fer one bottle 'o soda, that's pathway robbery!" Grabbing my lemon lime soda, I held the bottle cap against the concrete, lightly punching downward on the bottle so the cap would pop off.

"AJ, I can pay you back when we get to the hotel," I promised, tossing my cap into a nearby trash can before lightly pecking Applejack's lips.

"Ain't you sweet? But don't worry about it; it's just soda pop to cool us off on a hot summer's day," she replied. "Applebloom! Ya know the dentist said ta not open yer soda bottles unless ya want braces!" Applebloom froze in place with her teeth clenched tightly on the top of the bottle like a vice. Smiling nervously, the filly removed her mouth and copied what I had done to open my bottle.

"So, did you find any new info about the tour?" I asked my girlfriend.

"Nope; I just went in there fer soda," AJ burped softly after taking a huge swig of her pop. "Did ya want ta know anythin' else about it 'fore it started?" she asked me before letting out a soft belch. "Oop, pardon," she chuckled.

"Eh, not really," I shrugged whilst sipping my own drink.

"Was there any cool souvenirs inside, AJ?" Applebloom set her glass bottle on a cement post.

"Eeyup," she responded just like her brother, "though remember Applebloom that we're savin' those for after the tour," she patted Applebloom's back.

"Sa-weet!" Applebloom cheered, "Ah want a hat, a shirt, a snow globe, a poster, a framed picture," she trailed off about the souvenirs she wanted as Applejack face-hoofed.

"I can't imagine how expensive souvenirs are if a bottle of soda is eight bits," I smirked. The ringing of a bell garnered all of our attentions toward a yellow Earth Pony with a five 'o clock shadow, an orange vest and a blue hard hat. The stallion was standing in front of a large pair of metal doors where other sightseers had begun gathering.

"The 1:15 dam tour is about to begin!" he announced, "anypony wishing to join the tour, we begin shortly; don't miss the elevator, or you'll have to wait another forty-five minutes for the next tour to start!" he concluded. We all hurriedly guzzled down our remaining sodas and tossed them into the garbage, hustling over before the tour would be full.

"Hey Applebloom, what do you think of this part?" I pointed to a picture on the wall of the building. "Going through a rock tunnel with water dripping down the sides?"

"Hmm, sounds a little dangerous," she cocked an eyebrow, "Ah'm lookin' forward to it!" she exclaimed. I picked her up and plopped her on my shoulders like we'd both grown accustomed to over the months. She loved getting a better view than anyone else, and I wasn't going to say no to that face of hers.

"I'll be honest AJ, I kind of miss Twilight's trivia babbling," I admitted. "Usually she'd be over with what the tour would cover and then it'd be more of a hands on experience without trying to keep up."

"See? I told ya it would grow on ya, buster," Applejack playfully rolled her eyes. "Aren't ya worried ya might a tad too tall in some 'o the tunnels?" Despite some of the low ceilings in a few buildings around Ponyville, it didn't really bother me enough to refuse to go inside, but considering the spaces would be much more cramped than a house or a dessert shop, I may find myself a little uncomfortable later on.

"If it comes to height problems in the tunnels, I'll just bend as low as I can go," I shrugged. The generator room was probably a couple dozen feet high, so those didn't worry me in the least.

"Okay, everypony that's in the tour, go ahead and enter the elevator; no pushing!" the guide ordered. Surprisingly, the tourists ahead of us followed instructions, politely entering the elevator without much hassle. "Uh, hold on," the stallion got in between us and the elevator door. He gave us a suspicious look, mainly geared towards me.

"Aw, are ya full?" Applebloom questioned in a disappointed tone. I felt her slump over the top of my head.

"No," the guide shook his head as he adjusted his blue hard hat.

"Don't tell me ya don't allow kids," Applejack groaned.

"It's not that either," the worker motioned to the other fillies and colts waiting for the tour to begin. "Look, I'm sorry ma'am, but we don't allow pets on the tour, unless they are service animals," he pointed a hoof to me. Did I really just hear that? I stood frozen in place.

"Ah, Ah'm sorry; what did ya just say?" Applejack asked as if someone had just told her a huge secret about one of our friends. The combination of shock and anger was riding out on the edge of her voice.

"Look, I've read the papers on what this, thing did for you and your friends," the stallion took off his helmet to run a hoof through his greasy mane, "and that it's friends with Celestia and Luna, but that doesn't mean we can just look the other way on our pet policy."

"Y'all think Cougar is a pet?!" Applebloom shouted. "Did ya purposely hit yerself in the head this mornin'?"

"Bloom..." I warned her.

"E-excuse me? Ah don't think ya know what yer talkin' about," Applejack said condescendingly.

"It's not a pony, a zebra, a griffon, a moose, a caribou or a mule, therefore it falls under the pet category like a dog or a cat," the stallion explained.

"You forgot dragons there, buddy," I set Applebloom on the ground.

"Dragons don't even qualify as pets," he said in a know-it-all voice.

"Great, _just_ what we needed, a dirty speciesist on our vacation!" Applebloom exclaimed, threatening to kick the stallion in the shin. I grabbed her and held her back from doing anything stupid. I really don't give a shit what anyone thinks of me, but that wasn't the case with these two.

"Do you want me to lose my job?" He demanded.

"No, Ah just want ya ta drop yer prejudices 'n treat my coltfriend here like an equal! Y'all just take one look at him 'n think just cause he walks on two legs instead 'o four that he's an animal," Applejack raised her voice. "Well y'all don't know him like we do!" She held my hand in her hoof, causing a few ponies' eyes to bulge. "'Sides, there ain't a sign around here that says no pets!" AJ called out his bluff.

"Hold on, did you just call him your coltfriend?" a sightseer asked from the elevator.

"Got a problem with that, lady?!" I had to tighten my grip on Applebloom's shoulder after she yelled at the tourist.

"Why, yes Ah did, ma'am," Applejack squeezed my hand more with her hoof. "If ya have a problem, then just keep it ta yerself."

"Come on girls," I said calmly, "let's just go grab a bite somewhere and figure out something else to do," I tried to guide them away.

"While I don't agree with the fact that you're dating..."

"His name is Ivan, he's a _human_ 'n he's one 'o the sweetest creatures Ah've ever met!" Applejack corrected in a hostile manner, starting to lose her temper further.

"Ivan," the stallion repeated for AJ, feeling a little scared by Applejack's aggression, "you don't _have_ to leave. You just need to leave him up here while you and your sister proceed to the tour. As long as _'Ivan'_ stays out of trouble, we won't force him to leave." Applejack and Applebloom shook their heads, refusing the guide's offer.

"Uh-uh," Applebloom said, "he's like a brother ta me; we ain't goin' unless he gets ta go 'n that's final!" She jeered.

"Well, I'm sorry, but my hooves are tied."

"Just listen ta yerself," my girlfriend jabbed the guide in his chest, "replace the words 'it' and 'pet' with mare, Unicorn, Pegasus or griffon. Don't ya know how disgustin' ya sound?"

"Listen ma'am, either you and your sister are going on this tour while your human waits up here in the gift shop or wherever he wants, or you can leave and stop wasting everypony else's time."

"Come on, Ivan, we're _leavin'!"_ Applejack yanked myself and Applebloom away from the tour guide and his sightseers. "Ugh," she groaned angrily, stomping her way over to the small train depot to wait for the next train to take us back to Las Pegasus. "Ah can't believe somepony would say somethin' like that about ya."

"Applejack, you know there are other ponies out there who still think I belong in a lab or a zoo," I removed my hand from her hoof.

"Just 'cause they think that doesn't mean it's true, Cougar," Applebloom hopped onto her sister's back. "Ah just can't stand ponies who judge others based on what they look like. It's just so aggravatin'!"

"Doesn't this bother you at all, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

"Well, yeah it does," I replied. "It's never fun to have someone spouting lies or prejudices about you, but that's their fault for not taking the time to truly get to know you."

"Then why didn't ya at least try ta stand up fer yerself?"

"I was going to, but I never really got the chance, hun," I joked with a smirk. Applejack caught what I was getting to and blushed.

"What kind 'o girl doesn't stand up fer her stallion? Ah ain't about ta let anypony do ya harm physically or mentally, Ivan. Besides, ya've stood up fer yer friends plenty 'o times, Ah was just repayin' the favor. Ya mean a lot ta me 'n my family 'n our friends, Sugarcube. Ah won't stand fer bullyin' just 'cause yer different."

"And you all mean a lot to me too. Nothing is ever going to change that," I replied, bending down to hug both the Apple sisters. "The next time we get into a situation like that where any of you are being treated like that, I'll be the one defending you," I swore.

"Just like you've always tried ta be," Applebloom smiled. I could sense that both of them were still pretty irritated, even after a few minutes to calm down.

"Now, what do you two say about leaving this dump and finding something to eat?" I was responded to with a loud gurgle coming from Applebloom's gut. The yellow filly covered her stomach with her hooves to try and quiet the noise.

"The train ride isn't exactly short, but Ah do know of a restaurant right near the Las Pegasus train depot," Applejack smirked.

"Oh yeah? What's it called?" I asked as a train whistle sounded off from around the bend.

"Let's just say, Ah hope ya like country music," Applejack nuzzled my side.

* * *

**(1 hour before the air show. With Wave Chill, Rapidfire and Silver Lining)**

The three of the few male Wonderbolts had gathered together in the Maredalay Bay bar for their pre-show ritual. Normally they would include the Streak twins, but unfortunately the pair were sentenced to a whole day of community service for the hotel for causing a fight and hitting a few security ponies in the process. The punishment was either helping the hotel maintenance crew for the day or spend the entire day in hotel jail. "So, Chill," Rapidfire grunted as he sat himself down at the bar next to his two squad mates. "See much of Lightning or Fire lately?" the red stallion questioned.

"Nah," the navy blue Wonderbolt replied, propping his hooves onto the mahogany bar surface, "the last I saw of them, they were replacing a net decoration in the lobby that some nut stole," he rolled his eyes. "Only in Las Pegasus," Wave Chill added with a chuckle.

"From what Soarin told me, their sentence will be over before the air show," Rapidfire recounted. "As much as those two annoy me, we'll need every Wonderbolt at the ready for our big comeback, even the shy one, uh, Fender," he guessed.

"Her name's 'Cinder,' Rapid," the smokey grey Pegasus of the trio corrected. "You've trained with her over half a year now; you should've known every one of your wingpony's names."

"Cut him just a little slack, Silver," Wave Chill retorted. "Cinder barely talks to anypony except Lullaby, Rainbow Dash, and Lightning Streak," he explained.

"That's no excuse, Wave Chill. The Wonderbolts are a family; a family looks out for each other and trusts one another. Forgetting a family member's name means you don't really trust them," Silver Lining delineated. The oldest member of the current Wonderbolt lineup was full of the previous generation's wisdom, assuming the role of the pony anyone could talk to should they need some advice.

"Ugh," Rapidfire groaned, "this is a vacation, Silver. Can't you lay off the 'Wise Wonderbolt' status for just one day," he complained.

"When you get to be my age, you'll barely be able to tolerate the idiocy the stupid kids of your time spews out," the astute Pegasus explained.

"Oh haha, very funny old-timer," the thick accented pony rolled his eyes. The slowly thinning white and grey mane of Silver Lining illustrated his age to most judge by the book ponies, but portrayed his years of experience to more astute ponies. "When I get to be your age, hopefully I won't _look_ your age," he smirked.

_"Stupid kids these days,"_ Silver Lining muttered. Silver waited patiently, thinking about what beverage to order while checking out some of the wall art and neon beer signs around the bar, knowing that a Las Pegasus bartender was more than likely quite the busy pony. The same could not be said for his two young comrades, unfortunately. While Rapidfire lived by his name, always wanting to get things done and over with as quickly as possible, no matter how sloppy it was done, Wave Chill faired better in the patience category. Not by much, however, compared to Silver Lining.

"Okay, where's our barkeep? I _need_ to be loosened up a bit before a show," he questioned impatiently. The spikey-maned stallion eyeballed a few other customers sitting at the bar, furrowing his eyebrows at some of their drinks of choice.

"Do you think they have pretzels here?" Rapidfire wondered out loud. The response Rapidfire received was the sound of clinking glass from behind the bar. A rather attractive magenta Pegasus mare appeared at the counter with three sparkling mugs in front of the trio of Wonderbolts. Before saying anything, the mare reached behind her and slid a bowl of pretzels over to Rapidfire with a smile.

"So, what can I get for you gentlecolts tonight?" the bartender asked. Silver Lining rolled his eyes as Wave Chill and Rapidfire were busy checking out the mare behind the bar, though she didn't seem to care very much.

"I'll take a Coltweiser please," the green eyed older Pegasus requested politely. Raising an eyebrow, Silver Lining picked up a few pretzels from Rapidfire's bowl and chucked them at the duo when they didn't respond. "Barkeep's waiting boys," he groaned.

"Oh, uh I'll take a Smarenoff please," Wave Chill cleared his throat as the barkeep wrote down his order.

"And for you, sir?" the mare asked. Trying to act cool, the red stallion leaned forward on his right foreleg with a cocky grin on his muzzle.

"Just a Marewaukee Brew, Ginger," he squinted his golden eyes at her name tag. Quickly, the Pegasus filled up the mugs with the trio's respective beers sliding them across the bar like a pro up to their awaiting hooves. "So, how long have you been a bartender?" Rapidfire asked, sipping his drink cooly. Wave Chill gave a dirty look to a few Las Pegasus ponies that look rather disgusted with his beer choice.

"Only a few months while I work for my degree at UNLP," Ginger replied, wiping down a few streaks of water from the beer mugs. "Rapidfire," she winked in his direction.

"Ah, so you've heard of me?" Rapidfire began to munch on the pretzels in front of him.

"Yep, I know all the Wonderbolts; I'm looking forward to the show tonight. I get off the clock in thirty," Ginger replied. Wave Chill set his half-full mug down onto a coaster, spotting an opportunity.

"Your coltfriend is one lucky stallion." Rapidfire's eyes shot open and nearly burst into flame as his own squad mate muscles in on his trials. Blushing, the pink Pegasus giggled, topping off Wave's beer.

"And you're too kind, Wave Chill, but I'm not taken at the moment," she winked. "Too much school and work to really have a meaningful relationship, you know?" She questioned.

"W-well, I'm not taken either. I can take you on a private tour of the Wonderbolt's Academy whenever you'd like," Rapidfire butt in, trying to get Ginger's attention away from Wave Chill.

"You don't have the authority to do that Rapidfire, and you _know_ it," Silver Lining reminded the stallion a little loud so Ginger would hear. "At least not without Soarin's permission," he added. While he didn't enjoy being the 'rulebook' pony, Silver really wanted to try and help Rapid see the broader picture of being a Wonderbolt instead of having the fame go to his head.

"I _would_ if Soarin had given _me_ the Co-captain position instead of his marefriend!" The red pony growled, nearly crushing the glass mug in his hoof. "Or moved you up to Co-captain status and put me as third in command."

"Aw, that would be amazing!" Ginger said, excited. "But, as long Silver Lining could give me the tour," she added. Both Wave Chill and Rapidfire nearly spat out their beer at her statement while Silver just smirked.

"You _do_ know that he's married, right?" Wave Chill asked, trying to wrap his head around why she wanted Silver to take her on an Academy tour instead of him.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ginger questioned. "He's always been a favorite of mine. Ever since I was a little filly, I always cheered him on at air shows," she smiled towards the elder Pegasus.

"Why thank you, Ginger," Silver said proudly. "Would you like an autograph?" he produced a black pen from his mane. Becoming giddy, Ginger ripped off an empty sheet from her notepad and had Silver give her his signature. "There you go," the smoky grey Wonderbolt winked, sliding the paper over to the bartender.

"I can't wait to get this framed!" she lightly tucked it in her mane.

"Do you want my autograph too?" Rapidfire snatched the pen from Silver Lining.

"Sorry, I have other patrons to serve. See you boys at the air show!" she waved, trotting down the bar to serve other ponies. Despite being shocked at the fact that a 20 something year old mare practically ignored the both of them, Wave Chill and Rapidfire got a peek at Ginger's flank as she trotted away.

"Hey! Didn't your mothers teach you it's impolite to gawk at a mare like that?" Silver Lining smacked both stallions on the wing. "I understand that it's Las Pegasus, but you have to uphold your dignity at least and treat mares like ponies, not objects."

"Enough with the damn preaching, Silver!" Rapidfire rubbed his wing. "So we stole a glance, what's the matter with that?"

"As much as it pains me, he's right, Silver. Mares check us out all the time during and after shows," Wave Chill agreed.

"Me more than others," Rapidfire flexed his foreleg muscles.

"Checking out is one thing," thinning maned stallion explained, "but gawking at ponies like pie is impolite. Like when I first met my wife, I thought she was gorgeous, but I always treated her like a pony and still do to this day. Sure, every now and then I find myself staring at her-"

"So, you're a hypocrite?" Wave Chill gulped his Smarenoff.

"No," Silver growled, "I _do_ find myself staring at her, but it's because I still can't believe I'm married to the perfect mare, and that she's stuck with me for so many years," he added.

"Okay, so how do you know _I _wasn't looking for a mare to spend the rest of my life with?" Rapidfire demanded, tossing a large hoof-full of pretzels into his mouth, munching on them loudly. Wave Chill and Silver Lining both shook their heads and cocked their eyebrows at their fellow Pegasus. "What?" He asked, puzzled.

"Don't bullshit us, dude," Wave stated.

"Please, you were looking for the cliche one night stand in Las Pegasus, Rapid," Silver Lining said in a '_Give me a freaking break,'_ voice. "I'm not an author, but I do know of the stereotype Las Pegasus holds." Rapidfire didn't have a chance to respond; Silver had more to say. "We already have one Fleetfoot in our squad; we don't need two!" he exclaimed.

"Hey, where _is_ Fleetfoot anyway?" Wave Chill suddenly realized he hadn't seen her since that morning after dumping the Wonderbolts after checking in to the Maredalay Bay. "I figured that she'd be back by now."

"More than likely finishing up with a 'client' at the Troticana or wherever," Silver Lining gently set his mug on a coaster albeit with a huff. "I've never seen a mare or stallion as active as Fleetfoot. How that mare still has the energy to even form coherent thoughts is beyond me."

"Excuse me?! How the Tartarus am I like a second Fleetfoot?" Rapidfire shoved his bowl of Pretzels out of the way.

"I never said you _were_, Rapid. All I said was you _could_ become a second Fleetfoot if you continued to pursue mares like that," Silver arched an eyebrow. "Now I'm not saying there's anything wrong with attraction, but you'll never truly be happy 'entertaining' numerous partners every day."

"I don't know," Wave Chill scratched his neck, "Rapid or I would've been pretty happy if we got Ginger for the night," he admitted.

"What he said," Rapidfire pointed his hoof at his navy blue squad mate. Groaning in frustration, Silver Lining placed his head into his hooves and rubbed his temples gently. "Are you feeling okay, Old-Timer?"

"Don't ponies these days care about the sanctity of marriage anymore? I'm a little lenient on the whole sex before marriage, but it seems like all anypony cares about is the former!" He exclaimed, removing one of his hooves from his head and inserting it through the handle on his mug, chugging a good portion of it down. Now, Silver Lining was the most level headed Wonderbolt at the Academy next to Fire Streak. And while Wave Chill and Rapidfire were just having a little fun, Silver Lining losing his cool surprised them both.

"Woah," Rapidfire set his mug down, holding out a hoof to try and ease Silver Lining.

"You're really going to base _that_ assumption off just what Fleetfoot and Rapidfire feel?" Wave Chill asked. The veteran Bolt gently took his mug away from his muzzle, inhaling sharply through his nose. "I mean, that's just a little unfair, don't you think?" With an ashamed exhale, Silver Lining set his now empty beer mug onto a coast, gently rubbing his eyes.

"I'm sorry boys," he apologized, "that was wrong of me. When I was your age, taking a step like _that_ was a huge decision that my generation didn't take lightly. Thanks to Fleetfoot coming back to the Academy at all hours of the night, sometimes with somepony to 'entertain,' I just have a bad feeling that all your generation cares about is pleasuring yourselves."

"Okay, Fleet is a different case entirely," Rapidfire patted Silver Lining's back, shocked that the older stallion didn't object. "Once in awhile, if I feel I'm in the mood, I'll go out and see if a mare wants to spend the night with me," he admitted.

"Besides, we're still 'young whippersnappers,'" Wave Chill said in a stereotypical old man voice, "we still have time before seriously considering settling down with a family."

"And," Rapidfire continued, "gleaning some lessons from you, we'll still be able to continue on as Wonderbolts when we get married," he complemented.

"You two know I don't talk like that," Silver Lining completely ignored Rapidfire's complement.

"Hey, come on!" Wave Chill raised his voice in excitement, "we're just a few guys having a drink before a show. Giving ourselves a hard time is one of our favorite pastimes," the navy blue stallion grabbed a few pretzels from Rapidfire and munched on them. Rapidfire nodded while Silver Lining shrugged in agreement. "While we're on the topic, how is Cloud Showers doing?" He asked curiously as Rapidfire snatched the pretzels back. The instant his wife's name was mentioned, Silver Lining perked back up.

"Cloud is doing just fine, thanks for asking boys," a smile spread across Silver's muzzle. "She enjoys having the extra free time I've had since May, but she also misses watching all of us perform," he sighed happily.

"Glad to hear it," Wave grinned. "I hope you don't mind me saying that I see her as the Academy mom." Silver Lining's face of bliss immediately morphed into confusion as he slowly spun around on his bar stool to look at Wave Chill.

"Yeah, it's always a treat when she visits. Those cookies she bakes are worth the extra laps we have to fly to work off the weight," Rapidfire concurred. "That and I always love hearing stories from when she was younger."

"She and I are only twenty years older than you two; there's not too much of a time gap there."

"Cloud Showers is still an interesting pony, Silver," Wave explained. "Are you saying we shouldn't enjoy her company whenever she visits?"

"Stop putting words in my mouth," Silver growled. "It's fine that you two like to spend time with Cloud when she takes time to visit me at the Academy, but stop pretending like she and I are a pair of fossils," he ordered.

"Nopony ever said that," Wave Chill defended. "But is there any reason why she couldn't come to the air show tonight?" Silver Lining scratched his chin before replying, unsure of how the conversation kept jumping around about relationships like this.

"Our daughter is still too young to come to Las Pegasus and we couldn't find a foalsitter in time," Silver explained. "Like I said before, I'm lucky to have a mare like Cloud Showers that can put up with a Wonderbolt's schedule. I don't know how different I'd be without her."

"You'd probably be a lot more grouchy, that's pretty much a guarantee," Rapidfire polished off his bowl of pretzels.

"I'm only grouchy towards you when you're acting like an idiot, Rapidfire," Silver retorted, "or when you keep demanding more respect from some of us just because you've been in the squad longer than anypony except myself."

"What about when he whines that he doesn't have a marefriend?" Wave Chill added, enjoying pissing off Rapidfire.

"Okay, I plead guilty to demanding a lot of respect and for sometimes acting like an idiot about it, but I don't _whine_ that I don't have a marefriend, Wave Chill," Rapid sneered, trying to intimidate the blue Pegasus into backing down.

"Oh, I almost forgot about that, Wave Chill," Silver smirked. _"Ugh, do Rainbow Dash and Soarin have to flirt with each other while we're eating?"_ The aging Bolt mocked in a fake Rapidfire accent.

"Or," Wave Chill joined in, "'_How does _Lightning Streak_ get a marefriend before me?!'"_

"Stop it!" Rapid slammed a hoof on the bar.

"And the classic, '_Blaze, High Winds, can you help me get a marefriend?'"_ Silver joined in.

"Rapid, are you turning red with anger? I can't tell," Wave asked in a smart ass tone. He and Silver started chuckling loudly at the joke while Rapidfire shook with rage.

"I said STOP IT!" The red Pegasus rose his voice. "And how did you know I asked those two for help?!"

"Blaze is a bucking chatterbox. You should've just asked High Winds," Wave Chill replied. _"'Why is it so difficult for me to get past the first date?'"_

"**SHHHHUUUUUUUTTTTT UUUUUUPPPPP!**" Rapidfire suddenly burst, causing the whole bar to instantly quiet down. "SHUT UP! Shut up, shut up," the stallion calmed down, lowering the volume of his voice. The trio of Wonderbolts looked behind them to see every patron, waiter and waitress staring at them like they were plotting to steal Celestia's crown.

"Wonderbolt business, go back to your drinks," Silver Lining quickly assumed control of the situation. Albeit reluctantly, most of the patrons resumed their own conversations while Rapidfire quietly sipped his beer in shame.

"I'm sorry guys," he apologized.

"It's cool, bro, we took it too far," Wave Chill patted Rapid's wing.

"We're both sorry," Silver corrected, "but you really shouldn't get so worked up over not having a special somepony just yet. After all, you said you're both still young and have plenty of time," he pointed out, trying to make Rapid feel better.

"And you and Cloud Showers constantly remind us that you both got married when you were younger than us," Rapid replied.

"Different times, son," Silver Lining said to Rapid for the first time. "At least that's one good thing I can say about your generation: you're getting married later my generation and my parent's generation would. You have more time to really explore the type of mare you want to be with."

"Besides," Wave Chill chimed in, "if I were you, I wouldn't be moping about not having a marefriend."

"Oh, really?" Rapid didn't believe him, "and why would you say that?"

"While I don't find her as a possible special somepony," he ran a hoof through his spiky mane.

"You're bringing up, _Surprise?_" Rapidfire groaned.

"Come on, dude," Wave Chill smacked Rapidfire's shoulder. "I'm being about 95% serious here. She's always trying to ask you out to dinner or to see what plans for parties she wants to throw or to just go for a flight."

"What's the other 5%?" Rapidfire cocked an eyebrow.

"This is a mare you don't have to pay to talk to you," Wave Chill joked. "Hey! You asked," he ducked from Rapidfire's hoof.

"For your information, she hasn't asked me to '_Fly,'_ yet. All she does really is ask me to have a doughnut with her or watch horror movies with her."

"While I too only see her as a squad mate, I do think she is rather cute," Silver Lining piped up, "why don't you at least try a date with her? Even you know she's interested in you, and she's never brought a strange Pegasus to the Academy that wasn't the pink Earth Pony."

"You're only going to laugh at me," Rapidfire refused. Silver Lining and Wave Chill glanced at each other, nodding in silent agreement that they would keep a straight face for their comrade.

"We _both_ promise to listen to you, Rapid," Silver pledged.

"I don't know..."

"Would you grow a pair and just tell us already?!" Wave Chill smacked Rapid upside the head. Shocked, the red stallion shook his head, casting a glance over to Wave Chill who glared at him. Knowing he meant business, Rapid gulped and unearthed a secret he'd kept from everypony he knew.

"Okay, it's not that I'm uninterested in her, she _is_ cute," Rapid admitted. "I don't know, maybe it's just her 100% positive attitude, at least until Misty Fly shows up, her giddiness for anything and everything about candies, pranks, and parties. And how she goes out of her way to brighten everypony's day. But, I always do my best to push her away..." Rapidfire paused at the two shocked Wonderbolts before him.

"Let me get this straight, you actually _do_ find her attractive?" Silver Lining dug around his ear with his hoof, trying to find any blockage in case he misheard Rapidfire.

"Yes...I just pretend she annoys me," he hung his head in remorse.

"_WHY_ do you push her away then and whine about not having a marefriend?!" Wave Chill demanded. "Just say yes to her and BOOM, problem solved!" He flailed his forelegs around.

"But I _can't,_ Wave Chill. Don't you get it?"

"Are you saying you're a coward? Because I can definitely believe that," Wave Chill said half serious and half jokingly.

"Chill..." Silver warned.

"Do you see how happy she is all the time? I'd be thrilled to share that with her," Rapid explained. "But what if I _do_ say yes and we start a relationship?"

"Then I'd congratulate you and pour honey down my uniform for a day," Wave Chill replied. Silver Lining raised his hoof and smacked the navy blue stallion on the back of the head. "Owch!" He groaned in pain.

"I think we'd all be happy for you," Silver smiled. "Then you can double date, possibly with myself and Cloud Showers _if_ I'm in the mood."

"What if I hurt her?" Rapid didn't seem to hear the older stallion.

"Huh?" Both Silver Lining and Wave Chill said at the same time.

"What if, I break her heart or just do something incredibly stupid that hurts her? That's quite the feat to make somepony like Surprise sad. If _I_ were able to do that, I don't know how I could live with myself."

"Son, the only advice I can give you for that is to do what you feel is right. You may just find your special somepony if you take the risk and say, 'Yes.' You took huge risks for the huge reward of becoming a Wonderbolt; saying yes to an invitation to spend quality time with Surprise can lead to a huge reward for both of you, Rapid. You're the one who's always saying you want a special somepony. You have a good chance, just don't let it slip through your hooves."

"Wow Silver, you've outdone yourself with that," Wave Chill mumbled with an impressed sigh.

Rapidfire began to process the advice that Silver Lining had willfully distributed to him, thinking of all the times he could've said yes to Surprise, only to push her away for fear of hurting her. Looking upwards from the mahogany surface of the bar top, Rapidfire found his reflection in a giant mirror on the back wall of the bar, taking notice of the empty seat next to him. "How much longer until the show starts, Sir?" he asked Silver Lining. The smokey grey Pegasus nearly fainted at Rapidfire's first sign of respect geared towards him.

* * *

**(11:50 pm. Roof of the Maredalay Bay, Ivan's POV)**

"Now _that's_ a view," Applejack said, dazzled by all the brilliant neon lights of the Las Pegasus strip. Our hotel was situated absolutely perfect for a view like this. Sitting at one end of the strip, we had a completely unobstructed view of every hotel in sight.

"You said it, big sis," Applebloom snapped a few pictures with a camera she bought at a souvenir stand. We ate lunch at a country style restaurant after the _incident_ at the Hoofer Dam. While it still didn't bother me, AJ and Bloom were still pretty miffed on the train ride back to the city, but getting food in their bellies seemed to placate their attitudes.

"Careful, Applebloom," I warned.

"Ah'm not gonna go tumblin' off the side 'o the hotel, Cougar," the yellow pony looked behind me just to roll her orange eyes. Chuckling, I bent down to ruffle her red mane.

"That's not what I meant. I was justing warning you not to waste all of your film before the show," I lightly tapped her camera with my finger. Looking down at her camera and back up at me, Applebloom grinned, clicking on a button to lock the film so she couldn't take anymore pictures. "How about a better view?" I suggested, grabbing her sides and gently placing her atop my shoulders.

"Ya big doof!" She exclaimed. "First ya tell me not ta waste my film, _then_ ya prop me on yer shoulders for an even better view?"

"Hey, it was only a suggestion," I grinned as she bopped the top of my head with her hoof. Applejack chuckled at our little brother/sister display, leaning a bit closer to me as we patiently awaited the rest of our friends to join. I found it odd that it was only ten minutes to midnight and none of the Wonderbolts were here. Maybe they were planning a sneak attack from behind like the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds liked to do. "Scootaloo, do any of the Wonderbolts show up and talk with fans before shows?" I questioned.

The three of us had bumped into Scootaloo after we ate a late lunch and decided to go see a musical at the Heavy Metal hotel a few blocks off the strip. It turns out that Rainbow had left Scootaloo in the hooves of Feather Duster for the day; the orange filly ditched her from the get go and was hiding out watching the same musical at the same hotel. So, we bought her another ticket and gladly allowed her to join us to watch the show again. "Sometimes," Scootaloo scratched the back of her purple mane. "But Rainbow and Soarin didn't tell me any of their routine plans for the show," she explained.

"Applejack, Cougar!" A familiar voice called out to us. Turning around, the four of us were met with the sight of Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy, and...Discord?

"Hello my other friends!" The draconequus greeted, walking up to us wearing a tuxedo and carrying a cane in his eagle talons.

"Discord? What are you doing here?" I asked, setting Applebloom onto the ground.

"It's Las Pegasus, my dear friend," Discord struck the top of my head with his cane. But instead of being hit with a hard cane, the object in his hand turned into a piece of licorice. "Care for some sweets?"

"Eh, no thanks," I flung the candy off only to have Discord suck it up like a spaghetti noodle.

"We found him in an abandoned casino, giving shelter to the Flim Flam brothers," Fluttershy explained, "isn't he a sweetie?" Discord visibly shuddered, but I suspect he didn't mind _who_ said it.

"The Flim Flam brothers don't have a home?" AJ asked, shocked. "Ah guess karma done took care 'o them, but Ah feel a little bad."

"Oh worry not my dear," Discord lightly traced a digit from his lion paw under Applejack's chin. I wasn't the jealous type, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to keep an eye on that, even though I knew Discord had no feelings for AJ. The orange mare jerked her head away from the lion paw, "they're nice and comfy in the penthouse suite of my casino; they should be looking for real jobs soon enough," he assured her.

"I didn't take you for a Wonderbolts fan, Discord," Spike chimed in as he and Twilight sipped some hot cocoa.

"To be honest, I'm more of a fan of when they face plant objects," Discord admitted. "I've got twenty bits that says Soarin crashes through a window of the hotel in the middle of a newlywed's honeymoon," he winked.

"Discord!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Lighten up star butt," Discord rolled his eyes. "it's just a joke. You know, those things that are supposed to make you laugh?" He asked condescendingly. With a snap of his fingers, canned laughter from a cliche sitcom suddenly filled the air, alerting other ponies on the roof.

"Oh haha," Twilight amused Discord enough to stop the laughter. Fluttershy on the other hand was actually giggling louder than I thought she could sound.

"You're so funny, Discord," the yellow Pegasus giggled, placing a hoof on his side.

"How was your day without a schedule, Twilight?" I asked as Discord and Fluttershy decided to check out the view like AJ, Applebloom, Scootaloo, and myself did. Spinning around, the princess of Friendship grabbed Spike within her magical aura and yanked him close to her so she could hug him with her wing.

"Thanks to Spike, it was one of the best days I've ever had," Twilight responded. "I got even closer to my baby boy," Spike groaned in embarrassment at Twilight's nickname for him, "and I had fun exploring a haunted casino, even if it turned out to not be haunted."

"And then we somehow ended up on stage during the Blue Stallion Group's show," Spike added. "I'm not saying it wasn't fun, but it was just strange how it just sort of, happened," he scratched the side of his head. He groaned again as Twilight kissed his cheek. "Mom!"

"Sorry, Spike. I just love your reaction to that," his alicorn mother giggled, releasing him from her wing. "We need to try another schedule free day sometime," she added, "or!" she gasped, "We should make _all_ of our vacations schedule free," she magicked up a scroll of parchment and a quill.

"YOU!" An angry voice suddenly broke our peace. A dust colored blur shot by us, nearly knocking me onto the ground. I braced myself against the railing as AJ helped steady me. Feather Duster grabbed Scootaloo in her hooves, picked her up and held her close to her face. "WHERE THE BUCKING TARTARUS HAVE YOU BEEN!?" The janitor growled.

"Ugh, have you brushed your teeth lately?" Scootaloo held her nose with a hoof, clearly unfazed by Feather Duster.

"Because of you you little hellion, I got chased like a wild animal by angry parents who thought I was a foalnapper!" She screamed into Scootaloo's face. "I only lost them when I had to hide in a dumpster; do you know how nasty Las Pegasus garbage is?!"

"I thought you were a janitor," Scootaloo said sarcastically as the majority of us were a little concerned for the filly, "shouldn't you be used to garbage?" She blew a raspberry into Feather Duster's face, making the mare drop her.

"Do you know what I'm going to do now, you little smart ass?" Feather Duster clenched her teeth so hard I thought her bottom teeth would disintegrate. "I'm gonna tie you up in a rope, stick you in a giant slingshot, fling you back to Ponyville, and I'll finally be rid of you forever!"

"Despite the little fact that her sister is yer boss?" Applebloom raised an eyebrow.

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Feather Duster screamed in frustration, picking up a nearby bucket and thrust her head inside where muffled curse words emitted from inside. After a good thirty seconds of swearing, the mare ripped the bucket off her head and chucked it over the side of the roof.

"Uh, isn't that dangerous for ponies on the ground?" Spike asked her.

"Nopony asked you!" The irritated Pegasus stomped around the roof.

"For her claiming to be evil, she's pretty stupid," Sweetie Belle chimed in, having stumbled upon Feather Duster's little rant with her big sister. "Looks like we got here just in time, Rarity," she added with a cheesy grin.

"Rarity?" Applejack asked, trying to suppress a hearty laugh, "What in the wide, wide world 'o Equestria happened ta yer mane?" She snickered a little out of her nose. I had to cover my mouth to avoid laughing as well; Rarity's usual perfectly crafted mane was sticking straight out of her head like someone yanked it back and sprayed fifty-five gallons of hairspray onto her mane.

"I spent the day at an amusement park with my darling little sister," Rarity held Sweetie Belle close in her foreleg. "And let me tell you, it was _worth_ my mane losing its artistic coiffure just to see Sweetie Belle happy," she affirmed. But, Rarity being Rarity, she took out a hairbrush and with a few strokes, her mane returned back to normal much to her own satisfaction.

"Thanks, Rarity," Sweetie Belle hugged her sister. "I love you," she added.

"Aw, I love you too, Sweetie darling," Rarity replied. "I must remember to spend a little more time with you than usual; I think today was a good start," she grinned. A gust of wind swept through the ever growing crowd, making a few ponies shiver. I didn't mind of course, but Rarity certainly did. "Oh my, I forgot my scarf in my room, but I don't want to miss Rainbow's first show as a Wonderbolt." However, a certain purple dragon either taking advantage of a good opportunity or just being the kind guy he was quickly ran his cup of cocoa over to Rarity.

"Do you want a sip, Rarity?" He offered, "I've only taken a few," he shook the cup.

"How sweet of you, Spikey-Wikey," Rarity gushed, patting his head and took a tiny sip of the drink. Yet, the dragon was not done there, ever so gingerly, Spike inched closer to Rarity before exhaling. He didn't emit any emerald fire, but from over here, we could feel the heat radiating off of his breath. "Oh my, that's much more comfortable," Rarity found herself snuggling Spike a bit like a blanket. "Aren't you just the sweetest thing tonight?" She complemented Spike with a kiss to the cheek.

"That's one way to earn brownie points," I said softly to AJ.

"If Ah recall, ya tried that on me when ya gave me that massage before the Gala," Applejack teased me with a nudge of her elbow.

"But that was just me being a good friend!" I defended. With a chuckle, AJ gave me a light peck on the side of my neck.

"Just keep tellin' yerself that, Ivan," she smiled, nuzzling me close. Blushing, I looked over at the door leading to the stairwell of the hotel to see Lyra and Bon Bon emerge, but I could see the faintest hint of gold in the center of Lyra's horn.

"Hey ladies!" I waved them over, curious how their day went. Bon Bon noticed me right away and pulled Lyra over in our direction. As they drew closer, the gold glimmer on Lyra's horn grew clearer and clearer, holy shit. "Lyra, is that-" I began before Sweetie Belle gasped loudly.

"OH MY CELESTIA!" She squealed. "Is that a WEDDING RING!?" Sweetie Belle squeaked.

"WHAT!?" Rarity spun around, nearly knocking poor Spike to the ground. With both of them smiling proudly, Bon Bon cleared her throat as my jaw dropped.

"My closest friends, I'd just like to announce that Lyra and I have finally come to a decision and have gotten married!" Bon Bon announced.

"Okay, what brought _this_ on?!" Applejack demanded.

"AND HOW COULD YOU GET MARRIED WITHOUT INVITING US!?" Rarity screamed, "I would have brought my bridesmaid dress," she whined.

"Well, it was mainly to get away from High Winds and Blaze," Lyra explained, "but after I asked Bonnie if she meant it, she told me that if I was ready, she'd go through with it. I of course said yes," the two nuzzled each other. "And don't worry," she added, "we're officially married now, but we'll have a better ceremony back in Ponyville, one that can accommodate all of you."

"Rarity?" Bon Bon turned to the seamstress.

"Dresses, wedding planning?" Rarity's horn started to shower blue sparks with excitement.

"If you don't mind," Bon Bon said kindly. Rarity started to dance around all four legs, squealing in delight.

"EEEE!" She squealed even louder. "I can't wait to get started!" Rarity cheered.

"If she's done, I'd like to extend my congratulations," Twilight shook Lyra's hoof. "And I would also like to loan you my castle for the ceremony, if you wish." Both Lyra and Bon Bon nearly passed out at Twilight's offer.

"Are you really serious?" Lyra questioned. Twilight only nodded in reply, smiling at the newlywed couple.

"We'll take it!" Bon Bon took Twilight's hoof in hers and shook it vigorously. It was then that everyone else surrounded the pair of mares, each congratulating both of them. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebloom all jumped around the duo, clamoring to be flower fillies once again like AJ told me they were at Cadence and Shining Armor's wedding. And since Twilight was friends with Lyra when they were fillies themselves, Bon Bon offered Twilight to be her best mare which Twilight accepted without second thought.

"Crap, this means I have to wear a tux again," I complained out loud.

"Oh it's not as bad as you think," Applejack lightly touched my hand with her hoof.

"AJ, that's one thing we have in common, hun," my fingers gently applied pressure to her hoof, "we both don't like dressing up too often."

"Ah know, but it's fer friends. 'N ya clean up _real_ good in a tux," she _purred?_ Woah, I've never heard Applejack talk to me like that. I don't know if I should feel nervous or excited. "If Rainbow 'n the Bolts are plannin' ta sneak up on all of us for the show, then Pinkie's the only one left ta show up."

"Uh, um," I was still reeling in from Applejack's sort of saucy voice. "She said something about Colta-Cola world, maybe she's still trying to beat a drinking challenge." A sudden flash of pink quickly proved me wrong. She zoomed past everyone; the force of her speed rivaling that of hurricane wind.

"What is it with everypony trying to knock me and Cougar down!" Spike tried to regain his balance only to have Twilight steady him with her magic.

"My knee was feeling achey," Pinkie was hyperventilating from running so fast.

"Where did the bucket come from?" Fluttershy asked, pointing to the object on top of Pinkie's head. Feather Duster whistled innocently and cast her gaze out to the strip. The pink mare ripped the bucket off her head and tossed it to the ground.

"Somepony got engaged; who was it?! I have an reception party to plan!" She screamed. "Was it you two?" She galloped over to me and AJ in the blink of an eye.

"After a _week_?" I demanded. "Don't you think that's moving a bit too quickly?"

"Hmm, you're right. All that cherry Colta-Cola is still wracking my precious Pinkie brain," she rubbed her temples. "And then Surprise and I sort of broke Colta-Cola world, so she had to give up the fifty thousand bits she won," Pinkie explained. "Oof!" She cried out, bending her knee several times. Suddenly, she let out a huge gasp and pointed back and forth between Lyra and Bon Bon. "OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh!" Pinkie grabbed ahold of Lyra and Bon Bon in her forelegs. "It's about time you two got married! It feels like we've been waiting for one of you to pop the question for like, five years or something!"

"Pinkie," Spike said, "since you and Surprise have that 'twin sense,' do you have any idea where Rainbow and the Wonderbolts are?" He asked.

"Ooh! Twitch, twitch, twitchy-twitch," Pinkie's tail shot out and vibrated several times. Twilight gasped, grabbed Spike and collapsed to the ground with her son.

"What the hell does that mean?" I asked.

"IT MEANS DUCK!" Applejack grabbed ahold of my arms and yanked me to the ground. Just as our whole group hit the deck, minus Discord who nonchalantly sipped a coffee mug, the Wonderbolts appeared out of nowhere from behind the hotel, swooping down low enough to create a large breeze.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" The other dozens of ponies on the roof cheered.

"GO RAINBOW DASH!" Scootaloo hopped up to her hooves and cheered.

"Okay, Ah think we're good now," Applejack helped me to my feet. "Ah wouldn't doubt Rainbow came up with that one."

"Wow….." I said, mesmerized by all the Pegasus ponies in the sky twirling and dancing at hundreds of miles per hour. My hand snaked its way around Applejack, scratching her lightly on her side. "Here's to a new year, AJ," I rubbed my cheek against the top of her head.

"A new year fer us ta be together," Applejack replied, stepping closer to me and snuggling my ribs as Rainbow Dash came roaring toward us, a bright flash of the rainbow bursting from around the cyan pony. I had a feeling that this would be the best year I've had in a long time; getting to share it with the mare I loved made me feel more excited.

* * *

**(3:00 am. Ivan and AJ's room. Ivan's POV)**

"Oh fuck, what's that sound?" I groaned, barely able to open my eyes. I swear I heard someone pounding a hammer into something; my brain was radiating with pain.

"Oh good, yer up," a southern voice said, _angrily?_

"Applejack, why is Big Macintosh working on the house so early?" I asked, opening my eyes only to see an alarm clock reading 3:00 am and an upset Applejack sitting on the foot of our bed. Those were the only things I could make out until my vision de-clouded itself. Looking down, I found myself lumped onto the floor with a broken plant vase, a lamp and an empty bottle of Marewaukee Brew. "Did someone try to burgle us last night?" I questioned, trying to sit up. When I did, however, there was a sudden rush in my stomach. Bracing my palms on the floor, I steadied myself until the dizziness wore off, but the pounding in my head and dryness of my mouth remained.

"Do ya need a bucket?" the mare asked, though she didn't sound willing to help. She sounded more stern than usual.

"N-no, I think I'm good," my words slurred. Pushing myself up slowly, the debris on my back slowly slid off, though a few spots of dirt rode down the back of my shirt. I grabbed ahold of the table next to the bed, gingerly picking myself up off the ground. "What the hell happened in here? I feel like Big Mac used me as a punching bag."

"You did all this," Applejack remarked, crossing her forelegs over her chest.

"Were, were you watching me all night?" I asked her, sitting myself down next to her.

"Just fer the hour you were knocked out is all," she said, still sounding pissed off. What in the name of Morgan Freeman happened? AJ was practically cuddling me on the roof the last time I remember. "Ya know, yer a _lot_ heavier than ya look," she added grumpily.

"Did Rainbow swoop too low and hit me?" The pounding in my head seemed to get worse. My right hand started to rub my temples, hoping to dull the pain. I looked over to see Applejack shuffling what appeared to be a few photos around before she handed me a few of them.

"Ya don't recall a damn thing, do ya?" Uh oh, the last time she said something like that to me was when I withheld telling her that I ate meat.

"I can't, I can't like to you," forming words was beginning to get rather difficult for me. "Sorry, _lie_, to you," I corrected myself, still slurring. "No, I don't remember anything AJ," I took a chance and leaned close to her. Thankfully, she didn't move away, but she felt tensed up instead of loose.

"Well, go on 'n take a look then," she requested. I would've preferred her raising her voice at me; this 'calm angry' was pretty intimidating. She tapped the photos abruptly with her hoof when I couldn't put together what she meant. Finally my brain started to piece together that I was more hungover than I'd ever been. And the pounding in my head was the pounding that I was hearing.

"Who took these?" I asked, slowly flipping them around to try and form the story of the past few hours.

"Soarin hired a professional photographer ta document the after air show party," Applejack explained. 'O course nopony thought _this'd_ be documented," she pointed to a picture of me on stage in what appeared to be a private club. I had a microphone in one hand and a plant in the other. The same plant that lied on the floor in front of the bed. Each photo that I gazed over surprised me and made me feel even worse.

"A-AJ," I began.

"Just, think," she ordered. "Think back ta the party." Squinting my eyes until all I saw was black, a few brief segments began to appear in my head. Whether or not this would be all I remembered had yet to be determined. I began to see the images a little more clearly now. Soarin had made a toast to not only the Wonderbolts, but everyone in the room. Everyone that had been invited on the trip was a close friend in some form to everyone else according to Soarin, and the show was dedicated to everyone, not just the return of the Wonderbolts. Soon enough, Fluttershy took the fillies up to her room since the party was beginning to get a little rowdier.

***Flashback***

_"Come on, Cougar, it's new year's!" Rapidfire lightly shoved me as I held a bottle of beer in my hand. _

_"I don't know guys," I replied. "I've already had three and that's my limit," I explained. _

_"You can have a few more to celebrate, dude!" Soarin encouraged, chugging down some of his beer. "Celebrate the new year and celebrate that you finally got together with Applejack!" He added, pushing the bottle closer to my mouth. I _was_ feeling a little tipsy already, and Applejack was busy talking with Rarity about something, so I guess one more wouldn't hurt. She wouldn't find out. _

_"There you go!" Lightning Streak cheered as I drank from my fourth bottle. _

_"Just letting you know that this is my last one, okay?" I paused. "It _is_ a special occasion for many reasons," I said, resuming my drink. The next thing I knew, I was dancing around on stage, singing one of my favorite songs A cappella._

"You shhhhhake my neeeerves and you rrrrrrattle my braaaain! Too much of love drrrrriiiiives a maaaaan insssaaanne!" _I slurred the hell out of the song, holding my seventh beer in my hand. _"Goooodneeesshshh grasshhhouss GREAT BALLS OF FIRE!"

_"Come on, giddy up Rapidfire!"_ _I shouted as I jumped onto Rapid's back like a cowboy. The stallion started to buck wildly as I held on to him, slapping his flank. "ROCK 'N ROOOLLLLLL!"_

***End Flashback**

"Oh, crap," the pictures fell out of my hands. "A-AJ," I choked out.

"You _knew_ yer limit, yet ya continued ta drink anyway," my girlfriend said angrily. _'Nice going, Ivan,'_ my brain said to me. I felt awful about everything, but who would I even begin to apologize for this?

"AJ, hun," I placed a hungover hand on AJ's shoulder. "I know, that what I did was uncharacteristic of me. But in my defense, it _was_ a New Year's party," I only realized how stupid and selfish that sounded too late.

"Ivan, Ah'm not mad, but Ah AM _sorely_ disappointed in ya. You know better than ta do this," she scolded me. My eyes started to feel wet, was I crying? My shaky fingers touched just under my eyes, feeling a hint of wetness below. "Look, Ah know it was a party, but we have limits fer a reason. What's the point 'o havin' them if ya break them without worryin' about the consequences?"

_"I-I'm sorry AJ,"_ I whispered to her.

"Ah know ya are, but how would ya feel if _you_ had to drag _my_ drunken flank upstairs covered in all that crap?" She pointed back to the mess of debris on the floor. Holding my head in my hands, I struggled to hold back tears. I was pissed at myself for acting like a dumbfuck, especially in front of so many ponies that I was honored to call my friends, but I'd disappointed Applejack and possibly tainted our still young relationship.

"Embarrassed, humiliated, _regretful…._"

"Now hold it right there, buster. You must be drunker than Ah thought if ya think Ah regret anythin," she assured me. "Ivan, Ah still love ya, more than just about anythin' in Equestria. Yer my special somepony, a special somepony that just made a mistake. It's not like ya cheated on me or stole anythin'." She nestled her head on my shoulder, but I quickly pushed her away.

"But I hurt you," I argued.

"Do ya see any bruises on me?" she asked, anger quickly fading away to concern.

"I hurt your trust. You gave me your trust, and like a fucking idiot I stomped it into the ground so I could have fun."

"Ivan, Ah still trust ya. Ah'm still disappointed, but yer actin' like Ah never want ta see ya again, 'n you _know_ that's simply not true. We all make mistakes, nopony is perfect. Look," she added when I sat in silence feeling sorry for myself, "we've had a long day. Let's get some sleep 'n we can talk about it in the mornin,'" she kissed my cheek.

"I'll just go get the couch ready," I stood up, still being careful to not rush and accidentally vomit.

"Woah now, Ah ain't kickin' ya out!" Applejack exclaimed, hopping to her hooves.

"You never said that, I know," I walked out of the room, "but I don't deserve to share a bed with you after what I did," I grabbed a spare blanket from the suite closet and laced it over the large couch in the sitting room.

"'Course you do, Sugarcube," Applejack ripped the blanket from the sofa. "Ah still want ya by my side." She placed her hoof on my chest, giving me a look of forgiveness, compassion, and love.

"Why do I?" I asked her.

"Because, Ah love, 'n Ah forgive ya," she replied. "Please, just come ta bed, Ivan. Ah wanna feel yer arms around me, protectin' me 'n lovin' me." When she saw I wasn't budging, she slowly removed her hoof from my chest. "Fine, it's yer decision. But, Ah'm leavin' the door open in case ya change yer mind." And with that, Applejack solemnly trotted back into our hotel bedroom. The soft rustling of the sheets was the last sound I heard before a sad sigh. I was completely conflicted. On one hand, I felt like I didn't deserve Applejack after making an ass out of myself in front of everyone and then having her drag my drunk ass back to the room. I didn't want to hurt her anymore, but I also wanted to run back in the room and do what she wanted: to just hold her and tell her how much I love her. Where's a DeLorean when I needed one?

I collapsed onto the couch, covering my eyes with my arm, hoping that I was just having a nightmare and I would wake up with AJ cuddling my torso. "Luna?" I called out quietly, "Please tell me I'm having a nightmare."

"No, you're very much awake," a soft voice behind me said. Nearly having a heart attack, I flipped my body over on the couch to find Celestia standing in the kitchen of the suite. Her transparent rainbow mane flowed gracefully even without wind.

"Celestia, what in your name are you doing here?"

"Well, I _was_ just on my way to give you your late Christmas present, but instead I find you refusing to share a bed with your special somepony…."

"Long story short, I got drunk and made a fool out of myself in front of all of my friends and humiliated Applejack," I explained, sitting up. The alicorn regally walked over and joined me on the couch, rubbing my back with her wing.

"It appears to me that you just disappointed her by failing to adhere to your previously set limits on alcohol consumption."

"She had to drag my drunk, unconscious body back to the room, Celestia," I replied, "I think that qualifies as humiliation."

"While that may be, she was willing to forgive you and still occupy the same bed as you. I think that speaks volumes for just how much she loves you, Cougar."

"See it in my eyes. She gives me her trust and her heart, and in only a week and break one. Who's to say I won't break the other?" I asked the princess.

"I see that you blind yourself with negativity," Celestia wasted no time in responding. "One mistake does not constitute failure."

"Celestia, the last thing I ever want to do is hurt Applejack. She's who I live for now, not myself. What good am I if I break her trust?"

"Understandable thinking since this is your first relationship. Cougar, the love between a mare and a stallion can only grow if both learn from each other's mistakes. It's more than likely that Applejack will make mistakes as well further along in your relationship. Would you consider the trust you put in Applejack to be tarnished if she made one mistake?"

"Absolutely not; if she did make a mistake, I'd help her get through it. I would do anything for Applejack," I swore to the alicorn.

"So, why is one mistake on your part worse than if she made one?" Celestia questioned. Now, that _did_ make me stop and have to think harder for a second. Of course, like AJ told me, no one is perfect or mistake free, but I would try my absolute best to make sure the mare I loved was happy, loved, and could trust me. The only sounds I could hear was AJ's soft breathing, Celesita's feathers rubbing up and down my back, and the pounding in my head that was starting to diminish.

"Because it's my job to make her happy and feel loved," I replied quietly, feeling that was the best answer I could give.

"Correction: It is _both_ your jobs to make each other happy and feel loved," Celestia stopped rubbing my back with her wing. "Right now, the best thing you can do is march into that room and be there for her like she wanted. Or you can do what you feel is right and sleep alone. The choice is yours of course. But, before I go, Merry late Christmas," a golden burst of light illuminated the room, intensifying my headache.

"What is it?" I asked, still shielding my eyes that had spots appearing everywhere.

"You know of my pet phoenix, right?" Celestia replied with a question.

"Uh, yeah, Philomena, right?"

"Indeed. She laid an egg not too long ago, and I had planned to give it to you on Christmas, but the poor thing had yet to hatch, so Philomena kept it warm until he was ready," Celestia explained as I saw a tiny red lump floating in Celestia's golden magic. She levitate the lump over to me where she dropped it into my hands.

"Why did you decide on me?" I lightly stroked the baby bird that cooed from my touch.

"A phoenix is a huge responsibility; since you were in the military for so long and you don't have a pet, I thought you might want him. I would keep him, but I only time for one pet at the moment."

"What about Luna?" I asked.

"She's more of a bat mare," Celestia smiled.

"Thank you, Celestia," I said after looking up from the baby bird. "This means a lot to me," I stroked the baby again on the wing.

"Just remember that a phoenix has a fast growth cycle. He'll be full grown in about a month." My little moment of happiness from the phoenix was shattered when I heard Applejack mumbled something incoherently from the other room.

"Do you have a cage for him, by any chance?"

_Poof_

A golden cage appeared in the corner of the sitting room, complete with old newspapers lining the tray on the bottom. "Once he reaches adulthood, you can graduate him to a perch," she explained. "But for now," she levitated the phoenix over to the cage and covered it with a cloth. "I do believe you have more pressing matters to attend to," she looked over at the bedroom. She didn't say anything else; she disappeared in a flash of magic, leaving me alone with my new companion.

Grunting, I sat up from the couch, leaving the blanket on the floor and used the wall to keep myself steady so I wouldn't fall over onto the floor. I knew what I had to do. Walking into the bedroom, Applejack's body was facing away from the door as she silently snored away in her sleep. The worst part was I could faintly see her forelegs stretched out, as if her sleeping form was intending for me to be there.

As softly as I could, I lifted the blanket up and slinked onto the bed. Every little creak it made worried me that AJ would wake up. Staying up for so long probably helped, but she didn't stir or awaken as I scooted closer to her sleeping form. Gently, I moved my left arm under her body, wrapping it around and pulling it closer as I laced my right arm on top of her. "_I love you, Applejack,"_ I whispered, kissing her cheek and holding her tighter. Almost immediately, her body rolled over so she was facing me albeit asleep. Her head then snuggled under my neck as her hoof laid on top of my arm. With another kiss, this time on her forehead, my eyelids drooped lower and lower until I too entered the land of slumber. But more importantly, I entered slumber with Applejack in my arms.

**End Chapter 39**

* * *

_Okay, so that's it for the Las Pegasus arc of the story. Ivan had a little bit of ups and downs, but it seems that he and AJ can patch it up and work to correct those mistakes. I had so much fun writing the characters in an MLP Las Vegas, but it's time for this arc to end. ONWARD TO THE NIGHTMARE EPISODE!_

_But first, how about that sweet, sweet trivia?_

_Fallen Eagle Trivia_

_1) Dishonorable wasn't originally connected to Fallen Eagle. The first ending of Dishonorable seemed too corny, so I added in the plane crash to continue it._

_2) Ivan's original name was Anthony Gordon. A cross between Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. It was changed because it was just a little too generic. I then switched it to Ivan after watching Rocky IV because I wanted a tough sounding name. Pearson is the last name of NASCAR Legend David Pearson and my good friend, Sassymouse, says every Pearson she's met was a take no shit kind of guy_

_3) When I was writing Ivan and Luna's midnight chat in Chapter 3, it was going to be the start of a romance between them. However, after seeing some potential chemistry between Ivan and AJ, I went in that direction._

_4) The first idea for Fallen Eagle came to me when I was listening to the Top Gun soundtrack and heard the song Heaven in your Eyes, imagining Spike and Rarity dancing to it at the Gala._

_5) After deciding that Ivan would be with AJ, I didn't want Luna alone, (she's my 2nd favorite character after AJ) so Checkered Flag was born. I was going to have her fall for him at the Gala, but I thought it would make their relationship more interesting if they revealed they were dating in secret for awhile._

_6) Ivan's callsign wasn't always Cougar. In rough drafts, it was Grizz. However, Grizz just doesn't roll off the tongue like Cougar for the story. I did keep it, obviously, and still had use for it._

_7) I WAS going to write a chapter where Ivan introduced Thanksgiving to the characters, but pacing problems forced me to omit it._

_8) I actually had the two songs from the confession chapter planned out back in December of 2014 around the time Rainbow Rocks debuted on Netflix._

_9) Before I had settled on 'Alone' by Heart for AJ's song, 'Could it Be?' From Kim Possible: So the Drama was one of my original choices. But it just didn't sound like an AJ song, more of a Rarity or even a Celestia song._

_10) In a rough draft of the confession chapter, there was going to be a third song, one that Ivan sang. It was 'Let Me be the One' by Def Leppard from their 'X' album. However, since 99% of the story is in his view, the song would've been redundant, so the chat with Luna was written to coincide with her and Celestia's song._

_11) The running titles in contention for the story were 'Into the Danger Zone,' and 'Hard Lock.' Fallen Eagle was chosen because of the name of the jet Ivan flew and the story is of Ivan's fall and rise._

_12) I have voice actors all picked out for every one of my major OC's, but they will all remain secret until the finale with the exception of Checkered Flag as you all know is voiced by Jeff Gordon._

_13) I created Etherea nearly a year ago because until I had seen Rainbow Rocks, I only saw Sunset Shimmer as a villain. Yes, she was the original choice to be the antagonist about keeping the purity of ponies intact. I ADORE her character now, especially her development, so it would've killed me to make her a villain._

_14) Sweetie Belle broke the 4th wall in the first Las Pegasus chapter by giving Twilight 22 minutes before cracking. Every one part episode of the show is around 22 minutes in length._

_15) My original Gala plan involved The Crusaders performing with Ivan and Vinyl. I actually can't remember why I changed it_

_16) Zecora hasn't appeared due to the fact I would mutilate her character. I respect her and refuse to 'damage' her in any way._

_17) This one may anger a few people, but here goes. I wrote in AJ getting upset at Applebloom about Caramel simply because I don't like CaraJack at all. If you guys like the couple, awesome, I don't think of you any less. Watching Winter Wrap up, it's pretty clear she's annoyed by the mere mention of his name. To me, that doesn't translate as secret feelings._

_18) Blueblood IS coming back from the Griffon Kingdom shortly._

_19) The story was never meant to delve into Season 5, but I couldn't pass up the story potentials._

_20) Ivan was supposed to go on a rescue mission to get AJ and his friends back from Starlight's village when they never cane back. That sequence would've been a cross between 007 and Mission: Impossible. However, every idea I had written down for what he'd actually do was pretty boring, so I opted for a huge bonding moment between he and Applebloom._

_21) The opening air battle was originally set on the beaches in an abandoned Miami, Florida with ground troops occupying the beaches. The enemies would've attacked with Battleships and Destroyers while the USAF and Navy in a joint-op defended the beach in an Empire Strikes Back homage. That was changed because I couldn't figure out how to get Ivan to the Bermuda Triangle. The homage is still somewhat intact where Ivan tells Reaper, "Attack pattern Delta, go now."_

_22) When I first began the story, I was reading a few fanfics to try and get a better grasp on the characters. Until I looked them up, I had NO clue who Lyra and Bon Bon were. And then I of course didn't forsee them becoming one of my favorite fanon couples. As for making Bon Bon the 'dude' in the relationship, I think that came around from watching a few of her scenes from Call of the Cutie and Putting your Hoof down. Plus, Lyra didn't really have a speaking role until Slice of Life._

_23) Button Mash said, "Enjoy the Loser's circle, She-Devil," in Klingon to Lullaby at the arcade._

_24) The reason why I'm giving a good focus on Spike and why I ultimately decided to age him is because of the writers for the show. I look at Spike and see some really intriguing ways to help his character grow, but the writers WASTE this potential with episodes like Princess Spike and *Shudder* Spike at your service. The only way I could flesh him out in this story was to have him age, to become more of an adult and have both he and Twilight embrace the mother/son role. _

_25) There was going to be a sequence where Luna sensed the nightmares of a trapped Reaper being held captive in Cuba. Ivan would've launched a rescue mission with the Mane 6, Luna and a few guards to rescue him. However, I kept him dead to force Ivan to accept his previous life was over in every way. He'll never see another human in front of him ever again. REPEAT. REAPER IS DEAD._


	41. Chapter 40: A Nightmare Come True

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 40: A Nightmare Come True**

**I'd just like to congratulate Nukem999 once again for being the 400th reviewer of the story. To commemorate this, Nukem999's OC, Hopeful Romantic, gets a cameo appearance in the nightmare battle! Hopeful Romantic stars in Nukem999's story, Strange Yet Wonderful.**

_Second, this chapter was written and proofread on Saturday the 31st. However, a few certain roadblocks prevented me from updating. I won't say what they were, but I can assure it's nothing serious. BUT, now I get to do this for the first time in Fallen Eagle! While I know probably a majority of you guys don't care for NASCAR, my all-time favorite driver, Jeff Gordon, (who also voices Checkered Flag in all of my MLP stories) collected his 93rd career victory on Sunday, November 1st! Not only that, but it was his 9th career win at Martinsville Speedway and he punched his ticket to the Sprint Cup Series Championship Round that takes place on Sunday, November 22nd in Miami, Florida. YESSSSS! Should he win the championship, it will be the fifth title of his career and his last one as the 2015 season is his final season. I just find it funny that I wrote a Lunared Flag chapter and then Jeff wins a race!_

_Welcome back, everybody! I know this chapter came out much earlier than its predecessors, but I've had this chapter on my mind for quite some time and it was just so much fun to write that I couldn't stop writing it! Don't worry though, I still hold the same standards of quality. And yes, this chapter takes place during Do Princesses dream of Magic Sheep, but I have adjusted some of the dialog to sound a bit more mature and basically so I don't seem like I'm completely stealing the episode. **This fantastic episode is the property of Hasbro and Hasbro Studios. This is just a fan version of the episode. **_

_Now, just a quick message before I reply to any reviews. This announcement will make a few readers not too thrilled, but keep in mind this is MY FanFiction account and I'll post something new when I would like to. For the past few months, I've been jotting down ideas for what my own 'episode' of the show would be. And a few months later, I have a general outline of not only the whole story, but every scene ready to go. All I have left is to write it down. This 'episode' is entitled _'And the Winner Is...' _and stars Applebloom and Checkered Flag as the main characters. Since the show has yet to do an episode depicting a lesson about the horrors of cheating, I, as a racing fan, decided to do my own. So be on the lookout for when that is posted and leave some feedback; it will also be posted on my fimfiction account. _

**Skullcrusher550**: Nope, Reaper has always been dead with the exception of the flashback when Ivan subbed for Ms. Cheerilee

**OBSERVER01:** I'm a sucker for trivia about anything (I love the gameshow Jeopardy!) and I thought that trivia would be a good treat for you guys.

**sassymouse:** All of Surprise's winnings went to fixing Colta-Cola World. At least she has memories with her Twinzie! I wrote him as a mini Angry Video Game Nerd; it helped to think of him as the Nerd. And I didn't even need to ask you about the bucket! And congrats to you on 300 reviews!

**Dixie Darlin:** But knowing Pinkie and Surprise (at least from Sassymouse's story) they wouldn't pass up a contest for indulging in unhealthy snack foods. I think it makes Rapidfire more three dimensional. Instead of being a whiner about things he doesn't have, he's worried about messing up and uses that as a secret excuse to complain. It's great to see a guy stick up for his girl, but sometimes shaking it up a bit and doing role reversal keeps the relationship more natural. While most of the compliments about how I handle characters are kind, I like how people enjoy my interpretations of Spike. I've read countless forums about how people hate Spike on the show. It's not his fault the writers completely waste potential with him, so I'll take up the handle if they don't want to!

**Random Guy:** Well happy late birthday, my friend!

**adhdluke:** Yeah, I know this is mainly for fun and I'm not getting paid for it which would seem stupid to some people (not saying you think that!) but to me, a year's worth of dedication just shows how much I love both the show and how much I love to write. I LOVE coming up with stories to entertain and tell people.

**theflammableflamedragon:** Nope, no Dead Space or Five Nights at Freddies. I actually have no idea what FnaF is even about.

**Srey:** As much as I love Pinkie's character, doing a scene from HER POV would've been insane! Can you imagine the randomness that pops into her head for no reason? As for Lullaby meeting a fan, I used experience from meeting Jeff Gordon for the first time to help write that in. It's also an homage to me meeting Jeff Gordon because I met him in Las Vegas nearly ten years ago. I toyed with the idea of him being treated like an alien, but consider this: You're on a strange new planet of a completely different species. Which seems more humiliating? Being treated like an alien or a pet? Speaking of the timeline, I know the GENERAL plot for the S5 finale, but I can tell you and everyone right now that the S5 finale, no matter how good or bad it may be, will NOT be apart of the Fallen Eagle universe. As of now, the last S5 episode that will be apart of the Fallen Eagle universe is The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows. Thanks to that episode, I thought of another character growth chapter.

**TwoSoulsOneMind:** *Slow clap*

**SquirtlePWN:** As Robot Chicken's M. Night Shamylan says, "WHAT A TWIST!" She was going to show up regardless of what happened. Kim Possible was (and still is) freaking amazing. I wish Disney would replay that all day every day.

**Chaosstripe:** Necromancer? Sure if you want me to shove in a forced and contrived plot device for no reason. If I were to bring Reaper back, the whole point of Ivan learning to face a huge leap like this would be erased. Having only pictures and memories helps him remember his old life, but he can never go back which leaves him no choice but accept and embrace the second chance granted to him.

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. There's a few movie references in here, see if you can name them all! And don't forget to be on the lookout for my new one shot called 'And the Winner Is...'

* * *

**(Luna's Dreamworld. 3rd Person POV)**

Among the ruins of the long abandoned and defunct castle of royal sisters in the Everfree Forest stood the Princess of the Night. Alone in the throne room, Luna set in between the crumbling thrones she and Celestia once sat at many centuries ago, waiting. With her eyes glued to the large doorway before her, Luna knew that something important was about to take place, something _troubling_. Yet, as what she was waiting for approached, the closing of her eyes was the only change in her facial expression. Having accepted what was about to happen, the midnight blue alicorn knew nothing was going to prevent this. The encroaching sound of galloping hooves quickly forced her eyelids to open as a blue and purple puff of smoke slowly ascended behind Luna. "Greetings, Tantabus," she said before she even looked behind her, "I am ready. Do your worst," she challenged.

Suddenly, the daylight outside gave way to immediate night while this magical creature, this 'Tantabus,' shot beams of black magic into Luna. This magic caused her to grunt and cry out in pain as her body began to morph into something else. The doorway then burst open as the six Elements of Harmony galloped their way into the throne room too little too late. Gasping in shock and fear, the six mares came to a screeching halt while the Tantabus levitated Luna into the air as her metamorphosis continued. The magic then formed a ball of orange and black flame that encompassed the alicorn, making Luna's screams of pain diminish. "Luna's turning into Nightmare Moon!" Twilight exclaimed fearfully, "Again!" The screams of pain gave way to an evil laughter before changing once more into an evil cackle.

Luna's eyes transformed into cat-like pupils, her normal pony teeth mutated into fangs, and her fur changed from midnight blue to jet black as she grew as big as Princess Celestia. Her silver hoof plates were now dark blue and her crown replaced with the same colored helmet. She was once more the same monster that attempted to overthrow Celestia and cast a curse of forever night over Equestria a millennia ago: Nightmare Moon. "Ha ha ha ha!" She laughed cruelly again.

"LUNA!" A new voice cried out, a stallion's voice. Ceasing her triumphant cackling, both Nightmare Moon and the Mane Six looked out to a doorway just to the side of the stairway leading to Luna's throne. Checkered Flag exploded from the dimly lit hallway adjacent to the door, darting at full speed. "Luna, please," the Earth Pony begged as he leapt over the stairway and landed on his hooves with a hard thud below Nightmare Moon. "Tell me why you're doing this," he pleaded.

"Hmm?" Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow.

"I-I can help you," Checkered reached a hoof out, hoping his beloved princess would realize what she was doing and come to her senses. "They can help you," he added, stretching his hoof closer to Nightmare's with a hopeful smile and pleading eyes on his face. With a condescending smirk, the evil alicorn smacked Checkered's hoof away with her own, shocking the stallion and hurting his heart. She then zapped him with black lightning from her horn, sending him flying back to the Elements of Harmony amidst clouds of smoke. A terrified chorus of gasps erupted from the six mares, only angering them.

"To think _Luna_ would waste her precious time on an Earth Pony of all things," Nightmare rolled her eyes.

"_Lulu,"_ the racing pony said weakly, still managing to reach his hoof out to her while Twilight levitated him safely to a corner of the room and out of harms way.

"Time to suit up!" Rainbow Dash declared. Six beams of light crashed through the roof of the castle from the heavens, engulfing the ponies and granting them their Rainbow Power they'd acquired from their battle with Tirek. Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity all marched forwards before levitating off the ground themselves, matching the exact altitude as Nightmare Moon. A large ball of white and golden light encompassed the elements of harmony before six beams of individual light of every color of the rainbow burst from the ball.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Nightmare Moon chortled. The beams of magic from the elements hit an invisible force field that was protecting the nocturnal alicorn. The Mane Six did all they could, summoning even more powerful magic in hopes of reverting Nightmare Moon back into Luna again. However, Nightmare's chortling came to a stop as her force field just, _disappeared._ The magic attempting to hit her stopped as well as the ponies floating mere feet before her watched to see if their plan had worked. Checkered Flag managed to pick himself up and watch on. "Wait!" the ailcorn exclaimed, completely turning her back to the other ponies in the room.

The Tantabus grew six black smokey tentacles that tore a hole in thin air. "What is it doing?!" Nightmare Moon demanded alarmingly, her eyes growing in fear. Using its tentacles, the Tantabus ripped the hole even larger before slipping out of the room and into nothingness. "NO! IT'S GONE!" With another burst of magic, the Elements of Harmony hit Nightmare Moon full force, ripping the darkness off her and re-envisioning her as Princess Luna.

"WHOO-HOO!" Pinkie Pie cheered as all six mares tackled Luna mid air in a group hug.

"NO! NO!" Luna began to scream.

"Lulu!" Checkered exclaimed happily, galloping toward her from the other side of the room. Yet, as he grew closer, his calls seemed to get farther away, as if he were running backwards. The stallion leapt from the ground and latched his forelegs around her torso while the Mane Six moved out of the way for him. "Lulu!" He said happily again. The princess of the night began to feel shaken. As Checkered hugged her, the shaking seemed to grow worse.

"NO!"

"Luna, what's wrong?!" Checkered asked in terror. Shooting her eyes open, Luna saw the familiar sight of her bedroom in Canterlot castle and the bed in which she had previously been asleep in. "Moon Pie?" Checkered said in a cracking voice. Slowly adjusting her eyes to the side, Luna saw her coltfriend accompanying her in her crescent moon bed.

"Ch-Checkered?" She questioned while the light grey stallion rubbed her cheek.

"You, you were screaming," he swallowed, "and jolting around," his hoof wiped some sweat from her hairline. Throwing the blanket off the two of them, Luna swung her rear legs over the side of the bed, holding her head in one hoof and her stomach in the other.

"I f-feel ill, Checkered," Luna said after taking several deep breaths. Taking her hoof off her stomach with his, Checkered caressed it lovingly while rubbing his cheek against hers.

"What's the matter? Is there anything you need?"

"My dream ended happily," she replied, beginning to shake. Feeling confused, Checkered Flag removed his cheek from Luna's to ask her what she meant before she explained it. "That, cannot, HAPPEN!" She exclaimed loudly, only puzzling her coltfriend even more.

* * *

**(Carousel Boutique the following morning. Ivan's POV)**

So, after one of my poorest displays since, well as long as I can recall, things had thankfully pretty much reverted back to normal for our large gaggle of friends. I had a talk with AJ the following morning after my drinking bender over a calm cup of coffee. It was there I gave her my word that I would keep to my limit of alcohol to avoid another incident like that again. Even though I tried to keep it as mature as possible, Applejack actually had me Pinkie promise that I would keep true to my word. _'Pinkie _always _knows when somepony makes or breaks a Pinkie Promise,'_ Applejack had told me, though she still had faith in me.

Since I was concerned that either Rainbow Dash, Rarity, or Spike would accidentally let slip about what I had done to Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, or Scootaloo, I took them to Sugarcube Corner and explained exactly what I did and how it was wrong. They ended up taking it pretty well and trusted that I wouldn't do it again and make the right choice the next time I found myself in the same situation.

As for Rapidfire, I headed out to the Wonderbolt's Academy two days after we returned from Las Pegasus to set the record straight with not only him, but the rest of the Wonderbolts as well since I embarrassed them as a whole group. The response I got from most of the squadron members was the classic cold shoulder, yet I still had Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and even Lullaby to help back me up when everyone else ignored me. And being ignored by most of them is what I deserved. Once Rapidfire finally allowed me to speak to him, my apology ended with the stallion punching me square in the gut, making me keel over onto the floor, almost making me vomit. He _did_ end up forgiving me, but I had a suspicion that he wouldn't exactly be thrilled to see me the next time I visited.

And like most of us were preparing a few weeks for, Bon Bon and Lyra had a more 'official' wedding, even if it was small, simple, and amongst their closest friends. I also got to meet a few of Twilight and Lyra's Canterlot friends thanks to the wedding. All of them were kind just like Fancy Pants and Fleur-dis-Lee, and they fit perfectly as Lyra's bridesmaids. Although, Moondancer kept getting a little too close for comfort and tried to stick an electrode on my forehead at one point. Luckily, Twilight had a pretty good watch her clone and prevented Moondancer from going science insane on me.

Vinyl had also returned from Manehatten and was more than willing to DJ the event, even asking me to join her again on the guitar. But, I had to decline; I don't enjoy the guitar enough to perform with it on stage again, but I still told her I'd jam with her whenever I was available. The wedding went off glitch free thanks mainly to Twilight's organizational skills and the planning by both Rarity and Pinkie. It might sound a little too obvious, but my favorite part was getting to dance with AJ at the reception.

All of that had taken place over the course of nearly a month; everyone had a free day today, and we all decided to utilize it as a grooming day for our pets. Naturally, Twilight was the most intrigued about Celestia giving me the baby phoenix and begged me to allow her to study him while he grew. She told me she never found the time to study Philomena due to her saving Equestria multiple times. One month later, she had a full research paper on just about everything one needed to know about a phoenix. Why she didn't just ask Celestia a few questions, I'll never know. I'm at least glad Winona got along with Fawkes.

"Ooh, this is amazing!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed from within Carousel Boutique. Grooming my phoenix with everyone else's pet was actually a lot more fun than I had originally thought. Twilight was brushing Owlowicious' feathers with a little assistance from Spike, Rainbow Dash was giving Tank a bath and shining up his shell, Rarity was combing Opal's tail, Fluttershy was drying off Angel's fur in her forelegs, AJ was brushing Winona's fur, (or at least attempting to) and Pinkie was bouncing around, watching what the rest of us were doing.

"Yeah Rarity," Rainbow Dash concurred with a noisy yawn, "thanks for setting all this up," she added. The cyan Pegasus wobbled a bit while scrubbing Tank's shell. I noticed the dark bags under eyes and how sluggish she was moving, yet nothing about it alarmed me very much. Come to think of it actually, most of them I'd noticed were sounding a little groggy, with the exceptions of Spike and Pinkie Pie. But I didn't say anything to any of them; I knew how important sleep can be to anybody, and if they had short fuses over anything, I did _not_ want to be the one to light the fuse.

"A grooming day for our pets really was a great idea," Fluttershy chimed in, cradling her Angel bunny in a towel, "especially for you Cougar." She added. "Fawkes seems to be enjoying himself." Chuckling as I carefully brushed and smoothed out his scarlet and gold feathers, I turned to reply to the buttery Pegasus.

"To be honest, I thought he'd be a little more of a handful with this being his first grooming. But he's doing a great job and staying at attention like a good soldier!" I exclaimed, lightly scratching the back of his head with my index finger. He stretched his head up, leaning it back into my finger to enjoy the sensation.

"Squawk!" Fawkes cried out proudly, making me grin as I took my hand away to resume grooming his feathers.

"I can't believe he's practically an adult now," Spike paused for second from helping his mother. Setting down my brush and grabbing a pair of bird clippers, I cautiously began trimming Fawkes' claws. I didn't trim them too much to where he couldn't defend himself, but just enough so he wouldn't accidentally puncture someone's skin by landing on them. He enjoyed perching on other places other than the perch Celestia gave me after graduating him from the cage, and I didn't want him to hurt somepony by mistake or to tear up the back of the Apple family couch.

"Celestia mentioned to me that phoenixes mature to adulthood abruptly. I'm more concerned with him bursting into flame at the wrong time, though," I responded, feeling uneasy as I had no clue how Fawkes liked having his claws trimmed. If he tried to peck at my hat, I wouldn't blame him.

"MEOW!" A loud shriek from Rarity's cat killed our pleasant conversation; thankfully, I didn't mistakenly rip off one of Fawkes' claws from jumping a bit. Turning my head, I saw Opal clinging to the ceiling of the boutique, giving Rarity an evil look.

"Oh my!" Rarity proclaimed to her cat, "I'm so sorry, Opal!" she apologized. "I didn't get my normal beauty sleep," the seamstress explained with a more polite yawn than Rainbow Dash's. The angry feline gave the Unicorn a pissed off hiss, refusing to come down just yet. I had no clue what Rarity did, and I wasn't going to ask.

"You know," Twilight yawned as well, "I didn't sleep well either," she replied as I resumed trimming my bird's claws.

"Mhmm," the other ponies replied in unison.

"I'm _totally_ beat too!" Well, everypony except Pinkie who was doing cartwheels around the boutique. Feeling perplexed, I turned to Spike who was still standing in between Twilight and myself. I cleared my throat to get his attention.

"Did she stay up late studying or working on some proposal?" I asked the dragon.

"No," Spike shook his head, "but I do remember hearing her moving around and shrieking a few times last night," he explained, putting his fingers on his chin. "I just figured she was dreaming about coming home to a disorganized bookshelf again."

"Hmm, AJ was squirming around and grunting a lot last night too," I recalled. "I assumed she was dreaming about fighting diamond dogs. Whatever it was, she almost pushed me out of her bed a few times," I looked over at my girlfriend who was supporting her head with her left foreleg on the table. "Maybe they're slowly morphing into zombponies," I smirked at Spike.

"Oh no!" Twilight exclaimed tiredly, "Don't fill his head with that nonsense," she ordered me. "I just got him to stop believing in zombponies and vamponies," Twilight scolded me. I rolled my eyes at the alicorn for killing the joke while Fawkes squawked again, gently rubbing his beak on my finger.

"Guess you like this, huh little guy?" I patted his head and started to help preen a few loose feathers.

"Bark!" Winona's barking alerted AJ while I still noticed her slipping in and out of consciousness.

"Alright Winona, time fer yer brushin'," AJ felt around the table with her hoof, just barely able to keep her eyes open.

"AJ!" I tried to warn her as she picked up Gummy instead of the brush. I winced as the alligator clamped its jaws onto Winona's ear in retaliation. AJ jumped when Winona growled in irritation and flailed her head around. She flung the gator off her ear and in my and Twilight's direction. "Heads!" I ducked as Gummy flew over me and landed atop Owlowicious' head, freaking him out. The owl started flapping his wings in a crazed panic, knocking Twilight in the wooden washtub right next to her.

Fawkes cawed in defense as one of Owlowicious' wings hit his head. My phoenix hovered over his perch, continuing to caw at the owl who started flying all over the boutique with Gummy still on his head. "Easy, Fawkes!" I exclaimed, holding out my arm. "No one's gonna hurt you," I placated him enough into landing on my outstretched arm. Thankfully I had trimmed his claws; he squeezed around my arm pretty hard.

"Oops, Ah guess Ah'm too plum tuckered out ta do this right," AJ shook her head back and forth as Winona rubbed her ear.

"Good thing you weren't holding scissors, mom," Spike held the brush Twilight was levitating in between his toes. With so many sleepy ponies handling scissors and clippers, I was starting to feel a little concerned.

"I went to bed extra early last night," Fluttershy yawned about as loud as Rainbow Dash while Spike and I started to clean up the small mess around us. "But then I had _really_ scary nightmare," she continued.

"ME TOO!" Twilight, Rarity, AJ, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash exclaimed, surrounding Fluttershy like a pack of wolves. Spike and I ceased our cleaning to look up at the six mares before exchanging puzzled looks with one another. We both started moving closer, trying to better hear what was going on.

"Uh, only uh, you know," Rainbow stuttered, "I didn't think mine was _that_ scary!" she crossed her forelegs over her chest, attempting to sound tough.

"Well, mine sure was," Twilight countered, wiping some water from her forehead with a dry washcloth. "There was this blue smoke monster and," the alicorn stopped speaking when her five friends dropped their jaws in unison and leaned closer to her while she sat in the wooden washtub. "What?" She asked, sounding a little uncomfortable.

"She didn't tell you she had a nightmare?" I nudged Spike. The drake shook his head in response and grabbed a few fresh towels for Twilight.

"I dreamt about a blue smoke thingy too!" Fluttershy exclaimed, clutching her chest with her hoof in fear.

"So did I!" Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie cried out. The towel I was holding hit the floor with a soft _thud_ as I couldn't believe what I was hearing. One nightmare between multiple friends, dreaming of the exact same monster on one night? It couldn't be...

"You okay, Sugarcube?" Applejack questioned my shocked state. "Ya didn't have the same nightmare too, did ya?" Waving my hand, I picked the towel off the floor and tossed it into a nearby hamper.

"No, I find it strange too," I replied, zipping my lips to keep my theory to myself.

"Pfft, so what?" Rainbow kicked back and floated in the air like she was sitting in a beach chair. "It's probably just a coincidence!" She brushed it off nonchalantly. _'Bullshit it's a coincidence,'_ I thought to myself.

"_Six_ ponies having the exact same nightmare about the same thing on the same night sounds too big to be a coincidence," Twilight finally climbed from the tub. She was soaking wet and levitated one of the few towels in Spike's hands to begin drying herself. I silently nodded, agreeing with Twilight. But I still kept the connections I saw to myself since I knew it was impossible. Plus, the girls probably didn't want to hear some bullshit allusions to a movie instead of real answers.

"Hmm, I wonder why _I _didn't have the same nightmare?" Spike thought out loud. "Did _you_ have the same nightmare, Cougar?" He asked me. The six mares turned to look in my direction as I cracked my knuckles.

"Nope," I shrugged, "I thought everything was normal and I got my regular three hours of sleep." Most of the time I'd sleep longer, but seven years of waking around around three to five a.m. made my body clock resilient to change. Anything above five hours of sleep was now abnormal for me.

"So then, what could have given us all an identical nightmare?" Rarity questioned. _'Keep it to yourself!'_ My mind scolded. Fawkes trilled as he landed on the counter I was leaning against. I lightly scratched under his wing as Spike prepared his messenger duties.

"Hey mom," Spike lightly tapped her shoulder and held up a parchment and quill, "maybe we should write Princess Luna and ask her what she thinks?" He suggested. With a tired yet proud smile, Twilight nuzzled Spike.

"I was just about to say that; that's my boy," She said affectionately. Twilight didn't even have to tell Spike to copy her words as he placed the end of the quill on the surface of the parchment, giving her a thumbs up. "Dear Princess Luna, last night my friends and I dreamt of a creature made of blue smoke. I'm positive you're very busy, but," Twilight paused to yawn, "when you have the chance, please let me know if you have a theory on what it could mean. Yours," Twilight let out another yawn, "Princess Twilight Sparkle." She concluded.

"_Twilight Sparkle,_" Spike silently repeated what his mom said, finishing off the letter. And with that, Spike rolled up the scroll and burned it away with his emerald fire magic out the window. As he dusted his hands off and Twilight patted his back for a job well done, the front door to Rarity's boutique burst open to reveal Luna and Checkered Flag.

"Which of you saw the creature of blue smoke in your nightmare!?" Luna demanded like a crazed maniac.

"_That_ was fast!" Fluttershy commented.

"You're telling me, Fluttershy," Checkered shook his head back and forth woozily.

"She just put Fillysecond to shame," Spike joked, nudging my rib with his elbow.

"We all did, Princess Luna," Twilight was the only one who answered the blue alicorn. "Except for Spike and Cougar," she pointed to us. We both waved to the Earth Pony and Alicorn as the latter looked very worried.

"Did you dream of the blue smoke too?" I asked the princess. Both Luna and Checkered entered through the door, her wing over his back.

"The Tantabus is a creature of _my_ nightmares." Luna explained, pacing around in front of us with her coltfriend. "It escaped from my slumbers last night," she added.

"I've never seen her have a nightmare like that before," Checkered chimed in albeit feeling concerned for Luna. "I had to wake her up; she was crying out, breathing heavily, pale and feeling sick," he added.

"And I'm lucky to have had you there to comfort me and help me collect my thoughts," Luna forced a smile to her muzzle.

"But, how did it escape into _our_ nightmares?" Fluttershy questioned, sounding more worried by the second.

"The Tantabus is like a parasite. It leeches off the greatest of fears and forces me to endure them; my dreams must not be enough for it anymore. Now it seeks others to infect and corrupt," Luna continued, looking and sounding sorrower by the second. I felt bad for her being forced to sit through the worst of nightmares every single night. And now that AJ and the rest of my friends had to go through that too, there was practically nothing I could do for them. "It must have learned of you sev-, six from seeing you in my nightmares," Luna stumbled around her words.

"Luna?" Checkered started to ask before Rainbow Dash interrupted him.

"Eh, what's the big deal? So smokey gave us bad dreams, no biggie," she laughed it off. Luna only shook her head in reply, giving me a bad feeling that this was just the beginning of something far worse.

"I could see the Tantabus' powers growing stronger each night, but I had not a clue that that power was enough to enable it to escape out of my dreams and into the dreams of others. If it continues to grow in power, it could very well break through the barrier that separates the dream realm from the real world, turning all of Equestria into a living nightmare!" She exclaimed.

"If last night was a precursor, then we haven't even come close to seeing the worst," Checkered said solemnly. I think he was more worried about Luna than himself. Luna's words got to all of us, even me. I quickly had flashes of the worst nightmare I've ever had. I hadn't had it in a while, but I couldn't fathom the thought of facing, _it_ in the real world. I had to grip the counter behind me to keep my hands from shaking.

"Okay, okay!" Rainbow shrieked, "That _does_ sound bad, _really_ bad!" She exclaimed.

"What can we do to help stop it?" Spike questioned.

* * *

**(Ponyville Castle that night; Ivan's POV)**

We found all ten of us marching our way through the corridors of Twilight's castle, heading towards Twilight's master bedroom. Luna and Checkered led the way while the rest of us followed suit. After figuring out what was causing AJ, Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity's nightmares, Luna gave us a list of specific instructions on what the six mares needed to do in order to catch the Tantabus. Spike and I were more than willing to help, but since Luna's dream did not include us, we were about as useful as an air conditioner on Hoth. That didn't stop either of us from feeling extra protective of Twilight and Applejack, however.

"We've prepared everything exactly as you have requested, Princess Luna," Twilight announced as Luna's silvery magic threw open the doors to Twilight's bedroom. No one except Twilight and Spike had seen just what had to be arranged for Luna, but the sight of seven spare beds looked to be a welcome sight to for AJ, Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity and Fluttershy. Hold on, _seven_ beds? I had a feeling one was for Spike to sleep in so he wouldn't feel left out, but who was the extra one for? It may have been for me, yet I immediately planned to share the bed that AJ had chosen.

"Excellent, as you seven slumber here, I will pursue the creature into whichever of your dreams it infests," Luna flapped her wings and hovered over the semi-circle of spare beds.

"It'll be like a princess sleepover!" Pinkie Pie dive-bombed a bed and sprawled out her legs while on her back.

"Speaking of princesses," Twilight began.

"There is nothing my older sister can do to help," Luna cut her off, "her powers are useless in the dream world. Only I can move from dream to dream; I am afraid nopony can assist me tonight," she sounded apologetic. AJ climbed into one of the beds, setting her stetson on the headboard while I gently placed the blanket on her body and sat down next to her bed.

"Uh, Lulu?" Checkered asked uneasily. "I thought you only dreamt of these six?" He said in a knowing voice. I thought I heard Luna slip up earlier as well, but I wasn't about to interrupt her when she was handing out vital intel. "Why didn't you tell me that I was in your dream last night?" Checkered asked as Luna floated down to the ground.

"Because you did your job worrying about me enough last night. I did not want to make you worry any more than you had to," Luna explained.

"I wouldn't worry just because I was in your dream, Luna. Besides, the Tantabus didn't even show up in my dreams," Checkered replied.

"You awakened too early for it to invade your dreams, Checkered," Luna sighed. "I'm worried about what it could do to any of my friends' dreams, but more importantly yours, Checkered. The Tantabus may exaggerate some of your worst fears, but it still targets your worst fear," she explained.

"Then, what did you dream about last night?" Rarity asked her, slipping on her sleeping mask. Luna froze, almost like a statue before shaking her head and turning her back from Checkered.

"What I dreamt of isn't important; who I dreamt of is," she reiterated. "The Tantabus is loose between our eight dream states, and it will continue to haunt all of our dreams until it is captured."

"Still, what happened in your dream?" Checkered asked curiously. "Maybe it's attracted to a certain fear?"

"It doesn't matter," Luna repeated. "It can enter a dream regardless of what the pony is dreaming about."

"What I mean is, could we maybe set a trap-" Checkered continued before Luna growled at him.

"I have a plan already, Checkered!" She raised her voice at him. "And the longer you keep asking me questions means the longer the Tantabus has to grow more powerful!" Luna snapped. The racing pony shut his muzzle and crawled into the last free bed available, shuffling under the sheets and looking away from Luna. AJ and I exchanged uneasy and sympathetic glances for Checkered at each other.

"Look princess," Spike said, "I know you said nopony can help, but Cougar and I aren't ponies!" he declared. "We'll stay up all night if we have to and watch over you guys just in case something happens," he hopped onto Twilight's bed, "right?" Spike shot a look in my direction.

"Damn straight buddy," I winked at him.

"Come on, Ivan," AJ scooted over, "Ah reckon this bed's big enough fer two," she invited. "'Sides, since we all had trouble sleepin' last night, it shouldn't be too hard ta get ta sleep tonight," she yawned. Sitting up, I lifted the covers up and started to swing my leg onto the bed before a pink blur found itself blocking my path.

"Sorry Cougar, occupied!" Pinkie Pie cuddled up to Applejack.

"Oh no, Pinkie!" I exclaimed, picking the pink mare up off the bed and plopping her back into her bed.

"Hey! We're cousins! Possibly," Pinkie countered.

"AJ told me about that, but coltfriends trump possible cousins," I teased her as AJ snuggled up to me and I wrapped my arm around her. The orange mare laid her head right on my shoulder comfortably.

"But, but, but! Oh fine!" Pinkie humphed, "We'll see if I even share ice cream with you in my dream," she grumbled before blacking out almost immediately.

"I'll take that chance," I rolled my eyes, lightly pecking AJ's cheek. Spike cuddled up next to Twilight while the rest of the ponies began to fall asleep. AJ was snoring lightly, but I could tell she was deep asleep, especially from how tired she was today. Although I knew I could protect her on the outside, I feared for what the Tantabus could do to her in her dream. Would it be like in A Nightmare On Elm Street? I wanted to ask Luna, but she seemed rather irritated with questions and the moment and wanted to focus solely catching the nightmare monster.

"Sleep well my friends," Luna said before Spike and I watched her turn to Checkered Flag. "Checkered?" She reached out, putting her hoof on his shoulder. She looked a bit remorseful when she didn't get a response from her coltfriend, making me feel a little more sympathetic for him. "I can only pray I am able catch it before it reaches your dreams," she nuzzled his cheek. "I am sorry," she added before taking in a deep breath.

Spike and I watched in awe as Luna ascended into the air, casting a spell around all of us. Seven silvery ropes snaked out of her horn, attaching themselves to the foreheads of the sleeping ponies. Had I not been informed as to what was going on, I probably would've guessed that she was doing _something_ ghastly to their brains. "Godspeed, Luna," I nodded, wishing her luck.

"Huh?" She replied, confused.

"Celestiaspeed," I corrected. The blue Alicorn understood, closing her eyes and engulfed herself in a ball of her silver magic. The magic rope connected to Rarity's forehead pulsed all the way from Luna's horn. Luna suddenly froze in mid air, like someone had pressed the pause button on a remote.

"I think she just transferred her consciousness into the dreamworld," Spike speculated before Luna completely disappeared. "Or that, I'll go with that," he shrugged from across the way.

"Do you think it's okay to talk at our normal volumes?" I asked the drake. "I wouldn't want to screw up Luna's plan and accidentally wake up any of them."

"Yeah, I guess we're safe," Spike replied, "all of them look like they're pretty deep in sleep." Judging from how AJ's snoring intensified and how she felt more like a dead weight, I had to agree with Spike. "Are you sure you can stay up, Cougar?" Spike questioned as he snuck a comic book from the nightstand next to the bed.

"I spent seven years living on little sleep each night. I think one night with no sleep should be a cakewalk, kid," I grinned. Spike let out a sarcastic laugh and started thumbing through his Power Ponies comic while darting his eyes back and forth between Twilight and the comic book.

"So, don't lie to me, Cougar."

"I'm sorry?" I questioned, completely puzzled. Spike looked up at me and set his comic down.

"Earlier today at the boutique, you had something on your mind that you wanted to say, didn't you?" He pondered. "About the time when everypony started talking about having the same nightmare," Spike specified.

"How did you know?" I sighed, not even attempting to BS my way through this.

"I've picked up a few things about reading pony body language ever since I matured. Mom sorta helped with that too," Spike bragged as he double checked Twilight in case she began to have a nightmare.

"Well, do you remember back on Nightmare Night what I dressed up as?" I asked the dragon. "Freddy Krueger," I finally said after he couldn't think of anything. "I told everyone that he could enter dreams like Luna, only he could kill the person whose dream he entered."

"Right," Spike snapped his fingers. "You don't think the Tantabus could kill anypony, right? It hasn't tried to kill Luna yet, but-" his irises shrank as looked from Twilight to Rarity. As bad luck would have it, Rarity began grunting and squirming around in her bed. Her hoof started swatting at the air while she mumbled 'chiffon' over and over again.

"Don't!" I exclaimed as he was preparing to jump from the bed to assist Rarity. "We can't wake them or else Luna could lose track of it," I warned Spike.

"But..." Spike tried to argue.

"The thought never crossed my mind that they could be killed in their dreams; Luna wouldn't let that happen. The only allusion I could connect between this and Freddy Krueger is his film started out with four friends talking about the exact same nightmare," I explained. Spike bit his lip as we both watched Rarity fuss around; her words started to become less and less coherent before her nightmare finally seemed to be over.

The peace didn't last for long as Pinkie then began to have nightmare fits. This only caused Spike to jump back with Twilight and hug her even harder. "Maybe it's a good thing you didn't mention that earlier," he gulped.

"That's exactly why I didn't mention that, Spike. It wouldn't have done any good to freak them out any," I copied his movements and snuggled closer to AJ, "and they more than likely wanted real answers." Pinkie then let out a disgusted shriek, yet remained asleep. "This is pretty freaky when you think about it," I remarked. The thought of having a nightmare is scary in of itself, but _witnessing _someone having a nightmare was pretty frightening on a whole new level, especially when Spike and I had our hands tied and couldn't wake any of them up.

"Would you be cool with cutting out all this nightmare talk?" Spike suggested.

"Gladly," I replied when Fluttershy began to twitch a bit. "Do you have anything to talk about?" I added. Blaming Spike for not having a backup conversation ready would have been completely unfair of me. We both decided to abruptly stop all this nightmare garbage; I had just as much responsibility to come up with a new topic as much as Spike did. "Are there any other holidays coming up soon?"

"Oh yeah, Hearts and Hooves Day is only a few weeks from now!" Spike exclaimed. So Equestria had their version of Halloween which is Nightmare Night and Hearth's Warming which was their version of Christmas. If Spike meant February 14th by 'a few weeks from now,' then that means...

"What is that exactly?" I asked.

"It's a day where special someponies have like a twenty-four hour date or they do something really special for each other," Spike replied. "Like eating out at fancy restaurants, feeding each other chocolates, or just staring at each other in Sugar Cube Corner," he shuddered. "I can understand the first two, but I find the last one just creepy, even it were Rarity staring at me all day." The purple reptile then noticed my quizzical expression. "Did AJ not give you the memo or something?" My face fell when Spike asked me that.

"Does AJ seem like the kind of mare that wants chocolates fed to her? Or have a mushy romance novel read to her?"

"I never said anything about that," Spike scratched his head.

"Sorry, that's the stereotype I have about Valentine's Day," I explained. "And don't ask me how that day got started; I never knew and I never wanted to know," I quickly shot the question down before Spike could even think of it.

"Meh, you're right," Spike thankfully dodged the question, "I don't blame Applejack for not telling you; she's never celebrated it as far as I've known her. But keep in mind I've only known her for barely two years."

"Knowing AJ," I looked down at her peaceful expression, silently praying that Luna would catch the Tantabus before it got to her dream, "she probably sees it as a day for herself. You know, like practicing with her lasso or maybe skipping rocks at her family pond with a cold bottle of her family's cider," I detailed, feeling like _that_ would be a Valentine's Day I wouldn't mind celebrating.

"Well, you've changed her whole outlook on having a special somepony," Spike gestured to her, "maybe you _should_ look into celebrating it. You know, since you just got together and all," he suggested. "Ugh, what's wrong?" Spike grumbled as I bit my lip and looked away from the drake.

"That _may_ be a problem; I never celebrated Valentine's Day before," I admitted.

"And?" Spike replied with a blank stare. "What better time to start than now?"

"GAAHHHH!" Fluttershy's shriek made both of us nearly jump through the ceiling. The yellow Pegasus began to 'run' in her sleep; her legs were flailing all about while she slept on her side.

"_How_ did that not wake everyone up?" Spike asked me. I could only shake my head in reply, trying to get my heart rate down.

"M-maybe Luna cast a sleeping spell on them to keep them asleep?" I stuttered. Aside from seeing friends in danger, surprises of _that_ calibre really scared the shit out of me, no matter how solid the Air Force made me.

"Anyway," Spike exhaled, "it shouldn't matter if you've never celebrated your form of Hearts and Hooves Day. All you need to do is spend the day with AJ doing things she'd enjoy. You don't even need to tell her it's for Hearts and Hooves Day," Spike added.

"Hmm, perhaps I could ask her to teach me how to use a lasso?" I thought.

"There ya go! Something for _both_ of you to do," Spike exclaimed. "And then why not go skip rocks at the lake or the pond on her property?" A small smile spread across my face as I imagined cuddling with Applejack, skipping rocks with her and splitting a bottle of cider.

"That actually sounds like, us," I lightly stroked AJ's golden mane. "I could _never_ dress up and do the fancy restaurant gig. "All I would want is to spend the day with her as ourselves."

"You've got two weeks, Cougar. It may be a simple idea, but you don't want to go _all_ out on your first Hearts and Hooves Day." A realization then smacked me in the face in the form of Applejack's hoof. She wasn't freaking out or anything, but that didn't stop me from feeling worried.

"Have you ever celebrated Hearts and Hooves Day?" I rubbed my chin as Applejack fidgeted around a bit. Spike's face fell, making me feel bad for bringing that up to the poor dragon that was still smitten with Rarity.

"Nah," Spike replied, "I was still a baby dragon; no mare wanted a baby dragon as a special somepony. I had small affections for Moondancer back in Canterlot, but I never found the courage to ask her to do anything," he explained. "Of course even with my feelings for Rarity, I couldn't even ask her to share milkshakes or whatever. And mom's never had a coltfriend, so she never did anything on Hearts and Hooves Day. As long as I can remember, Twilight would just buy a huge box of chocolates for us and read me the history of Hearts and Hooves Day every year."

"Eh, who said it _had_ to be a romantic holiday?" I asked. "You spent it with your mom, so I guess that counts."

"But we only saw each other as close friends back then. And don't even get me started on the few times I caught her reading romance novels." If I had been drinking anything, it more than likely would have been spat out. "Yeah, you wouldn't think that about her, but mom has a romantic side too."

"NOOOOOOOO!" Rainbow Dash shrieked.

"Twenty bits says her nightmare is about losing her Wonderbolt status," I tried to lighten the mood.

"Normally I'd be fine with joking about stuff like this, but not now," Spike replied in a serious tone of voice. "Five down, two to go," he added fearfully. Both Twilight and Checkered had yet to show signs of a nightmare.

"Speaking of Twilight," I changed the subject, "can I ask you something about her, Spike?"

"Yes, she's still keeping her word about her issue with schedules and perfection," Spike immediately replied, cradling a protective arm over her.

"That's not what I meant," I corrected.

"Oh, well then sure, go ahead," he grinned.

"First off, I just want to say that I really like how Twilight has completely taken a shine to being a mom," I started, "you guys look and sound happier than I've seen you before." Spike chuckled warmly as his grin morphed into a loving smile. "And you don't have to answer this, but do you have any idea what happened to your, _dragon_ parents?" I asked sheepishly. Almost instantly, the dragon's happy expression morphed into one of sorrow; his eyes fell to the blanket below as his grip on Twilight softened. He then looked up in my direction, blinking several times. "Spike, just forget I said anything. I'm sorry."

"Yeah," he said hoarsely, "I've thought about what happened to my dragon parents, plenty of times," Spike set his comic book back on the nightstand. "I'm not angry," he assured. "I mean, we sort of have the parent thing in common," he pointed out.

"Well, have you ever asked Twilight or Celestia? I mean, Twilight told me Celestia administered your egg for her test to get into the Gifted Unicorn school," I continued. I felt a little better if he drew connections between his real parents and my real parents. At least he felt I understood where he was coming from. Spike took a moment or two to collect his thoughts. He snuggled back against Twilight, seeming to not want to let her go.

"Once," he replied after getting a little more comfortable, "I asked mom once. Back when the dragon migration flew over Ponyville and Rainbow sort of teased me for not acting like a real dragon," Spike explained. "I felt like I didn't belong here more than I ever did; that night I asked mom where I came from. All she told me then and all she knows now is that she hatched me from my egg that Princess Celestia got and that's it," he sighed solemnly.

"Then, Celestia must know, right?" I pondered.

"I guess." Spike shrugged, "There have been times I wanted to write to Celestia myself to ask her, but I could never bring myself to do it, Cougar." I didn't say a word in response; I understood completely. "Obviously I want to know, but then sometimes I feel it's better not to know. I mean, what if they died after my egg was laid? Or what if, what if they didn't want me?" A few tears slipped out the dragon's green eyes.

"Spike," I tried to get him stop. Like with my parents, this was just a little too painful for him.

"I'd rather leave it a mystery," he smiled, trying to trick his eyes into drying up. "it's one less thing I have to worry about."

"A mystery?" I asked with a sigh.

"Besides, I already have a great mother," Spike squeezed Twilight. "She hatched me, raised me, and cared for me my entire 17 years of life. Twilight didn't have to give birth to me to be a great mom. Even if she didn't embrace the motherly role until recently, she loves me; that's all I can ask for. Twilight's my mommy; nopony can take that away," Spike nuzzled Twilight affectionately.

_"Spike,"_ Twilight suddenly groaned.

"Mom?" Spike asked, taking his cheek away from hers.

"Uh-oh," I whispered after realizing what was going on. "Spike, don't wake her!" I cautioned.

_"Spike, no!" _The purple alicorn started twitching and jolting. I could feel how badly Spike wanted to help Twilight, but the risk of messing up Luna's plan was too great. We still didn't know if Luna had cast a spell to keep outside sources from awakening the seven ponies; I didn't want to ruin her plan.

"M-mom?" Spike caressed Twilight's cheek.

_"N-no! You, you can't take my baby from me!"_ Twilight squirmed. "_I don't _care_ if he's not a pony. He's my son; you can't have him!"_ Twilight continued to cry out.

"Come on, Luna!" Spike begged, "Get it out of my mom's dream!" He cried.

"Spike, she can't be hurt physically," I tried to assure the dragon, sitting up from cuddling Applejack.

"I don't care!" He snapped. "She's always been there for me; I need to be there for her!" Tears started streaming down his scaly cheeks as he hugged the twitching pony.

_"I need him! He's my baby boy!"_

"Stay strong, Spike," I advised the reptile. Just as quickly as Twilight's nightmare began, it was over. She stopped twitching and cuddled back up to Spike.

"Mom?" Spike whispered. I slowly turned to look at Checkered Flag in the bed next to Twilight's. Luna had yet to reappear and everyone was still asleep. This was Luna's final shot, or else we'd have to go through this another night.

"We have faith in you Luna."

* * *

**(Checkered's Dreamscape. 3rd Person)**

"Oh Checkered," dream Luna cooed, "I never realized how beautiful the tracks can be at night," the blue alicorn complemented. The couple was sitting side by side atop the press box of a newly assembled Canterlot Raceway for the Earth Pony Racing League. Checkered had turned all of the lights on, illuminating the racetrack below for both to enjoy.

"It's because of your moon, Lulu," Checkered flirted. "But, it's still incomparable to you."

"Aww, charmer," dream Luna gushed. "I never thought I could be happier than when my sister and her friends brought me back from my Nightmare Moon phase, but meeting you has brought me so much joy," the alicorn snuggled the Earth Pony.

"I'm just so thankful you didn't reject me because I'm only an Earth Pony," the stallion rubbed her back. He then reached around his own back and pulled out a black, velvet box with silvery patterns decorating the outside.

"Only a selfish monster would think so shallow. I care about the kind heart within," dream Luna kissed his cheek. Checkered didn't notice the blue smoke beginning to encircle Luna as he squeezed the box in his hoof. Dream Luna seized up slightly as the Tantabus possessed her body.

"Lulu, I love you so much. Whenever I'm having a bad day or even a good one, just seeing your smiling face cheers me up more than winning a stupid race ever could. I'll gladly retire if it means getting to spend more time with you. Will you marry me?" The stallion opened the box to reveal a ring and held it up to his beloved.

"You're serious?" Dream Luna questioned.

"I know it seems really sudden, but you mean more to me than anything in Equestria," Checkered replied as his hopeful smile grew.

"Ha!" The Alicorn laughed. "I-I can't believe you actually asked me that!"

"Luna? Are you okay?" Checkered lowered the box.

"This is rich! A pathetic, lowly Earth Pony thinks he has a shot at acquiring _my _hoof in matrimony! You actually thought this would go this far?"

"B-but, you told me-"

"A lie! I would never marry you; nopony would marry a desperate, pitiful pony like you! You couldn't even get a _pretend_ marefriend until you were in your 40s!"

"I-I gave you my heart, Lulu!"

"Then I guess you won't be needing _this_ anymore!" the alicorn's horn pierced Checkered's chest, pulling his heart out. A crack appeared in the organ as tears formed in his eyes before it shattered completely. "Aww, is the wittle Earth Pony gonna cry?" Dream Luna jabbed Checkered with her hoof, pushing him down. "OOF!" The dream alicorn exclaimed.

"GET AWAY FROM MY CHECKERED FLAG YOU MONSTER!" The real Luna cried out, punching her dream doppelgänger repeatedly.

"L-Luna?" Checkered hesitated.

"Do not listen to it, Checkered! You know I still love you with all my heart," Luna advised as her clone morphed back into the Tantabus. "TANTABUS!" She growled. The blue smoke monster avoided a blast from Luna's horn. Suddenly, the wiring from the stadium light closest to the press box broke free and flung itself around, shooting off sparks of electricity at Checkered.

"Gah!" The stallion jumped around to avoid the wire. Luna angrily smacked it away with her hoof before engulfing the smoke with a powerful burst of magic, even shooting it after the Tantabus froze in the air before falling onto the press box with a thud. "You did it, Luna!" Checkered breathed a sigh as the wire fell lifelessly to the ground. The stallion galloped up and latched his forelegs around Luna's neck.

"Checkered," Luna sighed. "My friends are safe, Equestria is safe; you're safe!" She bowed her head and nuzzled Checkered. "Now, awaken and we can- NO!" Luna screamed as the Tantabus burst free from its prison.

* * *

**(Back in the Castle. Ivan's POV)**

"AHHHH!" Spike and I nearly had our second heart attacks of the night as all seven ponies screamed simultaneously.

"OW!" I exclaimed when AJ's hoof punched my chin.

"Sorry Ivan!" Applejack apologized. My girlfriend kissed my chin, but I could feel her shaking. Everyone began talking at once, feeling relieved that their nightmares were over, but unsure if Luna was successful or not.

"Oh Spike!" Twilight cried out, squeezing her dragon close. "I-I'm so relieved it was just a nightmare, but it was so real!" Spike began to wipe her tears from her cheeks. Spike then returned the hug, struggling not to let his own tears flow.

"Are you guys all okay?" He fearfully asked.

"That was terrible! I-I-I-I never want t-to have that nightmare again!" Fluttershy bit her lower lip and hid below her blanket. This was pretty unnerving to see and hear all of my friends sounding frightened.

"Me either!" Rainbow Dash said shakily, grabbing her knees and rocking back and forth.

"Luna caught it, right?" I asked, turning to the mare still cuddling me. "Please tell me she caught it!"

"I, I think so," Checkered replied. "She trapped it in my dream," he explained.

"I'm so sorry, everypony," Luna's voice solemnly apologized. We all snapped our heads upwards to the darkened ceiling where the Alicorn of the night descended back to the floor. "I failed, I failed all of you. It will return the next time you all fall asleep."

"Oh my!" Rarity's teeth began to chatter.

"Ah reckon Ah could go the rest 'o my life without seein' that thing ever again!" Applejack stated. I felt totally useless again. I couldn't blame Luna at all; she tried her best, but my girlfriend and all of my friends had to suffer another nightmare filled night, and I could do nothing to help.

"But you WILL!" Luna shook her head. "Again, and again, and again every night until its power reaches full potential to infect the waking world!" She warned.

"No, no!" Twilight screamed. "Spike was in my dream; that thing can get to him!" She clutched the dragon in her hooves.

"After what I've done as Nightmare Moon; the fact that I am once again at fault for harming others is too much for me to handle!" Luna tried her best to not cry in front of us. Checkered slipped out of his bed and hurriedly trotted over to Luna, placing a hoof on her wing. He never said anything to her, but a small smile was brought to her face when he nuzzled up to her body. She rested her chin on his head, if only to feel comforted for but a moment.

"It'll be okay!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Everypony makes mistakes," she assured the alicorn. We all nodded in agreement with Pinkie, hoping to keep Luna from beating herself up. Luna exhaled and turned away from the large window, and paced around the room.

"There _is_ a bit of a silver lining. As long as none of you dreamt of another pony, the Tantabus remains confined to your dreams," she pointed to everyone except myself since I was now the only one in the room that the Tantabus couldn't visit.

"I'm all for another night of guard duty," I swore.

"I still have a chance to catch it before it's too late," Luna concluded, sounding a bit more confident. Everyone around me let out a collective sigh of relief, feeling assured that Luna could finally catch this damned thing.

"Well, that's good to hear!" Pinkie cheered. "Although...right after you left my dream, I _may_ have had another dream where I shared a giant ice cream with everypony in Ponyville while trying to build a hydroelectric dam on the river which nopony knew how to build. Oh, and _you_ were there too, Cougar!" She pointed at me. "See? I told ya everypony makes mistakes," Pinkie said while sounding a little nervous.

"Oh God," my eyes widened as I looked at the ground. Every ounce of oxygen seemed to be sucked right out of the room. Luna looked like she was about ready to cry and throw up at the same time.

"But that means that every dream in Ponyville can become a nightmare tonight!" Twilight exclaimed.

"That's the absolute least of our worries. With so many dreams to infect, the Tantabus has more power it can absorb to escape into the waking world!" Luna gulped, holding her head with one hoof. "Equestria could be turned into a living nightmare within the hour!" Snorting, I marched my way over to Luna and tapped her shoulder.

"Well then, that leaves you and us with no other choice. You _have_ to let us help now, Luna," I said bluntly. I wasn't taking no for an answer anymore. My friend needed our help, and I would do whatever was needed of me.

"But how, Cougar?" Fluttershy asked me. "The Tantabus was able to slip through Luna's hooves with only _seven_ dreams it could get to," she added. Luna could only sigh dejectedly.

"You are correct, Fluttershy. With hundreds of possible dreams to seclude itself in, I do not know how I can trap and capture it," Luna said in a cracking voice. Checkered cleared his throat, getting Luna's attention. The stallion took her hoof in his and caressed it softly.

"Luna, remember what I was trying to say earlier about trying to trap it?" He asked her. The blue Alicorn nodded slowly, not really understanding where Checkered was going with this. "What if you cast a dream spell over the entire village so every resident had the exact same dream?" He asked.

"I, I can create shared dreams, yes," she gasped in realization. "I didn't earlier because I thought I could capture the Tantabus before it could get to all of you," she explained. "But for so many ponies at once versus only seven, I have never done anything of that magnitude before. The amount of magic I would have to utilize..." she paused, unsure if this was even possible.

"Anythin' that can help is worth tryin,' princess," Applejack declared, jumping up and standing at attention on her bed.

"Of course, Applejack," Luna nodded. "I shall do anything to end this. Including accepting your help," she added. "Only together now can the Tantabus be prevented from breaking into the real world. All of you must now go back to sleep or to sleep as it seems," she cast looks toward myself and Spike. "And pray that I can create such a dream," she concluded.

"Let's kick this thing's ass," I slipped under the covers of AJ's bed and held them open so she could cuddle up next to me. Right next to us, Twilight held onto Spike for dear life as the mother and son fell asleep along with the rest of the mares. I yawned as my eyelids began to get heavier and heavier until I could no longer keep them open.

"I believe in you, Moon Pie," Checkered said before I finally did fall asleep.

* * *

**(Ponyville Dreamworld; Ivan's POV)**

When I opened my eyes, I found myself and my friends back in Ponyville. Only this Ponyville was enshrouded in a light mist and filled with creatures other than ponies. Flying muffins, walking lampposts, and floating Earth Ponies were but a few strange sights. "Woah," I sputtered as I spotted a house-sized Derpy walking around town.

"I can see a few problems with _that_," Rainbow Dash nudged my ribs. Over near Bon Bon's house was the newlywed couple of Lyra and Bon Bon. Only the duo was in CatDog form. Nonetheless, the couple smiled and hugged each other for being as close they would probably ever get. As we trekked through Dreamworld Ponyville, we were met with other strange sightings like Berry Punch with her head as a balloon, a lamppost that took off its head to bow to the ladies of the group, and a pony rowing a boat in mid air.

"A psychiatrist would have a field day with this shit," I chuckled.

"Princess Luna did it!" Twilight exclaimed happily.

"Ya think?" Applejack asked, as if what we just saw wasn't proof enough. "Oh Big Mac, thank goodness!" AJ praised, "It's good ta see somethin,' _normal?!_" She exclaimed upon seeing a nice, red horn atop Big Mac's forehead.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac replied, shooting a few dozen apples out of his horn like a machine gun. Our attention was diverted due to a specific mare's voice calling out to everypony in the dream realm.

"PONIES!" Luna announced. We all rushed over to her as fast as we could while the majority bowed before her. The Alicorn was encompassed in a slivery ball of magic while a thick beam of white light shot to the sky, revealing it to be the mist that was floating through Ponyville.

"Luna!" Checkered said cheerfully.

"No! There is no time for bowing, friends. There is something coming, something _monstrous_; THERE IT IS!" Turning around we all gasped in shock at the huge cloud of dark blue smoke attempting to cover the village. The Tantabus was truthfully _much_ more frightening than I had imagined. Thoughts of it being able to suffocate one us crossed my mind as I laced my hand onto Applejack's back. The monster let out a deep, gurgling roar as it approached us.

"AAAAHHHH!" Most everyone started to freak out at what they saw; I couldn't blame them. Everyone in our group got ready for action, ready to defend our town.

"I am so sorry for bringing this terror upon you!" Luna apologized tearfully. "But I SHALL end this, now!" She proclaimed, shooting another beam of magic at the smoke. Luna then started to sweat profusely as her breathing became shallower. The Tantabus roared again as Luna's magic ceased firing. The citizens screamed in pure terror, running away from the monster.

"Lulu, what's wrong?" Checkered questioned. Luna had to strain herself just to answer his question, making us realize just how much she had to exert herself to make this possible.

"All of my strength is being used just to hold together the dream! You must stop it yourselves or the Tantabus will be freed upon the real world!" Luna choked out. "I wish I did not have to ask this of you, but there is no other choice," Luna tearfully apologized.

"Then you're in luck," Twilight narrowed her eyes at the Tantabus that had broken off into little versions of itself to feed off the fear of the denizens.

"Yeah, we're already on it!" Rainbow Dash said confidently.

"You got it, boss," I cricked my neck. Spike, Checkered and I broke off into our own group while the girls broke off into their own, chasing off one of the smoke clouds that turned a house into a monster. The three of us were after one of the clouds that was in hot pursuit of Cheerilee and the school fillies.

"Behind me, kids!" The maroon educator ordered. Only the crusaders, Rumble, Pip, Featherweight, and Dinky refused, standing alongside their teacher.

"NO!" I shouted as the smoke cloud passed through a rat, increasing its size to that of a Great Dane and multiplying it by the dozens. The rats hissed at Cheerilee and the school kids, licking its fangs as it eyed them for a snack. I then imagined I had my .44 on my holster, and low and behold, it appeared.

"AHHH!" The kids behind Cheerilee screeched as the rats attacked.

"GET DOWN!" I ordered, firing off my gun. Having never fired it before, I was surprised to see that Luna's silver magic emitted from the barrel. Checkered crouched on all fours and ran toward the kids at full speed, ramming himself into half a dozen rats. The vermin squealed in agony as they flew about fifty feet back into the side of a building with a skull crushing _CRACK._ The stallion growled, beginning to punch and buck rats out of sight of the kids.

"Next on the menu: FRIED RATS!" Spike exhaled a large ball of fire, incinerating some of the rodents on spot until nothing but a burn mark on the ground remained. One of the rats jumped me, knocking me onto my back.

"ROOOOOARRRRR!" The rat roared in my face. Its red eyes pierced deep into my blue eyes, but I wasn't having any of it.

"HEEYAH!" I slammed its skull with the butt of my gun, temporarily stunning it. I then kicked it off me, sending it flailing onto its back. "You're no Mickey," I cocked the hammer of my gun and shot it square between the eyes, blowing its head clean off.

"Take that ya no good varmint!" Applebloom exclaimed as she, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Dinky had one pinned and were beating the shit out of it. Rumble and Featherweight were hovering over another rat, bucking it in the head while Pip yanked on its tail as hard as he could.

"Not _my_ schoolchildren you don't!" Cheerilee pulled out a yardstick made of rock and began to whack some of the rodents away.

"WHOO-HOOOO!" Big Mac soared over us in Alicorn form. I kept firing my gun, making sure every last giant rat was terminated. I didn't care if Fluttershy would scold all of us later for this, but Luna ordered us to do what we had to.

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed after firing off on another rat. A bright, white light shone down upon Ponyville. The brightness overwhelmed our eyes for a brief moment. All of us froze as the Tantabus began to seep through a hole in the sky. "Come on!" I motioned to Spike and Checkered.

"We got this covered here, Cougar!" Applebloom assured us as all of the school kids and Cheerilee began to take on the rats. Twilight's magic zapped the Tantabus, making it squeal in pain and retreat from the hole.

"Nice shot, mom!" Spike gave her a thumbs up. Luna then attempted to blast her own magic again. It worked to an extent this time; she patched the hole so the Tantabus' escape was delayed once more. However, this just pissed it off.

"You must hurry!" Luna warned, sounding weaker.

"Shit," I re-holstered my pistol, running toward AJ and everyone else with Spike and Checkered behind me. The Earth Pony stallion easily surpassed me, getting close to Luna to try and defend her should the Tantabus try and attack the source of the dream for cutting off its escape route. Rainbow Dash took to the sky, trying to strike at the smoke. Alas, the Tantabus proved to be more intelligent than we thought. Rainbow could never get a hit, only being able to fly straight through the smoke.

"PLEASE!" Fluttershy begged. "We need everypony's help!"

"She's right!" Twilight zapped the smoke again. "We can't do this alone. We need your help to keep the Tantabus from escaping!"

"But how?" Carrot Cake asked. "Nopony else in Ponyville has your magic abilities, or your speed!" He exclaimed, pointing between Rainbow and Twilight.

"Well _obviously,"_ Rainbow bragged, "in _Ponyville!_"

"But this is a dream, not the real Ponyville!" Applejack added.

"EEYUP!" Super Mac agreed, zapping some of the flying muffins away.

"And this is _all_ _our_ dream!" Rarity cut in. "Anything you have or have ever wanted to do in your dreams, you can do now!" Spike suddenly snapped his fingers and transformed into a muscle bound, armor plated, and cape wearing warrior as tall as me.

"What? If you're gonna dream, you're gonna dream big, right?" He asked before jumping onto giant Derpy's back. "Yah!" Spike kicked Derpy's side.

"Woah!" Derpy brayed before taking to the skies. Everypony cheered, running off to dream up of something to help. This left me standing alone next to Checkered and Luna. The racing pony then dreamed up multiple copies of himself, surrounding Luna's magic bubble. The Tantabus morphed into a pair of giant scissors, cutting a new whole into the sky.

"Dream big," I pondered to myself. "Big," I repeated until an idea appeared in my mind. Scanning my eyes quickly across the town square, I spotted an empty apple cart and focused my imagination upon it. "Come on," I whispered until the cart disappeared in a flash of light, only to be replaced by the vehicle I had in mind. "Fuck yes!" I jogged over to the open cockpit where my familiar purple helmet awaited me on the seat.

The Tantabus roared as I saw Spike cut it in half and Filthy Rich zapped it with thousands of bits at once. As quickly as I could, I climbed into the cockpit and shut the canopy, flipped a few switches that I had purposely dreamed to resemble those of my F-15, and hit the launch button. With a quiet hum, the engines of the X-Wing started up and I lifted from the ground. "Hey, save some for the rest of us!" I teased, flying up to the same altitude of the Tantabus. I hit a button marked '_ATTACK"_ and the wings opened, allowing me full control of the weapons. I flew over Scootaloo who had dreamed up giant wings, blowing the Tantabus away from the new hole.

"What is _that_ thing?!" Rainbow Dash flew next to me, transforming into Zapp, one of the Power Ponies Spike had shown me.

"I'll show you!" I winked, hitting the fire button on the joystick. Numerous red lasers shot out from the tips of the wings, hitting the blue smoke and making it squeal in pain. "I thought you guys could use a little aerial support!"

"Badass!" Rainbow grinned, taking advantage of the Tantabus as my lasers had injured it. Rainbow encircled the smoke, creating a tornado that sucked and kept it down from escaping. "It's working!" The Pegasus cheered as I flew around for another pass in case the Tantabus did escape.

"But that's not enough!" Twilight exclaimed. The smoke seeped through the eye of the tornado as I flew by for a third pass. With my thumb, I hit the weapons button on the back of the joystick, switching to proton torpedoes.

"Face the Force!" I fired at the Tantabus, hitting it with the more powerful weapon. The monster wailed in pain again, lashing out with a tentacle. It hit one of my wings, making the X-Wing wobble a bit. "Steady baby, steady," I cooed the aircraft before pulling up and over to pass by again, this time switching back to my regular lasers. "Strafe runs are all I can do!" I called to the ponies below.

I saw Twilight run to the burnt remains of the town's library, fully restoring it and sending a legion of bat books after the Tantabus. "Oh, hello," I said after barraging the Tantabus with another round of lasers.

Applejack had transformed herself into another Power Pony, Mistress Mare-velous, and used her lasso to yank the Tantabus away from its escape route. Focusing on flying was a lot harder when your girlfriend was wearing a skintight superhero outfit. "Focus, Pearson!" I scolded myself.

"COUGAR! BEHIND YOU!" Spike and Derpy warned as they flew next to me. Checking my six, I saw my absolute worst fear imaginable: The Mothman.

"Oh sweet Jesus!" I gulped. "Spike! Can you hold him off while I get turned around?" I asked.

"We're on it!" Derpy saluted me and turned herself around. Spike slashed at the Mothman with his sword, trying to at least disorient it so I could blow it out of the sky. "Hold still you meanie!" Derpy grunted while Spike was having a hard time hitting his mark.

"It's _your_ turn to get terrorized," I gritted my teeth and hit the fire button on my joystick. "SPIKE, DERPY! DUCK!" I forewarned. Derpy snapped her wings onto her torso, completely turning her and Spike into a dead weight and dropping them to the ground. A few of my lasers seemed to hit their mark, but the white monster was still flying. My fingers never left the button as I fired countless times.

"ROAR!" The Mothman screamed at me, beginning to fly full speed toward me.

"I don't mind killing a bug with my windshield," I increased the throttle on my X-Wing. "YAAHHHHHH!" I screamed back at the Mothman as we collided. My face turned pale, for his body wasn't obliterated by the space vehicle. His claws latched onto the canopy, shattering it. "AH!" I exclaimed as he swatted at me with his claws.

"IVAN!" I could hear Applejack scream. With this thing in my X-Wing, I couldn't see where I was going nor could I even steer. My hand fumbled around for my pistol that was still strapped to my hip, but at the angle I was sitting, I couldn't dislodge it. The claws swatted at me again, making me fidget around so I wouldn't get hit. This motion resulted my knee bumping the joystick, aiming us at the ground. I didn't care at this point; my straps were cut free by the Mothman's claws, so I leapt up with my arms and began to throttle the fucker.

"Twenty-Four years, and I'm finally gonna kill you!" I shouted into its face as we crashed into the ground. I didn't feel any pain from the crash, but it did knock the wind out of me. I looked around to see some ponies that were on the ground heading toward me to see if I was okay, one of them being AJ. I could smell smoke and feel the heat of a fire that had started from a ruptured fuel cell.

"IVAN!" AJ called again. I gasped when I heard a weakened cry from the Mothman that was still in the demolished canopy with me. The X-Wing was then lifted off of us thanks to Applejack's mental lasso, Dr. Whooves, Lyra, Bon Bon and red Pegasus I had not met before. "Ya scared me!" my girlfriend smooched my cheek as I was assisted to my feet.

"Don't forget, it's just a dream," I winked at her as my helmet cracked and fell apart. "Damn."

"Well, that still doesn't make me worry any less," the mare smiled. I wrapped my arm around her neck and pulled her close, still looking at everyone that pried my X-Wing off of me.

"Thanks for helping me though, everybody," I praised the ponies for coming to my aide as quickly as possible.

"Glad to see that you're okay, Cougar," the red Pegasus grinned. "You're one heck of a flyer, even if this is just a dream," he added.

"Sorry, I didn't catch your name," I turned to face the pony. He cleared his throat before extending a hoof out.

"The name's Romantic, Hopeful Romantic," he winked, striking a pose like James Bond. "I was helping out Moonstruck, but I saw Applejack gallop by when your flying machine was going down, so I followed her."

"Well, I'm happy to make your acquaintance," I shook his hoof, getting a weird feeling in my gut when he mentioned following Applejack. The faint memory of Trenderhoof was still alive and well.

"And you're lucky to be acquainted with such a strong-willed and if I may say so, _beautiful_ mare such as Applejack by your side," he added, bowing his head quickly toward AJ. Dr. Whooves cocked his head to the side as if he was studying the scene while Lyra and Bon Bon had gossip faces on.

"Ain't you sweet?" Applejack playfully replied. '_AJ's not feeling creeped out; this guy's okay,' _I mentally pondered.

"LOOK OUT!" Dr. Whooves cried. The half man half moth monster roared and burst from the wreckage, baring its fangs and flaring its wings. He leapt forward at us with his claws extended. Scoffing at this thing's refusal to die, I turned to face its oncoming charge.

"Oh, Hopeful?" I turned my head to the side to get a halfway view of the Pegasus standing close to AJ.

_FWING_

I was pushed back slightly as the monster came to a dead stop in front of us. "That wasn't just a friendly peck AJ gave me," I smirked.

"Ah, yes of course," Hopeful grinned again, scooting a few steps away from Applejack. I wasn't going to hurt him; he knew I was having a little fun with him.

"I-Ivan, what did ya do?" Applejack asked me. The creature was dead, but he was stuck on the end of my arm. My body had turned silver, and my arm had turned into a sword that pierced straight through the face of the monster. I pulled my sword arm back, causing the creature to collapse to the ground. I turned back to Applejack, Dr. Whooves, Hopeful Romantic, Lyra, and Bon Bon with a grin and changed back to normal.

"Makes it harder to lose your sword," I joked. Suddenly, Fluttershy rode by on what looked like an Angel Bunny from Hell, drawing the attention away from me. "Come on guys, our job isn't over!" My jetpack appeared on my back as I turned back into the T-1000 and began to cut away at the Tantabus while AJ lassoed it again. Every time the Tantabus tried to hit me, my body would just absorb the blow as if nothing had happened.

All of a sudden, I looked around at what was happening. Every citizen of Ponyville was attacking the Tantabus with everything their imaginations could come up with. Even if this was unconventional, it was still a battle, a nightmare battle. Fighting alongside friends once again made me feel right at home, and I wasn't going to back down until the job was done; neither were they. I traded in my sword arms for blue lightsaber arms, increasing my damage output tenfold.

"I cannot hold this dream together much longer!" I heard Luna choke out. "Equestria will fall, all because of ME!" She cried. Like a flick of a switch, the Tantabus doubled in size, flinging everyone away. I crashed through the window of Pinkie's bedroom, accidentally slicing her bed apart with my lightsaber hands. Extinguishing the blades, I ran back outside with my jetpack ignited and flew back to town square where everyone was rejoining.

"Um, am I crazy, or did it get even bigger after Luna said that?" Spike asked us. We all looked back and forth between Luna and the Tantabus as it seemed to grow bigger still.

"I think it's feeding off your guilt, Princess Luna!" Twilight suggested.

"But, if that is so, then maybe that's how it grew stronger to begin with!" Tears were now streaming down Luna's face. The multiple Checkered Flags surrounding Luna all combined back into one that turned around in shock.

"What in the hay are ya talkin' about?" AJ asked from the top of a roof. Still hovering next to Spike and Derpy, I re-ignited my lightsaber hands in case we needed to go into overtime with the Tantabus.

"I created the Tantabus to give myself the same nightmare every night," Luna explained while trying not to cry.

"_What?_" I heard Checkered croak.

"T-to punish myself for the harm and evil I caused whilst as Nightmare Moon." No one said a word as Checkered took over, even though most of us were thinking the same thing.

"_L-Luna," _Checkered's own tears were flowing now. _"Why would you do that to yourself? Why would you hurt yourself intentionally?"_

"Because, I wanted to make sure I _never_ forgave myself for how much Equestria suffered because of me. But it seems my lesson has not been learned! I have only made you suffer more!" Luna knelt down on all fours, holding her head in her hooves. "Even the stallion I love is suffering because of me!" The Tantabus took the form of a giant smokey version of Luna and roared, cutting a large hole into the fabric of the dreamworld. Everyone took a step back as it began to walk through the portal with nothing seeming to stop it. Twilight's bat books, Rainbow Dash, and myself began to attack the Tantabus once again, but we weren't very effective.

"Luna, I'm only suffering because of what you're doing to yourself!" Checkered pressed his hooves against Luna's magical ball, trying to keep his own tears from flowing further as his lip quivered.

"If it gets strong because you feel bad, then you've got to stop feeling bad for yourself!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"How can I possibly do that? I'm no better now than I was as Nightmare Moon!" Luna cried. "My creation is about to turn Equestria into a living nightmare!"

"BECAUSE YOU ARE _NOT _NIGHTMARE MOON!" Checkered cried in reply, pounding his hooves onto the bubble. Luna opened her eyes to see his hurt ones staring back at her. "Nightmare Moon was a selfish, cruel, and evil pony that wanted Equestria to be thrown into eternal nighttime, even if it meant overthrowing Celestia and harming your subjects. She would _want_ this bucking thing to turn the real world into a nightmare. You're Princess Luna! You're a kind, loving, and wise _protector _that's trying to keep the Tantabus from harming us. You aren't the same pony you were a thousand years ago. What Nightmare Moon did is in the past; we all believed in you to defeat the Tantabus, and we all believe in you now."

"_Checkered,"_ Luna breathed out.

"I love you, Luna. Seeing you hurt yourself like this breaks my heart. If you truly felt guilty over what you've done, I would've stayed up with you day and night for however long it took to convince you that you have nothing to feel guilty over. You mean everything to me, Moon Pie. Do you trust us? Do you trust _me _to prove that we're right?" Checkered sniffled, moving his hoof closer to hers. With a tearful smile, Luna placed her hoof in the same location as Checkered's from her side of the bubble.

"_Y-yes!" _Luna cried. Spike, Derpy and I leapt out of the way as the Tantabus stumbled backwards, growling and squealing in frustration and pain. We all cheered as the smoke shrank down to the same size as Luna and merged back with her. With a tiny _ding,_ Luna's smile grew bigger. "Thank you all! And th-thank you, Checkered," Luna kissed Checkered's forehead through the bubble. The next thing we knew, it was morning, and we were all back inside the castle.

"Luna did it!" Twilight cheered. I went to rub the sleep from my eyes, but found Applejack holding my arm down.

"Mornin' Sugarcube," she kissed me full on the lips.

"That's better than getting to fly an X-Wing," I returned the kiss.

"But, what exactly _did_ Luna do, mom?" Spike asked as he and Twilight separated from cuddling on the King Size bed.

"Luna created it to punish herself for her actions as Nightmare Moon. The worse she felt, the more power she gave it," Twilight explained. "But when she finally stopped feeling guilty-"

"Poof!" I snapped my fingers for Twilight.

"Shhh!" Rarity shushed all of us, pointing to the middle of the floor. Sitting on two pairs of pillows was Luna and Checkered Flag, nuzzling each other as they slept. Luna's wing subconsciously stroked Checkered's back as they softly breathed in sync.

"What do you guys think they're dreaming about?" Spike asked. We all shrugged, having not a clue what they could be dreaming. To be honest, I didn't mind dreaming, but I was fine with not talking about dreams for a good while.

* * *

**(Back in the Dreamworld. 3rd Person POV)**

While it appeared that Luna and Checkered were dreaming about sleeping, what was really going on was the two were dreaming about silently dancing together in Canterlot Castle. The duo held each other close, doing nothing but enjoying the company of the one they loved so dearly. However, despite the fact that they were alone, their attire was quite different from normal. Luna was wearing a dark blue and silver dress while Checkered was wearing a black tuxedo with white racing stripes. As the stallion led his marefriend in a dance, a golden ring glistened off Luna's horn...

**End Chapter 40**

* * *

_This chapter is dedicated to those fans that have taken a shine to Lunared Flag and support Luna with my very first pony OC. _


	42. Chapter 41: Let Me Show You

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 41: Let me Show You**

* * *

_Hey guys! Welcome back after a two week break. I know, it's a little longer than we'd all prefer, trust me. But like I said before, I'm working on a new one shot that's almost halfway done, and I'm still writing Fallen Eagle here. Right now I'm just starting to soak in the fact that the 2015 NASCAR season will conclude this Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. I'm excited my driver, Jeff Gordon, is eligible for a fifth and final title, but I'm also sad that he's hanging up his helmet at the end of the year. _

_Now let's talk some MLP. I know I haven't done a review in awhile because of my frantic updating schedule, so I'll just give quick ratings for the past few episodes. _**Scare Master: **Platinum. **What About Discord: **Platinum. **Hooffields and McColts: **Gold. _We have an AJ episode coming up on Saturday which should be episode 24 of the season, and then the season finale two parter should be the week after. As for this story, there's still a lot left, but we're closing in on the second act so to speak. I won't spoil anything, but there's going to be a lot of crazy shit happening soon. I again want to thank everyone who has stuck around Fallen Eagle for so long and I welcome any newcomers to the game. _

_While I'm used to 10+ reviews per chapter now, I'm not at all worried or upset at 8 for the previous chapter. I had FUN writing it from Ivan flying an X-Wing to developing the relationship between Luna and Checkered Flag. What I'm really happy about is the positive response Lunared Flag continues to get. I know the main couple for the story is of course Ivan and AJ, but the other characters need love too or else they're throw away characters. While Checkered was originally just a character for Luna to dance with at the Gala, he somehow morphed into a pretty good main character and love interest for Luna according to you guys._

_That being said however, while there are the ones who review every chapter and those who review every few chapters with a more in depth review, do not be afraid to tell me if you didn't like certain aspects of a chapter. I've gotten a few constructive reviews from StacheKing and Srey and they've helped me big time on improving pacing and characterization. I read each and every review as thoroughly as I can; as long as there is constructive __criticism, you bet I will read it and take down notes on how to fix the problem. _

_I would also like to thank Nukem999 for allowing me use of his OC, Hopeful Romantic, for the last chapter. _

_Speaking of relationships between characters, this chapter was going to be longer, but since we're back to focusing on AJ and Ivan's relationship, I didn't want to delve right in and write another 10K+ word chapter. After so many chapters that focused on other characters and couples, I just need to get back into the rhythm for Ivan and AJ's relationship. Plus, with how long my chapters have been recently, a little bit shorter one should be a breath of fresh air for all of us. _

_Again, not spoiling anything, but for the next chapter, all I can say is just have YouTube at the ready. I'll explain in the author's note for next chapter. How about we get to review replies?_

**SkullCrusher550: **_Thank you for the kind words each and every chapter. _

**OBSERVER01: **_I didn't realize this until halfway through writing Spike and Ivan's talk; it was an homage to the whisper chat from the original _Poltergeist_ movie from 1982. There were more movie homages than I remembered! _

**Sassymouse:** _I told you that Lunared Flag would rise again! No wait, I MEANT to tell you! From the moment the Luna episode premiered, I had envisioned Ivan crashing an X-Wing and emerging from the wreckage like the T-1000 from T2. Yes, you did indeed catch a Simpson's reference during Checkered's dream. It sucked taking away all of Twilight's lines during the Ponyville dream, but it was the best opportunity to really show how much Checkered and Luna trust and love one another. He's not after her crown or money, just her heart. Oh and one more thing, _"Spike! I'd rather be chained in Tartarus before you force my baby to the Dragon Kingdom!"

**Dixie Darlin: **_And knowing you can do something, but not acting is safer than acting. Sometimes it can sad, knowing you want to help but you can't, but other times __it can be terrifying. Plus, that was an homage to A Nightmare on Elm Street, besides the Dream Warriors part. This is kind of dark, but I compare Luna's punishment with the Tantabus to be like cutting herself for doing something bad. Hurting yourself like that only hurts the ones around you that you love. An Alicorn and an Earth Pony together? They called me mad, but look at them now! _

**KillerWoW:** _Life, yes, I can understand completely my friend. Ivan turned into the T-1000, that's a cyborg which is part robot so there WAS a robot! Case dismissed!_

**Srey:** _Well actually, it was still the jointed dream; they both dreamt of dancing at a wedding. Their relationship has been building off screen, but I still try to make it grow a little when they make an I'm glad you liked the nightmare. My brain almost exploded from how many ideas were coming out during the actual episode. Ranging from Ivan conjuring up a T-Rex to conjuring up the whole Empire to __help. Also, in the original draft, Ivan was going to partake in the dream chase as well. His nightmare would've started out as him winning the Daytona 500 while Def Leppard played Rock of Ages. Then the Mothman would've ripped him from his race car and proceeds to eat his neck. _

**TwoSoulsOneMind:** _Well, all I can say to that is thank you for your service!_

_I hope you guys like the return of CouJack, especially since they haven't been the focus for the last few chapters. Next chapter is going to be a game changer, I promise. _

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**(February 13th. Ivan's POV)**

A couple of weeks had passed since the whole nightmare fiasco with Luna. Luckily, for me and Spike, none of our friends had any trouble getting back into their regular sleep cycles thanks to Luna becoming super protective of our dreams. She hadn't planned for the Tantabus to make a return, but it was mainly to keep a close eye on all of us in Ponyville like a good leader and friend should. I was still sleeping peacefully in Applejack's bed, but nature had other plans for me. "Uh-oh," I exclaimed softly as my eyes shot open wide. Celestia's sun was just barely beginning its ascent above the mountains on the horizon, but my vision was still clouded. That was not my problem, however. An intense pressure was doing a splendid job at making itself known in my lower body. "No more cider before bed,"I swore, tossing the blanket off me. Seeing no Applejack in the bed didn't surprise me at all with how much she enjoys rising early, but I didn't have time to think about it.

Throwing the bedroom door open, but not enough to slam into the wall or to wake up Fawkes, I jogged my way down the hall just in my boxers and a t-shirt. "Mornin,' Cougar!" Applebloom exclaimed with a yawn as she exited her room.

"Morning, can't talk!" I replied hastily. Applebloom's face froze in confusion for my quick response, yet she quickly understood my lightning reactions. She trotted her way behind me, her hooves overpowering my footsteps on the wooden floor as I arrived at the bathroom door, only to be greeted with the sound of running water. "Oh, come on!" I bit my lower lip, trying hard not to think about needing to relieve myself.

"Don't worry, Cougar; AJ's in there," Applebloom reassured me.

"How do you kn-_know_ that?" the pressure continued to grow in my bladder. It was as if Hulk were push my bladder through my skin. The filly giggled at my situation and hopped in between me and the door.

"'Cause, Big Mac's room is right next ta mine, 'n he sounds like a freight train when he gets outta bed," she explained. "Ah haven't heard anythin' outta his room yet," she added just as Big Mac's door opened. He didn't say anything to either of us, but he did greet us with a subtle head nod, trotting his way down the stairs for a big mug of coffee. Turning back to Applebloom, she had a smug smile on her muzzle, happy to know she was right.

"Okay, thanks kid," I ruffled her mane, still biting my lower lip.

"What exactly are ya waitin' for?" she asked me, leaning against the wall. I couldn't tell if she was just trying to make conversation or if she was teasing me. "It's my big sister in their, yer _marefriend," _she emphasized. It was a little off-putting hearing a kid hint at things like that. Of course she probably meant that people in relationships with one another get special privileges like not waiting for the bathroom, stuff like that.

"Your point?" I choked out. I wasn't even sure if running downstairs and outside would provide me enough time before the floodgates would open. One big ranch house and one bathroom, who designed this place?

"Well, just knock; maybe she'll let ya in," Applebloom's smug face fell victim to another yawn. Her hoof muffled her muzzle to try and quiet the yawn down. "Let me know how it goes; Ah need some cocoa in my tummy for school," she gave my leg a quick hug. "We've got lots 'o plannin' ta do before Hearts 'n Hooves Day tomorrow," she added, bounding down the stairs.

"Uh-oh," I repeated the second time in the morning. I hadn't brought it up to AJ yet, but the chat I had with Spike still lingered around my head. AJ was not the mare that would act all prissy if I forgot the holiday, but she was a special mare that I loved; she deserved to be shown how much she meant to me. I tell her I love her as often as I can, but there was so much more I could and should do. My thoughts were once again interrupted by the pressure welling inside my bladder. I let out a small groan, trying to fight a losing battle. There was no sign of AJ completing her shower, but I was running out of time.

_Knock, knock, knock_

"Yeah?" Her voice replied from behind the door. The water from the shower still didn't let up any. "That you, Big Mac?" She asked.

"I-It's me, AJ," I replied back, sounding like I was in pain.

"Oh," she chuckled, "anythin' ya need?" Yes, we were a couple and yes we shared the same bed together, but I was still a modest man. Asking my girlfriend if it's okay to piss in the same bathroom while she was showering definitely wasn't awkward free.

"Uh, I hate to bother you, but I _really_-" I began before she interrupted me.

"Ya gotta answer nature's call, Ivan?" she asked. The little bit of shyness coupled with my pursed lips made it impossible for me to answer. "Come on in 'n pee; it's okay," she granted me permission with another chuckle.

"Are you 100% positive, AJ?" I just wanted to be sure.

"What's the matter, Sugarcube? Are ya shy?" she teased me. With that attitude on her, I knew right away she had no problem with allowing me inside the bathroom while she was showering. She'd reminded me a few times before that technically she and all of her friends and family were always naked, but that didn't help stop me from acting like a gentleman and treating every mare I met with respect.

"Haha," I tried to play her little game as I opened the bathroom door. I was instantly smacked in the face with a wall of steam; Applejack's outline from behind the shower curtain was visible thanks to some convenient lighting from above. Though it was most likely due to my shyness, I oddly enough shut the door as quiet as I could, even with the whole household ready to go for the day. With careful footsteps, I made my way over to the porcelain bowl which was on the opposite side of the shower.

"Sleep good?" AJ asked, making me jump a little. I saw Applejack's silhouette squirting some shampoo into her mane through the shower curtain, wondering if she could see me as well. I wasn't really comfortable talking while doing my business, even with having to relieve myself in the open during training. "Ya don't have ta be so shy, Ivan," Applejack added sweetly.

"I don't mean to be," I replied, trying to focus on my task at hand as I lowered the front of my boxers. "It's just, I've never really been so open before," I explained. Applejack softly chuckled, running her hooves through her mane to get the soap out.

"Ah understand, Sugarcube. But you could stand ta loosen up just a lil around me," she advised.

"Well, if you mean vomit inducing pet names," I joked, knowing how much pet names made Applejack want to rip all her teeth out. The only exception she had was Rarity's pet name for Spike. The water pressure from the shower devolved into a trickle and finally into nothing as the knobs squeaked from Applejack's hooves.

"Not _that_ kinda loose," she growled playfully. In the mirror next to the toilet, I saw Applejack's orange hoof reaching outside of the shower for a towel. The outline of her drying herself off was starting to get pretty sexy; I had to quickly pee and get out before she saw anything.

"Ahhhh," I groaned happily a little too loud as my bladder's floodgates opened and the pressure burst into the toilet. "A-anyway," I croaked, "I slept pretty good. I even had the best heater in the word snuggled up against me," I complemented slyly.

"How do ya think Ah felt?" the mare responded as I finished up and flushed the toilet. "Havin' a coltfriend as strong as an ox holdin' me?" the mare tossed her towel into a nearby hamper and shifted the shower curtain to the side.

"Safe, protected, all that crap?" I smirked, turning around. Applejacks' body glistened cleanly off the lights of the bathroom, but her mane was still damp and wasn't yet in its usual style. I liked this look on her, but she was already perfect to me.

"You bet yer behind, buster," she trotted over to me as I turned on the sink to wash my hands. The mare reached over onto the counter and collected her red mane tie, beginning to style it up in her usual pony tail.

"Did _you_ sleep good?" I continued to keep the conversation alive. Applejack looked over at me in the mirror while doing up her mane. Her mane tie was intertwined in her hooves.

"Can't find anythin' ta complain about," she smiled, continuing to fix up her hair. With a smile, I turned the water off and dried my hands, allowing AJ full access to the mirror if she required it. "Oh Ivan," she added as I backed away from the counter.

"Don't think I'd forget, hun," I leaned down and kissed her cheek. She giggled sweetly, but playfully shoved me away.

"Not that, but thanks anyway," she returned the kiss on my lips instead of my cheek. "Ah was just wonderin' if it was you or Big Mac takin' Applebloom ta school today?" Normally I didn't think Applejack cared _who_ took Applebloom to school as long as she actually got there. Though Discord might have been a possible exception.

"I think Big Mac is; Applebloom didn't ask me this time," I replied, stepping away from Applejack as she put on the tie for her actual tail. "Why?" I added, opening the door to go back and grab my pants from the day before.

"Well then, that just means we _both_ get ta do dishes this mornin' after breakfast," she winked playfully. "Granny Smith's arthritis is actin' up again; she has an appointment at the hospital for pain meds this mornin'," she explained.

"Hope she gets better. Of course knowing your family, she could probably still take on a pack of timberwolves even with her arthritis," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. As much as I respected Granny's hard work ethics, I knew it wasn't healthy for her to keep pushing herself so hard with that pain. I can only hope the medicine works to keep the pain away.

"You 'n me both," Applejack agreed as we exited the bathroom in different directions. "See ya at breakfast!" She called from the bottom of the stairs. I would have answered, but I didn't want to shout all the way downstairs.

"Morning Fawkes," I said as my phoenix was up and alert when I entered Applejack's bedroom. The avian trilled happily upon seeing me and circled around my head, lightly nuzzling the top of my head. "Need to stretch your wings?" I asked rhetorically, opening the window for him. He zoomed out of the room at top speed, creating a slight breeze in the room as I dug a fresh shirt out my duffel bag and threw it on. I even made the bed since I _was_ the last one to leave the bed.

As I smoothed out the covers, Applejack's scent of apples and cinnamon was ever present. Something about those two scents combined was just intoxicating to me. I think some of it was beginning to rub off on me since we cuddled every night. As much as I loved those scents, however, Applebloom's mentioning of tomorrow was hovering over me. Tomorrow would be my first Valentine's or Hearths and Hooves Day together with Applejack. I wanted more than anything to do something special for Applejack, but where would I begin to plan a special day for the perfect woman? Again, Spike's advice about giving AJ a day she would and I would both enjoy resurfaced in my memory banks. Some stress was lifted off knowing that AJ and I _hated_ mushy romance shit and stupid pet names, but I didn't want to plan a day that only I would enjoy.

"This is way harder than I thought it would be," I sighed, looking out the window as the sun rose higher in the sky and I twiddled my thumbs together. Of course I could take the easy way out and just tell her to have a Happy Hearts and Hooves Day and give her a store bought card from Sugar Cube Corner like a school kid, but that wasn't nearly enough for her. No, for the mare that personally took me in to live under her roof, cared deeply for all her friends, and returned my feelings, I had to come up with _something_ that proved to her that she meant so much to me.

Spike's suggestions still seemed like gold to me, but what worried me was the possibility that they would be _too_ normal for Applejack and she wouldn't feel special. As I cradled my head in my hands, one thought did spring up, but were either of us ready for a leap like that? "Cougar, yer pancakes are gettin' cold!" Granny Smith's voice broke through the floor. "MOVE YER CABOOSE, MISTER!" She added, sounding much louder. Putting both Quicksilver and the Flash to shame, I hopped off the bed and zoomed downstairs before Granny would drag me down by the ear.

"Yes ma'am!" I exclaimed as I sat down at the table in between AJ and Applebloom.

"Whoo-wee!" Applebloom exclaimed. "Ah think that's a record for how fast you ran down them stairs!" she stuffed a bite of her triple decker pancakes into her mouth. Mentally thanking AJ for preparing me a glass of orange juice, I gulped the golden liquid down, helping me catch my breath.

"Sorry," I apologized, "I had to let Fawkes out to stretch his wings and I wanted to make the bed," I explained, cutting into a piece of my blueberry pancakes. Granny Smith eyeballed me, Big Mac just sipped his coffee, Applebloom continued to munch on her breakfast, and Applejack giggled.

"Ah appreciate that," my girlfriend quickly gave me a loving peck on my cheek.

"Be that as it may," Granny Smith cut in, "when it's breakfast time, _it's_ breakfast time!" she exclaimed, sounding like my old drill sergeant. With my mouth full of pancake, I quickly nodded in understanding, though Applebloom had no problem coming to my rescue.

"Cut him some slack, Granny," she swallowed her bite. "He had an emergency ta take care of," Applebloom surprisingly avoided giving the elderly mare the blunt truth. I was getting ready to have Big Mac or AJ scold Applebloom for inappropriate table talk. But, the filly was showing signs of growing up; I couldn't help but smile at that.

"Mhmm," AJ agreed with her sister.

"Eeyup," Big Mac concurred.

"Well, all right then. Ah just don't want ya ta skip any meals there, youngin,'" Granny replied. "Yer fit like Big Mac here, but you need ta keep a healthy weight on ya," she advised, sounding like a normal grandmother talking to a grandchild.

"I'll uh, keep that in mind," I couldn't suppress a snicker. Applejack rolled her eyes, sipping her own coffee and polishing off the last of her breakfast; boy that mare could eat. "So Applebloom, does your class treat Hearts and Hooves Day like Hearth's Warming?" I questioned, refilling my orange juice.

"Mostly it's just me, Scootaloo, 'n Sweetie Belle," the filly replied. "We like shown' Ms. Cheerilee how much we appreciate her," she explained. "Which is why we're makin' a card even bigger 'n better than before!" Applebloom added. "We'll just need industrial sized barrels 'o glitter 'n glue," she tapped her chin.

"Is that why Big Mac is takin' you ta school today, Applebloom?" Applejack teased. "Ya makin' plans with her for tomorrow, big brother?" she nudged the red stallion in the ribs. Even with his red fur, I could barely make out a faint pink blush on his cheeks, forcing me to take a big bite out of a biscuit to keep from laughing.

"Eeyup..." Big Mac replied in embarrassment.

"Anythin' ya want me ta do ta help?" Applebloom gasped excitedly. Big Mac's green eyes shot open and he vigorously shook his head.

"Nope!" He replied. I couldn't pin any blame on the poor stallion, especially with what Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle tried to pull a few Hearts and Hooves Days ago for Big Mac and Cheerilee. Applebloom sat down, acting frumpy and slurped up the remains of her maple syrup.

"Eh, I don't think playing matchmaker is in your future, Applebloom," I said apologetically. The filly glared at me and blew me a raspberry before collecting her dishes and placing them in the sink.

"Don't get her started this early, Ivan," Applejack cautioned, patting me on the back.

"Speakin' 'o Hearts 'n Hooves Day," Applebloom hopped back into her seat with her green backpack. "Do ya have anythin' planned for my sister?" She placed her yellow hooves on my shoulder and leaned her face close to mine, completely obliterating my personal space bubble.

"Um?" I asked in shock. My fork was stuck inside my pancakes as I had no motivation to lift up the food with my hand. Slowly, I released the grip I had on the silverware, gently lowering my hand down to the tabletop.

"Ya know," Applebloom nudged my shoulder, "it's yer first Hearts 'n Hooves Day with Applejack. Ah'm sure you've got _tons_ 'o things planned ta do with her," she guessed, inching her face closer to mine.

"Well uh, Spike _did_ mention Hearts and Hooves Day to me a few weeks ago," I swallowed uncomfortably. "But, I haven't thought of anything just yet," I added, softly pushing Applebloom's face away from mine. As I had predicted, Applebloom's intrigued, cheesy smile quickly morphed into a frown. Her orange eyes tripled in size, one iris was bigger than the other, and her ears dropped down her head. She even let out a quiet whinny.

"What?!" She exclaimed. "It's yer first Hearts 'n Hooves Day with the most amazin' mare 'n big sister in Equestria! 'N you mean ta tell me that you haven't thought of anythin' ta do yet?" She asked me like the world was going to end. I found myself with her yellow hooves wrapped around my shirt collar, pulling me back close to force me to look in her eyes.

I really had no idea how to respond to that, lest I sound like I didn't care about spending a day with Applejack. Jerking my head to the side, I begged Applejack for help in getting out of Applebloom's wrath. Thankfully, Applejack understood my subliminal messages and scooted her chair back from the table, grabbed Applebloom by her sides, and ripped her grip from me. Granny Smith and Big Mac just stared at the three of us, confused as to what was going on.

"Applebloom," the older sister said in her scolding voice. Applebloom expression softened into one of apology. Before AJ went any further, I placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently and massing it with my thumb. "Now, don't go on stressin' the heck outta Ivan," her vocal tone dropped immediately into her sweet, soft voice she used whenever she was about to give advice or cheer someone up.

"But, Ah just want the both 'o you to enjoy yer first Hearts 'n Hooves Day together!" Applebloom defended, adjusting her backpack strap. Applejack grinned, lightly stroking her sister's mane as I adjust my shirt collar.

"Ah know, Applebloom," AJ nuzzled her little sister's cheek. "But you know Ah'm not the type 'o mare that demands a perfect Hearts 'n Hooves Day from her coltfriend. Besides, it wouldn't be very fair 'o me ta expect Ivan ta have a whole day planned out, especially since we ain't been together very long," she reached around and grasped my neck with her foreleg, pulling me close.

"Hey, that doesn't mean I _won't_ do anything," I interjected softly, enjoying the hug AJ was giving out.

"Ah'm just sayin' ya don't have ta go all out or anythin,' Sugarcube," she turned to me, a hint of love and sweetness in her emerald eyes. "Just lovin' me like ya always do is more than enough."

"Just don't brew up any love potions," Big Mac coughed. Applebloom's yellow cheeks immediately turned scarlet and she hid her face behind her hooves.

"Ah make _one_ potion with my friends _one_ time, 'n Ah'm labeled for life," she said embarrassingly. Applejack relinquished the hold on my neck, only to replace it on Applebloom's in a hug.

"Aw, he's just teasin' ya, little sis," she assured Applebloom. I shrugged to the red stallion, thinking what he said was pretty funny since it was true. "Ah think though, you should point out ta Big Mac that if it weren't for that little stunt you 'n yer friends pulled, Ah don't believe Big Mac would've grown the pair ta actually ask out yer teacher," she smirked in her brother's direction.

Big Mac raised a hoof and opened his mouth to reply, but clamped it shut when he didn't have a rebuttal. The stallion just sipped the rest of his coffee and nibbled at some toast. "Kids these days," Granny Smith remarked. I didn't know if she meant that in a serious or a joking way.

"Almost time for school, isn't it?" I asked, casting my gaze to the clock above the doorway. Right now it was about 7:46; if Applebloom wanted to get to school at her normal time, she needed to get moving.

"Eeyup," Big Mac finally had a reason to respond again, pushing himself away from the table and bringing his dirty dishes to the sink. "Come on then, Applebloom," he waved her over. The filly squeezed her sister tighter goodbye before releasing her hug. She then turned her attention to me and just about dog piled me with her own bear hug. Chuckling, I returned the hug, nuzzling the top of her red mane.

"Have a good day, Bloom," I wished her, squeezing her like a puppy. She pushed away from me, a stern looked carved into her face.

"Ah expect at least a few suggestions on what ya have planned ta do with my sister for tomorrow by the time Ah get back," she ordered, bopping me on the nose. It felt strange having a school kid order me around, but I found it pretty damn cute too.

"Applebloom!" Applejack exclaimed while the filly jumped down and trotted over to her brother. With a snarky grin, she waved to us as Big Mac rolled his eyes and shoved her out the door. "Oh that filly," Applejack sighed with a chuckle. "Just when ya think she's used up her spunk for the day, she's got some reserves left over," she shook her head with a grin. The golden maned mare took her dirty dishes along with Applebloom's, and set them in the sink next to Big Mac's. I still had a few pieces of pancake and some eggs left over.

"That's the best part about her, AJ," I joked, "other than her being the cutest filly ever," I added.

"There ain't no denyin' that, Cougar," Granny Smith concurred as she rinsed her teeth out in the sink. I grimaced a bit at the sight, but AJ and I were going to wash the dishes anyway. "She gets that from her grandmother. Ah remember back when Ah was her age, most ponies couldn't get enough 'o me. Then when Ah hit Applejack's age 'n we set off for Canterlot, the stallions my age couldn't keep their eyes off 'o me," she bragged.

"How did we go from talking about cute fillies to attractive mares?" I asked, shaking my head to get a grip on the conversation.

"See, Cougar," Granny continued as if I never said a thing. "Applejack 'n Applebloom get their looks from my side 'o the family. Cute when their little tykes 'n gorgeous as Celestia's sun when they hit them teen years 'n beyond," she explained. I took a quick look at Applejack who was watching us talk from the other side of the kitchen and winked.

"Well, can't argue with the gorgeous part," I attempted a little flirting with my girlfriend.

"But!" Granny added, getting in my way of Applejack, "just 'cause she looks pretty don't mean she can't whip yer behind if ya need it," she warned me.

"Granny, you can trust Ivan. He ain't done anythin' ta warrant that," she came to my defense and wrapped both forelegs around my neck from behind my chair. "Now, do ya need us ta walk ya to the hospital for yer appointment?" She asked.

"Nah; Ah can handle myself," Granny waved us off. "Big Macintosh said he'd meet me there anyway after he dropped off Applebloom." "'N don't worry 'bout our apples, Cougar. They won't be ripe for a few more days now," she looked out the window at the apple orchard. Ever since the town literally wrapped up winter a few weeks before the nightmare fiasco, the trees were hard at work producing more apples for another season. Right now at the farm, we didn't really have much to do other than taking care of the livestock and straightening up outside. "

"Should be one Tartarus of a season though," Applejack proclaimed. "My legs are just burnin' ta buck some tree trunks!" She did a few practice kicks in the kitchen, showing off a bit of her firm leg muscles.

"You two just take care 'o the mornin' chores; then enjoy a whole afternoon together. Ah've got ta meet the girls for lunch after my appointment, Applebloom won't be outta school 'till three, 'n Big Mac is gonna try 'n sell the last 'o last season's apples before he brings Applebloom home," Granny explained. "He may get home sooner dependin' on how long it takes ta sell the apples," she added.

"We'll try not to burn the place down," I joked, standing up and stretching.

"If ya do, just don't be here when Ah get back!" Granny jabbed her hoof into my stomach. She didn't hit me hard, but it was enough to get my attention. The elder mare filled up a travel thermos with coffee before grabbing her saddle bags from the living room.

"Ah'll make sure the house is still standin,' Granny," Applejack played along with my joke as she turned the sink on and began washing the dishes.

"Have fun you two!" Granny opened the kitchen door, "just not _too_ much fun," she winked and trotted away. I froze as Applejack laughed and scrubbed the dishes in the sink. She didn't seem fazed about it at all, but I still didn't get why I would get nervous about that subject now, even if someone was joking. Dammit, AJ was right, I do need to loosen up a bit. AJ's chuckling snapped me out of my funk, prompting me to join her at the sink and assist her with the dishes. She was scrubbing and rinsing the dishes, leaving me to dry them.

"Don't worry too much about Hearts 'n Hooves Day, Ivan," the mare said as she handed me a glass. "Or Granny Smith for that matter," she chuckled. "She doesn't like ta pass up an opportunity ta tease like that." The glass squeaked loudly as I rubbed a dish towel over it before setting it onto the dish rack.

"I'm fine with it," I replied quickly, grabbing a plate from Applejack. "I just don't expect jokes like that to come from ponies like Granny," I explained, biting my lower lip. I could have sworn I saw a tiny blush on Applejack's cheek, but it went away too quick to get an accurate conclusion. She continued to scrub away the dirty dishes, not wanting to say anything else on the matter. "So, do you think Featherweight has anything planned for Applebloom?" I changed the subject.

"Maybe," AJ replied, rinsing out the pot that held the country gravy for the biscuits. "Though, Ah'm pretty sure it may just be a hoof made card 'n some store bought heart candies from Sugar Cube Corner," she guessed. "Ya know, cutesy kid stuff," Applejack grinned.

"Hoof made beats store bought," I remarked as my dish towel squeaked against a plate.

"Ain't that the truth," Applejack agreed, handing me the gravy pot for drying. "When Applebloom was littler, Ah loved all the cards 'n pictures she made for me, Big Mac, 'n Granny Smith. The quality doesn't matter as much as the thought that you care about somepony," she added. "Just tellin' somepony you care for them can make or a break a day." I smiled at Applejack's memory and words of wisdom. She always seemed to come out with down home advice and sayings at the perfect time.

"Just curious, did you ever celebrate Hearts and Hooves Day in school like Applebloom?" I questioned, double checking to make sure the gravy pot was dry as a bone. Applejack ceased scrubbing the pancake pan for just a second before resuming. A soft hum escaped her lips. She didn't say anything else, but she continued to scrub the dishes and hand them to me. "I'm sorry," I added after a few moments of silence.

"Aw, it ain't yer fault, Ivan," Applejack sighed, shutting off the faucet. "We all would make our own cards or notes for everypony else in the class 'n hoof 'em out," she explained. "You know, usual stuff that classes do." I nodded in agreement, recalling the mundane Valentine's Days in elementary school.

"I kind of have an idea," I smirked.

"'O course, when Ah was in class, even though Ah was only Applebloom's age, Ah did want at least somepony Ah could make a special card for. But there weren't any colts in class that really caught my attention ta do so. Ah still made the cards 'n all that, but Ah never really cared," she added. As she handed me a plate to dry, my hand momentarily grabbed her hoof instead. Thanks to the water, it was softer and warmer than usual; I couldn't help but stroke it lightly with my thumb. "Ah'll say this though, those fingers 'o yers are like magic," she said sweetly, not complaining that I was halting our progress.

"Sorry," I blushed and slowly let go. "Your hoof is just, soft," I grabbed the plate and quickly wiped the water off its surface. Clearing my throat, my ears perked up when I heard Applejack setting down some dishes on her side of the sink. Before I could turn around, I felt a warm foreleg wrap around my torso and her head nuzzling up against my stomach.

"You don't have to apologize for lovin' me, Ivan," she squeezed me a little tighter and looked up at me with her chin resting on my stomach. "You're such a sweet man," Applejack added, her smile growing warmer by the minute. Out of instinct, I put down the plate and put my hand on the back of her head, just barely scraping the brim of her stetson. I've never felt more at peace than just holding my girlfriend and petting her mane. This was it; this was my one shot to suggest my idea to Applejack before we would separate to do our respective morning chores.

"Applejack," I swallowed roughly. "Can I ask you something?" Though still looking me in the eye, Applejack pulled her head away from me while I stopped petting her head and adjusted her stetson that was slowly beginning to block her vision. She giggled as my hand lightly brushed her ear as I righted her cowgirl hat.

"Sure thing, Sugarcube," she agreed. "What's on yer mind?" Having better knowledge on her feelings for Hearts and Hooves Day, I sort of feared her reaction to my idea. I had a good feeling that she wouldn't yell at me or call me an idiot, but she may not have a warm reaction. Applejack could tell I was nervous; she softly placed a hoof on my leg, rubbing it lightly. With a soft cough, I started reading off my plan.

"Well," I began before pausing for a moment or two. "Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?" I blinked hard, "You know, after morning chores," I explained so I wouldn't sound like I wanted to blow off our jobs. AJ didn't respond immediately. She cocked her head to the side and removed her hoof from my leg, rubbing her chin with it instead. The suspense was literally making me even more concerned. Not knowing was worse than a negative reaction.

"Hmm, not really," she finally responded. Okay, I was feeling slightly better, but I still didn't have a definitive answer. "Although Ah _was_ gonna go 'n see what Fluttershy was up to. Ah really don't spend as much one on one time with her as Ah do the rest 'o the girls," she explained with a grin. My face fell almost immediately. If Applejack had plans, then I didn't want to get in her way. "Ivan, what's the matter?" The mare caught sight of my downed expression.

"Oh, it, it's nothing," I stammered.

"Then why did ya ask me if I had plans, Sugarcube?" She asked me curiously, moving her hoof to my hand and folding it over my palm, encouraging me to hold it. "You can ask me anything.' Was there somethin' ya wanted to do?" I knew I had reached the point of no return. With how well Applejack could spot a lie, I was trapped. I couldn't even blow this off; I would never do that to her. She 'squeezed' my hand a little tighter, still holding that smile on her muzzle. The smile I loved so much.

"Here's the thing, I know you said not for me to worry about doing anything for you for Hearts and Hooves Day," I began with a gulp, remembering how quickly Applejack picked up on things. And just like I predicted, she realized what I was getting at right away. She shook her head in a reassuring way, not in annoyance.

"'N you don't have ta feel obligated at all!" Applejack quickly said. "Ah don't want you stressin' yerself out ta make me happy for one day," she gestured for me to sit back down at the table. As much as I wanted to, I just couldn't make my legs move to do so. At least she didn't force me to sit down; Applejack accepted that I was content with standing and continued. "We haven't 'been together' for very long, Ah know that. Just a kiss on the cheek 'n the love ya always give me is more than enough, Sugarcube," she repeated from earlier, leaning upward on her hind legs and softly pecking my cheek with her lips. Not counting her personality during a rodeo, she was still the most modest pony I knew, with Fluttershy being an exception.

My cheek tingled as the mare gently touched back to the wooden floor with a soft _thud. _As much as I adored her modesty, I couldn't simply give her a kiss and tell her that I loved her; I wanted, no, I _needed_ to show it, for her. "Applejack," I said softly.

"Yes, Ivan?" She replied just as softly. I gingerly reached my hand back out, softly rubbing it against her warm cheek.

"That's, that's not _nearly_ enough for you," I stammered. "I've never celebrated Valentine's, erm, Hearts and Hooves Day before," I corrected myself. "But I want to show you how much you mean to me." My hand was still touching her cheek, but it was no longer caressing it. My limb just held her cheek, not wanting to further disrupt her fur. Applejack's already soft expression seemed to soften even more as she leaned her cheek into my hand.

"Well, ain't you a sweetheart?" She asked rhetorically. "Ah guess if you insist on celebratin' Hearts 'n Hooves day with me, what'd you have in mind, Sugarcube?" She asked me. Feeling like I won the million dollar lotto, the Super Bowl, and the Daytona 500 simultaneously, I found the courage to tell Applejack what I had in mind for us to do. Incidentally, it was a plan for today and tomorrow.

"AJ, since tomorrow is the first 'official' Hearts and Hooves Day for us, I was thinking that after our morning chores are done, we could do a practice run just so neither of us are stressing out tomorrow on what to do," I explained.

"Hmm, a practice run?" Applejack asked, puzzled. "That sounds like somethin' Twilight would do. Is she startin' ta rub off on you, partner?" she nudged my ribs with her elbow in a teasing fashion.

"Maybe just a little," I darted my eyes around. "And it's mainly to help us get the feel of what's special about the holiday," I added.

"Ah love the idea, Ivan," she grinned after a few seconds of thinking. "Any plans you had in mind?"

"Of course, but I'm still a little uncertain about how you'd enjoy them," I admitted, feeling a little ashamed at my shyness. Yet one look from her resurged the courage within me.

"Aw Ivan, Ah won't belittle you or anythin' for any ideas you have," she said in a comforting tone. Lightly scratching the back of my ear, I spilled out the three activities we could do together for our practice run.

"I was thinking we could start off with a picnic at the family pond for lunch, then you could teach me some of your lasso techniques before dinner, and then watch Luna's stars at night outside after dinner," I suggested. Applejack lowered her head, setting her gaze upon the wooden planks on the floor. We were back to the not knowing part of the morning, something that I really didn't like. It had gotten so quiet, the light breeze outside rustling the leaves could've made Fluttershy jump through the roof. Even the grandfather clock in the living room sounded like sledgehammers hitting iron.

"Ivan," Applejack finally proclaimed, making my heart skip a beat. "That sounds like the _perfect_ day, Sugarcube," she responded, assaulting me with another hug.

"Oh, cool," came the lamest response ever. Applejack just chuckled, even grazing her lips across my hand.

"Yer cute when yer flushed, Ivan," she teased, trotting her way back to the sink and turning the faucet back on. "Ah'd be happy ta make us a picnic lunch after our chores are completed," she chimed.

"Hold on," I finally got a mental grip back on reality, "I can help with that too you know," I grabbed a fresh dish towel from a drawer.

"You came up with the idea; Ah'm more than happy ta contribute to it," she explained. "You don't have ta do everythin. Relationships are all about give 'n take," she vigorously scrubbed a plate.

"Well, I still want to help," I stated firmly, grabbing the plate from her.

"Never said you couldn't," she chuckled. "Ah love you, Ivan," she chuckled.

"I know, AJ," I replied as Fawkes flew in through the open window and settled down on the back of one of the chairs. _'Step one complete,'_ I thought. Now came the actual practice run; the nervousness had returned.

**End Chapter 41**

* * *

_I don't know when the next chapter will be out. All I can say is that I'm studying the hell out of the confession chapter. I want this next chapter to be as good as the __confession chapter. So if it takes as long as this one, please try to understand. Although I will put my one shot on hold for just a little bit to work on the next chapter. Please review and tell me what you think. _


	43. Chapter 42: What You Mean to Me

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 42: What You Mean to Me**

_Oh...my...gosh. Welcome back everyone! Hope you all had a gut busting Thanksgiving! _

_Now this chapter took WAY longer than I thought it would. I had to revise nearly every scene because it didn't feel like like CouJack at all. From a chapter I thought would take a couple days took over two weeks, something I wasn't exactly thrilled about. But thanks to the many revisions, I'm confident you guys will find this chapter worth the wait. It was a little stressful, I'll admit, when I got past the barrier I personally set up, yet I kept reminding myself that J.K. Rowling didn't write The Philosopher's Stone in a day. And no, I'm not saying my story is as good. As a good friend also told me about the outcome of the first Sherlock Holmes novel, "_Great haste makes great waste."

_So, big things have happened in the past few weeks. Jeff Gordon ended his 23 year career in NASCAR with a sixth place finish at Homestead and overall third in the final point standings. Not what I was hoping for, but I'll take it. I actually didn't cry, but it did hurt a little to see him exit that car one more time. Also, it was a little sad for me watching the Season 5 finale last week. Season 5 was the first season where I got to see every new episode of the season. And no, I'm not going to fully review it here, but I will say that I __thought it was very well done, beautifully animated, and well written. It also harbored a good lesson for people out there with strained friendships: _Don't give up because things look bleak. Talk it out with your friends to see what the problem is and work it out. Sure, you might have some things in common which drew you together in the first place, but your differences make the both of you unique, something to enjoy about each other. Just because they like one thing you don't doesn't mean it's over. Which in turn was the lesson for the entire season.

_Also as a whole, I believe Season 5 is the best seasons of MLP with Season 2 a close second. No other season had so many episodes that touched me like _Amending Fences, Crusaders of the Lost Mark, Tanks for the Memories, Castle Sweet Castle, and of course, Brotherhooves Social. Tanks for the Memories and Brotherhooves Social are the only two MLP episodes that made me cry. _A toast, to the writers for a DIAMOND season 5, and let's all look forward for Season 6 and EQG 4!_

_Before I get to replying to reviews guys, I want to request something of you all. With these two (soon to be three) chapters of going deeper into Ivan and Applejack's relationship, I really want to know what you guys think. I've never thought of myself as a romance writer, but I just want to know how I'm doing. So, instead of just complimenting the chapter, could you guys actually give a little detail about what you like or don't like about their relationship? Just so I can improve if need be._

**SkullCrusher550: **_Thank you once again. And an 8.7? Well that's actually higher than what I think most people rate it. Hope to see you next time._

**Lelouch-Strife: **_That's actually going to come up quicker than you think. I have big plans for that particular episode._

**OBSERVER01: **_Actually, they play no part in this chapter, but I guess it's expected from how many shenanigans those three get into._

**Jarius Black: **_Now that's an original comment for my story! And I recognize you from Get Your Rock On! Glad to see you enjoy different __genres. _

**Sassymouse:** _Aw, come now. It wasn't THAT cute...but if you insist :P Have you tried doing that on your bed so you have something soft to land on? I see Granny of course as the wise elderly family member that loves to spout nonsense sometimes. Although (and this is unrelated) I do NOT like her Equestria Girls design. Be careful, Pinkie may be there to eat the remaining sweetness. Oh and one more thing. Twilight: Oh Spike, my sweet baby boy. Don't ever leave me, please!_

**Caleb200888:** _Well I wish you luck to your future __endeavors. _

**cking1996:** _All right! A fellow Gordon __fan! And actually, he's going to be commentating Cup races on Fox next year. But I digress, I'm glad I've been able to hold your attention this long._

**MadnessAndInsanity:** _I have never gotten a review like this before. I'm glad I could (somehow) brighten you and your family's lives. _

**Dixie Darlin:** _Crotchety old people are always funny! And they can be sweet like Granny. _

**Aethnear:** _You say floater, I say another fan. It's okay if you don't review often. I've never really written romance like this before, so I'm really happy a lot of people like it. _

**KillerWow:** _Pinkie Pie went to a Def Leppard concert because she thinks the song Pour Some Sugar on Me means that the band drops sugar on the audience. _

_Okay guys, here we get to see what a CouJack date day will be like. Once again, please tell me what you think of their relationship. _

* * *

**(Sweet Apple Acres Pond; Ivan's POV)**

_Plop, Plop, Plop, SPLASH_

"Whoo-wee!" Applejack cheered and whistled, sounding impressed. "You got one heck of a wrist there, Ivan. That one nearly got ta the middle 'o the pond!" She added. Smiling, I picked up a small, flat stone from the pile behind us and tossed it into her hoof.

"See if you can beat that," I teased with a raised eyebrow. Taking on my challenge with a scoff and a smirk, Applejack cautiously balanced the stone in her hoof, narrowing her eyes at the once placid surface of the pond. Celestia's sun was doing it's job perfectly with no cloud in the sky. Even with our rocks skipping along the surface of the water, rippling to the outer edges, its light was able to penetrate through to the bottom. It was a beautiful pond to say the least; it even housed a few trout that hid when we began to just pass the time after our picnic feast was finished. After the two of us had finished our late lunch, we sat on the 'beach' of the pond with our feet submerged under the surface. Well, her hooves, my feet. It was rather relaxing with a fairly warm mid-fifties day temperature wise.

"Don't get cocky now, Ivan," she winked back at me, still concentrating hard. "Or Ah'm gonna have ta teach you a lesson," AJ warned. Sticking her tongue out, she slowly swept her foreleg back and threw it forward, snapping her hoof at the last second as hard as she could.

_Plop, Plop, SPLASH_

"Ooh, swing and a miss," I playfully taunted, placing my hand on her shoulder and shaking her a little. "Woah!" I exclaimed as the mare shoved me playfully in retaliation. I lost my balance and thrust my arm out, just barely able to catch myself before falling completely into the water. However, my arm was now completely drenched up to the bottom of my elbow, not that I cared. Luckily the black stetson that AJ made for my birthday didn't fall off my head and into the blue water.

"Hey, Ah warned ya," she reminded me and helped me right myself.

"I'll remember for next time," I chuckled, flicking some water from my fingers onto her face. It gave me an edge as it caught her by surprise and she jerked her head back a little. With my dry right arm, I wrapped it around her torso and pulled her in close, lightly smashing my lips against her cheek. When I pulled away, her orange cheek was during a darker shade of pink by the second.

"Oh, so _that's_ how it is, buster?" She cleared her throat and adjusted her own stetson. I released her from my arm's grip with a grin on my face, letting her know I was still joking around with her. "Hey, Ah didn't complain," she snuggled back up against me. Not complaining either, I softly rewrapped my arm around her and lightly rubbed her foreleg. "Thanks for sharin' a picnic with me, Sugarcube," Applejack said sweetly after a few moments of just silently enjoying each other's company.

"Heh," I softly exclaimed, "thanks for not freaking out about what I like to eat," I turned my attention to the picnic basket behind us. Said basket only housed empty tupperware bowls, empty thermoses, and a pair of empty cider bottles. Among some of the items on the menu was some faux meat that Celestia and Luna would send me at least once a month. I tried to eat it sparingly in order to avoid freaking out AJ and her family or making them feel sick.

"Aw, that doesn't bother us anymore," she assured me. "Besides, this is a day for the both of us. Why should Ah get ta eat the foods Ah like 'n not give you a choice at all?" she asked me rhetorically.

"Fair point," I shrugged. "Though, you're still a heck of a cook," I complimented her just as a fish jumped into the air and flopped back into the water. AJ grazed her lips across my neck in reply. "So," I decided to try a little better small talk with her, "what do you think everyone else is doing for Hearts and Hooves Day tomorrow?" I questioned.

"Ta tell ya the truth, 'n when don't Ah?" She joked, "Ah don't rightfully know. Soarin 'n Rainbow Dash didn't 'get together' 'till well past Hearts 'n Hooves Day last year, so Ah have no idea what they would have planned. 'O Course Rainbow might put in an order for a couple pies before tomorrow. Then they might just fly around Cloudsdale or Ponyville."

"I get a feeling we'll be seeing a sonic rainboom sometime tomorrow," I looked upward at the sky.

"That wouldn't surprise me one bit," I could see AJ roll her eyes in the reflection on the water. "As for Twilight, she confused the heck out 'o poor Flash Sentry last year by printin' out an itinerary for the whole day," AJ explained. "They stopped by the farm ta see if we had any apple desserts ta spare, 'n that's when she showed me the schedule for the day. Ah know it's sorta like what we're doin,' but we only have a few things ta do; Twilight literally had the entire day all planned out from 9:00 a.m. ta when Celestia lowered the sun."

"Something tells me she won't try that again," I chuckled and cracked my toes beneath the water. "I'd understand though if she went by the 'unwritten' book and suggested a dinner at a fancy restaurant. I'm actually intrigued what those two can come up with."

"That _would_ be a hoof step in the right direction for those two," Applejack rubbed her chin. "Ah know Twilight has tons 'o responsibilities now that she's a princess 'n all, but she should still consider tryin' ta find a good point in her relationship with Flash 'n possibly settle down."

"Like I think Checkered and Luna will," I softly blurted. AJ moved back a bit to turn her head to look at me.

"Did Luna tell ya somethin' she won't tell anypony else?"

"No, no," I assured the mare. "You saw the both of them in the dream world and every time we see them together in Canterlot," I remarked.

"Yeah, Ah ain't ever seen Princess Luna happier than with him. He's a good stallion too; always settin' good examples for young ponies 'n donatin' ta charities almost every day."

"I'd be willing to bet Luna's gonna take him on a star ride or make a constellation of the both of them tomorrow night." A slight breeze whipped past is, making the leaves behind us rustle. "So, what does Pinkie Pie usually do?" I tried to keep the conversation going.

Applejack let out a quiet laugh before responding. "Pinkie always spends the night before Hearts 'n Hooves Day makin' cards for just about everypony in town," she smiled. "Then she spends the next mornin' hoofin' 'em out ta everypony." Remembering how Pinkie sometimes invited us to parties, I couldn't fathom how she could sing to everyone in town all morning.

"Please tell me she doesn't sing a song to everyone," I quickly begged. Pinkie Pie was a great friend and good for a laugh, but that mare loves to sing _way_ too much, even if her songs can be pretty catchy.

"Naw, she tried that one year, but she done lost her voice after about an hour," Applejack shook her head. "But she forged on 'n delivered like she always does. She couldn't talk again until that evenin,' and boy did she make up for lost time," AJ chuckled again. "As for Fluttershy, Ah don't rightfully know what she does," she shrugged. A sudden thought crossed my mind of Discord showing up with a bouquet of flowers and putting on the BS routine of '_Just a day for friends!'_ "Although this year, she might be foalsittin' Scootaloo for Rainbow 'n Soarin if their plans go well past sundown," AJ shrugged.

"And Rarity?" I shifted my position as AJ leaned back again and removed her stetson, setting it aside. She shifted herself as well, but stayed close to me and laid her head down on my lap. I gently placed my hand on her side and just rubbed it softly. She sighed happily and wriggled around.

"Well, if everythin' goes for her like always," Applejack grunted, "she'll get about half a dozen cards 'n a couple bouquets 'o flowers," AJ found a comfortable spot and stopped moving around, though she swished her tail back and forth. _'Just like I suspected,' _I thought. "Ah know what yer thinkin,' Ivan," Applejack suddenly added when my expression changed. Her chin rested upon my lap, giving her a clear view upward at me.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"It ain't Spike that sends her _all_ those cards 'n flowers. She has quite a few other admirers besides our scaly friend."

"I had a feeling the back of my mind," I admitted. "But you and I and everyone else knows how Spike feels about Rarity."

"That sweet dragon always makes sure ta not over do anythin' for her," Applejack explained, lightly patting my legs with her hooves. "Ah guess Twilight helps keep him in check from goin' overboard on gifts or cards." She hypothesized.

"Or you know, _he_ could be the one telling himself to send one card or one flower, or maybe even both," I added to Applejack's thought. "I saw flashes of maturity out of him before the Gala."

"We all did, Sugarcube," AJ rose up her head, "he saved us when his comic book sucked us into its world, he stopped a giant icicle cloud from harming anypony at the Equestria Games, he took care 'o all our pets for a day, 'n he does all that assistance work for Twilight. Sure, sometimes he can crack immature jokes at inappropriate times, or try so hard ta impress me that he ends up makin' things worse," she started to ramble on. I lightly stroked her back to calm her down a bit. "Uh, anyway, Ah always thought 'o Spike like a little brother for all six of us; now he's Twilight's son, but still a brother to me, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash…" Applejack trailed off. "Ah really don't know how Rarity feels about him now."

"Well, all I know is that she thought about it, but doesn't want to break his heart or ruin their friendship if it goes sour," I explained, repeating what Spike had told me himself. "But in all honesty, Spike deserves at least a chance," I stated firmly, "if it's a little too awkward, they can stop after one or two dates and keep their friendship intact."

"Ah know they can, Ivan. But you know how difficult it was for _us_ to admit how we felt about each other," she lifted her hoof and traced it on my chest, "they've been friends for a little over four years, 'n even though she knows that Spike has a crush on her-"

"He's in love; it's not a crush," I knew the risks of interrupting Applejack and correcting her at the same time. But if we were talking about Spike's growing maturity, we'd have to move past something as immature as a crush. Applejack bit her lower lip and even started to chew on it.

"Okay, Spike loves her," she admitted, lifting her head up, "but you know how sometimes the transition from friends to a relationship can be hard, right?" I nodded, still stroking AJ's back. "Ah want all my friends ta be happy 'n find their special somepony."

"I don't think Spike will ever give up on Rarity. Even if she finds her own special someone that isn't Spike," I said softly.

"Wait, if he won't give up on her, then how's he gonna take it if she finds somepony else?" Applejack cocked her head to the side. I chuckled, removing my hand from her back and gingerly swept her ear back, petting her golden blonde mane.

"He truly loves Rarity, AJ. He'll let her go if it ever comes to that."

"Where in the wide, wide, world of Equestria do ya know all this?" Applejack asked me incredulously. I knew she wasn't implying I was an idiot, but I _did_ rarely ever come up with stuff like this. Thinking back, I looked back to the now placid surface of the pond that my submerged feet didn't disturb.

"I was sort of an English geek in school," I replied. "Where I was about middle ground in math and science classes, I always enjoyed reading books and writing, trying to interpret the world in my eyes."

"Hehe, my coltfriend the poet," Applejack flicked my nose a few times with her hoof.

"Oh whatever," I rolled my eyes with a laugh. Off in the distance the school bell clanged loudly, nearly startling the two of us. "Is Applebloom's class out already?" I asked.

"Hmm," Applejack looked around at the shadows cast over by Celestia's sun. "Naw, that's the bell tellin' the kids that final recess is over," she explained. "They've got about another thirty minutes."

"I guess time flies when you're having a picnic with your girlfriend," I joked. Applejack smirked and stood up from laying down on my lap.

"Or havin' ta round up all them sheep you accidentally let out makes time fly," she nudged my shoulder. I groaned, hated being reminded of my blunder earlier in the day. "Aw, Ah'm only teasin', Ivan," she chuckled as I stood up in the pond and took my feet out of the water.

"At least Big Mac came back at the right time," I grabbed the picnic basket full of empty tupperware and stretched.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac called from across the barnyard, heading in the direction of town.

"It's a little early ta go pick up Applebloom!" Applejack exclaimed. Big Mac just chewed on a stalk of wheat and took his sweet time walking off the property, not replying to Applejack or myself. "Just an excuse ta talk ta Cheerilee some more. Anyway, Ah do believe you ordered some lasso lessons," she winked.

* * *

**(Applejack's Barn.)**

Applejack grunted as she pushed a large bale of hay into the center of the barn. When she agreed to my idea of giving me some lasso lessons, that mare meant business. In fact, together we widened the large center space in the barn to make enough room for the upcoming lessons. "Applejack, are you sure we'll need this much room?" I asked as I pushed Big Mac's blacksmith anvil up against the back wall. Applejack held up a hoof, making me wait a little longer for a response.

"Just give me one more second, Ivan," she advised, pushing the hay bale up onto its side, making it taller. She took a step back, taking a moment to wipe some sweat from her forehead and mane. "Ah just wanted ta take the necessary precautions." With a grin on her face the mare studied the slightly larger area, temporarily standing on her hind legs and dusting off her hooves.

"Precautions?" I raised an eyebrow. "How bad do you think I'm gonna be?" I snickered a bit. Applejack turned to me quickly, patting my leg reassuringly.

"Aw, don't think of it like that, Ivan. Ah don't want ta risk ya hurtin' yerself, that's all," she explained softly. "Ah'm sure yer Air Force didn't thrust ya right into yer jet thingy right away?" She guessed. Keeping my eyebrow raised, I snapped my head down to meet Applejack's gaze.

"So, you're saying swinging a six foot rope is as hard as flying a multimillion dollar jet?" I joked, making her blush a bit.

"No, 'o course not," she tried to correct herself, but I didn't give her time to do so.

"At one and a half times the speed of Rainbow Dash when she creates a sonic rainboom," I added. Applejack bit down on her lip, trying to keep her focus on the task at hand.

"Forget Ah said anythin' all right?" she requested. "All Ah want is for you ta learn how ta use a lasso without bangin' somethin' on yer head." I knelt down, wrapping my arms around her and hugged her tight.

"I know, Applejack," I replied, "I'm only teasing," I kissed her cheek. Shoving me out of the way playfully, Applejack took one more look at what was now my personal training area for lassoing. Standing back on my feet with a grunt, Applejack grabbed her own lasso in her mouth and trotted back over to where I was standing, near the back wall of the barn.

"Okay, Ah think we're ready ta go," she exclaimed happily through the rope. "We got most 'o the dangerous tools outta this area, 'n all the valuables 'n flammable equipment are gone too," she added. The word 'flammable' definitely caught my attention. Maybe she wasn't being too safe after all. "Nervous, Sugarcube?" She poked my leg with her hoof, dropping her lasso at my feet.

"Maybe a little," I admitted, "but probably not in the way you're thinking," I grinned.

"Don't fret about anythin'. As long as ya listen ta me, yer gonna be just fine," she nuzzled my hand with her cheek to help calm me down. I wasn't nervous about hurting myself or failing per se. I just didn't want to make Applejack feel like she was wasting her time if I truly was as terrible as I feared I was going to be. And I didn't want to look like an idiot in front of her. "Now then, are ya ready ta learn the ways 'o the lasso?" She asked me, bringing me out of my stupor. I nodded confidently as AJ bent down to pick up her rope.

"I mean if you're as good as you say, I might manage to learn a thing or two," I winked. Applejack stopped just as she opened her mouth to grab the rope. Her eyes shot open as she processed what I had just said, slowly lifting her head back up in my direction.

"'Scuse me mister?" Applejack took a step forward. "You've seen me use this lasso dozens 'n dozens 'o times before," she exclaimed. "'N don't forget that _you_ asked _me_ ta teach ya," she added.

"Yeah, that was only a few hours ago." I agreed with her. "And it hasn't slipped my mind."

"So what's the problem, then?" Applejack demanded, getting closer to my face as she stood on her hind legs again, bracing her forelegs against my chest. "If you were willin' ta teach me ta fly in one 'o those jet things, Ah wouldn't question yer talent," she stated as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Oh, I know. I just love seeing you flustered like this," I grinned at her. Applejack's face fell into a bit of a frown; her forelegs slipped down from my chest. The next thing I knew, I was sucking in air through my nose and trying to suppress tears in my eyes as one of her hooves landed on my foot.

"Oops," she said sarcastically with a hint of playfulness. "Ah'm sorry, Ivan; you know Ah'm still gettin' used to bein' on two legs around ya," she bent down and clenched her lasso in her jaws.

"M-mistakes happen," I took deep breaths until the pain diminished. Applejack chuckled in the perfect 'payback' tone. I wasn't going to say anything; she knew how to get even when I messed with her like that. But that was one of my favorite parts of our relationship. We could joke around like that and we'd always know it was for a good laugh, never for malicious intent. "Oof!" I grunted as AJ flung her rope straight into my stomach. "Uh, what are you doing, AJ?"

"Show me what you got," she just threw out the invitation.

"What?" I had to do a double take. "Weren't you just gonna show me-" I soon found myself being interrupted.

"Ah was, but since you love seein' me all flustered, Ah'm simply returnin' the favor," she winked at me. "Go on 'n try ta lasso that there hay bale," she gestured with a foreleg to the object in the middle of the large room.

"Can't you just show me one-" AJ shook her head, only to point right back at the hay bale with her foreleg. I sighed in defeat, knowing that she wasn't going to change her mind now. Inhaling deeply again, I raised the looped end with my right arm and began to twirl it above my head, not knowing if it was the correct height or not. Looking back over at my girlfriend, I tried to show that I wanted just a little advice, but all she did was give me the go ahead. I twirled the loop a little faster, trying to guess what a good speed would be.

"Go on then," Applejack smacked me in the back, trying to get me to hurry up. I twirled even faster before casting my right arm out like I would a fishing pole, hoping for the best.

_SMACK_

"Ooh, swing 'n a miss," Applejack repeated what I had teased her with earlier when we skipped rocks at the pond. It was a good thing AJ was there; I had flung the lasso _behind_ us, only to hit the red wall of the barn. Holding my forehead in my hand for screwing up so bad, Applejack said not a word. She trotted over to the rope, picked it up in her teeth and trotted over to me, spitting it out on the floor.

"Mmhm," she scoffed knowingly. "Maybe next time ya won't be _too_ much of a smart aleck, Ivan," she hopped up and pecked my cheek. Now it was my turn to feel a little flustered, and Applejack took up every bit of her opportunity. "Yer cute when yer flustered," she flirted, picking her rope back up.

"Thanks," I mumbled as my girlfriend tied the end of her lasso to the end of her golden blonde tail. "So, where do we begin?" I asked her as she cracked the rope like a whip with her tail. Applejack then stepped in front of me, finally ready to give me a quick demonstration.

"Well, that depends, Sugarcube," Applejack's tail began to twirl the lasso, getting it close to my head. "What tricks were ya wantin' ta learn?" She asked me with a smirk. I hadn't mentioned exactly what I was hoping to learn from her, but I assumed she understood I meant just the basics.

"Tricks?" I stuttered before Applejack took a few steps away from me, still twirling her lasso even faster. She then raised her tail into the air and lowered the rope around her. The lasso nearly touched the ground, but AJ's expertise prevented that from happening. She was twirling it so fast I could feel a slight breeze blowing across my face.

"Eeyup," she replied with a wink. "You wanted to learn how ta use a lasso, right?"

"Yeah, but-" I tried to tell her what I meant, but she started performing other tricks. Leaning forward, Applejack put all her weight onto her left foreleg, effortlessly lifting her other three legs into the air. At the same time, she rose the lasso from the ground up above her tail, mimicking a helicopter. Though she probably didn't know that's what she was doing. Applejack touched back down with her other three legs and looked me straight in the eye again.

"How 'bout this one?" She swung her lasso to her right, still carrying that same confident smirk on her muzzle that just made her, her. While I was still concerned that we weren't quite on the same idea, I couldn't help but grin lovingly at her for her natural talents with a rope. Applejack continued twirling her lasso before yanking it toward her and hopping off her hooves. The move allowed the lasso to cut through the air seamlessly around her orange body as if she wasn't even there.

"AJ," I tried to get her attention. Doing the exact same thing as before, only in the opposite direction, Applejack swung her lasso from side to side around her body without missing a beat. She even started going faster, as if the lasso was becoming a part of her body until it became nearly invisible. Suddenly, the lasso shot out towards me and wrapped around my black stetson. AJ yanked the rope tight with her tail, ripping my stetson away. The cowboy hat landed perfectly on her outstretched foreleg as the lasso was released, lazily drooping down onto the ground.

"Like somethin' ya see, Ivan?" She teased as I was caught staring at the sweat glistening off her orange fur. Applejack rolled her eyes with a smirk, tossing my hat back to me like a frisbee where it landed perfectly on my head. I cleared my throat, unable to find the right words to reply. "Phew," AJ wiped the sweat from her forehead and shook the remaining sweat from her mane. "If ya wanna get that good, yer gonna have ta watch 'n listen ta everythin' Ah do 'n say," she jabbed my ribs with her hoof.

"I'm not second guessing you this time," I joked, glad to be thinking straight again.

"Good boy," she smiled, "now where do ya wanna start off?" Applejack grabbed a second lasso and gently set it into my open hands. Gripping the rope tightly, I knew I had to crush AJ a little bit, but I wasn't trying to mess with her again.

"Well actually, how about just the basics for today?" I asked. Applejack's smile fell to a wooden look; her ears even drooped low.

"Really?" She questioned in a deeper voice. "Then what was the point-"

"Hey, you're the one who started showing off," I said defensively, softly rubbing her cheek. "Not that I'm complaining," I added, wrapping my right arm around her neck and hugged her. "It was still a damn good show."

"Heh," she exclaimed when I released my arm from her neck. She sighed, knowing that I was correct about her showing off, but she pointed her hoof back at the bale of hay. "Okay, Sugarcube, the two most important things you need to remember about lassoin' are the speed 'o yer twirlin' 'n the timin' of yer throw," she explained, pointing me in the direction of the target she set up.

"What about concentration?" I questioned.

"Concentrate on those two things," she repeated, raising her tail up again to swing her lasso around. "Give me a little twirl so Ah can see where yer at," she instructed, moving to the side to give me more room. As I watched her twirl her lasso with her tail like it was nothing, I raised my right arm above my head and whipped the lasso around in the air. It wasn't too fast; my recent failure was still poisoning my memory, yet I gradually picked up the pace with each passing second.

"How's this?" I remarked, feeling like I was at a steady enough speed. AJ stepped forth, squinting her eyes from my arm to the rope in the air.

"Hmm, that's a pretty good speed, Ivan," Applejack smiled. "Yer gonna build up a good power with that, but Ah'd go just a little bit higher. You wanna make sure yer lasso is gonna loop over the top 'o yer target, not bounce off the side," she explained.

"But what if my target is actually taller than me?" I pointed out, still twirling my lasso.

"We're only focusin' on basics today, Sugarcube. Just like you asked," she replied, patting my back. "Ah'll show ya all about that another time," she promised, putting her hoof over her chest. Nodding in understanding, I kept my twirling the same speed, yet raised my arm up a few inches. "Yes!" Applejack exclaimed, "Just like that, Ivan. You shouldn't have a problem baggin' that bale."

"Should I toss it?" I prepared to cast my arm out again. Applejack immediately shook her head, snapping her rope in the air again.

"Not quite yet," she held up a hoof, "let me show ya one more time so ya know about the timin'," she advised. I stopped twirling my lasso, letting it smack against my wrist before drooping it down to my side. "Just keep yer eyes on me," Applejack's lasso began to mimic a helicopter again. Bending down low forward and raising her rump up, Applejack stuck out her tongue, staring down the hay bale. Her tail then cracked, flinging the loop up and over the top of the hay before she tightened the rope. "See that? Don't let the rope fool ya by throwin' it out right when yer lined up with the target. All you'll do is throw it off to the side again."

"So, should I release it when it's pointed to my right?" I pointed to my right.

"Essentially," Applejack flicked her tail, snapping the rope up and off the hay. "Lassoin' is serious business. Whether yer tryin' ta win the Equestrian rodeo or tryin' ta catch some cows stampedin'," she explained.

"Yes ma'am," I lifted my own lasso back into the air and twirled it yet again. Applejack smirked proudly as we both heard the _swoosh_ of the rope slicing through the air.

"Whenever yer ready," she stepped back, looking excited for me. I could feel her emerald eyes staring at me, still making me feel slightly nervous about trying to get this perfect for her. Like I told Sweetie Belle so long ago about dealing with something like this, I imagined myself back at one of my favorite memories. I imagined Reaper and myself watching each other on the training simulators well before we were assigned our jets back in the Air Force. Sure we were nervous about our CO watching our every move, but pretending it was just us with each other melted away the tension. "You can do it," Applejack suddenly added, giving my back a pretty good smack.

"Here goes," I clamped my eyes shut, trying to get a better feeling for the lasso. Opening my eyes as just slits, I stared down the bale of hay like it were an enemy jet. I made one more pass on the lasso, feeling it whip around from pointing at the bale and coming around for another pass. Once I felt it reach my 3 'o clock, I cast my arm forward like a fishing rod. I opened my eyes wider, hoping to see at least the lasso hit the target.

_CRASH_

I seethed as I heard an old coffee can full of screws and nails clatter to the ground. "Ooh," Applejack seethed as well. My lasso had been ejected from my left hand and sailed _far_ to the right of the target. It sat in a under a pile of the screws and nails below Big Mac's work bench, like someone tried to bury it. "No shame in not gettin' it done on yer first try!" Applejack tried to placate me as she galloped over and ripped the rope from under the pile and galloped back over to me, spitting the rope back into my hands.

"Your brother's going to kill me," I could barely feel the rope within my fingers from how stupid I felt.

"We'll clean up when we're done," Applejack assured me. "It was just an accident anyway."

"Applejack, I never thought this would be a cake walk, but this is harder than I thought," my fingers tried to tighten their grip. My knuckles cracked from the amount of strain I put on them.

"Just try ta relax. Don't let yer losses cloud yer mind," Applejack was starting to sound a little bit like Yoda, but it was helping me calm down. "Give it another go; we've got plenty 'o time before everypony gets back for dinner. Ah'm sure yer gonna start gettin' a better feel for it soon enough," the mare gave me a kiss on my hand to put a little more pep in my step. A tingling sensation vibrated throughout my hand where AJ had kissed it. The mare nudged the lasso with her hoof, pushing me to continue.

"Let's hope," I replied quietly with a half smile. Glaring down the bale with more intent in my eyes, I raised my arm again, ready to try this again and hopefully show off a bit for Applejack.

Like I had sworn to the athletic and hard working mare I was lucky enough to call my girlfriend, the thought that lassoing would be as easy as breathing never once crossed my mind. Every skill took patience to master; every talent took time to get a hold of. I had crossed my fingers that with a master such as Applejack there ready to give me pointers on anything, then maybe I could get a consistent feel for the basics. Of course missing so dramatically bad my first two tries was discouraging to say the least, yet I kept thinking how this was time for both Applejack and I to spend together. I wasn't about to let my frustration take over and accidentally make me snap at her, especially with how patient she was being with me.

However, two tries turned to four, four turned eight, eight turned to sixteen, and eventually I stopped counting how many times I failed. No matter what I tried, what angle I stood at, what distance I was, or the tips Applejack showed me again and again, I just couldn't get the damn rope to loop around the hay bale. Applejack started feeling concerned when my frustration started to surface, causing my failures to magnify. But I made sure to not aim it directly at her. There were no clocks in the barn; I left my phone and iPad in my shack, but thanks to how low the sun was getting on the horizon and the fact that Applebloom had checked up on us after arriving home from school, AJ and I realized that we had spent at least two hours in the barn.

"SUPPER IN FIVE MINUTES!" Granny Smith's crotchety voice echoed from the farmhouse. I groaned yet again as the lasso fell within two feet short of making the mark. Applejack didn't sugarcoat things to me, but she still didn't mention how terrible I was. She continued her 'encouragement' act, but I could tell she wasn't as enthusiastic as before. It was tough, but I knew I had to face facts.

"I suck," I waved off going back to pick up the rope and marched over to the back wall of the barn. Crossing my arms, I smacked my back against the wooden wall, sliding down until my butt hit the ground with my hands on my knees. "Sorry for wasting your time, Applejack." The mare looked taken aback at my apology; her mouth dropped open and her eyes even looked a little hurt.

"Ivan," she said softly, walking over to me. She sat down like me with her back against the red wall, but with one hoof on my shoulder. "You are not wastin' my time," Applejack stated firmly.

"Look, I know you mean well, Applejack. But I expected a pretty good and fun challenge which it was at the beginning. I didn't expect to get my ass kicked by a six foot rope that _I _control," I explained, propping my chin in my hands.

"You didn't assume you'd get everythin' down on the first day, did you?" she sat her hoof on one of my hands. Looking down at her hoof and then up into her eyes instilled a sense of peace and trust in me, but it didn't help the fact on how I felt.

"To be honest, I assumed I'd be able to lasso one hay bale at least," I replied, taking off my stetson to rub the top of my head. "Celestia should make a law banning me from using rope."

"Just 'cause you failed a couple times?" Applejack asked.

"Applejack," I chuckled to myself in annoyance, "I managed to lasso or knock over _everything_ in this area we cleared out except for you, me, and the bale of hay," I pointed my finger to the target.

"But we've only been at it for two hours," she countered my explanation, shaking her head. "'N ta be honest, hun, Ah don't really give two horseshoes if you are or aren't able ta get the hang 'o this today," she admitted. I felt her hoof touch my back before she lightly rubbed all over, comforting me.

"Why? I know we already have a lot of interests in common, but I thought this could be a special one for us," I explained, folding my hands together as my arms rested atop my knee caps. "Something along the lines of you teaching me a skill that only we can do together," I added.

"Ivan," Applejack discarded her hat and rubbed her cheek on my shoulder, "Ah think yer sweet ta want somethin' like that between us, but Ah just love spendin' this time with you. That's all Ah really care about." Softly laying my head on hers, I cuddled up to her like she did me.

"I know, AJ. And I only thought this up because I wanted to just spend the entire day with you but-" I knew precisely what I wanted to confess, but at the same time I thought it sounded extremely cheesy. Yet, I would have to tell Applejack eventually; she pulled her head from between mine and looked me in the eye.

"But what? What are ya tryin' ta pull here?" She asked me in her fun-loving tone with a chortle. There was no way I was going to BS my way out of this; telling her was the best option, no matter how lame it made me sound.

"I was hoping to get somewhat good at the lasso so I could….._impress_ you a little, okay?" I confessed, holding my head up with my hand to hide my eyes from AJ's.

"Hehe, is that it?" Applejack's hoof lowered my hand. "Sugarcube, you shouldn't worry about impressin' me at all. Yer already my coltfriend, faithful, 'n sweet as a caramel apple. Sure, it'd be neat ta see you twirlin' a lasso like a champ someday, but Ah'd much rather just see you every day just as you are all the time."

"It's a guy thing, AJ. Any time we see an opportunity to show off for our girlfriends or try to impress them, we're damn well going to take it."

"Girls do that all the time too, Ivan," Applejack helped me to my feet. "Why do ya think Rainbow desperately wants Soarin' ta know how ta do a Sonic Rainboom?"

"So she has an excuse to do it in front of him?" I guessed, putting my stetson back on.

"Exactly!" She exclaimed. While Applejack's attempts were making me feel better, the thoughts my dozens upon dozens of failures still weren't extinguished.

"But it really doesn't matter. I tried to impress you and ended up looking like an idiot because of it."

"Ivan," Applejack said much more sternly than last time, making me shut my mouth. "Let me ask you somethin' okay?" She requested. A slight nod from my head gave her the permission she desired. "Did you become a top pilot in the Air Force in one afternoon? Were ya able ta join the Ghostriders after only a week?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Well, no," I replied, rubbing the back of my neck.

"'Course not; you needed ta practice, right?" I nodded again, getting a better picture of where she was going with this. "Well, Ah'm sure you can agree that just 'cause yer a rookie at somethin' doesn't mean yer failures make you an idiot or a fool.

"I know that, but I want to be good enough to lasso with you one day like a team," I explained, wrapping my hand around her hoof.

"Okay then, just keep practicin' with me, 'n stop thinkin' that yer a fool; Ah don't think that in the slightest," she kissed my cheek.

"SOUP'S ON EVERYPONY!" Granny's shrill voice called from the farmhouse.

"Maybe we can put this on hold for awhile," I let go of AJ's hoof. "I'm getting kind of hungry. Plus it's starting to get dark out; Luna's start should be showing up soon," I winked. AJ, however, had other ideas. She galloped her way in front of me and stopped in my path, preventing me from leaving.

"Hang on a second. Ah think Ah know somethin' ta help yer lassoin', Sugarcube," she grinned.

"But Granny-" I began.

"It'll only take a few seconds no matter the outcome; trust me," Applejack tossed me the spare lasso. I couldn't say anything as she rapidly bucked the hay bale out of the way, taking its place in our special training area. "Lasso me," she pawed at the ground with her hooves.

"Is the hunger getting to you?" I asked, feeling really uneasy about what she meant.

"No, just try 'n lasso me, Ivan," she repeated. "Ah think we were goin' about this the wrong way." Still, the lasso hung loosely in my hands as my brain tried to analyze just what Applejack's new plan was.

"I'm gonna feel like I'm attacking you," I tried to explain before she snorted, making a bit of steam come out of her nose.

"Lasso me, NOW!" she ordered, pawing at the ground one more time before zigzagging all around the barn.

"Fine," I gave up trying to reason with her. Taking a look at the rope in my hands, I hoisted the loop in the air and twirled as fast as I can, keeping my eyes locked on Applejack's movements. I really had no clue where to begin on what AJ was trying to pull off. If I couldn't lasso a stationary hay bale, why did she think I could successfully lasso a moving pony? Was this just her own ploy to show off for me?

"Come on, Ivan!" She encouraged, changing direction again and again. She was beginning to move around like a bogey. Going in one direction and then breaking right or left, temporarily confusing me as I tried to follow her.

"Wait a minute," the thought then dawned on me at what she was trying to do. Zeroing in on her like I would an enemy jet in real life or on a simulator, I attempted to follow at least some sort of pattern or try to time where she would end up so I could cast out the rope. Using my arm as some sort of guide, I moved my aim a little ahead of Applejack and continued to follow her movements until I saw an opportunity. Imagining the sound of my tracking system locking onto a bogey, I cast out the rope near Applejack, hoping I would at least get close to her. The lasso sailed through the air, flying closer and closer to Applejack. Knowing that I at least didn't throw it behind me, I braced myself for the outcome.

"Woah nelly!" Applejack exclaimed as her hooves came to a screeching halt on the wooden floor. A proud grin spread across her muzzle as the loop of the lasso hung loosely around her shoulders. "You did it, Ivan!" She cheered, hopping up in the air on her hind legs.

"You sly mare," I smirked.

"Ah knew ya spent close ta ten years tracking varmints like that from those stories ya told me; Ah figured that might help kick in yer muscle memory," she explained, throwing the rope from around her shoulders. "How do ya feel now?" Applejack asked.

"Lucky to have an amazing mare as my girlfriend," I chuckled.

"Wasn't really the answer Ah was lookin' for, but it's definitely good enough," we hugged each other.

"And don't worry; I know I still need a lot more practice," I assured her that I wouldn't turn into Rainbow Dash because of one little victory.

"Anytime ya want, Sugarcube," she promised as we let go of each other.

Applejack's stomach then gurgled loudly, sending vibrations even through my body. "Hehe, how 'bout some grub?" She asked, picking up her lasso and tossing it onto a hook without hesitation. Feeling proud, I was set to do the same with my rope when an idea crossed my mind. Applejack was trotting away from me, so I had to act fast before she completely disappeared from the barn. I raised the lasso back into the air and fired a shot, landing it around Applejack's shoulders again. I made sure that I wouldn't accidentally wrap the rope around her neck. "Ivan?" She came to a stop from the lasso getting tight. "What are ya-" she tried to ask before I gently yanked her around to face me. I then pulled on the rope again, thrusting her toward me. "Ivan!" She exclaimed as I stood her on her hind legs, holding her front hooves. "Mmph!" came the shocked exclamation from her as I placed my lips on hers, giving her a passionate kiss.

She was stiff at first due to the shock, but she eventually softened up, moving her hooves from my hands up to my shoulders. We had normally kissed on the lips many times before, but something changed this time. Against my mouth, I felt Applejack's lips part, her tongue brushing lightly against my mouth as if it begged for entrance. Never having done this before, I tried to go with the flow and opened my mouth as well, granting AJ access. It was _odd_ to feel another tongue against my own, yet it felt satisfying at the same time. Our tongues wrestled for a few seconds, just trying to feel the other out. We both started to breathe through our noses as oxygen was quickly running out.

"AJ, Cougar! Granny says if you two don't come ta supper-" a filly's voice interrupted our moment. Parting our lips, we discovered little Applebloom standing in the doorway of the barn, a light blush on her cheeks. "Oh, Ah probably should've knocked first," she pursed her lips.

"Tell Granny we'll be there lickety-split," Applejack quickly ordered.

"Are you two gearin' up for Heart's 'n Hooves Day tomorrow?" Applebloom's embarrassment gave way to excitement. "Ah'm so proud 'o you, Cougar!" the yellow pony zipped over and hugged my leg. "Don't let me interrupt ya; Ah'll tell Granny yer just busy."

"We're done here, Bloom," I cleared my throat as Applejack dropped onto four legs. "Don't worry, we're still coming to dinner," I picked up the lasso from the ground, chucking it somewhere behind me. Cocking her head, Applebloom stared at us for a few seconds, trying to figure out if there was something else going on.

"Okay then, Ah just don't want you two ta suffer Granny's wrath," she turned tail and trotted out the door. Applejack and I stood side by side for a few seconds more, still reeling from our kiss to the somewhat embarrassing moment of getting caught like that. Sure we liked to kiss each other, but that was the first time we'd ever kissed like that. And even though it felt really good and satisfying, we both felt strange. At least I did anyway, though reading off AJ's body language, she felt the same mix of uncertainty and satisfaction as I did.

"Ahem, supper?" I coughed, allowing AJ to leave first.

"Sounds delicious, Sugarcube," Applejack took the lead. Neither of us spoke during our short stroll to supper. The emotions of the past few minutes still clung to the atmosphere surrounding us, making conversation about as off putting as having to defuse a bomb.

"Don't worry, Granny," we heard Applebloom talking through the screen door of the dining room. "AJ 'n Cougar were just smoochin'." Applejack and I both groaned at Applebloom's explanation for why we were late.

* * *

**(Later that night; Apple family pond)**

"Yer just full 'o surprises," Applejack remarked as we stared into the inky black sky above. Billions upon Billions of stars twinkled down upon us as not even the chirping of crickets was present. No wind grazed itself across our skin or disturbed the grass around us. Nor were there any other late night noises to disrupt our stargazing. Visual distractions, however, were plentiful, but that's not to say they weren't bad. A few dozen fireflies danced around the pond, complementing Luna's stars above. Her moon, which was full, reflected radiantly off the now glass-like surface of the pond with the stars and fireflies. "You know that, right?" Applejack added, adjusting her head more comfortably on my shoulder.

"Hmm, what?" I grinned. Dinner had gone much smoother than I had foreseen after AJ and I heard her sister blabbing about what she saw in the barn. Thankfully she didn't go into detail about what she saw, but the first few minutes of dinner still housed the same awkwardness of the prior few minutes from the barn. Yet as we ate and talked about our day, everything returned to normal as our minds focused on other subjects. "I told you about stargazing earlier today," I replied, "it's not really that much of a surprise." My arm curled around her chest, simply holding her as we cuddled closer.

"You know what Ah mean," AJ scoffed with a chuckle. Of course I did; lassoing her like that and pulling her in for a kiss wasn't something I considered I could do. It surprised me probably more than it surprised her. "But don't you go apologizin' for it," she ordered, applying a bit of pressure with her hoof to my hand.

"Even if it _did_ catch you off guard like that?" I continued stroking her chest as best as I could with her hoof still holding it down. I actually had no desire to apologize to her. She had shown no signs of regret or violation on my part. Applejack was just shocked, as I had been as well. Did I feel like I took it a little too far after we had been discovered? Maybe, even though she's the one who took the kiss further, it was me who roped her over.

"Ivan, now you know that Ah ain't the kind 'o mare that wants ta be swept off her hooves or be treated to a dinner by fancy candlelight 'n imported wine from Prance. But that doesn't mean Ah don't like surprises now 'n then, Sugarcube," she explained, craning her head back and softly kissing the nape of my neck. "Yer idea for a day like this 'n ropin' me like that are my kind 'o surprises," she added.

"Well," I managed to flip my hand over on its back so I could hold AJ's hoof, "we can't have our relationship grow stale, can we?" I questioned sarcastically. Applejack sighed happily, releasing my hand from her hoof's vice-like hold. She reached over to her side and produced another bottle of her family's cider, fiddling with the cork in the top.

"You, stale? Ha, yer funny, Ivan," she laughed. I couldn't help but smirk at my own joke as well. We've been friends for nearly a year now, and a couple for just under two months. If Applejack were bored of me, she wouldn't have have agreed to be my girlfriend or kissed me on Christmas Eve. Applejack gripped the cork in the bottle with her teeth and pulled as hard as she could. The object was finally freed with an audible _pop_, allowing some of the drink to fizz over the lip. AJ spat the cork out onto the grass, paying it little attention as she wrapped her lips around the top of the bottle and drank the tangy brown liquid.

"It seems a little weird to be drinking cider again," I confessed, drumming my fingers on Applejack's leg, watching her take in a few gulps before pulling the bottle away.

"Ahh," Applejack licked her lips before politely offering me a drink. "Want some, Sugarcube?" Accepting her offer, I took the bottle from her and took in a few sips myself. "Don't worry; our cider aint _that_ alcoholic, unless you drink the amount that Pinkie Pie does in a day," she added.

"But I've seen her drink that much; she never gets drunk," I paused to lick my lips.

"Ah know, she should be, but Ah guess she's just Pinkie Pie," Applejack shrugged. "But Ah am glad ta see ya watchin' yer limit more closely," she snuggled closer to me and nuzzled up against my chest. I loathed being reminded of what I had done in Las Pegasus, yet being praised by AJ for keeping my promise almost made it worth mentioning, _almost_. I wasn't feeling too thirsty at the moment, so I set the still 3/4 full bottle off to the side.

"Luna really looks like she put in extra effort tonight," I commented as we lied back down. As much as I admired Luna for her masterful work on the night sky, I had not taken recent time to really look at it and admire it. "Have you ever just laid back and watched the stars before?" I asked.

"Not in a good while, Sugarcube," Applejack had to take a few moments to really think about her answer. "Ah guess Ah haven't had that much free time lately ta do so. Or that everythin' for my friends 'n family is goin' so well that Ah don't need ta sit 'n think about a lot 'o things," she added.

"Sometimes even while things are going great, it's good to get a little lost every now and then," I replied. A few shooting stars shot by overhead, entrancing the both of us for a moment. I had actually never seen one in real life, though I craved to my entire life. Even when doing late night patrols with my night vision visor, I'd catch myself looking upward through my canopy, praying to catch a glimpse of one. "Just to help you get away from your normal life and really step back to analyze it."

"Watchin' the night sky is really worthwhile when you have yer special somepony by yer side," Applejack pretty much added what I was thinking. Without a doubt, her presence made this moment even better. Just time to cuddle up with the perfect woman and share what's on our minds without fear of judgment. Finally, a slight breeze gently blew by. Just barely disturbing a few weeds surrounding the pond. The aroma of the apple pie AJ had brought along slinked its way around our noses. "Pie?" Applejack asked, holding up a pair of slices.

"Well, since it was you that baked it, I guess so," I jokingly grinned, taking one slice from her as she immediately gobbled hers down in one, possibly two, bites. We had planned on splitting the bottle of cider for our stargazing session, but I didn't know about the pie. Applejack had made a fresh one earlier in the day before we had our late picnic lunch. I assumed that it was dessert for our picnic, but Applejack had told me that she had a hunch Rainbow Dash would be by at some point for a pie to give to Soarin tonight. When there was no sign of the daredevil pony all day, I figured that AJ had probably guessed wrong and that we'd get to eat the pie at dinner or during the night. "I never should have doubted you," I admitted. "Soarin loves pie more than anything else; I should have known Rainbow would show up last minute too."

"Ah know our friends, Ivan," AJ bopped my nose with her hoof while barely sticking out the edge of her tongue at me. "Luckily we had a spare in the fridge just for us." I nodded in agreement, slowly savoring the piece of delicious albeit chilled pie. Hot or cold, the pie still tasted like heaven. For whatever reason, though it was probably because I was still chewing, our conversation had died down. The view was still breathtaking, yes, but Applejack and I enjoyed talking, especially with each other. The mare lying halfway on top of me sighed a few times as I munched away on the dessert. They weren't sad sighs, but they made her sound like she had something on her mind. Her body shifted slightly, going a little stiff, and caused me to look back down at her.

"Everything okay, AJ?" I questioned as she silently sipped the cider. Swallowing the last bite of pie and brushing the crumbs from my hands, I moved my hand down and gently caressed her cheek. In turn, my arm was enveloped around her upper body, holding her close. She loosened back up, lowering the bottle from her muzzle.

"Ivan?" she asked quietly, almost like she was ready to tell me a secret. She set the bottle aside, licking her lips of any cider residue before locking her eyes with mine. "Can Ah ask you somethin'?" I gave her permission to ask me whatever was on her mind, reminding her that she too had given me that same permission before. "Ah just don't know if this is too personal for ya," she tried to explain to me. Well, yes, there were still a few things I was uncomfortable with talking about, but I'd do my best to answer whatever Applejack wanted to ask me. "Earlier today, when we were washin' the dishes, you told me that you never celebrated Hearts 'n Hooves Day back home, right?" her eyesight shifted away from me a few times.

"Yeah, I never did," I didn't even bother correcting her on the correct name for the holiday back on Earth.

"Look, we both know neither of us are obsessed with romance," she stated firmly, seeming to loosen up even more, "but why exactly didn't ya celebrate it back home with anypony?" She asked me. I had to take a second to think about the question before she added something else. Something else that made me think even harder. "Yer a natural at it," she complimented me with a smile, finally getting more comfortable that I was fine with the question. The compliment brought a shy smile to my face, but that didn't last long as I wanted to answer her question.

"That's not going to be a short answer," I warned her, hoping that I wouldn't bore my girlfriend to death after the seemingly perfect day. Applejack shifted her body yet again, rolling over onto her side to rest her cheek upon my shoulder, still staring me in the eye. The look in those beautiful emerald orbs assured me that she was willing to listen to every word. "Well, like with your experience as a kid, I had to sit through so many Valentine's days in class, making stupid red and pink bags to stuff in overpriced cards with the most watered down and cheesy phrases adorning the covers," I explained. "That really killed any possibility for me giving a crap about the holiday," I added.

"Ya didn't make any 'o them?" Applejack questioned. I shook my head, only further proving my disdain for the holiday. "Well, can't say Ah blame ya; Ah just bought the cheapest cards Ah could find at the store 'n just signed my name at the bottom," she grinned.

"And that just carried all throughout middle school and high school," I continued. "Reaper had a few flings here and there, but not me," I slowly lowered my head to rest my chin atop Applejack's head. The mare took this gesture well, rubbing her cheek against my neck. "You're my first girlfriend, AJ." Applejack pulled back, a look of awe on her face.

"Ah have a _very_ hard time believin' that."

"Well, it's true. I didn't even have a close friend who happened to be a girl," I softly put my hand on the back of AJ's head, pulling her back close to me. "I wanted one though, someone who I could talk to about anything, things I couldn't tell Reaper. Someone who could be a friend, but something more than just a friend. Someone that when I talked with them or just looked at them and saw that they truly cared about me, would help me forget all the negativity of our world. Someone like _you_," I whispered, kissing the top of her mane. I felt her body temperature rise a little suddenly. Hugging her, I could feel the rhythm of her heartbeat increase.

_"Ivan,"_ Applejack whispered as well, struggling to find words. I don't know what was going on with me; I'd never been so open like this before with anyone. Yet at the same time, it felt good, almost euphoric in a sense to tell her all of this. But somehow I had more to say.

"When Spike told me about Hearts and Hooves Day, I immediately thought of ways to show you how much I love you; what you mean to me. You're the woman I've always wanted to…." Now the flow of words turned to a trickle, nearly making me choke. "Spend my life with," the words came out a little easier. "I just never knew you were going to be a pony," I finished. The next thing I knew, Applejack's lips were firmly planted on mine; her forelegs encased my shoulders, holding me still as she kissed me. She didn't try to use her tongue this time, but she held the same passion as in the barn. We sat there for God knows how long, just kissing each other until the need for air broke us apart.

"Ah was the same way, just about," Applejack said after catching her breath. Believe it or not, I had momentarily forgotten what we had just discussed due to AJ's surprise kiss on me. Luckily though, the conversation soon flooded its way back to me. "Yer my first coltfriend, Sugarcube," she added.

"Because the colts and stallions around Ponyville were blind?" I joked, trying to keep the cheesiness, if there was any at all, to the lowest level possible.

"Hehe," Applejack chortled to my joke. "No, it wasn't that. Thanks ta school work 'n farm work as a filly, Ah could just never devote enough time ta try 'n find a steady coltfriend. It didn't help that Ah tried ta be a Canterlot elite pony by movin' in with my Aunt 'n Uncle Orange after-" she paused, unable to say what was on the tip of her tongue. "You know," she skirted it. I nodded my head, knowing firsthand how difficult that subject was to talk about. "Even after Ah moved back ta Ponyville 'n finished school, Ah still had a small desire ta find my special somepony, but Ah just wasn't drawn ta any 'o the stallions in town. Ah guess Ah just never was meant ta be with a pony at all," she twisted what I had said earlier, though it held the same honest feelings as before. "Ah'm blessed ya fell outta the sky 'n into our lives, Ivan," she kissed me again.

"Applejack?" I asked softly when we parted again.

"Yes, Ivan?"

"I love you." I held her close, just rocking back and forth, feeling the warmth of our bodies encompass the both of us. Everything turned quiet; neither of us had anything else to say. Just enjoying each other's company was more than enough.

"APPLEJACK, COUGAR!" Applebloom's high-pitched filly voice screamed into the night. We both froze instantly, hoping she wouldn't catch us again and get the absolute _wrong_ idea at what we were doing. "WE'RE ALL HITTIN' THE HAY!" Her yell reverberated throughout the orchard.

"WE'LL BE INSIDE IN A MINUTE!" Applejack gave me a few seconds to plug my ears so she could inform her sister that we were about done. "Tell Big Mac 'n Granny we said goodnight!" Applejack requested. Applebloom didn't say anything else; the slamming of the screen door let us know that she had retreated back inside.

"Well, this sucks," I grumbled after Applejack lightly pushed herself off my body. The mare helped me to my feet, a look of confusion on her face.

"Somethin' the matter, Sugarcube?" She chuckled as I dusted off my hands. Applejack found the cork to the cider bottle and jammed it back in before putting it under her stetson for travel. A feeling of guilt then washed over me as I looked at AJ's happy expression. Everything had been going even better than perfect, the both of us were closer than ever, and we were feeling at peace. But now that the moment was over, I was beginning to act like a sourpuss.

"Sorry," I sighed, "I just wanted to stay like that all night." Yes, saying that _was _borderline unoriginal, but it was the truth. Applejack was the one that made me the happiest I've ever been. It didn't pain me to not be by her side, but it wasn't exactly fun to be away from her. My thoughts were interrupted when AJ took off her hat, discarded the cider bottle, and then tossed her hat in my face. "AJ?" I questioned her motives.

"Now, who said our night had ta end now?" She stretched her legs out. With a wink, she reached up with one of her forelegs and took out the red tie at the end of her golden blonde mane. All of her hair completely opened up and out, swishing about as she shook her head to allow it to flow more freely. "How about we go for a little dip?" She offered, setting the hair tie on the bank of the pond. I felt my lower jaw opening little by little. In a sense, she just _stripped_ in front of me.

"Uh…" Was the only noise that emitted from my mouth. Applejack chuckled again before doing a quick backflip into the water, creating a steady ripple that destroyed the placid surface. I simply couldn't move after witnessing that. Like I had shocked AJ in the barn, she had just shocked me. Was this her form of payback? If so, then I'm both really excited and really nervous. She arose from under the water, hair sopping wet and glistening off the glow of Luna's moon.

"Well, come on then," she beckoned to me. "Don't be shy, Ivan." Even with how bright Luna's moon was, all I could really make out was Applejack's silhouette; I couldn't tell if she winked at me or not. She started to swim around, doing backstrokes, diving under the water, and wringing out the water from her hair. All of a sudden, I found my shirt rising over my head and my hands tossing it to the side. My hands fiddled with my belt buckle before slipping my pants down to my ankles. I kicked off my shoes and kicked my jeans away, leaving me in just my plain blue boxers. Applejack wanted to go swimming with me; I wasn't going to say no to her.

I ran to the bank of the pond before leaping up and over, diving at an angle into the pond. The temperature was actually quite comfortable; I had expected it to be just slightly chilly. Refreshing wasn't even close to how good the water felt on my skin. Breaching the surface for air, Applejack and I were facing each other from a few feet apart, neither of us really moving. "'Bout time ya got in," Applejack splashed some water in my face. "How ya likin' the water?" She asked as I repaid her, splashing a good amount onto her head before swimming towards her.

As she shook the water from her eyes and dried her face with her hooves, I trapped her in a bear hug, pulling her close yet again. "This is perfect," I ran my hand down the back of her mane, referring to the whole situation rather than just the water.

"Ah'll say," Applejack concurred, placing her lips upon my neck. Something about floating in the water with my girlfriend just felt…right. We pulled apart; my hand immediately began to hold her cheek as I brushed a hair out of her face. "Hehe, what?" She asked as I began to just stare at her.

"Forgive me, AJ," I requested, "but you look so beautiful with your mane down like this." She didn't do it much, but due to my compliment, Applejack gushed, forcing the temperature in her cheeks to rise.

"If you get any sweeter, Pinkie Pie's gonna mistake you for a cupcake," Applejack playfully warned, putting both hooves on my shoulders.

"I'll take that chance," I leaned down as she leaned up, touching our lips together. The kiss felt even better than before with the water sloshing around us. Like in those cliche'd romance novels, I felt a strange warmth spreading throughout my body, making me forget that we were in a pond for a short while. While the kiss was simple and full of love, it quickly turned into our kiss from the barn. Instead of just AJ, both of us opened our mouths, forcing our tongues to wrestle once again.

"Mmm," Applejack moaned as I pushed her forward a little; my alpha male was starting to surface. The two of us cocked our heads around, trying to explore every inch of the other's mouth. I squeezed her tighter, making sure I wasn't going to let go of her, only for her to move her forelegs around my neck. I hate to admit it, but I yelped a little when I felt her rear legs wrapping around my waist, making sure she wasn't going to let _me_ go.

"_AJ,"_ I said breathlessly, beginning to massage her back. I was rewarded with another moan of approval, and her forcing her tongue back into my mouth. Primal urges began to overcome my judgment. My hands moved further down her back until they reached the cutie marks on her flanks. I gave them a squeeze, making AJ squeal and 'claw' at my back with her hooves. The water was really beginning to make some noise as we moved faster, harder, and more passionately. I started to feel _stiffer_ as AJ would occasionally grind her belly against, that, region.

"Oh, Ivan!" Applejack groaned loudly into my mouth. Her hoof then reached down and tried to tug at the waistband of my boxers, causing me to squeeze her flanks even harder. This was it, we were going to express our deepest emotions to each other. I loved her so much, and now we were going to-

_Snap_

When her hoof slipped off the waist band of my boxers, I yelped as even underwater, that can still hurt. We both opened our eyes, seeing not only love, but passion, primal urges, and animal emotions. We were both breathing hard as our breath caught back up. AJ was actually panting hard from the kiss, but she removed her hooves from the water. Our moment filled with white hot bliss and passion had taken an immediate turn into another bout of awkwardness. We both removed our limbs from one another, floating away.

"I'M SORRY!" We both shrieked. I couldn't give an accurate description, but I actually thought I saw tears forming in Applejack's eyes. Fleeing the water on opposite sides of the pond, we both exited the body of water, but unsure of what to do next. AJ gathered up her hair tie, stetson, and bottle of cider before taking one look at me and galloping away back to the farmhouse. Feeling a heaviness in my heart, I slowly redressed myself, unsure of which emotion was going to come out.

"Did I make her cry?" I asked myself with my back against the tree. No longer was I feeling turned on, but guilt and sadness were currently drowning me. "Did I just….try to take advantage of her?" I said under my breath. No, I loved Applejack more than anyone I had ever known; I would never force her into something she didn't want. I hadn't a clue why she said she was sorry; she didn't do anything wrong.

Looking down at the ground, I spotted the little pile of rocks we had gathered earlier in the day to skip across the pond. I'd lost so much in my life before; I didn't want to lose AJ due to my animalistic needs. I wasn't even sure _I_ was ready for a leap like that in our relationship. "What have I done?"

I was lost, all alone, with no one to help me, or so I thought. One pony's name sprang up in my mind, a pony who's speciality was in situations like this. All I had to do was go talk to her and..."Fuck me!" I cried out when I realized I needed Spike, Luna, Twilight, or Celestia to send Cadence a letter about this. But there was absolutely no way in Hell I was going to tell any of them about this. I'd rather tell Cadence alone in person, but I wasn't about to hop on a train all by myself and abandon my friends just to talk to her.

An alternative, that's what I needed. But who would want to help me with my love life (if I still had one of course) at this hour? I needed someone other than Cadence who had a fair grasp of relationships, what a good love life should be, and who knew how to read different emotions. "Yes," I said to myself, standing up from the tree. It was a long shot, but maybe she could help me. We both considered ourselves friends after all; hopefully she'd be willing to guide me back on track.

**End Chapter 42**


	44. Chapter 43: Tea for a Friend

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 43: Tea for a Friend**

_All right guys, welcome back to another chapter. So, I can tell you it was a little weird this weekend and last that I woke up on Saturday and Sunday and there was no new episode or a race on. The weekends feel just a little more empty now. However, the silver lining to that is I have more time to work on my fanfics. And this particular chapter was giving me some fits. I know it's much shorter than normal, but I have several reasons for that. 1) The love scene I know most of you have been waiting for was going to be included in this chapter, but as I discussed this chapter with my friend, Sassymouse, we decided that the love scene would more than likely overshadow this talk Ivan has with Rarity about what happened in the pond. I really want this to be akin to the talk Ivan had with Celestia on his birthday or the talk he had with Luna in the confession chapter. _

_2) I have less than a week before the semester of school ends and I'm heading to Las Vegas the day the semester ends for my 21st birthday. With that said, I don't know what 'time wasters' could pop up and delay the chapter further, so I felt publishing a heart to heart talk between Ivan and Rarity would be good enough, especially since we learn a few things. _

_3) Adding on to my vacation, I would hate to rush the love __scene with what little time I have; this also gives me more time to really think about how I want it to go down. _

_4) I still have that Applebloom and Checkered Flag one shot to finish, and believe me I've wanted to publish for so long now, but I hated making you guys wait for new chapters on this story. _

_Also, I will begin writing my very first MLP Christmas Story very soon. All of the reasons that Ivan stated why he loved Christmas are the reasons why I love Christmas. I wanted to write a Christmas story last year, but one never came up. However, this time I have a plot and I can't wait to start writing it. All I can say is it takes place with all the characters as humans, but not in the EQG universe, and yes, Ivan is the main character. If anyone can check that out when it is posted (I do not have a title for it as of yet) I would much appreciate it._

_I know some might be afraid that I won't update Fallen Eagle for a short time because of my __vacation, but that doesn't mean I won't use free time to write. I vow to get some time in to work on the love scene while in Vegas. Will I update the story on vacation, more than likely no. But even though it is early, and I'll say this in my Christmas story, I hope everyone of you has a safe and merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, and happy Kwanza._

**OBSERVER01: **_Yeah, it did get pretty heated. Though that lasso scene had to be rewritten several times before I got it just right. _

**SkullCrusher550: **_Thank you. I'm glad you still find CouJack interesting._

**Dixie Darlin:** _Well I'm glad no one called bullshit on it lol :) I've never dealt with sweet talk before, so I kind of surprised myself with how much everyone loved it. I'm still doing the REVERSE of Bella and Edward, and Anakin and Padme. And the Valentine's Day ritual, ugh. _

**Jarius Black: **_Thank you; and no, I have written romance before, I just think I'm doing it much better than before. And the thing with the two farmhands will be mentioned again soon, good memory!_

**Aethnear:** _Oh I know you're dreading the days of the final chapters as I do. However, this won't be the only story with CouJack in it, I guarantee it. _

**SquirtlePWN: **_Anything can go now; this is a mature slice of life story. I'm not afraid to take risks in my writing. However, I'm most worried about the potential negative backlash for a human and pony relationship going that far. But thank you for the kind words about the chapter anyway. _

**adhdluke:** _Who knows?_

**Sassymouse:** _Wait, it's your birthday?! *Checks calendar* Oh haha, very funny! I wasn't born yesterday ya __know! At least everyone else is chill with the wait. God knows it kills me whenever things get in the way of updating for you guys. Uhhhhhhhh, I don't think 'WHEEEEEEE' is the right word for it, Rarity... Oh and BTW, Twilight: Spike, I'm so proud of the young dragon you've become, mommy will always love you._

**delta111:** _Thanks_

**Chaosstripe:** _What the hell is number 11? Are you a Denny Hamlin fan? I kid, but thanks for enjoying._

**Srey:** _WAIT! SCORPIONS AND EUROPE?! Dude! Lucky as hell. How did it feel to be rocked like a hurricane during the final countdown? And thank you for pointing out the mistakes; I'm glad to have readers who do point those out for me. I scratched my head at first when you guessed Derpy, but then I thought her always positive attitude, especially about muffins, would probably lighten up the mood for anyone. As for the temper, well you'll have to wait and see. _

* * *

**(Outside Carousel Boutique; Ivan's POV)**

The walk from Sweet Apple Acres all the way through town seemed like a distant dream to me. As much as I knew with whom I wanted to speak, my brain was clogged up with so many thoughts, questions, and uncertainty that I could not remember walking that far at all, no matter how hard I tried. Scotty could have beamed me from the Apple family farm into town and I probably would not have noticed a difference. But with my travel seemingly undocumented in my memory banks, I had subconsciously reached my destination without bumping into anything or anyone along the way. However, I found myself unable to gather up the courage to knock on Rarity's door.

The dimly lit streetlights were only barely able to illuminate the door in front of me. Luna's moon was behind the large building, thus creating another silhouette on the night. I had no clue how long I stood there, just staring at the door and fighting myself to knock. I wanted more than anything to ask the seamstress for help on the matter, but would I be waking her up in the process? The mare _loathed_ having her beauty sleep interrupted unless it was a dire emergency. Yet I _was_ in a bit of a crisis right now with my girlfriend and wanted to smooth things out with her sooner rather than later. Feeling like a peeping tom, I cupped my eyes with my hands and peered in through the window on the purple door, praying to see any signs of an awake Rarity.

After scanning my eyes around, I could only see but a few inches of flooring bathed in the faint glow of the streetlamp behind me. There was not even a dim hallway or entryway light on in case Rarity or Sweetie Belle wanted a midnight snack or 'powder her nose.' I sighed, pulling my hands and face away from the window and took a step back from the building. Breaking in was _not_ going to happen, but I wasn't ready to give up just yet; I couldn't face Applejack without the support or wise words of a friend. I hated to disturb the unicorn like this, but I was backed into a corner with only one option.

_Knock, knock, knock, knock._

My knuckles rapped onto the purple door several times, hoping that Rarity or perhaps her adorable little sister would hear the commotion and answer the door. Lowering my hand back to my side, I waited patiently for a brief moment, keeping my eyes on the window before me. "Please, Rarity," I mumbled, craning my neck up to watch the windows on the second story in case any lights upstairs flickered on.

"Yes, what is it?!"

"GAH!" I yelled as Rarity's door creaked open. Her head was peeking out of the partially opened doorway with a stern look on her face. My mind had been so wrapped up and distracted that I had not noticed the lights downstairs turn on. Nor did I hear the door creak open or the jingling of the silver bell above her door. Grabbing onto the streetlight next to me, I braced myself while my pulse dropped back down below mach one.

"Do you require help with anything, Cougar?" Rarity's tone did not match her stern look. The unicorn's mane looked a tad frazzled, a far cry from her perfectly sculptured violet style. Her red pair of sewing glasses adorned her face, and a yellow tape measure hung loosely around her neck like a necklace. She sounded more exhausted than annoyed. "I didn't frighten you, did I?" A soft giggle escaped her lips.

"S-sorry," I clenched the streetlight tighter, slowly regaining my composure. Rarity watched on as I breathed in and out through my nose. "I'm just a little on edge right now." Raising an eyebrow, the mare peered over her red spectacles, studying me with her deep blue eyes.

"_You? _On edge, Cougar?" She questioned incredulously. I realized that it had been quite some time since Rarity has seen me without my serious or normal demeanor. It was comprehensible if she had a hard time believing that I was nervous or worried. "Apologies," she yawned, "but I'm not really in the mood for jokes at the-" the seamstress was about to understandably shoo me away when she noticed my head droop low. "Are you all right, darling?" she questioned, more alert and worried now.

"Kind of," I conceded with a sigh, releasing my death grip on the pole. Rarity's blue magic gently shoved the glasses up against her face as she raised her head back up, willing to listen. "I just need some help with..._us_," I cut right to the chase with the pronoun game, hoping that Rarity would pick up on what I meant. Her blue eyes shot open as her jaw dropped; a soft gasp escaped her mouth.

"Inside, _now!_" She ordered, throwing her purple door open. I felt her magical aura engulfing my hand before she yanked me inside to the fitting area of her home. The room was still scarcely lit save for a dull yellow light in the stairway leading to the bedrooms and Rarity's inspiration room. As she drug me through the fitting area, I half expected her to escort me upstairs to her large sewing room to be where she was most comfortable. That idea was shot down when she bypassed the stairway, flicked on a few more lights, and pulled me into her kitchen. The blue light glowing off my hand dissipated, only to reappear around one of the chairs surrounding the table. "Have a seat, please," Rarity politely requested as her magic pulled the chair out for me.

"...Okay" I obliged, gently sitting down as the unicorn took the seat across from me. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," I pointed out her red glasses and yellow tape measure that still adorned her body. Without any hesitation whatsoever, Rarity chucked them onto the counter near the refrigerator, holding her front hooves together.

"Well, I was just putting some last minute touches on a dress for Misty Fly's mother's birthday," the mare explained, her eyes never looking away from me or blinking. Being polite, I took off my hat and set it down on the table, folding my hands together. "But you have more pressing matters at hoof," the mare dismissed her current task. "Tell me, Cougar," the seamstress placed her hooves on the tabletop, "are you and Applejack having problems?" she questioned. My body language and tone of voice had made it quite clear that there was in fact a problem, but I assumed that Rarity would want a little more information before drilling deep into the subject.

"We _may_ have _a_ problem," I roughly swallowed. With what had transpired, a problem could have been any number of things ranging from me trying to take advantage of her to me just moving our relationship too quickly. "I have a bad feeling that I might have just killed our relationship," I flat out admitted. Rarity's right hoof quickly covered up her mouth, muffling the loud gasp that was undoubtably forming.

"Did you two get into a spat?" She quickly asked, leaning forward over the table.

"No," I shook my head, keeping my eyes lowered onto the table. "It's not that simple, unfortunately," I slowly rose my eyes to meet hers.

"Your spark hasn't disappeared, has it?" Rarity was actually sounding about as worried as me. AJ and I had her full support since we announced that we had gotten together. The threat of us breaking apart probably would crush her as well.

"Good God no," I chuckled uncomfortably, replaying what had happened in the pond. The knuckles in my left hand popped as I clenched it while I ran my right hand through my hair. Rarity raised her eyebrow again, her brain scanning any other possibilities for why I feared my relationship with AJ was in jeopardy.

"You didn't-" I cut her off, immediately knowing what she was guessing.

"NO! I'd never cheat on her," I held up a hand, quickly dismissing that ridiculous idea. "It's just, embarrassing," I admitted. "And it makes me feel like scum."

"Darling, enough tiphoofing around this. If you and Applejack are having a problem, then you must tell me so that I can assist you," Rarity said sternly. I couldn't blame her for having a little bit of short fuse considering the late hour and that I kind of pulled her away from a project. "Now, what exactly happened that would make you think your relationship is over?" Rarity reached across the table and placed her white hoof on top of my hand. "I'm not here to judge," she added. There was no turning back now; Rarity was my only option for help, and I wasn't about to waste it or her time. So I told her about our plans for the day and how we executed them. All the while having the time of our lives and feeling our love grow.

I found myself smiling like an idiot when I was telling her about our picnic and how Applejack spent time to help me try out a lasso. I had to pause a few times when Rarity would gush over a tiny detail about us playfully teasing each other or how I even lassoed AJ and pulled her in. Those really did make me think twice, but when it came time to tell Rarity where it all went sour, the bad memory made it difficult for me to form the words out of remorse. It was like trying to re-live cutting out a deep splinter from my thumb. "Oh my," Rarity blushed when I told her about AJ and I swimming together and kissing fiercely. Considering my clothes weren't wet, she must have pieced together that I had to have been in my boxers or maybe… "Did Applejack coerce you into, ahem," Rarity's cheeks turned redder.

"No; I was wearing my boxers," I cleared my throat. The mare cleared her throat as well, pushing herself away from the table. "Wait a minute," I realized, "Sweetie Belle can't hear us, can she?" I questioned fearfully, not wanting an innocent filly to hear any of this. The unicorn didn't answer me right away. I studied her as she hummed a soft melody whilst digging around a few cupboards with her magic, producing a tea kettle and a pair of mugs.

"My darling sister is at mother and father's tonight," Rarity finally responded when she turned on the heat to her stove. "Our discussion should remain private barring any unforeseen visitors," she smiled, sitting back down at the table. "The tea should be ready in just a moment or two," she added. That made me feel little better knowing that I wouldn't mistakenly scar innocent little Sweetie Belle.

"I _would_ appreciate it if we kept this just between us Rarity," I requested, knowing that Rarity loved discussing other ponies' lives as topics for conversations. Thankfully, she just loved up-to-date information and wasn't using the information for malicious purposes, but I still wanted to keep something like this under wraps.

"Absolutely, Cougar," Rarity nodded. "I understand the certain stresses that come with relationships; no other set of ears shall be graced with our conversation," she promised. "Oh, except maybe Opal," a sly smile creeped across her face.

"The cat?" I looked over at her cat's food and water dishes next to the fridge.

"Just in case I feel the need to get it out of my system," Rarity explained. "And so I can _technically_ keep my promise," she added with an innocent bat of her eyelashes.

"Fine, I guess," I rolled my eyes. Rarity smiled with glee, making me shake my head. "Is there any particular reason you're making tea, Rarity?" It wasn't like I hated tea, I just didn't know why Rarity would go to the trouble considering how late it was.

"Oh, it's just an old recipe mother gave me when I was around Sweetie Belle's age. Mother told me it helped to quell one's nerves and prevent hysterical outbursts," she explained, finishing off with a giggle. "Of course, I didn't think it worked on me. Can you imagine, hysterical outbursts coming from _moi_?" she fluffed her mane about, as if bragging.

"Nope, can't imagine anything like _that_ from you," I replied sarcastically, leaning forward with my arms on the table. "But thank you for the tea."

"Think nothing of it. You _are _a friend in need after all," the mare replied.

"Anyway," I shook my head again, though this time was to get my train of thought back on the correct track, "sorry for changing the subject."

"It's perfectly fine," Rarity assured me. "Like I said previously, I understand how stressful this can be. Which is another reason I made us some tea, to make this as relaxing as possible. Don't feel like you must tell me everything up front."

"Let's see," I put the back of my index finger in between my top and bottom jaw, chewing it softly. Where we had left off just barely slipped my mind.

"Ahem, you were swimming in the pond with Applejack," Rarity reminded me. I couldn't tell if there was a draft in the room or if it was just me, but right after Rarity said that, I felt the temperature drop.

"R-right," I choked, "the pond." Rarity either didn't notice or care that I put my elbows on the table, but I had to in order to help keep from slumping over. "Well, as I think I already told you, I had assumed we were going back inside to go to sleep; maybe even snuggle a bit after Bloom announced everyone was going to sleep," I swallowed.

"Well, that sounds like a reasonable thought," the sophisticated unicorn again tried to soothe me and keep the atmosphere in a comfortable tone. Despite her best efforts, I was still feeling uncomfortable about everything.

"And then out of left field, she took off her hat and took out the hair tie in her mane before diving into the water," I continued. "I didn't know what to think of it at first. Having a girl invite me to go swimming just like that had never happened to me before, so I couldn't move or think clearly," I explained, expelling a breath. "You could say I was just a little nervous."

"Hmm, I'd say you were more stunned," Rarity corrected.

"The word really doesn't matter. All I can tell you is that I couldn't say no to Applejack, not after everything she's done for me." I ripped my gaze from Rarity, looking down at the tabletop with my hands cradling the sides of my head. No matter her efforts, I just couldn't help but feel horrible about what happened. "I just couldn't say no," I repeated in a much lower volume, "I didn't _think_ it would turn out the way it did. We were just swimming around and splashing each other, but then my eyes locked with hers. I thought a simple hug would be enough to show her I cared for her."

"Everything seems normal to me so far. Hugging your special somepony shouldn't throw out any red flags," Rarity added her opinion on the matter. "What happened after that, darling?" Without moving my head, I shifted my gaze back up to the genuinely concerned pony across the table.

"She looked so beautiful, and I told her," my voice dropped a little lower in volume, yet Rarity didn't ask me to speak up. "She felt touched by it, so w-we kissed in the pond under L-Luna's moonlight," my voice started to crack. "I can't re-remember who started it, but we started to get _really_ into the kiss," my breathing started to become choppy and rapid.

"Cougar," Rarity tried to get my attention.

"At first, I had my hands on her shoulders; she had her hooves on mine. But as we started using our, _tongues_," I paused to gulp, "my primal lust for dominance started to take over. And I started to touch her in a place I never should without her approval. She moved her hooves down to my waist, but that was probably because she was feeling awkward about it." I sensed the temperature starting to rise; my palms were becoming clammy, and I felt warm in my torso.

"Cougar," I heard the mare repeat my name, tapping her hooves on the table top.

"I-I just can't believe how far I took it. I squeezed her flank like she was a….._toy_," I spat.

"Getting caught up in the heat of-"

"All Applejack ever did was show me love and compassion and treat me like a person; she became an object to me," my hands gripped the sides of the table as I felt an urge to throw up. "She even told me about the two farmhands who tried to take advantage of her. AJ put all her trust in me, and I repaid her by acting no better than those sons of bitches."

"Cougar!" Rarity's voice shouted.

"I'm disgusting…." My voice was drowned out by the high-pitched whistling of the tea kettle on the stove, yet I didn't hear Rarity's chair scoot back. Before I could even look up, there was a burning stinging sensation on the back of my head the had no trouble grasping my attention.

_THWACK_

"What the hell was that for?!" I demanded as I rubbed the back of my head. Surrounded by the blue magic from the seamstress was a rolled up fashion magazine that had been used as a weapon against me. I sat still, shocked as the mare stared at me with empty eyes before dropping the magazine on the table. Her magic then switched off the stove, silencing the tea kettle. "Rarity?" The mare never answered me. She silently poured the drink into two coffee mugs and brought them over to the table.

"Drink up," she requested softly, sipping her own mug politely. Knowing that I couldn't refuse, I took a small whiff of the tea before taking a small drink myself. The flavor was actually quite good; it wasn't the greatest thing I've ever tasted, but it was nowhere near the worst.

"Hmm," I smacked my lips with a weak smile. The mare set her mug back on the table and lightly dabbed her lips with a napkin.

"How do you like my mother's recipe?" She asked. Instead of giving an audible reply, I shrugged and raised the mug before setting it on a coaster. "Are you feeling any better, sweetie?" _Sweetie?_ I hadn't expected her to call me anything except my call sign or darling. But then again, this was Rarity; she called Spike 'Spikey-Wikey' after all. Considering she was the oldest of the six mares in the group, thus older than me, she could be recognized as the group's big sister.

"A-a little," I responded, grazing the tips of my fingers around the edge of the mug. Rarity gave me a look of uncertainty, not really believing my answer. "Rarity, your tea is great, but I don't think it's going to magically fix everything." Scooting back in her chair again, the pony stood on all four legs and gradually walked over to my side of the table. "What?" I questioned before she raised her forelegs and wrapped them around my shoulders, cozying the side of her head to my cheek.

"I apologize, darling, but you must clear your mind," her voice sounded like silk when she talked directly into my ear. The mare cooed as she squeezed my shoulders a little tighter before releasing her hug and dropping back down onto all four hooves. I was feeling less stressed and more caught off guard from receiving my first hug from Rarity.

"C-clear my head how?" I stammered, licking my lips of residual tea. Rarity stayed silent until she retook her seat, folding one hoof over the other. "You didn't put anything in this that doesn't belong there, right?" I questioned when I reached back to the mug for another drink. The mare rolled her eyes with an exhausted sigh, letting me know how stupid my question was.

"May I ask you something?" Rarity asked after her drawn out sigh. Without giving me time to even nod or acknowledge my permission, she asked anyway. "Is there any particular reason why you chose _me_ out of your other choices of friends to seek out help? Even with Princess Cadence just a letter away?"

"I thought that would be too obvious, Rarity," I replied, just holding the coffee mug. Under normal circumstances, I would have said that more lightheartedly, but that reply was said with 100% honesty.

"You'll just have to forgive my curiosity, but I would imagine Cadence would have been your first choice for a problem such as this?" Rarity guessed almost poetically. The sophisticated mare blinked several times, patiently awaiting my answer. I took another quick sip of tea uncomfortably.

"Well, yeah Cadence was my first choice," I looked down from my reflection in the tea before shifting my eyes back up at the unicorn. "She was the one who got me to stop lying to myself about my feelings for Applejack at the Gala. And dealing with love is her entire job description!" I exclaimed.

"So then, why didn't you go to her right away, darling?" Rarity questioned again.

"Because," I cocked an eyebrow, "she lives hours away by train, so that's out. The only way I could contact her was through a magical letter," I continued, "and that meant I had to go to either Celestia, Luna or Spike and Twilight."

"And why didn't you go to at least Spikey or Twilight?" Rarity pressed on further. "They're much closer than the royal sisters and I'm positive they would have no trouble sending letters to Cadence for you," she theorized. Great, now I would have to explain _why_ I singled Rarity out of my numerous other options. If she wanted me to clear my head by changing the subject, then she was going to get the honest truth. Tapping more into my human nature, I gripped the handle of the coffee mug tightly, throwing it into my mouth and guzzling down the rest of the tea, ignoring that the temperature was still pretty hot. "Careful!" Rarity warned, "You don't want to burn yourself!"

"You really need to ask why I didn't ask Luna, Celestia, Twilight, or Spike for help?" I questioned, sounding a little more rough than I had intended. It didn't seem to faze Rarity, although.

"Actually, I _can_ understand why you wouldn't want to tell Spike. Twilight would probably send him to another room for speaking of such a subject."

"That's not really the reason why I didn't want him to know, but we'll go with that," I corrected, drumming my fingers on the table. "The point is, if I wanted to talk to Cadence about this, then I would rather do it face to face. But again, my only option for that was to get on a late train bound for the Crystal Empire."

"Because you wanted some advice that would lead you back to Applejack quicker?" Rarity surmised after I nodded. "Well, I can say that is a mature decision," the mare patted my hand with her hoof. "However, not that I don't mind being of help to you, Cougar, what is the _sole_ reason you chose me?"

"Erm," I thought about how I wanted to respond to that. I didn't want to sound vulgar or sour about it. "I mean, Luna and Celestia are too far away like you said, but they're also in their first real relationships in thousands of years I'm guessing." Rarity's quick nod confirmed that I was indeed correct. "Fluttershy was really the first one to be crossed off my list. She's too sweet and innocent to want to discuss something like this. And she'd more than likely freeze up and not be unable to talk," I added.

"Even though Twilight has a boyfriend and a heart of gold, I think going to her for advice on relationships would be like asking a blind guy to drive you to the store; it won't end well. And she'd, for whatever reason, likely pull out an anatomy chart and give me a lecture on what body part works and for what." Rarity's white cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red at my reasoning for Twilight. She took a sip of her tea, darting her eyes back and forth.

"Well, ahem, that _does_ sound like Twilight," the seamstress coughed. I would have stopped there, but Rarity asked me for the sole reason, and I was going to give it to her.

"Pinkie Pie, oh God. She would take it _way_ too literally and magically pull out a jumbo box of condoms and tell me _'Good luck you stud!'_" I tried to mimic Pinkie's helium-like voice with little success. Rarity began gagging on her tea, whacking her chest to get the liquid down the correct pipe. "Oh, and then plan a congratulations party on top of that," I added with a roll of my eyes. "And _Rainbow Dash?_ Please, if I went to her with my problem, she'd probably have a good laugh about it, slap my back and say, _'Go get her you pussy!'_"

"Language, please!" Rarity barked, gathering my attention from my rant.

"Sorry, what?" I blinked several times in Rarity's direction. The mare looked as if she was trying to keep herself from snorting like an angry bull.

"I said I would assist you, but not if you're going to flood my home with a foul mouth!" Shrinking back front the outburst, I covered my mouth, waiting for Rarity to calm down. "Now then, I can see you put much thought into who you wanted to seek advice from."

"It's not like I can just choose _anyone_ for this," I took my hand away from my mouth, clicking my tongue. "Look Rarity, out every single one of you around Ponyville or Canterlot, you're the most mature when it comes to relationships and….romance," I gulped. The mare squinted her eyes at me in response. "I told you what happened because you would genuinely be serious about it, and you're the most comfortable talking about relationships. I would even consider you like a big sister when it comes to this." Her chair creaked as she leaned back onto the backrest for support, a sort of smug smile on her face.

"Cougar, while I'm flattered you think of me like that, I'm going to take a shot in the dark about this," was her response.

"A shot in the dark about what?" I asked. Rarity's magic engulfed a napkin, lightly holding it over my lips to keep me quiet.

"Please know that I am not mocking you in any way, nor do I think of you as less of a, ahem, _man_, about this," she politely requested. "I understand you're worried that you forced yourself on Applejack, but there _is_ a second reason why you wished to see me, isn't there?" My eyes widened as if a snake had wrapped itself around my leg in the dark; she knew. I didn't even say a single word about _this_ matter.

"I know it's kind of pathetic for me to be worried-" I tried to reason.

"You're a virgin, are you not?" The fashionista asked me so casually. I froze, unable to speak, before dropping my head so low that my chin made contact with my chest. "Oh darling," Rarity cooed, "believe me, it's absolutely nothing to be ashamed of," she soothed.

"Not like it matters if I am or not." I snorted. "Even if I did know how to handle a sexual relationship, I already fucking blew it!" I complained, glaring down at my reflection in the empty coffee mug.

"Blew it how, darling?" Rarity ignored my foul mouth for whatever reason. She may have not realized the horridness of the 'F word' here in Equestria. "Cougar, how did Applejack react to your advances in the pond?" Rarity once again failed to give me time to answer. Perhaps she was just being rhetorical.

"How do you mean?" I pushed the mug away, looking up at the pony.

"Did she try to resist, push you away, or try to defend herself?" Rarity cupped her chin with a hoof, propping her elbow on the table.

"…No?" I knew Applejack didn't try to force me back or resist. She had kissed me and touched me all over like I had to her, but I assumed she did only because she didn't know what else to do and wanted to get it over with. "She just kissed me in return and pulled me closer with her hooves," I added.

"Well then Cougar, it appears she was enjoying herself in your arms as you were in hers," Rarity smiled. "I believe that with how fast you two were moving coupled with the heat of the moment caused both of you to over stress yourselves when you realized what you were doing. Completely understandable and not too uncommon," she advised.

"Then why did she apologize too and then run off?" I debated. "How are you positive it wasn't my fault?"

"Because, darling, she was just afraid for the same reasons you were. Afraid that she had tried to push _you_ too far and betrayed your trust after what happened during Estrus last year. I know Applejack and I rarely see eye to eye on nearly everything, but I can see how much she loves you. Don't run away from her, run to her and embrace your love with her."

"B-but how? How can I, Rarity?" I begged, starting to feel heavy in my chest. "I want to at least make things right in _my _eyes. Even if you don't think I messed up, _I_ still think I did; I want to fix it," I explained.

"Darling, you came to me for advice, and you shan't leave without it," Rarity swore, standing up from her chair. "I can't exactly tell you what to say when you get back home and confront Applejack, which you will or I will hunt you down and strip you of your stallion hood," she growled, forcing me to plant a hand over my crotch. "I know you truly love her, Cougar; only you know what you have to say to 'fix things' as you believe you must. _If_ you two feel you are both ready for this step, then heed my words."

"O-o-okay," I squeaked almost like Fluttershy.

"You must take things a little slower than you did in the pond. Diving right into things can not only ruin the mood, it's also not as enjoyable without a little foreplay." _Foreplay? _Why is she bringing up foreplay? I wanted to make things right, not turn into James fucking Bond! "You also must listen to every word Applejack says," Rarity continued, locking her eyes with mine. "Not for kinkiness or pleasure, mind you. But in order for both of you to enjoy this, a lady must have full confidence that you're doing this out of love and passion, not just for the pleasure that comes with it. If Applejack is uncomfortable with what you are doing, STOP; the same applies to you in a reversed situation. If she feels more pain than pleasure, STOP. "

"You may already know this, but this is more than giving in to your lust or animalistic instincts, Ivan," I nearly had a heart attack when someone other than Applejack used my real name. Rarity knew how to keep my attention. "Making love with your special somepony will not only be the most magical moment of your entire existence, but it also means you're ready to merge your two souls together as one and exchange each other's hearts and trust. Are you truly ready for that?" Rarity took a step back, allowing my body to shake. I wasn't feeling sick, cold, or disgusted with myself any longer. The amount of emotion welling up inside for what I felt for Applejack was almost too much for my body to handle. Rarity's soft and delicate hoof on my hand placated my nerves until I was as still as a statue.

"Rarity?" I was barely able to say. The mare's horn lit up with her magic, engulfing an object in the dressing room. The next sound I heard was the creaking of the front door and the gentle jingle of the silver bell above. She said nothing, only gesturing with her hoof toward the exit. "Th-thank you," I quivered while kneeling down and hugging the mare.

"It's no trouble. I'm always here for my friends," Rarity reminded me as she patted my back. I stood up, taking in deep breaths to help prepare for my journey back home. "Is something else on your mind, darling?" Rarity questioned worriedly when I had stood in one spot for a few moments.

"I-I hate to keep asking favors of you," I said sheepishly. "B-But tomorrow, if Spike asks you for a cup of coffee or just a walk, can you give him a chance?" I asked. Rarity softly lowered her head, looking down at the ground below and away from me, contemplating my request. I of course had gone to Rarity's only for help in my relationship, yet I couldn't help but think about the poor dragon who had eyes only for Rarity. He deserved a chance.

"If he asks, indeed I will," Rarity finally replied. And with that said, I bowed my head to Rarity and exited her boutique, setting my sights on straightening everything out with the mare I cared more about than even my own life.

**End Chapter 43**


	45. Chapter 44: The Rhythm of Your Heartbeat

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 44: The Rhythm of Your Heartbeat**

**Before I reply to any review or even go on an Author's Note rant, I want to congratulate and give a huge shoutout to StacheKing for giving my story its coveted 500th review. But, not only was his review the 500th for Fallen Eagle, it was the 40,000th review of his FanFiction career, so everyone give him a huge round of applause! And just like the 400th reviewer, Nukem999, StacheKing's OC gets a cameo in a few chapters.**

**I'd also like to give a huge thank you to everyone that helped get Fallen Eagle to 500+ reviews. I know that without you guys, there's no way it would have happened. We're also closing in on 200 subscribers to the story, and I'm probably even more thrilled about that. **

Boy oh BOY was this chapter stubborn. Every time I thought it was going good, the next day I would come back and say, "I could do much better," which is why it's been two weeks since my last update. However, now that it's done, I am CONFIDENT it's the best that it could be. As for the love making scene, that is halfway done as you are reading this Author's Note. I've been working on it simultaneously with this chapter, kind of like the crew of Back to the Future made Parts II and III at the same time. Just a quick warning about that chapter, if you're looking for anything really sexually explicit like what King Spike Rules writes, then you're probably going to be disappointed. And I am NOT dissing KSR, I just want to have my love making scenes a little classier.

Another thing, the next chapter won't have any review replies. There may be an Author Note but I am not sure at this point. I just want you all to know now, that the chapter after the love making scene begins, the story will take a turn. There are also Season 5 episodes that will make appearances in this story shortly, other characters besides Ivan will receive more development, and there will be a little more action and excitement.

Before we reply to any reviews, I ask that we please have a moment of silence for the loss of both David Bowie and Alan Rickman. Music and movies will never be the same.

**uss71832: **_Hey man, long time no see! And for leaving you hanging, how else will I get you guys to come back? *insert Dr. Evil laugh*_

**SkullCrusher550:** _Thank you_

**OBSERVER01: **_I always liked his character, but after Brotherhooves Social, my respect for him pretty much exploded_

**Nostalgia Cop: **_Eeyup_

**Squirtle PWN: **_It was time. Ivan and the Apples really click. Besides, Big Mac needed another touching scene like at the end of Brotherhooves Social._

**Dixie Darlin: **_Did him jumping out of the window seem familiar...? Heh, heh? *Pulls up chair* I have endless patience; I can wait :P_

**StacheKing: **_There he is. That really means a lot coming from a professional review an analyst such as yourself. Looking back at earlier chapters, it's obvious that I've grown, but it's because of readers like you that have helped me become better and see things from totally new __perspectives. Those chapters were just as much for Rarity and Big Mac as they were for Ivan and AJ. Like I said, I really feel that Rarity is like the big sister of the Mane 6, though others could make a strong case for AJ, and I ALWAYS pegged her to be the one any of the main characters would go to for advice such as this if Cadence was not available. As for Big Mac, I've always liked his character. He's just quiet and likes to work alone and keep to himself, kind of like I am. But after Brotherhooves Social, he's been catapulted to one of my all time favorite brother characters. I'm an only child, but even I knew Big Mac is the perfect brother. _

**Srey: **_Trust me, I didn't want to do a sneak peek, but since it had been nearly four weeks, I had no choice. And don't worry about missing the 500th. Being the 501st means you were the first to begin the journey to 600 ^^ Plus, the 501st in Star Wars Battlefront II was a badass team of Stormtroopers. I'm going to keep mentioning it, but Brotherhooves Social was the perfect way to sum up Big Mac. He likes to keep to himself most of the time, but deep down, he loves his sisters more than anything in Equestria, and he's willing to do anything to put a smile on Applebloom's face, even if he needed to learn how to open up to do so. _

**Sassymouse: **_Calm down, madame! It's just a fanfiction chapter, not the premier of Top Gun 2 ;) Here's the thing about Big Mac, yeah we're all used to him giving one word replies, but him having the __monologue at the end just made it all the more special. See, I knew it would pay off to go the opposite route of the angry big brother. Big Macintosh knows of Ivan's situation and it'd be downright cruel to not give him a fair chance to explain himself. And if you think about it, while Ivan was in the Airforce, he wasn't very social and just liked to work... Twilight: Good night, my little Spike *hugs him and tucks him in his new bed*_

** :** _Yes, I believe so, good sir._

**smexyking107: **_Hmm interesting theory, but the ending is still ways away and there are still so many plot points to get to. Most I am REALLY excited to get to. _

_So, that's it guys. Thank you all again for getting this story to 500 reviews. Please enjoy this chapter. And since the __love making scene is halfway done, it shouldn't take as long to complete. Just expect a lot of nervousness and blushing and love making that you actually care about. _

* * *

Unlike last time, I actually recalled the walk back to the Apple family farm. This time I wasn't so deep in thought like when I trekked to Rarity's boutique; there was only one goal in my mind. All I wanted was to set things straight between myself and Applejack. If she had the same reaction I did and was afraid that she had tried to force herself on me, then we would have a bit of a mess on our hands. I still loved her, and although she was gradually getting better, Applejack was still a pretty damn stubborn mare. It would take a lot of convincing for her to see that we had just stressed ourselves over the limit too fast.

Nonetheless, with Rarity's advice I sort of had a game plan to follow. Although, there were still a few pieces of the uncertainty puzzle I had yet to fill in. If we both reconciled and started the night over, where would that lead us? A tiny perverse thought crept into my mind of Applejack and I unleashing our desires. Rarity only mentioned if both of us were ready, but I wasn't entirely sure if I was ready for that step. A part of me feared that it was just my untapped primal urges trying to control my body.

"I guess I could try to wing it," I said to myself. I wasn't talking about the sex, rather how I would approach Applejack. According to Rarity, Applejack was more than likely feeling the same emotions in the pond as I did, but that didn't necessarily mean she was ready either. Whether or not I was ready, if Applejack told me she didn't want to take that leap just yet, I would happily oblige and we could let things go back to normal for us until it was time. My little glimpse of happiness flicked back to dark as another thought crossed my mind. There was no bullshitting around this. AJ and I had to talk about what happened or the uncomfortable atmosphere surrounding us could suffocate our relationship; that was something I vowed to never let happen. Yet, even after we talk, _would_ things really be the same again? I suppose knowing that we had both (somewhat) contemplated sex would remove some bit of uneasiness.

Rarity's mentioning of the Estrus weekend reverberated in my memory banks. Even after Applejack tried to have her way with me, we became a little closer because of it. And I already knew of what two previous farm hands tried to do with Applejack a few years ago. Different sets of circumstances yes, but we both knew how previous sexual encounters for both of us had gone; I felt I had betrayed her trust in forcing myself, and she felt the same way, at least according to Rarity. Nonetheless, as I crested the top of the staircase and found myself in the upstairs hallway, I was met with what appeared to be a normal setting. It was still late at night; only Luna's silvery moonlight shone through the tiny window at the end of the hallway. What little light I had didn't even bother me. All I could focus on was the last door on the left, as if it were the only door on the entire second floor.

The floorboards squeaked and creaked as I marched down the hall, too focused on what I had to do to care about how much noise I was making. It was in my favor that the Apple family was somewhat a heavy sleeping family, so I felt safe that no one should be woken up by me. I finally arrived at Applejack's door; the moonlight drenched my lower legs and the other end of the hall in its silvery glow. Before rearing my hand back to knock, I noticed that the door was just slightly ajar. Not enough to even see into the room, but it was noticeable that it was unlatched. A thought crept into my mind that I could gently push the door open and tip toe inside to not disturb her whether or not she was awake or asleep.

Though, right as my hand touched the wooden surface, I realized that just barging in on her wouldn't be the smartest idea. If she were angry at me or even slightly perturbed by what had happened in the pond, I couldn't just go right on in and give her the impression that everything was fine. I retracted my hand, curling my fingers back into my palm as I lowered my arm. The best thing I could do was softly knock and see if she was inside or not. I gulped, raising my hand again until I heard the floor squeaking down the hall. I froze, keeping my hand in the air when I sensed the presence of someone standing behind me.

"Cougar?" A deep voice called out my name.

"W-what?" I shakily turned my head back to see Big Mac standing behind me, a concerned look on his face. He didn't look angry or vengeful, just concerned. _'Oh boy,'_ I thought as I started to wonder if Big Mac knew what happened. I then fully turned around to properly face the stallion.

"How are you doin'?" He questioned, his concerned eyes transitioning to sympathetic, which confused me. My knuckles popped as I squeezed my fingers hard against my palms. Big Mac never blinked as he awaited my answer.

"I'm…..still unsure to be honest," I replied quietly, still concerned with what the red stallion was up to. His green eyes finally blinked as he cocked his head to the side, studying me.

"Where did you run off to?" Big Mac continued as if he were a private investigator or an employer interviewing a potential worker. Even his voice went from that of concern to sympathetic. It was almost like he felt sorry for me. "Everypony turned in about forty minutes ago," he added. My heart nearly burst through my chest; Applejack _was_ here in her room. I could finally straighten this whole mess up. Applejack's brother caught my excited grin that creeped out, and instantly crushed my relief. "She ain't in there, Cougar," Big Mac revealed. He pushed the door open softly; it creaked quietly to expose Applejack's room, minus one orange mare. My head sank at the same time as my heart.

"I….I went to Rarity's," I decided to answer the question instead of asking my own. Biting my lower lip, I looked back up into Big Mac's face, "I just needed someone to talk to. Someone who could help me with a specific problem," I admitted, folding my hands together. Big Mac stuck out his lower lip in a pout. Yet, this was his 'thinking pout,' not an upset and sad pout. He smacked his lips together, thinking about what to say next.

"An' my sister, yer marefriend, couldn't help ya?" He asked yet another question. His tone never changed. With a question like that, I expected him to sound a little peeved, but he still sounded concerned and sympathetic towards me. Maybe with just a hint of genuine curiousness.

"Well, she was kind of the reason I sought out help," honesty continued to flow from my mouth. If I could pick just one thing I loved about Applejack, her love and strive for honesty would be my first choice. I was caught off guard when Big Mac gave me a gentle shove with his hoof straight into AJ's room.

"Just have a seat; Ah ain't gonna hurt ya," the stallion quickly explained when I turned to ask him a question. He flicked the light on as I still stood in the middle of the room, waiting for him to just continue. Big Mac sat down on the edge of AJ's bed, motioning with his hoof for me to sit next to him. I quickly obliged, feeling that Big Mac would eventually tell me where AJ was if I talked to him. That's when it hit me. Big Mac opened his mouth, beginning to ask a question, but I held up my hand.

"You know where AJ is, don't you?" I asked knowingly, causing Big Mac to gradually close his mouth. He sighed, tapping his hooves on top of the mattress.

"Yeah, ah do, Cougar," the stallion turned his head to the wooden floor, softly blinking. "Ah'm just worried, for the both 'o ya Ah mean," he added. This really piqued my curiosity; I of course knew Big Mac would worry for his sister, but to be worried for me equally? "Ah just wanna know if everythin' is alright between you two," Big Mac admitted. Having had this particular conversation once with Rarity tonight, I wasn't too compelled to respond to Big Mac's specific request. Rather, I had a question of my own.

"Mac, how much do you know about what's happened?" The red pony looked up from the floor and back at me, his ears drooping a bit.

"Ah have no reason ta lie to ya," he began, placing a hoof on his lap. "Ah don't rightfully know anythin' about what happened, Cougar," he freely admitted. "All Ah can tell ya is that one minute you two were happily enjoyin' each other's company; then all of a sudden Applejack comes a'runnin' inside while yer still outside. At least Ah _thought_ you were just outside," Big Mac corrected. "Sure scared the tartarus outta me, not knowin' what happened. Ah assumed somethin' or somepony tried ta harm ya, but AJ wouldn't answer me when she stowed away inside her room."

My hand immediately found itself on my forehead, gently giving it a massage. "Well, I thought I had screwed things up by moving too fast," I replied, just barely peeking my eyes between my fingers, "but according to Rarity, we just….shocked each other and assumed the worst." Big Mac's ears straightened back up when I had mentioned 'moving too fast,' as if he knew what I meant without really explaining it. I tensed up when the bed creaked under Big Mac's weight; his left foreleg wrapped itself around my shoulders.

"Ah ain't gonna hurt ya," he repeated softly. "Cougar, do ya wanna know what else scared me?" Big Mac patted my shoulder.

"Hmm?" I hummed under my breath, still feeling a little uneasy. I knew not only of Big Mac's physical strength, but also the love for his family, especially his baby sisters. Like I would expect a loving big brother to do, if he felt I hurt Applejack in any way, I would understand if he felt the need to protect Applejack and her heart. He let out a loud sigh before continuing with his explanation.

"What really scared me, Cougar, was Ah had a bad feelin' that you two broke up," the stallion announced, ceasing the patting of my shoulder with his hoof. "Ah hope you don't mind me thinkin' that; what else was Ah s'posed ta make of it? My sister runnin' upstairs in a panic while yer nowhere ta be found," he explained. I nodded in agreement, not judging him for believing that possibility.

"You didn't think-"

"No, absolutely not," Big Mac interrupted. "Ah know it in my heart that you would never try what those two heathens tried ta do to my sister," he growled in reassurance.

"Okay then," I said just barely above a whisper as he squeezed me again with his foreleg.

"Now, don't go thinkin' Ah only care fer Applejack's feelings," Big Mac released his foreleg from around my shoulders. "Ah know how even after nearly a year 'o bein' here, yer still adjustin' to Equestria. 'Specially since you finally became my sister's coltfriend," he managed a small smile, probably trying to lighten the mood. "Ah know ah don't talk much, but yer a part of our family now; Ah care fer yer well-bein' 'n happiness too."

"Thanks, Big Mac," I returned the smile, feeling a little more comfortable. "I guess I should thank you, though," I added. The stallion cocked his head to the side, confused by what I meant. "You know, for accepting that Applejack and I love each other and are dating." I didn't quite get the reaction I wanted. Big Macintosh drooped his head low again, smacking his lips together. Afraid that I had tripped some sort of nostalgic memory of he and AJ as kids, I attempted to change the subject, but all I saw was a hoof in my face, telling me to shut up. The red pony sighed before looking up to stare at a picture of himself and Applejack from long ago.

"Ah want you to know, Cougar," he began softly, almost threatening to bring tears to his eyes, "that Ah grew up alongside Applejack. Even helped raise her from time to time. Throughout her whole life, she's always looked to the positive side 'o things 'n tried ta stay happy 'n upbeat. 'Course, she was thrilled when she met Twilight Sparkle 'n made a friend outta her before goin' off ta save Equestria seemingly every week. But...ever since you came along, Ah've never seen my sister so happy before in my life. She's just beamin' with new emotions 'n is more excited than the first day 'o Applebuck Season. Cougar, Ah want nothin more from AJ than ta see her happy 'n enjoyin' life. Ah can see with these eyes 'n this heart, that yer her ticket. Ah'm beggin' you, please go 'n just make my sister happy," he tore his gaze away from the picture before looking me dead in the eyes and concluding his speech, "brother."

The minute Big Mac called me brother, I felt as if time had ground to a halt. That….that was the ultimate form of acceptance and possibly even a blessing. He seemed to catch on that I couldn't even breathe for a minute; he lightly whacked my back a few times before explaining, "you may not be blood related or a pony, but Ah am honored ta call you my brother for the good man you are 'n the love 'n respect you show Applejack. There isn't anyone else in the world Ah would want to take care 'o my sister like Ah know you will," Big Mac then wrapped both forelegs around me and hugged me, patting my back. I had no choice but to return the favor, though I only used one arm.

"I want to, more than _anything_," I remarked after we broke the hug, "just please tell me where she is," I politely requested. The stallion stood up from the bed with a rather cocky smirk painted on his face. After all of that emotional release from him, he found this funny?

"Ah'm not laughin' at you in particular, Cougar. But Ah do find it odd that you never noticed the smoke comin' from yer shack," he plucked a wheat stalk from one of Applejack's drawers and popped it in his mouth. Feeling like I was told Bigfoot was in the yard, I smacked my face against the window which had a clear view of my shack. I couldn't see the smoke due to it being nighttime, but I could faintly smell the soot and burnt wood in the air. I also spotted a faint glow dancing out of the window of my shack along with the faint silhouette of a pony sitting on the cot.

"You just gonna sit there 'n look, partner?" Big Mac's deep voice questioned as I saw his reflection in the window heading for the doorway. I could only imagine Big Mac's face when I practically dove out of the window and used the roof of the lower level of the house as a boardwalk. Yeah, I could have just ran out the doorway and out the back door of the house, but this was the quickest way with the fewest obstacles. Still having a conscious mind, I slowed my pace and tip toed past Applebloom's room so as not to disturb her slumber.

Still using Luna's moonlight to light my way, I paused once I came to the edge of the lower roof, weighing my options for lowering myself onto cider barrels below or to just jump in good faith that I wouldn't break anything. With another glance upward at the faint glow of the fire inside my shack, I decided to go with the alternate route. A loud grunt escaped my mouth as I leapt from the roof, landing on my feet and hands like James Bond. Sure nothing hurt now, but my knees might be a little sore in the morning. However, I pushed the possibility of pain aside when I stood up and began to jog toward my destination as the smell of smoke really infiltrated my nostrils.

I didn't slow down until my foot touched the wooden step of the porch. I still couldn't just barge inside, no matter how much confidence was flowing through me. The door was even open, probably from how warm it was getting inside. Before I stepped in, I peered in through the window and saw her. Applejack sat on the edge of my cot, back facing away from the door as she stared at the wood stove with her stetson gone from sight, possibly being held in her forehooves. She actually looked downtrodden; her head and ears hanging low as she softly breathed. I never wanted to see her sad; it nearly broke my heart to see it. Knowing full well that I couldn't dawdle any longer, I made sure to make my footsteps a little heavy to alert her to my presence to not scare her. The moment I set foot inside the shack, both her ears flinched and she turned around, giving me a surprised yet tired look.

The light crackling and popping of the fire in the wood stove filled the air as we stared at each other. As my confidence began to whither, my heart grew heavier. While Rarity's words still clung to me, there was still that little bit that made me feel guilty. Applejack looked just as sad as me, maybe even worse than I was. "Hey…." Applejack was the first to speak up as I bit down on my lower lip. I couldn't even blink as I looked at her, trying to rebuild my confidence just to talk to her.

"….Hey," I managed to crack a sheepish smile as I stood just in front of the doorway. She sat up straighter and put her stetson on top of my nearby bookshelf before sitting on the side of the cot to face me. We stayed in one place for a good two minutes, waiting for the other to say or do something else. It was then that I decided to kill the silence rather than let it get to us. I had to think of something to break the ice so we could move away from the uncomfortable air and begin fixing this together. Unfortunately, it wasn't like taking a stroll through the park. "Is it all right if I come in, AJ?" I bit down on my lip harder, realizing that that probably wouldn't get us anywhere. Surprisingly, my effort was rewarded with a minuscule smirk and quiet snort from Applejack. At least it wasn't a negative reaction.

"Well, it is _your_ shack, Sugarcube," Applejack attempted to smile warmly, patting the empty spot on the cot next to her. Giving her a small smile myself, I started, albeit slowly, my journey to the other side of the shack as I felt the heat rise within my face from the still awkward vibe between us. I wasn't alone, though; Applejack's cheeks had a pink tint to them as well. Yet, I soon discovered a sad fact as I made my way across the room toward my girlfriend. It wasn't necessarily horrifying, but it wasn't pleasant either. The closer I got, the more Applejack's eyes struggled to stay on me. I was confused; I was pretty sure I didn't look angry or pissed at her. Trying to look even more inviting to her also didn't help as she kept darting her eyes from me to the floor.

The more confused I got, the more concerned I became. Gently, like I were trying to sit on a fragile piece of glass furniture, I sat down next to my girlfriend, and scooted right up to her. I looked longingly at the orange mare, silently praying she would look up at me. I put my arm around her shoulder, rubbing down her foreleg just to comfort her. Yeah, it hurt that she wouldn't look at me, but I wasn't about to make everything worse by saying the wrong thing. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I really had no clue what to say to her in a situation like this. I knew that this was the price for deciding to 'wing it' rather than critically think about what to say before trying to find her, and I was paying for it. The only thing I could do was hold her close, so I did. Reaching my other arm around her, I gingerly pulled her in close before resting my chin upon her hatless head. Even her mane felt soft as silk on my chin.

A sigh, almost akin to a quiet whine was uttered from her mouth. A sense of worry instilled me before it was replaced with a small amount of joy when I felt the mare nuzzle my chest affectionately. I at least was getting something out of her. Though, with how despondent she was, that joy wasn't enough to turn into relief. Maybe she just needed time to accurately gather her thoughts, a smarter decision than mine I would have to admit, but I didn't want to wait any longer. So I tried to do what I did best to make her happy: be myself. I let out a brief chuckle before saying, "You know, the last time we were in here like this was the first time I told you I loved you," I tried to resurrect one of our favorite memories together.

Nothing, not even another sigh came from her mouth. Still, she continued to nuzzle my chest lovingly; that was better than her pushing me away at least. Even though she appeared to be comforting herself against my torso, I could still feel a sense of dread and possibly shame radiating off her. Applejack wasn't her normal high spirited, tough, and stubborn self; that frightened me as much when we were being hunted by the timberwolves. I had to try something else if attempting to cheer her up wasn't working. "Hey," I said for the second time, leaning back so the mare could look at me. Yet, that wasn't as simple as I had hoped. Applejack hung her head low as I moved away from her, only to cuddle right back up against my chest. I knew she wasn't angry at me; if she were, she wouldn't want to cuddle up against me this badly. It still hurt my heart to see her like this.

_"….AJ?"_ I faintly begged her name. Even if she didn't say anything, just looking into her beautiful and loving eyes would heal the pain in my chest. Slowly, like something was trying to prevent her from looking, she looked upwards and cast her gaze upon me for but a brief moment before shutting her eyes and looking downward once more. "AJ please," I said more clearly, placing a hand on the back of her coarse yet soft mane and stroked it. The mare tensed up at my touch, but I had a good feeling it wasn't from fear of me, "please don't look away," I requested as lovingly as I could. There was no way in Hell I was going to force her to really do anything, but I was just desperate to see her back to normal. I felt her ear twitch against me as she heard my words. "I….I just want to say I'm sorry," my hand continued to smooth out her mane.

To my bewilderment, Applejack slowly rose her head from my torso, and forced me to remove my hand from the back of her head. _'Is that really all I had to say?' _I pondered mentally. She had yet to say anything, but at least I could get some sort of reaction out of her. The mare again placed her head on my chest, but this time she rested her chin upon my torso, staring up at me with her green eyes. "What'd you say, Ivan?" I almost didn't hear her because of how happy yet concerned I was at the same time. When I did manage to register her voice, I bent down and gently pecked my lips on hers, making her jump just a little from the contact.

"I'm sorry for just running off like that," I explained after removing my lips from hers, moving my hand downward to massage her furry back. She emitted a tiny whine, trying to scoot her head up to reach closer. The mare pushed herself up and just seemed to collapse with the end of her muzzle tickling the bottom of my neck. Luckily I was strong enough to not fall back onto the cot, instead holding both myself and AJ upright. I understood what she wanted and I bent my head down to rub my cheek against her own. She sighed contently and copied the same action. "I just needed to see Rarity about….something," I had to pause before I said something stupid and ruin the progress we'd made. Just mentioning how I tried to take advantage of her in the pond like it were nothing wouldn't help anything.

I assumed my girlfriend would question why I chose to go Rarity's after the incident. The explanation didn't sound very smart; me running off to see another girl after potentially blowing a huge moment between us could spell disaster for the both of us. "_It…it's okay, Sugarcube_," AJ whispered, squeezing me tighter with her forelegs and stopped rubbing her cheek against mine, though the cuddling didn't cease. "_Ah'm sorry too,"_ she added in her whisper. _"Ah just needed some time ta think is all,"_ she then removed her cheek from mine and just buried her head into my neck.

Rarity's words were beginning to ring true. Applejack had been just as scared as I had been, but she suffered alone when I had a friend to tell my problems to. Even though Big Mac told me he attempted to talk to his sister to see what was wrong, Applejack declined to talk to anyone. Even though I felt better by going to Rarity's, I started to feel like I should have come back sooner to be with Applejack so she didn't have to be alone for so long. "Applejack," I started before I felt a certain wetness on my neck. _'Oh no,'_ began to panic in my mind. '_She's going to cry; how do I fix this?'_ A loud pop from the wood stove snapped me back to reality and made Applejack turn around in my arms. I reached out to stop her and tell her that the fire doesn't mean a damn thing to me right now, but she was quick to get up.

I cradled my head in my hands as I heard a clear as day sniffle come from Applejack as she threw another log into the stove and jostled it around with the fireplace poker. She wasn't going to lie, but I knew it wasn't from the heat of the fire or the smoke that caused her sniffle and wet eyes. Applejack choked out a whine, reaching up with her foreleg to wipe her eyes clear. "Please, don't cry," I said out of the blue as the mare continued to poke about the logs. It wasn't really original or all too helpful, but I really couldn't think of anything else. My plan, I feared, was starting to implode around me the longer I couldn't get this under control.

_"Ah made a fire for you,"_ Applejack solemnly shut the stove door with a sad _clank_. For the first time tonight, I didn't want to see her eyes, not if they were crying from emotional pain I'd caused. Still, I couldn't help but look in her direction when she sat back down on the cot next to me. She wasted no time in cuddling up to me again for comfort. Applejack placed her chin on my arm this time, indeed looking straight up at me. As much as I knew it would pain me to look at the tears she was trying to suppress, I couldn't look away, lest she felt ignored or unloved. So I put on the most sympathetic smile I could muster up, put my arm around her and looked down.

"I kind of figured that, AJ," I attempted to make light of the situation with a soft chuckle. Thankfully, she gave me a smile chuckle in response, turning her head to the side to rest it against my arm with her eyes staying firmly locked on mine. It wasn't much of a shift in mood from her, but damn it, I'll take it one step at a time. I was curious about the reason for the fire even when Big Mac pointed it out to me, but just Applejack merely mentioning it threw out a few yellow flags for me. Why was the fire so important she had to state that she made it? "Hey, Applejack," I just barely shook her to get her attention. The mare responded to my call and lifted her head up from my arm. "Why _did_ you build a fire? Did building it help keep you occupied?"

"Naw," she shook her head after contemplating her answer for a moment. "Ah…..Ah was just hopin' ta keep yer shack warm before ya came back is all," Applejack explained. She didn't lower her head back down, instead opting to sit up straight to face me albeit still staying within my arms. I swallowed in fear, having a 99% sure guess as to her motives. I took in a deep breath, knowing what my next question would be and that I couldn't avoid it. Unfortunately, even in her semi-depressed state, Applejack could still read me like a book. But that wasn't even close to the biggest issue. Without warning, Applejack emitted a rather loud, choked sob before looking away and even trying to move away fro me. I kept a tighter hold on her; I could not and would not let her go. Her body shook with every sob she attempted to quell, forcing me to hold her tight to help calm her.

"Applejack, it's okay," I said softly into her ear, trying to hold back tears of my own. "You don't have to talk about it," I tried to assure her, but she couldn't hear me through her choked sobs. I wasn't even going to suggest for her to look at me until she was ready to.

_"Ah wanted ta keep yer shack warm in case ya wanted ta sleep out here tonight, I-Ivan,"_ she said in a strained voice. _"After a day 'o showin' me how much you love me, Ah tried ta force myself on ya for a second time. W-what kind 'o marefriend am Ah makin' you uncomfortable 'n tryin' to force ya into somethin' yer not ready for? Ah'm no better than those two farmhands that tried ta-"_ No; I was NOT going to let her finish that sentence. It's time I stepped in to keep her from beating herself up. I pulled her in as close as possible, and as gently as I could, placed my hand over her muzzle, giving her room to breathe. She instantly stopped talking while she pelted my hand with her hot, sad breath. Once I had my opportunity, I softly planted my lips on hers and hugged her tighter, continuing to show off my love for her.

Not surprisingly, she was caught off guard, but due to her state, she didn't resist much. It was just a simple lip on lip kiss, something that we both needed. Once we parted for air, I put my chin on her shoulder and whispered into her ear, _"You could _never_ make me uncomfortable, Applejack. You're out of your fucking mind if you think you're as bad as those scumbags. You are perfect in every possible way imaginable to me; I love you."_

"B-but," she stammered as she lowered her head onto my shoulder.

"No, no buts," I quickly ordered as I began to gently rock my body back and forth like a mother would to soothe her baby. I inhaled through my nose before humming my favorite song 'Hysteria,' the first song Applejack and I listened to together the night we met. I could feel Applejack swallowing hard, trying to clear up her throat. Her choked sobs ceased as well as her shaking, though she still sniffled from time to time as I continued humming. I didn't care if I had to hum the song in its entirety or if I even had to hum the whole damn thing multiple times. If it helped AJ calm down, then I'll hum it until I could no longer speak. Euphoric didn't even begin to describe how it felt to hold the woman I loved in my arms whilst comforting her. I needed Applejack, and she needed me. The popping and crackling of the fire died down in my mind as I all I could even think about was Applejack and her happiness.

I had reached the end of the song before Applejack rose her head from my shoulder. "Ivan?" She asked in a much clearer albeit still quiet voice. Immediately, the humming stopped and I looked up from her shoulder as well. I didn't even have time to ask what she needed before she asked, "What did you go to Rarity's for exactly?"

"Well, hun," I swallowed, "She was the only one who could help me with this. I felt like I violated _you_, and I needed a friend who is an expert in relationships to tell me how to fix it," I explained.

"Ah hope she told you that was bogus," was Applejack's response. My heart nearly leapt from my chest upon hearing her sound like her normal self again. But I couldn't sit there joyful for too long.

"Oh…..she did much more than that, Applejack," I said as if I were holding a huge secret. Curious, the mare cocked her head to the side, waiting for another explanation. I sighed, knowing I couldn't leave out a single detail from the conversation Rarity and I had. "She also told me the truth. That we both were enjoying each other and just overstressed ourselves in fear that we'd violated one another. And because you and I have never been in relationships before, we didn't know how to handle our stress so we thought giving each other space was the best option. But of course, she said being apart wasn't going to solve or fix anything; we need to embrace each other in order to feel like we're back to normal."

"Em-embrace it, how?" Applejack's voice squeaked as she averted her eyes. I had trouble keeping my eyes focused on her as well. I honestly had no clue where to begin to tell Applejack what Rarity had advised me to do given that I was still a virgin and that we were of two completely different species. The two of us had no trouble acting like a normal couple, having pushed aside the species issue, but making love was a _huge_ shift in a relationship. I could only clear my throat, thinking about how to begin.

"Uh…..well, R-Rarity explained it to me clear enough," I moved my hands to Applejack's shoulders and my eyes to hers as soon as she returned her gaze to me. "I-I know now th-that I trust and love y-you enough to-" I couldn't finish the sentence. I never thought in my life I would ever have an opportunity to do this, so it wasn't going to be like asking directions to the nearest gas station. Did I want this? Only if Applejack wanted it. How different would our relationship be if we went through with it? I don't know.

"A-are you s-sayin' that," Applejack had the same problem I did. She started to shiver again, though it wasn't out of sadness or sorrow. Talking wasn't going to be easy for me, so all I could do in response was bite my lower lip and nod and slowly and shamefully. I was still a gentleman at heart; it didn't feel natural to me to suggest something like this. I didn't know how much or how little time had passed, but I may have temporarily shut down because Applejack repeated my name several times and I could feel her calloused hoof stroking my cheek. "Ivan!" She exclaimed, giving my cheek a few light taps. I shook my head to clear my thoughts before responding.

"W-what?"

"Ah said…..ah'm ready, Sugarcube," she stroked my cheek again. A million thoughts began to scream through my head as I attempted to process what she had told me. I-I couldn't believe what was going to happen. She agreed, and she was positive about it! I couldn't say anything, however, because the mare gave me another kiss on the lips. This time, she snaked her tongue across my mouth. It wasn't _intense_ or anything though. I could only guess she wanted to take a little time to get in the mood, not that I was complaining. She moved her hooves down to my shoulders as I gave in and opened my mouth…

**End Chapter 44**

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_Please, patience my fellow readers/authors. It should take but a few days to come out with the scene everyone has been waiting for. I really wanted it to feel authentic and genuine. It's not going to be a porno, it'll actually be essential to the story and help the love between the two main characters blossom even more. Perhaps even make you guys feel the 'feels.' _

_And I know it feels odd that AJ is like this, but think about it. Would she really be her normal self after she believes she tried to take advantage of Ivan again? If she tried to play it off, she'd be lying to herself, and we all know AJ can't do that, especially to Ivan. And no, Leap of Faith does NOT count!_


	46. Chapter 45: The Fire in Your Eyes

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 45: The Fire in Your Eyes**

_Okay guys just a few things. Number 1, last weekend I lost two days worth of writing because unfortunately my laptop's Hard Drive started acting up. I tried to turn it on last Friday night and was met with a dreaded recovery mode screen. I took it to a local repair shop where I'm still awaiting the news. But I never gave up. I acquired a Bluetooth keyboard for my class iPad and finished the chapter on that just for you guys. I know it came out a few days later than promised, but I forged on and I hope having to go through that was worth it for you guys; you guys are awesome!_

_Second, I want to thank an anonymous friend for helping me through writing out the love making parts of this chapter. Without their help, I doubt I would be finished. And I was not just going to slap together a porno and call it good. _

_Third, obviously this chapter contains a lemon. If you are uncomfortable with the fact that a human and a talking pastel pony are making love, you may skip this chapter and I will not hold it against you. _

_Fourth, any comments telling me that you got off to this chapter will be ignored. Let's keep it classy here people. Though I have faith in you guys to keep things clean. Comments that it was well-written or even up to 'Hot' are also welcome. And as usual, constructive criticism is welcome as well. _

_Fifth, with my laptop still out of commission, I will continue to use my iPad notes app to try to keep up with updating. Now I won't rush, but I'll do my best to keep an even pace for you guys. _

_Sixth, I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Not because of the adult material, but because after this chapter, OTHER characters will be getting some more spotlight time with Ivan. Although it is cliché, you won't want to miss what I have cooked up for you guys. _

_Seventh, why not some of my favorite love quotes? _

Love is a single soul inhabiting two bodies  
\- Aristotle

Oh this night could be dynamite. If it pleases you, it pleases me  
\- Def Leppard

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"_Applejack_," I whispered into her mouth as we both tried to lean into each other until I chose to give her the reigns and fell backwards gently onto the cot. She slipped her hind legs around the sides of my torso and lowered her body until our bellies touched, making our body temperatures rise. The all too familiar taste of cinnamon and apples entered my mouth as our tongues caressed, not wrestled, with one another. I gasped as Applejack moved her hooves from my shoulders to behind my neck, pulling herself even closer to me. I was surprised that with our combined weight all together like this that the cot was still holding strong, but unless it did indeed break, it really didn't matter.

Even though all we were doing was making out, I'd never felt more euphoric in my life. The longer our lips stayed together, the more we both melted away our fears and shame from earlier. I didn't doubt her, but Rarity was right on the money when she said we needed to be together to fix this. I knew I would need to thank her someday for this. Instinctively, I gently placed my hands onto Applejack's back and began to massage it up and down and from side to side, trying make the mare feel good. She rewarded me with a low moan of approval, making both of our tongues vibrate together.

I suddenly shot my eyes open and missed a breath when I felt….._something_ rubbing in between my legs. Keeping my mouth locked on Applejack's, I peered around her body and indeed noted that all four of her legs were occupied elsewhere, meaning that she was using her tail to, for a lack of a better word, massage me. I couldn't help but shudder, effectively ending our kiss as Applejack pulled away with a concerned look on her face. The crotch rubbing ceased as well, making a tiny whine sound from my mouth. "Ah…Ah'm not movin' too fast, am Ah?" Applejack questioned worriedly with a blush on her face.

"N-no," I replied breathlessly, "I just didn't realize how talented you were with your tail," I complimented with an awkward grin. A look of relief washed over Applejack's face before I began to massage her back again.

"Do….do ya want me ta hold off on that for now?" She asked me. I bit my lip, shaking my head more vigorously than I meant to. Applejack giggled again and bent down to resume making out with me. "Yer still adorable when yer flustered, Sugarcube," she whispered, making sure she exhaled heavily with her hot breath into my ear. The sensation of her hot breath on my ear sent shivers down my spine as our lips and tongues met once again. I was starting to lose my mind. Something as simple as making out combined with Applejack just being herself while trying to make me feel loved and appreciated drove me wild. Yet, I was suppressing my urges to not rush everything or do something AJ wasn't comfortable with. And then Applejack's tail began to rub against my crotch again.

"_Mmmm_," I groaned from the touch into her mouth. This didn't seem to faze her, however, as she actually pushed her mouth further against mine, seeming to enjoy the noises she was forcing from me. Truth be told, I was enjoying her being slightly more assertive than I thought she would be. She wasn't being downright aggressive, but this felt damn good. My lower body twitched upward on instinct as I could feel myself becoming hard from Applejack's strokes. She actually starting flicking her tail upward as if she were playing with me. My massaging hands moved further down her back, closer to her firm rump. I thought that since she was starting to tease me a little, I'd gladly return the favor.

I made certain to feel every strand of her orange fur as I moved my hands closer to their destination, leaving not a single one untouched. Her back muscles were (not surprisingly) extremely firm from years of hard work, increasing the tingling feeling both in my fingers and my member. I could feel the curvature of her back giving in to the softer yet still firm fur and flesh of her rump. But just as my fingers brushed over the transition, I suddenly found an invisible barrier blocking my hands. A sense of uncertainty had prevented me from touching the supple flesh. No matter how hard I tried, my modesty wouldn't allow me to feel her flanks. _'Come on!_' My brain tried to reason, _'She's touching you!'_ The making out slowed down to a crawl from Applejack, worrying me that I had possibly done something wrong.

My neck shivered as Applejack's foreleg snaked around it before reaching behind her and placing her hoof on top of my hand. I gulped when Applejack took her lips off mine again. "D-don't you hold back now ya hear?" She said in between breaths whilst sliding my left hand down to her three apple cutie mark. She even applied a bit of pressure which excited the both of us. My animalistic needs briefly assumed control and I moved my right hand down to her cutie mark on her other flank. Her flanks were a little more sensitive than I thought. I had barely begun to rub my fingers deep into her flesh before Applejack groaned appreciatively and sat nearly straight up with her head leaning backwards. "_Oooh, thank Celestia fer those fingers 'o yers,_" she exclaimed in a huffy voice and laid back down on top of me, smashing our tongues and lips back together.

Applying more pressure into her flanks and rubbing her cutie marks all over, I pretended I was fondling a pair of breasts to help give me the right track of mind to please my girlfriend. With the knowledge that her cutie marks would vibrate whenever Twilight's map called her for a mission, I pinched the images of the red fruit to see what kind of reaction I would get. It wasn't a vocal reaction; Applejack began to stroke my member more fervently. I couldn't tell which felt better, feeling the soft yet firm rump of my girlfriend or her enthusiastically touching my manhood. I finally came to the conclusion that it didn't matter. We were getting more intimate with each other; that to me was the greatest feeling that came from my heart. Like Rarity said, we were about to merge our souls into one and love each other on an entirely different level.

Applejack slightly shifted her body downward, colliding her rear with my member. "_Mmph!_" I squeaked into her mouth as 'junior' was now at full attention and felt about as hard as concrete. AJ smirked against my lips as we both opened our eyes. The two of us saw love, not lust, shining from each other's pupils as Applejack pushed against me again. I didn't stop massaging her rump, but I dug my fingers in a little more, causing her body to jolt along with mine. "You sure do know how to use them hands, Ivan," she complimented in a slightly deeper and aroused voice.

"Th-they've never felt anything this perfect before," I teased, giving her flanks another pinch. I know they weren't my most romantic words, but there wasn't much blood being directed towards my brain at the moment. Applejack's cheeks turned a darker shade of pink as she brought her forehoof up and caressed my cheek.

"You charmer," she smirked before biting her lower lip, looking behind her where her flanks rested against 'junior,' and back up into my eyes. We both understood the reason for why we'd stopped, yet I wanted to play it safe so I didn't look or sound too eager about getting to the main event. "Ah…..Ah guess it's time," Applejack blushed like crazy before looking down at my chest.

"O-only if you're-" I tried to assure her, but quickly found one of her hooves covering my lips with an understanding smile on Applejack's face. It looked rather adorable with her apple red cheeks as a background.

"Shh," she cooed, "Ah _am_ ready, Ivan," she then jumped up onto all four legs, straddling over my entire body. My eyes widened as I looked down saw the forbidden _liquid_ glistening between her rear legs from the light of the fire. "B-but the question is, are you ready?" She asked, trying to speak in a sensual voice but came off as nervous. Of course Applejack didn't have much experience with 'sexy talk,' but how good or inexperienced she was with it didn't matter. The fact that she was trying to sound more attractive just to please me made my heart swell.

Realizing that I had yet to answer her, I nodded and said that I was. My entire body shook as the mare climbed down from the cot, making sure that her tail flicked against the front of my pants where my member was threatening to burst from, and turned around to face me. I sat up, feeling slightly strange and lighter without her on top of me. I brushed it off, locking my gaze onto her own, and sat up straighter, gripping the edge of the cot. We stared at each other as my heart pounded like a jackhammer, continuously keeping 'junior' at attention as the arousal of our make out session and the sight of her liquid was one of the few things my brain was able to process.

We had stared at each other for God knows how long, but I had no clue what to do next. We both knew we were ready, but neither of us did anything as of yet. Applejack rocked back and forth on her hooves, pursing her lips tightly whilst flicking her tail back and forth. I, on the other hand, curled my toes as tight as I did my fingers, able to breath only through my nose. "So…" I began nervously, "are we still up for this?" I asked in a low voice, hoping she wouldn't assume I was rushing it. AJ blinked several times as her face turned even redder.

"Well, uh…..," she cleared her throat with a gulp, "Ah….Ah thought _you_ were gonna start, Sugarcube," AJ explained. "You do have more clothes than Ah do," she giggled warily. I looked down at my shirt and pants, looking away from my hardened manhood and back up to her. I couldn't pussyfoot around this anymore; Applejack was ready for this, and I couldn't make her feel like she's wasting her time. It was time for me to grow a little backbone.

"I-_if!_ you want me to," I sounded like I was in the middle of puberty again; my voice squeaked in several places. I covered my eyes with my hands, feeling like such an idiot for responding like that. _'I'm gonna blow this, I'm gonna blow this,_' my brain repeated several times as I breathed heavily.

"Ivan?" Applejack's hoof poked me in the arm. Needless to say, I jumped at the sudden touch, not even realizing she had moved closer to me. "It's okay ta be a little nervous, hun," she assured me, gently placing her hoof on my arm and moving it away from my face. "Ah am too," she added with a light grazing of her lips on my hand. "Would you feel better if Ah started off?" She asked me sweetly, holding my chin with one of her hooves. I swallowed as a sudden calm washed over me with her staring directly into my eyes this close to me. I tried my damnedest, but no words came from my mouth. I recalled hearing the phrase _'Actions speak louder,_' so I went with that. It was nothing too rough, but with how close we were, I leaned forward and kissed her again, wrapping my arms around her neck.

The mare jolted from the sudden move, but dropped her hoof from my mouth onto the floor and kissed me back. As we kissed, the calmness began to well up in me, nearly vaporizing the nervousness of before. It wasn't too much of a surprise to me that we were more comfortable being this close. I suddenly felt something clawing at the underside of my shirt, trying to get in. I gasped into AJ's mouth as I felt her calloused and cracked hooves from years of farm work successfully snake under my shirt and trace my stomach. We had to pause so my shirt could come off; I raised my arms as she gently stripped it off my body and tossed it into a corner. Applejack was clearly the boldest out of the two of us, and I was fine with that. She took a quick second to soak in my military chiseled body before smiling. "That's it, just one step at a time." I nodded as well, drawing her back into a kiss. Now it was my turn, sort of. My hands stroked her mane, trying to grasp at the red hair tie that held her mane in a pony tail.

With a light snap, the tie came off. Her mane sprawled out gracefully, covering both of my hands and the back of her neck. I opened my eyes as she leaned back, causing me to accidentally kiss her neck while shook her head back and forth, getting accustomed to her new hair style for the night. I pulled back from her neck in time to see her look at me as I sat back up level with her. "At least you get a show," I said jokingly, attempting to make light of the situation. Smirking, the mare didn't resume kissing, instead, she placed her hooves on my chest and playfully pushed me back down onto the cot, standing above me. She drug her muzzle down my chest, abs and stomach, inhaling my masculine scent. I groaned appreciatively for two reasons: Because her nose actually tickled against my skin, and it also turned me on even more, causing my pants to tighten even more.

"You can get one too, Ivan," she grinned as she pecked her lips just above the top of my jeans. I swear, Rarity's stitching was going to have to be the strongest ever hemmed; my jeans were about ready to have a hole punched in the front. We were both nervous, but it was a good kind of nervous that had a hint of love and eagerness sprinkled on top.

"W-why'd you stop?" I groaned out a question when she lifted her head back up.

"Uh…Ah've never dealt with these before," she placed her hoof on top of my belt buckle. Understanding, my fingers fumbled around with the buckle before I successfully unlatched it, slipped the belt out of the loops and tossed it on top of my shirt. The mare leaned forward and softly licked my abs. I raised my hands up and placed them on top of her head as her hooves worked to unbutton my pants. I didn't know if she was brushing her leg on top of my member on purpose or not, but to have her touching that area made me shiver like it was below zero.

I couldn't clench my fists together since my hands were softly petting AJ's mane, so I curled my toes tightly to not get too excited, and to help me keep my mind off how my hardened member was beginning to hurt a little from the pressure it was exerting onto my pants. Soon, I felt Applejack's hooves beginning to move faster; she was still stuck on the button above my fly. Opening my eyes, I saw an annoyed look on her face rather than the bashful one from earlier. She growled before muttering under her breath, _"Damn these stupid buttons!"_

Understanding her frustration because she had no fingers, and because my pants didn't have the snap on buttons, I removed my hands from her head and politely moved her hooves out of the way. "Need some help, there?" I asked. Like nothing, the button popped out of the hole, leaving only my zipper holding my pants up. AJ slowly looked up with a cute pout on her face as she locked eyes with me. The pout gradually transformed into a bashful smirk as she placed both hooves on either side of my pants covered penis and opened her mouth.

My eyes widened; I had no idea what she was trying to do, especially since I still had my pants and boxers on. I shifted uncomfortably as she bared her teeth whilst leaning closer to her destination. _'No, she wouldn't….'_ I tried to convince myself. I clenched my eyes shut, waiting for whatever was going to happen when she started to clamp her teeth down. _Ziiiippppp._ I groaned as she utilized her teeth to unzip my fly. The tiniest vibrations from the zipper reverberated within my crotch in a soothing sensation that made me groan. That groan was immediately exchanged for a gasp when my now boxers covered penis was hit with a blast of AJ's warm breath from her nose. Cracking open my eyes, I saw the mare staring with a blush at the tent in my boxers, making myself blush as well. Using both hooves, she wiggled my jeans down my legs and dropped them on the floor, leaving only my Captain America boxers holding up my decency.

"G-guess Ah got ya a little excited, huh?" She gulped nervously.

_"Mhmm_," I said quietly, turning away from the mare. Of course I was just as nervous has her, but I was also a little embarrassed. The fact that I was a virgin meant that no girl had ever seen junior before in this setting and with my say so. No, I wasn't getting horrifying flashbacks of the Estrus weekend, but I was still a little worried what Applejack would think of…..it. My body tingled as I felt her hoof softly graze my abs, tracing over the bumps.

"A-are you okay, Ivan?" Applejack asked. Because my head was turned away, I couldn't see exactly what she was doing, but I could hear her voice traveling closer to me along with her hooves clacking against the wooden floor. My eyes shifted over once she stopped right next to my head, staring me right in the eyes.

"Y-yeah," I stammered out. It was a flat out lie; I felt ashamed trying BS my girlfriend, but I didn't want her to worry about me. "Just a little shy," I admitted, hoping that she would overlook my little fib. She didn't say anything else in return, however. Applejack bent down, inching her muzzle close to me and gently nuzzled her cheek up against mine. A warmth spread out through my chest as her furry cheek rubbed against my bare one. Just like I had done earlier, she was attempting to comfort me.

"Aww, ya don't have ta be so shy, Sugarcube," she said in a calming tone. I swallowed and opened my mouth to object, but she placed her hoof on my mouth. "It's just you 'n me here, Ivan," Applejack reminded me. "Ah understand why ya would be, though." I blinked several times and looked away from the mare as she removed her orange hoof from my mouth.

"I…..I just don't want to disappoint you," I confessed, quickly glancing downward. I suddenly felt both of her forehooves on the sides of my face, cupping it gently.

"Ivan don't fret about that, okay hun?" She requested, softly rubbing my cheeks. She exhaled loudly, "Listen Sugarcube, just look at me."

"Huh?" I asked, puzzled at her command.

"Keep lookin' at me," she pointed to her eyes, " 'n don't watch Ah'm doin', okay? Ah just need ya ta focus on me, can ya do that?" Not wanting to disobey and kill the mood, I simply kept my mouth shut and nodded. With a trustworthy smiled, the mare connected her nose with mine, rubbing them both together tenderly. We both even made soft, light pecks on each other's lips, just innocent kisses to smooth out everything.

Swiftly, I felt Applejack's silky smooth tail brushing against the hem of my boxers. I was amazed at how well she could utilize her tail with very little effort. I wanted to look down to see what she was doing, but her request was stuck on replay in my mind. I missed a breath when her tail got underneath my boxers and lightly touched my member as she attempted to get a good grip on the hem.

"Still doin okay, Ivan?" She asked, not stopping her task whatsoever. I suddenly turned mute and couldn't say anything; I opted for a quick nod to let her keep going. "Yer doin' great so far, Hun," Applejack praised, giving the end of my nose a little kiss. I in turn bent my head down slightly and pecked her chin, making her gasp a little as she tugged at my boxers.

Her tail finally succeeded, getting a good enough grip on the hem and lifted the front up and over the head of my member. The rush of air made it twitch slightly; thankfully she was preoccupied with keeping me calm. I lifted my legs up so she could slide my underwear further down to my feet. Trying to show a little initiative, I attempted to wiggled the boxers onto my toes so I could fling them off, but AJ did that for me. Like a whip, the mare completely hooked my boxers with her tail, slid them off my feet, and flung them into the corner where my pants, shirt, and shoes were resting.

I was shivering all over, yet not just because my penis was now exposed for Applejack to see, but because I was naked with the woman I loved and was about to give her my purity. I was huffing a little from both how nervous and happy I was that this was happening. "There, wasn't nothin' to it," AJ pecked my cheek before turning around above me and inched down to the end of the cot. I heard her clear her throat when she stopped just at the edge of my waist and looked back with an apple red face. Her golden blonde mane, now much longer and messier without the tie, was hiding half her face, so she flipped it back to look at me clearer. _'…..F-f-f-f….'_ Even my brain couldn't form coherent thoughts.

With a deep breath, she walked over my member and stopped with all four of her legs in between my two legs, keeping her gaze glued to mine. "I-Ivan," she stuttered, "p-p-please…..p-please take me." She leaned forward and bent down, pushed her firm rump into the air, and moved her tail to the side.

My eyes nearly burst from their sockets.

As if she were a siren, hypnotizing me to come forth, I obeyed her beckoning call to where was waiting for me. Out of pure natural instinct, I slid my legs out from under her, sat up on my knees and inched over to her. My member pulsed as I got closer and she spread her rear legs apart, presenting her most sacred area just for me to see, and us to enjoy.

I got as close as I could before my member was able to make contact with the outside of her aroused vagina, and placed my hands on her sides to hold the both of us steady. Neither of us had uttered a word after Applejack gave me her plea; there was really nothing else to say until we began. Even though my penis had yet to touch her glistening lips, I bit my lip to keep a moan down from the heat radiating from her core onto the head of junior. I noticed my girlfriend gulp as I gently wrapped my hands around her body, preparing for my intrusion.

Looking up from my hands to her eyes, those eyes filled with everlasting love and trust, she nodded once, giving me the okay to begin. Inhaling sharply through my nose, I reached down with one hand, grasped my member, and guided it towards Applejack's entrance. We both gasped simultaneously the second my tip touched her lips. I didn't even enter, but the touch alone was plenty to make us shake and shutter. I didn't pull away, and she didn't tell me to, but it was unlike anything I'd ever felt. It was so warm and wet that my penis twitched yet again, begging me to keep going. Luckily I still had enough blood flowing to my brain that I didn't lose it and start going like a wild animal.

With my hand still grasping my member, I just barely prodded at Applejack, trying to get used to the feeling before we claimed each other's virginities. I wasn't trying to tease her. If anything, I was trying to get her prepared as well, despite not having a clue what this was going to feel like for her.

_"Mm!"_ Applejack whined, moving her body around. _"Ivan….."_ She exclaimed breathlessly, moving her left foreleg back and placing it on top of my left hand. Taking that as a signal, I gulped, released my hand from my penis, and slowly pushed in. _"AH!"_ AJ squeaked loudly as I poked the tip inside her lips. I hadn't hit her hymen yet, but I understood that she would need to get used to me being inside her like this, so I began to lovingly massage her back with my left hand. The feeling for me however, was _beyond_ euphoric. Even with just the head inside of her, it felt like a wet vice made out of velvet was squeezing junior, and it was tighter than I imagined.

"A-A-AJ," I managed to squeak out; the pleasure around my penis made it hard to talk, "I-I'm gonna move, okay?" I could barely keep my eyes open from the pleasure, but I could see her pained yet anxious, excited, and blissful face staring back at me. She vigiorously nodded, waiting for me to get the pain over with. As I prepared myself, I put my right hand onto her back near my left hand, just to help comfort her. I bit my lower lip, and pushed in even further until I hit her barrier, causing her to squeak loudly again, but this time it was more painful for her. Her breaths became spastic and shallow; she was doing whatever she could to breathe through the temporary pain.

I wanted to do this as lovingly as possible, but if I went too slow I would just make AJ's pain last longer. Knowing what I had to do, I lightly stroked her sides with my fingers, pulling junior back away from her hymen before thrusting back in more forcefully than I had previously. Instantly, I felt her barrier break and I went in much further, causing an almost overload level of pleasure for me. Unfortunately, that pleasure was short lived as AJ buried her face into the blanket on the end of my cot and screamed in pain.

"AHHH!" She squealed for a few seconds as I sat perfectly still, not daring to move or it would increase her pain. The only thing I could do was keep massaging her sides until she would give me the okay to keep going. Not even fully hilted, it felt strange to be halfway in, but that wasn't what concerned me. Tiny trickles of blood mixed with her liquid secretions was leaking out of her entrance, covering my penis. Some pleasure evaporated as my love for Applejack and want to protect her started to take over. I even felt a little guilty at causing her pain. _"Ah...Ah love you, Sugarcube," _she croaked out, just barely able to lift her head up from the blanket.

"I love you too, Applejack," I replied, still attempting to massage her in hopes of subduing her pain. I felt like wrapping her up in my arms and holding her until the pain went away, but that was nothing but a pipe dream right now. She shifted her body just slightly, trying to adjust herself to having my member inside of her, and seethed lightly. "AJ-" I tried to comfort her, but she shook her head.

"Ah..._gah!_ Ah'm...just f-fine, Ivan," she stumbled. "Ah'll b-be okay," she added, trying to assure me.

"I w-wish you didn't ha-have to face y-your pain alone," I stumbled as well as Applejack's vaginal walls squeezed my penis. A single tear rolled down her cheek as a small smile appeared on her muzzle. Her eyes clamped shut as she moved her foreleg back and placed her hoof on my hand. I ceased massaging her, afraid because I had no clue what to do next.

"_Gah!"_ She seethed again as she shifted back against me, burying my member deeper inside.

"AJ!" I exclaimed in pleasure and shock. She ignored my outburst and opened her eyes once again.

"Y-y'all can move n-now, Ivan," she granted me permission. "A-Ah can t-tough it ou-out from here," she lightly rubbed her hoof on my hand before lowering her head back onto the blanket, keeping her gaze on my eyes. "Just...please, g-go a little e-easy on m-me?" AJ requested sweetly. Slipping my hand out from under her hoof, I curled my fingers around the limb and squeezed gently.

"Okay," I smiled warmly before releasing her hoof. The mare then braced herself even harder against the cot as I gripped both hands around her torso. AJ squeaked and groaned as I pulled back until just the very tip of junior was still inside of her lips. With a sharp breath, I thrusted back inside at about the same pace as before until I was fully hilted inside of her. There was an audible _smack_ of my hips connecting with her rump.

The mare whinnied quietly; I paused for a brief second, waiting in case she told me to stop or to ease up. When she wriggled around my member, I took it as a sign to keep going, so I did.

_Smack!_

"_Oohh ffffuck!" _I moaned in pleasure as I pulled out and thrusted back inside of her, still going at a gentle pace. Naturally, I wanted to go as hard and fast as I possibly could, but I had a promise to keep for my love.

_Smack!_

_"Ivan!" _Applejack cried out my name as I continued pumping in and out of her. It was a good thing I wasn't going as hard as I could, or else I don't think I would last very long since this was my first time. The feeling of her hot vaginal walls constricting around my penis was indescribable. Even though she was a pony, and I was a human, this felt so right. Perhaps it was the hormones talking, but I'd never felt more at peace than right now.

"A-A-Applejack!" I cried out as well after a few more thrusts. "I-I love you!" I recited once again. I would definitely need to work on my 'sex talk' later, but that was just about the best I had at the moment.

"_A-Ah l-love y-you t-ngh-too!" _She said in between my thrusts. "_G-go f-f-faster, I-Ivan! Ah-Ah'm ready!" _I felt her lean back into my hips to give me a little extra encouragement. Gripping her a little tighter, I sped up my thrusts, increasing our pleasure tenfold. _"Oohh, Celestia!" _Applejack rose her head from the cot and adjusted her stance on her forelegs. She even seemed to brace herself harder to get a more pleasurable impact.

Since she was starting to feel more pleasure than pain, I continued thrusting a little faster each time. I bent down as far as I could whilst keeping up my movements. It was then I actually took notice that I would push AJ forward a little with each thrust and cause her rump to shake every time our bodies made contact. Seeing her rear bounce like that ignited a little primal urge inside of me.

She kept her eyes on mine the entire time, and seemed to know what I wanted to do as I bent closer and closer. She bent her head up as we smashed our lips together, forcing our tongues into each other's mouths out of pure passion. "D-don't...ngh...y-you st-stop n-now, y-ya hear?" Applejack said, parting our mouths temporarily. Normally I would've listened and continued to do as she wished, but I decided to try my hand at exciting her even more.

"I-I n-never qu-quit, A-AJ," I stammered before something happened. I raised my right hand off her torso and lightly smacked the cutie mark on her right flank.

"_Mmph!" _She squeaked from the contact. Realizing what I had done, I lowered my hand and started to slow down my thrusts. I pulled my mouth away from hers, feeling guilty until she wrapped her left foreleg around my neck and pulled my mouth back onto hers. _"_Ah didn't know you were that bold, Ivan," she said in a haughty voice.

"I-It just-" I tried to explain before she pulled her whole body away from me, unsheathing my penis from her vagina. I shuddered at the sudden change in temperature. My moment of puzzlement allowed her to turn around and push me onto my back with junior still at full attention. The mare flipped her messy mane back behind her head and placed her hoof on my chest, giving me a sexy look.

"Ah think it's high time _Ah_ pleasure _you_, Sugarcube," she said breathlessly, straddling my body before lowering herself onto my stiff erection. She groaned loudly as she successfully buried my penis all the way to the base inside of her. I couldn't even say anything as she began to bounce. "Sweet Celestia!" She groaned in bliss, moving her front hooves to either side of my body for leverage.

My face contorted into that of pure bliss. I squinted my eyes and tried to clench my body as tight as I could to prevent an early launch. As she bounced on top of me, I was able to gather my thoughts for a brief second and place my hands just above her tail, thrusting in sync with her. "I-I c-can't let you d-do all th-the work, AJ," I moved my hands back down to her cutie marks and squeezed them.

_"Oh, yes!" _The mare moaned in a hushed tone. Getting a somewhat naughty idea, I spread my hands out, completely covering her cutie marks before gripping her flanks even tighter, causing her to moan louder. Then, once again pretending her flanks were breasts, I squished, massaged, and just played with them. And to be honest, I didn't care that her flanks weren't breasts; they were better.

"Mmm, Applejack," I said, beginning to clench my teeth. I even put my index finger and thumb in the middle of the three apples and pinched her fur and flesh like a nipple. I was rewarded with another whinny for my efforts.

"Y-you s-sure know how t-to m-make a mare feel appreciated, I-Ivan," she again said breathlessly.

"Only the be-_hest! _for you, AJ!" I about missed a breath when she started to gyrate her hips whenever she would come down on my penis.

"Ah just love h-how frisky you can be," AJ added when I continued to play around with her flanks. The mare then slowed her pace, smirking at me with a knowing look. She placed her right foreleg on my chest and bent closer to my face, "But you ain't the only one who can get a little frisky, Sugarcube," she gave me a sexy wink.

"Huh?" I mumbled, confused by what she meant. _"Oh fuck!" _I released my hands from her flanks as my hips involuntary convulsed upwards. She squeaked in pleasure at the motion before continuing her assault on me. Like before, she was using her tail to its full potential. Except this time, I didn't have any pants to cover my balls when her tail played with them.

"Hehe," she chuckled before picking up speed with her bouncing.

"N-not f-fair," I barely managed to choke out. My penis was twitching now more than ever with every stroke her soft tail made against the underside of my balls. I could really feel a pressure beginning to grow within my loins. I wouldn't last much longer going like this, and I didn't want it to end too abruptly. With a groan, I put my hands back on her flanks, playing with them at a much faster and more intense rate. As childish as it sounds, I wasn't going to let her win!

"Ah f-figured y-you'd st-step up y-yer game," Applejack's voice was getting more and more saucy as we went on, turning me on the longer we went.

"I was trained t-to n-never give up!" I retorted, gathering the courage to raise my hand and lightly smack AJ's rear. The orange mare squealed from the contact, prompting me to do it again. It was not hard at all, but apparently her flanks were more sensitive than I thought. Our eyes locked whilst we continued thrusting against each other, trying to outdo our respective lover. Suddenly, Applejack collapsed onto me, her chest and belly pressing against mine. "HNGH!" I exclaimed from the sudden drop onto my manhood as well. She must've been on the brink as well if her increase in speed had anything to do with it.

Applejack wrapped her forelegs around my neck, raising her head into the air with a blush on her cheeks, sweat drenching her orange fur, and her tongue flopping around her lips. "_Yes!"_ She moaned as she continued to dominate me. I released my left hand from her flank and brought it up to her neck, hoping to pull her in for a passionate kiss. Yet as I did, she didn't aim for my lips. My entire body twitched as her warm, wet tongue began lap at the nape of my neck and her mane draped over my shoulder and forearm.

_"Holy shit!"_ I cursed, not knowing how sensitive my neck was until Applejack started to lap it up like a dog at its water bowl. With what little judgement I had left, I could only deduce that it must've been a way for ponies to show appreciation for their mate. Either that, or AJ had a kinky side I didn't know about.

With Applejack pleasuring my balls and licking my neck, I knew I had to up my game as well before we would run out of time. It wasn't just that I wanted to finish after her, I wanted to make her feel good as well. But with one hand playing with and gently smacking her flank, I didn't really have any other options. Unless...

Since she was licking my neck, I noticed that her right ear was practically in my face. I remembered that I'd seen her ear, and all of her friends' ears for that matter, twitch whenever she would hear something from a distance. If it was sensitive enough to twitch...

_"HUUUUUU!" _She gasped loudly, her tongue stopping altogether. I'd latched my mouth onto her ear and just suckled on it gently, ignoring the fur. I even began to suck audibly on her ear, only making her gasp louder. She increased her thrusting when I flicked my tongue on the edge of her ear, making it twitch.

The pressure inside my loins was starting to become overbearing. This was it, I knew there was nothing else I could do to hold back. The mare began to rapidly lick at my neck again as her tail tickled me at a faster rate, and I resorted back to pinching and squishing her flank. _"Yes, yes, yes, yes!" _The mare cheered, pushing herself up as I felt her body clench tighter around my penis. Before any noise came out of her mouth, she dropped back down onto my mouth, shoving her tongue inside as she screamed in pleasure and her walls convulsed around junior.

And that was the final push over the edge for me. I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes tight as my member shot my seed right into my girlfriend. We both went stiff as boards as we came simultaneously. The pleasure was still there as I opened my eyes, but all I could see was white from the euphoric bliss that had overtaken my mind. My groin area was wetter and warmer than before as AJ's liquids coated the base of my penis and my balls in generous amounts.

As the two of us came down from our orgasmic highs, Applejack collapsed her head onto my chest before sliding off to my side. She then rested her hoof on my chest, snuggling her head into my neck. I lifted my arm with what little energy I had left and draped it over her body, pulling her close. Sweat glistened off my skin and drenched her fur as we caught our breath. Junior was now limp and felt a little chilly from being exposed to the air again, but he was still feeling tingly from the mixture of our love liquids that shined from the light of the fire in the stove.

We huffed and puffed as AJ lifted her head from my neck, and I looked down at her where our eyes locked onto each other. AJ's cheeks were pink; I could feel the heat radiating off mine. In complete synchronization we smiled and raised a respective hand and hoof, reach out to one another before touching our lover's cheek.

"You were...amazin', Sugarcube," Applejack praised me in an exhausted yet pleased tone.

"Well," I smirked, "I can't take all the credit," I said as my chest continued to rise and fall rapidly. The mare gushed and leaned forward, giving me an appreciative lick on the lips before resting her head back onto my chest, keeping her eyes on mine. Even though I felt like my own heart was about to burst through my chest, I could feel Applejack's beating heart as well. The rhythm of our heartbeats were nearly in complete sync.

"Heh, Ah guess Ah really got ya goin', didn't Ah?" She chuckled, rubbing her furry cheek against my chest. I clicked my tongue, trying to come up with a decent response.

"That's what I get for thinking I could tame a wild mare," I winked at her. Applejack scoffed, lifted her head up again and shook her head.

"'N you said you couldn't find a girlfriend back in yer world," she teased before proceeding to lick my neck again. "Ah don't see how ya couldn't with that silver tongue 'o yers," she paused for a brief moment before resuming. Shockwaves of pleasure shot up my spine as she drug her tongue across my neck, causing me to stretch it back, allowing her more room to lick. Rolling over onto my side, I wrapped my left arm around her and placed my hands onto her back, massaging it gently as I kissed the top of her head.

"I didn't get it until I met you, AJ," I replied, moving my lips over to her sensitive ear. The ear twitched as my hot breath glazed over its surface. _'So, this is snuggling,'_ I thought to myself, _'We're gonna have to do this more often,' _the perverted side of my brain took over. But then I thought that if it made Applejack feel good, then it was a win-win situation. "Ah!" I exclaimed when Applejack just lightly bit down onto my neck, suckling it gently.

"Boy this neck 'o yers is sensitive," the mare teased me, beginning to nibble a little harder.

"Hey, don't get me started," I teased back, starting to nibble on her ear in retaliation. We continued to hug, kiss, nibble, and enjoy each other's warm company for a little while before we finally didn't have the energy for it and ceased, but we weren't quite ready for a nighttime slumber.

We found ourselves both laid up on our sides, staring at each other. Occasionally we'd just rub each other's cheeks, but that was all we could do as tried to think of something to say. "So," AJ pursed her lips.

"So," I copied what she'd said, lightly scratching the area on my neck where she had been nibbling. "AJ?" I asked.

"Yes, Ivan?"

"How much does this change, _us?_" I questioned, feeling like it was legitimate. Having never been in a sexual relationship before, I had no clue what we should do from here. I knew Applejack probably didn't have a clue as well, but there was a glimmer of hope that she may have some idea.

"Hmm, well, we are closer now," she replied. "'N we can definitely call ourselves lovers now," her cheeks seemed to be stuck as the color pink tonight.

"Yeah...I kinda figured that," I shrugged in response. "Maybe now we don't have to be so shy around each other?" I suggested hopefully. "I mean with all this tension gone now," I gestured down to our lower bodies where my penis and her vagina were out in the open and neither of us cared.

"Ah like the sound 'o that, Sugarcube," she finally said after a moment of contemplation. "Though Ah just wanna let you know that Ah'm not the kinda mare ta try any 'o this out in the open." I chortled under my breath and started to play with her mane, running it through my fingers.

"You're talking to the right guy," I kissed her nose. "But, I think we might want to stick to doing _that_ in here if any of your family is home." Applejack thankfully agreed with my suggestion. She then suggested that we could try to use her room if Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Applebloom were not present. I felt that was an all right idea and had no objections.

"Ya know Sugarcube, since we've crossed this barrier, 'n if yer ready, Ah think we can even shower together if we're in the mood," Applejack grinned hopefully. My cheeks were now hot enough to boil water.

"Um, uh," I could barely think, "sh-shower together?"

"Well yeah," Applejack shrugged, trying to get rid of her own blush. "Ah mean, Ah had no problems with you bein' in the bathroom the same time as me this mornin'," she explained.

"I guess that sounds good. If we can take _this_ big of a step, then showering shouldn't be a problem," I smiled, lightly scratching behind her ear. She giggled from my touch before holding my hand back with her hoof, looking more serious than before.

"But Ah'm not sayin' we _hafta _make love, we can just wash each other ya know? Really start our days out together," she tried to quell my shyness.

"I'd love that, AJ," I leaned over to kiss her. "No funny business though, right?" I asked to make sure. The mare pulled back, a smug look was on her face.

"Well, Ah wouldn't let yer guard down, Ivan," her tail quickly whipped across the head of my manhood, making me yelp. The mare giggled and draped her foreleg over my arm to pull herself closer. While I was calming myself from getting too aroused again, I had begun to think about the magnitude of what we had done.

I had absolutely NO regrets about what we did, but there was still a matter of our friends. The only one who would have any clue about what happened was Rarity, but I'd hate for Applejack and I to be hanging around all of our friends and just suddenly have Pinkie blurt, _'So, did you two enjoy your rodeo last night?!'_

Honestly, I'd rather tell them than have them find out for themselves and bother us about it, but there was an important matter to get through first.

"AJ," I worked my hand around her hoof before grasping and squeezing it gently. The mare looked up from where she had rested her head against my chest. "Look, I know that making love was an important step for us." Applejack nodded in agreement as my fingers started to rub her hoof. "And I know you wouldn't go bragging to your friends about this," I continued. Her warming smile faded a bit, but didn't disappear completely.

"Uh-huh," she replied.

"Because it's nopony's business but our own-"

"Spit it out, hun," Applejack blurted out, catching me by surprise. I didn't want to fire everything off at once and have to repeat myself, so I took a second to think about what I was going to say.

"I'm not saying we need to call a meeting in Twilight's castle," I assured her, "but I honestly believe Rarity deserves to know," I stated firmly. The orange mare's face fell flat, almost like The Terminator's face in Terminator 2 when he tried to smile for the first time.

"Rarity...?" She said the unicorn's name in disbelief, "You really wanna tell Rarity we made love, Ivan?" I couldn't tell if she was referring to actually telling Rarity what we did or that it was Rarity I wanted to tell.

"I know what you're thinking," I rubbed her hoof more intensely, trying to keep her focused. "And I understand your concern for her sense of gossip, but I truly believe that won't be an issue," I tried to explain. Applejack sat up, propping her elbow down for support as she looked me dead in the eye.

"Ah'm not angry at you, Ivan," she started off, "but please tell me why you want to tell Rarity? She's our friend 'n Ah know she wouldn't let somethin' like this slip; Ah just wanna know _why_ ya wanna tell somepony in the first place," she explained. This was going to be a little more difficult to explain than I wanted it to be. I had to make my explanation sound genuine and not like I wanted to brag about sleeping with my girlfriend.

"Applejack," I cradled her cheek in my hand, "under normal circumstances, I'd never dream of telling anyone about something this private. I know making love should just stay between lovers to keep it special, but please hear me out," I pleaded. The mare leaned her head over and into my hand, getting the full feel. My last second strategy of soothing her was working.

"Go on, Sugarcube; Ah'm listenin'," she encouraged. I let out a small sigh before continuing.

"After our little incident in the pond, Rarity took time away from working on a last minute project for a client to listen to our problems. She didn't have to, and I didn't want to bother her, but she genuinely cared for every word I had to say. I trusted her to take everything I had to say seriously, and she did. She took what I said and turned it around to tell me how to fix what was wrong."

"...She stopped workin' on a project fer you?" Applejack asked in shock. "Ah know she's the spirit 'o generosity, but even _we_ never dared ta bother her in the middle 'o the night in case she was busy," she explained.

"Yeah, she did," I replied, still stroking AJ's cheek. "She got me to calm down and to stop thinking I had ruined everything because of a misunderstanding. You could say she was the guide on our journey toward a bigger step in our relationship. If it wasn't for her and her advice on how to take the right steps tonight, it could've been weeks before we could even talk to each other without feeling guilty."

"Hmm," Applejack's nuzzling against my hand had wound down, "well, when ya put it that way-" she bit on her lip, trying to decide what course of action to take.

"I think it's only right for us to thank her for her advice by telling her we became closer," I finished by leaning over and pecking AJ's orange forehead. My girlfriend sighed, clearly still torn between keeping this private or heeding my explanation to tell our seamstress friend as a thank you. Like I had told her, had we come to this decision without Rarity's help, of course I'd respect the confidentiality of making love, but Rarity had a part in this; she had the right to know in my eyes. The unicorn really made me think hard about how much I loved and trusted Applejack.

"Oh," Applejack groaned yet smiled, "all right, Ivan. If you feel like she should know, then we'll tell her together," she quickly pecked my lips. A warm, fuzzy feeling spread throughout my body, and it wasn't just from snuggling with Applejack. I actually felt a little relieved; coming to a decision like this meant our trust was as strong as ever, just like Rarity told me it was. Even if AJ still didn't want to tell Rarity, I would've respected her decision and we would've carried on like normal. "But..." Applejack continued, snapping me from my thoughts.

"What?" I shook my head to focus on her.

"How were ya plannin' ta tell her exactly?" Applejack rested her head into my neck again. Oh crap, I didn't think that far ahead.

"Uh, well," I stammered, trying to think as I talked, "m-maybe we could bring her a pie or a bottle of cider tomorrow afternoon? Just so it doesn't seem suspicious if we suddenly ask to speak to her alone...?" I trailed off, feeling like I had given out the worst idea ever.

"Hmm, Ah like it!" She exclaimed. "Shouldn't bring too much attention to us, Ivan," she kissed my neck. "Even if she might think somethin is goin' on when we sit her down." I smiled, resting my chin on top of her head.

"Okay, I'm glad we got all that straightened out. Although, we might only have a small window if she's spending the day with Spike," I pondered aloud.

"Spike?" Applejack questioned.

"Uh, I may have asked Rarity to give Spike a chance if he asks her to go for a walk or to have coffee together," I chuckled. Applejack yawned, finally succumbing to the exhaustion of our love making.

"Ain't that sweet?" She asked. "But that should give us some more time ta get a pie baked fer Rarity," AJ smacked her lips, nuzzling against me.

"_Yeah..."_ I whispered, picking the blanket up at the end of the cot with my toes. I slid it up to where I could grasp it in my hands and draped it over the both of us before snaking my arm around AJ's shoulder to cuddle her.

_"G'night, Sugarcube. Ah love ya," _Applejack said before quiet snores emitted from her.

"I love you too, Applejack," I wrapped my other arm around her torso, cradling her close to me. As my eyes got heavier and heavier, the last thing I saw was her sleeping face full of love and bliss. Waking up tomorrow next to her and spending another day together, especially on Hearts and Hooves Day no less, was going to feel like Heaven.

**End Chapter 45**

* * *

_So, how was my first lemon scene? I know it may not be up to par with what you guys were expecting, but I'm not used to writing this kind of stuff. :/ Have a safe weekened everyone! _


	47. Chapter 46: The Libel Strikes Back

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 46: The Libel Strikes Back**

_So, welcome back everyone! I have such great news! Today, I finally got my laptop back from the computer store! Even BETTER news, ALL of my files were intact and I got them transferred to my new Solid State Drive. I can't even describe how elated I was to see all of my files safe and that I hadn't lost any data or chapters._

_Also, I can say I'm so proud of all of you who reviewed and kept your reviews clean and classy. I knew I had good faith in all of you; give yourselves a round of applause. ^^_

_Anyway, in this chapter, things to shift in tone, and more characters get the spotlight along with Ivan. What other characters will we see? Well, you'll just have to wait. I'm so hyped for what's to come that I just can't wait to get there._

**OBSERVER01: **_Thank you!_

**SkullCrusher550: **_I'm still reeling from how much people like them together._

**Dixie Darlin: **_Well, since the Mane 6's marks all vibrate now, I can kinda see how they could be a little sensitive._

**Uss71832: **_Thank you so much for reading it!_

**SquirtlePWN: **_All I can say is that I knew the intelligence of my readers and I wasn't going to insult you guys by writing a straight porno. You guys deserve the best, I gave you the best that I could, and I'm happy it paid off._

**knightofstories141912: **_Sometimes shyness can be cute; I tried to use that to my advantage_

**Jarius Black: **_Yeah, I figured a few people were, but thank you for not bringing it up too much (if at all). I was nervous as hell writing that chapter too_

**Srey: **_The only explanation I can have for the finish is that it's a story. I know it's a cop out, but it's also really romantic; they work so well together that more than their heartbeats are in sync_

**Rena Tramer: **_Thank you Rena!_

**Monkeyboy0118: **_No...that's impossible_

**ShiningShadow1965: **_I just wanted a real love scene._

**StacheKing: **_You know, when it was published, I always looked at the confession chapter as the pinnacle of what I should be able to write when it comes to emotional chapters. Seeing that, in your eyes, I've surpassed it means a lot. Arousal was not on my mind; I wanted readers to feel the love between AJ and Ivan. And to answer your question, no she won't become pregnant from this._

* * *

**(Carousel Boutique; 3rd Person POV)**

Amidst a quiet and peaceful morning in Ponyville where Celestia's sun was just beginning its morning ascent above the horizon, the town's expert and generous seamstress was politely snoring away under the scarlet covers of her bed. A pink and yellow sleep mask covered eyes, preventing anything from interrupting her slumber. Her project, the one she's worked tirelessly on before and after her friend Cougar's late night appearance, sat on a mannequin in the corner of her room, completely finished. The white unicorn had worked well past two 'o clock in the morning before she put the last touch on the dress. Needless to say, she was exhausted and more than eager to get some beauty sleep.

Her cherished cat Opal was curled up at the foot of Rarity's bed, purring away softly as the seamstress mumbled in her sleep. _'Hmm Hmm, why Twilight of course I'd be honored to make Spikey a tuxedo for his birthday.' _The mare rolled over onto her side, accidentally kicking Opal in the side.

"MEEEOOOOWWW!" The feline screeched as she fell off the foot of the bed with a thud. However, Rarity didn't hear a peep whilst deep in sleep. Hissing, Opal picked herself up off the floor and quickly groomed her front paw which had become frazzled from the fall.

_'Applejack, keep Winona away from my precious Opal...'_ Rarity mumbled again through her quiet snores. Rolling her eyes, Opal jumped back on the bed just as her tummy began to rumble. The sneaky cat crept up to her owner and started to playfully swat her Rarity's purple mane, attempting to wake her up. On instinct, Rarity swatted at the air around her mane, dreaming that something was trying to ruin it. _'Cougar, please keep control of your phoenix,'_ Rarity began to toss and turn.

Grumbling, Opal lightly latched her teeth onto the edge of Rarity's sleep mask and gently tugged at it, hoping that would be the last bit of effort she needed. "Mm, Sweetie Belle you're old enough to make your own lunch. And I stayed up very late last night!" Rarity shoved Opal away and off the bed again. The feline hissed loudly yet again, her already thin patience nearly worn down, and it was barely 8:00 am! Suddenly, Rarity sat up in her bed, alarmed. "Wait, Sweetie Belle is at mother and father's!" The mare exclaimed, her magic removing her sleep mask.

When her deep blue eyes were exposed to her bedroom, Rarity only saw some messy covers and an angry kitty cat hissing at her from the floor. Giggling in relief that it was just her pet, Rarity stretched her back and forelegs, groaning in satisfaction. As her muscles stretched and her bones popped, Rarity said, "Oh Opal, you know mommy is perfectly fine with you sleeping in her bed," she smiled and climbed down from her bed. Opal glared at the pony and stuck her nose in the air, walking out of the room. "I'm sure you're hungry, darling; I could use some toast," the unicorn quickly straightened out her covers and put her sleep mask into her nightstand drawer.

"Hmm, I would like to get a little more beauty sleep, but I must prepare Fleetfoot's mother's dress for shipment," a rather unladylike yawn shot from Rarity's mouth. "Customer satisfaction is the lifeblood of a business," she added to her cat as she wiped some sleep from her eyes. Opal led the way downstairs, though not as enthusiastically as a dog would, and arrived at her food and water dishes next to the refrigerator. Her owner trotted in, still looking as tired as she felt, and swiftly opened the pantry with her blue magic. "Would you prefer the fish or the chicken this morning, dearie?" Rarity questioned, holding two cans of cat food in the air.

Opal pointed to the chicken can with her paw, licking her lips as she could almost taste her breakfast. Rarity hummed a little tune as she put the fish can back into the pantry and opened the can of food her cat had chosen, dumping it into her food bowl. "I _should_ get you some fresh water," she added, levitating the stainless steel water bowl up to the sink, rinsing it out, and refilling it. "Nothing but the best for my Opal-Wopal," the unicorn nuzzled her hoof atop the cat's head.

After her precious pet was taken care of, Rarity flipped on the coffee pot to warm it up, got out two pieces of wheat bread, and inserted them into a toaster. "Oh my, I'd better eat this grapefruit before it spoils," she said to herself after digging through her refrigerator for some cream cheese. Since she wasn't feeling too famished, the fashionista decided that just a mug of coffee, two pieces of toast with cream cheese, and her grapefruit was all she needed to get her day going. But as the coffee was brewing, the bread was toasting, and she meticulously started to peel her fruit, she couldn't help but think of the night before.

"How do you think Cougar did with Applejack, Opal?" The unicorn asked her cat. Opal looked up from her food dish for a brief moment before resuming her feast. "The poor dear was so down last night, but as much as I know him, I've never seen him give up," Rarity smiled. She politely put the first piece of grapefruit skin onto her plate, pondering about her words to her friend. Obviously, she meant every word, but she felt like she could have helped him even more. To come over that late at night just for advice only further proved Cougar truly loved Applejack. Oh how Rarity wished she could have a stallion who loved her the same way Applejack was loved by her Coltfriend. The mare then giggled lightly as she continued to peel her snack. "Opal, can you imagine? Moi feeling a tad envious toward Applejack?"

Opal ignored Rarity, moving over to the water bowl for a drink. "Oh don't fret so much darling," Rarity waved her hoof, "mommy is certainly happy for both Cougar and Applejack. Why I dare say they could be the perfect-" her thought was interrupted by a noise coming from the front of her home.

_Knock, knock, knock_

Rarity looked at the clock above her kitchen door, reading that it was only about ten after 8:00. Her store didn't open until 9:00, so it must not have been an early customer. Nevertheless, Rarity was a proper lady; it would be extremely rude to ignore whomever it was at this time of morning. "Do make sure my toast does not burn, would you Opal dear?" Rarity requested, getting up from her chair and trotting out of the kitchen.

As the mare made her way through her home and to the main area of the ground floor, she felt something itching at the back of her mind, something she had promised Cougar to do. She knew that today was Hearts and Hooves Day, and that the promise had something to do with the particular holiday. If only she didn't have to stay up so late the previous night.

But alas, no matter how hard she searched through her memory, all she could remember was working on the dress, and lifting Cougar's spirits. _"Oh curses!" _She muttered under her breath. "What about Hearts and Hooves Day was so important that I promised Cougar I'd do something?" She asked herself, pausing in the middle of the dressing area.

_Knock, knock, knock_

The seamstress's eyes locked onto the front door of her boutique, drawn to the knocking that was intruding on her morning. Not that she didn't mind visitors, Rarity liked to enjoy peaceful and quiet mornings. More often than not, if Sweetie Belle was staying overnight, Applebloom and Scootaloo would be bounding inside early in the morning to collect her younger sister for school. She was used to loud mornings, but she yearned for a relaxing one today after a strenuous night.

However, she could see the green spines and the top of a purple head poking out from the bottom of the little window of her boutique door. The figure stood patiently, waiting for Rarity to answer. Immediately knowing that it was Spike standing at her door, Rarity felt happier that it was he who was interrupting her morning. Of course, she wouldn't mind if it were any of her friends, but since Spike had been so loyal and helpful to her for so long, a visit from him was not an opportunity she would waste.

The mare hurriedly trotted over to the door where her magic unlocked the latch and gently opened the door. The little bell clanged loudly, signaling to the dragon that the door was opened. "Why, good morning Spike, what brings you by?" Rarity asked in a chipper mood.

"Morning Rarity," Spike grinned. In his claws the dragon held a brown paper shopping bag and a red envelope that had Rarity's name written on the back. The mare cocked her head for a moment, curious as to what Spike had brought her, and if Twilight had sent him. Rarity quickly shook her head free of thoughts, not wanting to keep the dragon waiting. "Oh, I didn't wake you up, did?" Spike asked worriedly, fearing that Rarity's shake of her head was her trying to stay awake.

"No, no," the unicorn giggled, trying to alleviate the dragon's fears, "I've been awake for a little bit. Just getting ready to start my day," She added. "But do come in, Spikey," Rarity stood aside, allowing the purple reptile to enter her home. "Did Twilight send you with something?" She questioned as she shut the door, leaving Spike standing in the middle of the dressing area.

"As long as I'm not keeping you from anything important."

"Don't be silly, Spike," Rarity joined her dragon friend, "I always make time for friends," She smiled. "Now then, is there anything you require?"

"Well, not exactly," Spike cleared his throat. "I mean, I thought I'd stop by in the morning in case you were busy later today," he explained, reaching into the paper sack and produced a carton. Rarity's blue eyes widened at what Spike had gotten out of the bag; her mouth began to water slightly.

"Is that...vanilla oat swirl?" She eyed the ice cream carton like a bear eyed a fish. She knew it wasn't very ladylike to stare at anything like this, but vanilla oat swirl was her favorite sweet treat. Spike nodded with a proud smile, happy that Rarity liked his gift. He gradually let the container go as Rarity's blue magic engulfed it, levitating it over to herself. "Thank you so much, Spikey-Wikey," the unicorn gushed, making the purple dragon's cheeks turn scarlet at her use of his nickname. "What's the occasion?" She motioned for him to follow her into the kitchen.

"Uh, well it _is_ Hearts and Hooves Day; I thought you might like a little treat for yourself," Spike explained.

"Aww, you're so thoughtful Spike!" Rarity exclaimed, throwing her forelegs around the dragon in a hug. This time the dragon's entire face turned scarlet from being this close to his longtime crush.

"I-It's nothing, really. But I did get up early today to make you this too," he managed to slip the envelope through Rarity's grasp. "Well actually I made a card for mom first," he added to himself. Curious, Rarity set her little carton of ice cream into the freezer and opened up the red envelope.

Rarity's eyes scanned the front of the card which was obviously made by Spike like the dragon claimed. On the front of the white card, in cursive writing, was the words _To the Greatest and most Generous seamstress in Equestria._

_'Those years of writing letters for us and Twilight has given him beautiful calligraphy,' _Rarity thought to herself. Under the writing was a personalized drawing of a sewing machine, a threaded needle, and her three diamond cutie mark, all drawn in a pink heart. "I had no idea you were quite an artist, Spike," Rarity looked up to give the dragon an appreciative look.

"Eh, I'm not that good," Spike rocked back and forth on his feet, trying to not to giggle like an idiot.

"Don't be so modest, darling." Rarity opened up the card. In it was a message, once again personally written by Spike.

_Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Rarity. I hope you finally find your special somepony. Your generous heart deserves another to share life with. I always enjoy seeing you happy. -Love your always loyal friend, Spike the Dragon._

Rarity slowly lowered the card to look at Spike who looked a little embarrassed by his choice of words. "Spike...I don't know what to say," the unicorn looked down at the floor, truly speechless.

"Thank you is always good enough for me, Rarity," Spike gave her a toothy grin. Suddenly, Rarity was hit hard with the memory of last night. More specifically, she remembered what she had promised Cougar. She looked back up at Spike, feeling like she must repay him. However, she didn't feel obligated too; she _wanted_ to repay him. Even though she believed he didn't come over seeking a date or to spend the day together, Rarity decided that she herself would make the offer. "Rarity?" Spike asked, waving his hand around after Rarity seemed to drift off into space.

"Hmm?" The seamstress asked after finally hearing Spike's words.

"Are you sure I didn't wake you up? You looked like you were ready to doze off," Spike rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm more than positive you didn't Spike," Rarity smiled. "I was just deep in thought, that's all." Spike looked relieved after getting confirmation that he didn't awaken Rarity. "Tell me Spike, do you have any plans this morning?" Rarity suddenly asked out of the blue. Spike froze, thinking that his mind and ears were playing tricks on him.

_'She didn't really ask that. I'm just hearing things,' _he tried to convince himself.

"Or does Twilight need your assistance?" Rarity continued. Spike gulped, still unsure if he had heard his crush correctly, but chose to answer what he thought he heard, just in case.

"Well, mom didn't really have any plans for this morning. We usually just hang out together in the evening you know? Eat dinner and read some passages from our favorite books, or comic books in my case," he shrugged. "Though now that I think about it, she may have lunch in Canterlot with Flash Sentry, but I'd have to ask her about that," he tapped his chin.

"Perfect!" Rarity exclaimed. "Spike, would you like to join me for breakfast at Sugar Cube Corner?"

"...I'm sorry?" Spike squeaked, now truly convinced he needed to get his hearing checked out.

"Don't be so shy, Spikey-boo," Rarity giggled at his reaction. "You made me a beautiful card and bought me my favorite ice cream. The least I could do is treat you to some breakfast." She tucked the card back into its envelope and laid down gently onto her dinner table.

"B-but," Spike stuttered, still utterly shocked at the turn of events. He and Rarity have had at least lunch before, but that was a mutual agreement between the two of them, and they've never shared a meal on Hearts and Hooves Day before. "Don't you already have breakfast going?" He motioned toward the coffee pot, the toast that had popped out of the toaster, and the barely peeled grapefruit on the table.

In a flash, Rarity poured her coffee into a travel mug, dumped her cold toast into the garbage, and put her grapefruit into the brown bag Spike had brought along. "I did, but this will be much more special. And I will NOT take no for an answer, Spikey," Rarity stated firmly. Spike opened his mouth, but Rarity shushed him, "And do not even say it; _I _will foot the bill as a thank you, Spike," she pecked his cheek, making him freeze again.

"W-well I-if yo-you insist," he stumbled, following her out of the kitchen. The fashionista grabbed her saddle bags and put them onto her back, ready to go. "So, shall we, Spike?" She held the door open for him. Pursing his lips, Spike nodded and exited the boutique as Rarity locked it up.

After a pleasant walk through town, the two arrived at their destination. Both of them noted, however, that they had received some strange looks as they passed by the townsponies. Rarity and Spike brushed it off, thinking that others may believe them to be a couple now, even though the thought made both of them blush. "Good morning Rarity, Spike," Carrot Cake greeted from behind the counter.

"Good morning Carrot Cake," Rarity grinned. "How are the twins doing?" She asked excitedly.

"They're doing just great, thank you for asking," the yellow earth pony grinned. "In fact, they're almost ready for pre school. They grow up so fast," he added with a pout.

"Anyway, what can we get for you two?" Cup Cake appeared next to her husband.

"First off, I would like a chocolate croissant if you please," Rarity said politely. "And would it be all right if I drank some of my own coffee and ate my own grapefruit?" She questioned, holding the travel mug and bag in the air.

"Of course, Rarity; we're not too stingy about outside food or drink once in awhile," Cup Cake waved it off, picking up a chocolate croissant.

"And for Princess Twilight's son?" Carrot asked. Spike studied the glass case full of pastries and other breakfast items.

"Hmm, can I get the Moose Special?" He requested, pointing to the largest doughnut in the cabinet.

"No problem," Carrot Cake whistled, grabbing the pastry with a pair of tongs and putting it into a white bag for the dragon. "That comes to six bits please," he added up the totals. Rarity levitated ten bits out of her saddle bag, putting six into Carrot's hoof and the other four into the tip tub.

"Thanks you two!" Rarity and Spike said at the same time. The two turned around to go find a table to sit at, only to bump into Lyra and Bon Bon. "Oh, good morning!" Rarity said in a chipper voice.

"We're not in your way, are we?" Spike asked, stepping to the side as he clutched his giant doughnut in his hand. "Woah, what's wrong?" He asked after getting a good look at the married couple. Rarity noticed it too, feeling slightly worried for her friends. Lyra rubbed her left foreleg, unable to speak as Bon Bon bit her lower lip. Clutched between her foreleg and torso was a copy of the Ponyville Gazette newspaper.

"Uh, Spike, Rarity," Bon Bon began uneasily, "have you two or AJ and Cougar seen the newspaper today?" She asked wearily, as if she were about to throw up.

"No, we haven't," Rarity shook her head, confused why the newspaper was so important. "And I haven't seen Applejack or Cougar today as of yet," she added.

_"Oh colt," _Lyra mumbled under her breath. Bon Bon groaned, nervous at Spike and Rarity's response. The tanned earth pony had no choice but to hoof over the paper to Rarity.

"Look, before you read it, we just want to let you know that we have NO clue who did this," Bon Bon swore. Ever curious, both Spike and Rarity stood close as the white unicorn opened up the newspaper to a section Lyra and Bon Bon had bookmarked. Immediately, Spike's jaw dropped and he missed a breath, grabbing one side of the paper.

Rarity, however, began to shake. The paper rustled as her magic started to falter as her emotions ran rampant through her mind. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She screeched so loud that all the windows in Sugar Cube Corner cracked. Everypony covered their ears as Spike and Bon Bon tried to calm her down. The scream echoed all the way throughout the town, alerting every resident that something was wrong.

In the castle of friendship, Twilight jolted from the outburst, accidentally dropping a few books into a nearby fireplace. "NO!"

"Oh no, please calm down!" Fluttershy begged as the scream awakened a few sleeping animals within her house, causing them to run around in fear.

"OW!" Rainbow Dash rubbed her head as she failed to duck when Tank was flying by, distracted by the scream.

"Yay!" Pound and Pumpkin cake clapped as Pinkie accidentally dropped a bag of flour all over her body.

* * *

**(Sweet Apple Acres; Ivan's POV)**

I felt warm. And it wasn't just from the furry orange mare cuddling up next to me under the covers. If I could describe it, I'd say I felt more...peaceful. Having seen my world go through so much Hell the last seven years, finally having trusting friends and being able to open up to them made me feel like I was reborn. I always had Reaper and my squad mates to rely on, but even then I liked to keep to myself most of the time.

Although I was asleep, I could vividly remember my dream. It was nothing too spectacular, just a vision of myself cuddling with Applejack. Yes I was dreaming of sleeping, but again, I've never slept this good in my entire life. The best part was getting to wake up and look into Applejack's eyes.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Or maybe not. The window rattling screech alerted my pilot's mind that something was wrong. Without even realizing it, I found myself leaping off the cot and getting into a defensive stance in front of Applejack.

"What the hay is goin' on?" She demanded, wrestling around with the blanket. Feeling a slight breeze between my knees, I looked down to remember that I had no pants or anything on at all. Biting my lip, I dove towards my pile of clothes and yanked my boxers and jeans on, leaving my torso shirtless for now.

"I heard someone scream," I finally replied to Applejack. The scream was so loud that I could still hear the echo. AJ jumped up from the cot as well, stretching her back and all of her legs. I poked my head out the door, looking to see if it was Applebloom or Granny Smith that had shrieked. I only saw the farmhouse sitting quietly with some smoke puffing out of the stove pipe. Then I recalled that Applebloom was probably in school by now. "Doesn't look like it was anyone here," I remarked, running a hand through my hair.

"Ah think Ah know who it- ow! Was," Applejack grimaced. I turned around to face her after her outburst of pain, feeling concerned. "Rarity," she added when I didn't say anything. I studied the mare as she gathered her hair ties and Stetson from the ground, looking for any other signs of pain. We took a few minutes to freshen up and get ready to start our first Hearts and Hooves Day together, even if it meant just normally hanging out around the farm or even in town. But the natural protector inside kept bugging me to ask Applejack something.

"Are you feeling okay, Applejack?"

"Don't worry none 'bout me, Ivan," the mare said sweetly. "Ah'm just a little sore from last night is all," she blushed at referring to the memory.

"I wasn't too-" I tried to ask.

"You were _perfect, _Sugarcube. Ah'm happy ta trade a little bit 'o soreness ta be yer mate," she winked, standing on her hind legs to kiss me on the cheek. Blushing, I cleared my throat as she landed back on all four hooves. "Now then, how 'bout some breakfast?" She suggested. Feeling perplexed, I grabbed the golden pocket watch that Celestia gave me on my birthday off my nightstand. It was just nearly twenty minutes after 8:00.

"Uh, that sounds great, but shouldn't we go check on Rarity?" I questioned, putting the pocket watch back on my nightstand. Since Celestia said it was over 900 years old, I didn't want to risk breaking it. Applejack laughed before turning back around to face me.

"Ivan, you've been here for a good while now. Don't you know by now that Rarity freaks out over the littlest things?" She asked me.

"Well, yeah," I scratched my neck, "but that sounded like a real scream of fear," I tried to debate.

"All her screams do, Sugarcube. We can go into town later after breakfast and see what was wrong, though," she said with a smile. "It was probably a moth or somethin' flyin' around her room," Applejack laughed. Then, without warning, there was another sky piercing sound echoing throughout the town. This time it was not a scream, but the sound of something or some_pony_ breaking the sound barrier. We both rushed outside to see the aftermath of a rainbow colored ring of condensation dispersing above Ponyville. A cyan colored missile, almost camouflaged with the sky, hurtled toward us at Mach 1.

"GET DOWN!" I shouted as the object aimed straight for us. We both leapt out of the way as Rainbow came in blazing hot, crash landing into the ground and sliding into Big Mac's apple cart. Rainbow Dash stood up, shaking her wings and her head.

"WHAT IN TARNATION IS WRONG WITH YOU, RAINBOW!?" Applejack screeched, hopping up from the ground and marching over to the confused looking Pegasus. The cyan mare looked over at us and zoomed over to Applejack, grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.

"Guys! Thank Celestia you're already awake. You've gotta come back with me to Sugar Cube Corner!" Rainbow continually shook my girlfriend, never giving her a chance to answer. "Everypony is waiting on you two!" She added. Applejack shot her forelegs out, pushing Rainbow Dash away. The farm pony held her head to get her vision straightened out and glared at her flying friend.

"What's this all about, Rainbow?" I asked, holding onto Applejack's shoulder. She shot a look of despair at me before gulping.

"I'm not sure if AJ told you about this when it happened before, but... you, AJ, Rarity and Spike are stars in the gossip column," she shook. I could only feel confused; I actually never was told my friends and girlfriend had been featured in tabloid articles before. It couldn't have been too bad.

"HEH!?" AJ's jaw dropped as she froze.

"But this time, IT'S WORSE! All I did was skim through a story on Rarity and Spike before I zoomed all over Ponyville gathering everyone up. They're waiting at the bakery, so MOVE YOUR FLANKS!" She got behind us and punched us both in the butt.

"Hey, watch what you're grabbing there, Rainbow," I said, only half teasing. I was fine with hugs, but any sort of other touching was to be done by doctors or Applejack. The Pegasus rolled her eyes and kept pushing us toward the exit of the farm.

"We've got to settle this down before word spreads out of Ponyville, so move it!" Rainbow repeated like a drill sergeant.

"So we, Spike and Rarity are in a tabloid, so what?" I asked after AJ and I got into a jog as Rainbow flew overhead. "Plenty of celebrities from my world were in tabloids all the time."

"So what?!" Applejack burst, turning to look at me. "The last time a tabloid column hit our town, everypony nearly went nuts! Ponies had ta fend off lies from their friends or had embarassin' secrets revealed fer everyone ta see," she rose her voice with every example.

"Okay I can see how that would get on your nerves," I admitted as we crested the small hill that would lead us into town. Off in the distance, I could see what appeared to be everyone going about their normal business. That's when Rainbow flew down and hovered in front of my face.

"And the worst part was our _sisters_ were the ones behind Gabby Gums!" She exclaimed. I wanted to stop so I could fathom that Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were the ones responsible for a tabloid column, but I knew Rainbow would just try to shove me forward again. "They even went as far as to post a lie that I liked getting hoofacures, or publishing Rarity's entire diary!"

"Damn..." I muttered. What in the hell would posses those sweet little fillies to publish someone's private thoughts? "Okay, you guys have a legitimate reason to be a little concerned," I admitted.

"Exactly why we can't have another source of gossip in town. It'd just put a sore spot on everypony's lives," Applejack lightly tapped my arm.

"Well uh, do you think they started it up again?" I raised an eyebrow at Rainbow. The cyan mare shook her head back and forth, bobbing her rainbow mane.

"No; they didn't get as nasty as the story about Rarity," she explained. "And this new writer is named Lucy Lips, not Gabby Gums," she added, turning back towards town, flapping her wings faster. I was beginning to see this was a much bigger deal to them than I'd assumed. I guess since normal every day ponies were targeted in the past, it hit them harder than when celebrities were slammed back on Earth.

"But you already know what the story says, Rainbow?" Applejack questioned, walking a bit faster to keep pace. She didn't make any audible sounds of pain, but I noticed her limping a bit with her rear legs.

"I really only know the summary, but not too much. I was cloud busting with Tank when Rarity's scream broke a few windows at Sugar Cube Corner!" Rainbow exclaimed. "I flew over to see what was wrong, and Spike showed me what Rarity had read."

"Well, what'd it say?" AJ demanded, nearly going into a full gallop. The two mares were moving so fast I had to break out into a sprint to keep up.

"It mainly said Rarity used Spike and our sisters as slaves for her quote unquote sweatshop," Rainbow air-quoted with her hooves. "You know barely feeding them, beating them when they wouldn't cooperate, and paying them a bit per week!" Applejack then growled like a grizzly bear. It wasn't even a story about her and she was getting pissed off. I couldn't even imagine what her reaction would be to the story about us.

"Of all the nasty things ta do ta hurt somepony!" AJ growled.

"I know!" Rainbow exclaimed, "and all I could see about your story before I came to find you and everypony was a picture of you and Cougar hugging. I thought I'd come get you guys before I could read anymore," she explained.

"Oh God," I grimaced. It _was_ worse than I thought. "That's not gossip, that's dragging names through shit!" I exclaimed, feeling an urge of anger welling up inside at the story about Rarity. If the author of this column would go that far on Rarity… then I could only fear what the one about Applejack and I said.

"Now you're starting to get..._it_?" Rainbow slowed down to a near stop as we reached the edge of town. Both AJ and I slowed our pace so we wouldn't out run our Pegasus friend. I didn't even ask why she came to a near stop; everyone was staring at us. And I don't mean just watching us out of curiosity. They were _studying_ us like the kids from _Children of the Corn._

"The starin' has already begun" Applejack gulped.

"They can't really believe any of this, can they?" I asked, looking from side to side at the various townsponies. That's when the whispering started.

"I think you just got your answer, Cougar," Rainbow said into my ear.

"It's already spreadin'," Applejack said in a low voice, pulling her Stetson down a little to cover her eyes. Over near the flower shop, the three flower mares continuously whispered amongst themselves and shot judgmental glances in our direction, each time with furrowed eyebrows. I wasn't too shocked if _they_ believed what was printed in the paper; those were the kind of girls I remembered in high school. Always overreacting to everything and talking nonstop crap about others.

Our pace slowed even more down to rival that of a _funeral march._ Rainbow swooped low the ground; her uncomfortable aura prevented her from taking flight as normal. Even though it was an emergency and we were rushing at first, this judgmental atmosphere made it like we were traveling through a tar pit. The Pegasus eventually touched down to the ground in between myself and Applejack, huddling close to the both of us. Since all she knew was Rarity's story, I could lend my sympathy to her for being scared of what the story on myself and AJ said. "Try to ignore them," I muttered as we walked past the Quills and Sofa shop.

"No offense Sugarcube, but at least yer used ta the stares," Applejack peered up at me from behind her Stetson. I had to think about that one for a moment; I couldn't tell if she was telling me to shut up for pointing out the obvious or that I shouldn't complain about the stares.

"Okay then," I replied, looking back up to where we were going.

"This is really creepy!" Rainbow whined, trying to hold up her composure. "I usually like my awesomeness being soaked up by other ponies, but I feel like I'm on trial here!"

"We may as well be," I said, shooting a look at a few ponies that were gathered around the town hall. The instant I looked at them, they averted their gaze, trying to remain inconspicuous from myself, AJ, and Rainbow Dash. As we made our way through the streets, the sound of galloping hooves caught my attention. Turning to the side, I saw a familiar grey furred and cross eyed Pegasus running straight at us.

"Rainbow Dash!" Derpy called out, not slowing down. Rainbow and Applejack turned just in time to see Derpy collide into me, instantly falling backwards onto her flanks from the collision. The clumsy mare rubbed her bum and shook her head of the stars as I helped her to her feet. She looked rather concerned.

"Look Derpy, we'd normally love ta stay 'n chat," Applejack lifted up her hat to look Derpy in the eye.

"But we've got...uh..." Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck as a blush invaded her cyan cheeks. She couldn't think of anything to say.

"No!" Derpy shook her head again, "Carrot and Cup Cake sent me to look for you. When you hadn't come back after about two minutes with Cougar and Applejack, they got worried," Derpy explained.

"Did they read Applejack and Cougar's story?!" Rainbow shrieked louder than she meant. Now even the whisperings stopped as the whole town square watched us.

"I don't think so, but all I know is that Rarity's not holding up well. The shock's gone away, but now she has like a dark cloud hanging over head. It hurt me to see her like that," Derpy pouted. I dropped my head low; Rarity didn't deserve any of this. Not especially after going out of her way to help me and Applejack last night. How could someone be cruel enough to make someone as generous as Rarity break down?

"Celestia dammit!" Rainbow cursed. "Look Derpy, we're on our way back to the bakery, okay? If you can, could you please try and convince everypony that what the newspapers are saying isn't true?" The Pegasus begged. Derpy nodded and saluted Rainbow Dash with a goofy grin.

"You can count on me, guys!" She flapped her wings excitedly before turning around and slamming head first into a light post. "Hey, somepony oughta move this thing!"

"Speaking of your sisters," I turned to look at Rainbow and AJ, "should we or just you two go and talk to them? They should know about this before any of their classmates bring it to their attention. And obviously tell them it isn't true," I added.

"An' maybe see if one 'o their classmates knows who's behind this," Applejack rubbed her chin. "Unless Cheerliee has a copy 'o the paper 'n talks ta them about it." That made me feel a little better. At least Cheerilee would know that it's just a bunch of libel and slander.

"GUYS!" We suddenly heard a screech. Up ahead was Sugar Cube Corner. The place actually looked a little creepy to me. I've always seen ponies going in and out of it in the mornings, but it looked pretty deserted, save for Pinkie waving her foreleg at us like she was on speed. "OVER HERE, HURRY!" She shouted into a megaphone that she pulled from her mane. With a quick glance between the three of us, we bolted towards the bakery, regathering our urgency from before, and ignoring all the soul piercing stares from everyone else along the way. As we approached closer and closer, I could make out the spiderweb cracks in the bakery's windows from Rarity's freak out. They were thick cracks too; the Cake's would have no choice but to replace them or risk somepony getting injured.

When we got within a few feet of the building, I saw Carrot Cake through one of the damaged windows putting up a red CLOSED sign. "Hey, if they're closed-" I started before Pinkie grabbed Applejack and Rainbow Dash, yanking them inside the sweet shoppe.

"Hurry Cougar, come in!" Cup Cake waved her light green hoof at me. Without a second thought, I bolted in the door as the earth pony mare shut and locked it. As I always do when entering a building, I took a quick survey of the area, only to find the bakery stark empty with the exception of the Cake family and my friends. Even Lyra and Bon Bon were here too.

"Why are you two closed?" I asked as Cup Cake trotted by me to join my friends while Carrot Cake began to fill glasses of water. I could barely make out the sound of Pound and Pumpkin Cake playing together behind the counter.

"All of you need your privacy for this," Carrot replied, glancing from the sink. I looked from the yellow stallion over to my friends, only to see all but AJ and Rainbow Dash looking a bit ill. "A few other ponies were already gathering in here to pester Rarity and Spike, so the missus and I shooed them out while Rainbow Dash gathered the rest of you," he added.

With a quick sigh, I marched over and took a seat in between Bon Bon and Applejack. All of us were situated around the biggest table in the shoppe. A copy of the town paper, opened up to the first article in the Lucy Lips section, was opened for all of us to read. "I'm so thankful Pound and Pumpkin can't read yet," Twilight gulped, placing her chin on her hoof.

"So, have any of you found out what else is printed here?" I asked, trying to get to the bottom of the situation. Everyone, minus AJ and Rainbow Dash, turned their attention near me to Lyra and Bon Bon. The candy making earth pony sighed, nodding her head as Lyra shut her eyes tight.

"W-we only read all of Rarity's story," Bon Bon admitted, solemnly tapping her hoof on the tile floor. She looked like she had more to say, but she kept her mouth shut.

"After we got the paper this morning and stumbled across this new section," Lyra spat, "we quickly read Rarity's story, skimmed the headline of the your story to see what other crap this monster cooked up, and we read _our_ story." The aquamarine unicorn growled, sliding the paper over to myself and Applejack. Rainbow Dash cocked her head to the side, puzzled just like AJ and I were about hearing of Lyra and Bon Bon's own piece of gossip. We were the only two left that had yet to read the story. I furrowed my eyebrows into an almost angered expression. Applejack and I leaned forward and scanned our eyes across the headline of the story.

_'Rarity Belle: Element of Generosity or Selfish Child Enslaver?_

Below the headline of the story was a picture of Rarity apparently in a shouting stance, pointing her hoof at Sweetie Belle and Spike when he was a baby dragon. Applebloom and Scootaloo were standing wide-eyed in the corner in the back of the picture. The caption below the picture pretty much stated what the scene looked like; that Rarity was using the fillies and Spike as some sort of sweat shop workers.

I gripped the sides of the table, sighing deeply to help control the rage boiling my blood. Applejack snorted as she read the story for herself. I on the other hand was at war with myself, debating whether or not I should read the crap printed in the paper. I jumped when Applejack slammed her forehoof onto the ground hard, cracking the tile a bit. Eventually I gave in and chose to in fact read the story just so I was on the same page as everyone else.

As Rainbow had said earlier, the 'author' of the piece stated that according to rumors, Rarity's success was all due to her treating Applebloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Spike as near slaves. Forcing them to work for little pay, abusing them when they refused or messed up, and never fed them. The article also stated that the bruises that showed up on the Crusaders were proof that Rarity struck them.

"I-I feel as though I'm going to vomit," Rarity said in a sniffle. I looked up from the paper, ready to flip the table through the window, and saw the seamstress's face stained with mascara. My anger dissipated slightly at the sight while Spike and Fluttershy comforted their friend.

"Poor dear," Cup Cake cooed as she and her husband sat a huge tray of water onto the table. "I can't fathom how somepony could write something so awful!" I drummed my fingers atop the table, biting my lower lip to hide my emotions. I wanted to growl in anger, but at the same time, I felt my eyes getting wet because of my sympathy for Rarity.

"Of all the sick things to post about someone!" Spike exclaimed as he scratched the claws of his left hand on the chair Rarity was sitting upon. There was a loud _screech_ as he damaged the wood. "Especially you, Rarity," he added softly. The mare began to sob a little, wiping her eyes with her hooves.

"Even a cupcake can't fix this..." Pinkie's hair just deflated like a flat tire as she looking solemnly at a cupcake. She then tossed it behind her before resting her chin on the table. Rarity then tried to choke back a sob, but it was in vain. She began weeping audibly, using her magic to cover her nose.

"Sw-Sweetie Belle is my b-baby sister! I-I'd never l-lay a h-hoof on her! I l-love her!" She wailed, throwing her forelegs around the dragon standing beside her.

"You were right, Rainbow," Applejack said, holding her hoof on her face. "There ain't no way our sisters would ever write somethin' this cruel." I gulped, looking away from the site of Spike comforting Rarity, only to lock eyes with Twilight. She looked depressed as well, but still tried to maintain her sunny disposition.

"You know, it's one thing to post a story that somepony may be a softie," Rainbow spoke up, "but _this?! _This isn't trying to poke fun at somepony, this is trying to hurt them," she finished with a growl, grinding her teeth together.

"So, what do the other stories say?" I questioned again grimly, narrowing my eyes at the purple alicorn. Twilight sighed, engulfing the glasses of water with her magic, moving them to the side to gain access to the newspaper.

"We don't know, Cougar," she replied. "We've only been here to comfort Rarity, and Spike's a little shaken up to tell us what the rest of her story says." Right, my anger and sympathy for Rarity made me forget that I had asked that before. "None of us, not even me, could read this after what happened to Rarity," she turned to her unicorn friend who was still sobbing into Spike's chest.

"We followed Rarity and Spike to tell them what was in the paper," Bon Bon repeated, "we really didn't have time to read anything else besides the one about us." I scoffed, knowing that we had no choice but to read on. What I really wanted to do was rip this newspaper into a million piece and burn it to save my friends heartache and embarrassment, but that'd just be denying that there was a problem. "And I hate to say it, but ours involves Fluttershy too in a way," the candy making mare admitted. Fluttershy sharply gasped and whimpered at the same time. Her pupils shrank and she bit her quivering lower lip.

"Look, I know most, if not all, of us can't bear to see what other crap is printed in this," I lightly smacked my hand on the paper, "but we're going to have to know what's been written already so we know what to look out for in case bullshit stories about the rest of you are already in the works!" I exclaimed. "You don't want to be caught off guard and make it seem like you're trying to BS your way out of what might be the truth to others."

"Please watch your mouth; our children are still here!" Carrot Cake requested from behind the counter. I held my hand up apologetically, truthfully forgetting that Pound and Pumpkin were still present in the bakery.

"Come on Rarity, why don't you have something to drink?" Spike held a glass near Rarity's head as she pulled away from his chest. The mare only stared at the glass before burying her head back into Spike's chest. She was too distraught to even drink something; my anger only continued to stay.

"I...I'm too scared to look!" Fluttershy covered her mane over her eyes.

"Fluttershy," I knelt down onto my knees, "I know how scary it can be if an enemy either knows something you want to be kept secret, or they're spreading false information to diminish your trust between others. But the ball is in our court now; we're gonna have to play the game."

"I-if it's all the same to you, I don't feel much like reading anymore," Rarity whimpered, looking away from the newspaper and into Spike's chest that she buried her head in.

"Okay," I rubbed my eyes with my hands, "fine, that works too," I sighed as Twilight's magic took hold of the paper and flipped the page. I almost regretted even suggesting reading on. With each every eye scanned, we got more shocked, more hurt, and angrier. Well, Rainbow, Appejack, and I got angrier while Lyra and Bon Bon shook with disgust; the others didn't really know how to react.

I couldn't even decide which story was the most abhorrent. All three got more sickening every time I re-read them. "Okay, I just _have_ to say this! Does Rarity even _look_ like a pony that do that sort of thing to poor little Spike?!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as the pony in question set the paper on fire with her magic. The part about Rarity using Spike and the Crusaders as sweatshop slaves wasn't nearly the worst part of the article. It did catch a lot of us off guard that there was more than what Rainbow Dash had told myself and AJ. I wanted to throw up.

_'But not only is Ms. Rarity Belle under suspicion of child enslavement, there are certain speculations that a certain dragon assistant of Princess Twilight Sparkle was forced into inappropriate relations of a sexual nature with the seamstress,' _the article concluded with that caption under a picture of Rarity pecking Spike's cheek in appreciation. Spike _was_ a little shaken up at the article, but Twilight looked ready to murder anyone that stood in her path. The mare grinder her teeth together and breathed in and out as hard as Michael Myers, flaring her nostrils and wing. Suddenly, the newspaper sizzled up in a ball of purple fire from her horn.

"WHO WOULD WRITE SUCH A THING ABOUT MY SON!?" She screamed, scaring all of us and making Pound and Pumpkin cry. Pinkie Pie ceased acting angry and tried her best to calm down the twin ponies.

"I don't know!" Spike reached over with a free arm and gently squeezed Twilight's shoulder. "But let's not get too carried away yet, mom. I'm angry too, but we shouldn't do anything too rash until we know more," he said softly. The purple alicorn bowed her head down and ever so slowly, her breathing returned to normal. She folded her wings against her body and turned to Spike with a weak smile.

"That's my boy," she grinned before nuzzling her cheek against his.

"But we can bring the law to their butts for slander," I interjected. "I'm pretty sure Celestia made a special law about this sort of journalism after the Gabby Gums deal right, Twilight?" I asked. Twilight thought for a moment before giving me an unsure shrug.

"I'm honestly not so sure, Cougar," she admitted, "we _can_ check with her, but there's still a certain degree of what can be printed and what can't be. Though I'm positive she'll understand why we want this ripped from newsstands."

"Look, I'll be one hundred percent honest here. I'm really concerned with will happen to Applejack's family," Lyra chimed in. Oh boy, I was too. Of course only AJ and I knew we had made love for the first time last night, but telling Rarity today was completely off the table. However, I've always known that not everyone would agree to our relationship. We both agreed we didn't want our love making to be public, yet if everyone believed she used me as a fucking _sex_ _toy_ because of this, then some ponies may not want to do business with them at all anymore if they thought she was having sex with a 'biped' as I was referred to as in the article.

"Yeah, and no offense to you guys, but I know you aren't even remotely close to that step in your relationship," Rainbow patted me on the back. "I mean, Soarin and I have been together way longer than you guys, and we only barely started doing that," she admitted out loud. I shot her a 'what the fuck' look, Mr. and Mrs. Cake covered their kids' ears, and Twilight rolled her eyes.

Speaking of Applejack, she couldn't even finish the story about us because of how embarrassed, pissed off, and hurt she was because of it. I knelt down to my knees so as to be eye level with her, but she still couldn't say anything, even when I softly kissed her cheek and massaged her back.

"Seriously, those..._things_ just freak me out to be honest," Lyra shivered. "No offense," she added, darting her eyes between Spike, Carrot Cake, and myself. "Yeah, it's true Bonnie's not _really_ just into mares; she does find some stallions attractive."

"But I'd _never_ cheat on you, Lyra!" Bon Bon held her wife's hoof. "Especially with Caramel of all stallions. There's really not much to him," she added. And that's how Fluttershy was tied into all this. According to this, Bon Bon was secretly screwing Caramel behind Lyra's back, which in turn made him sound like he was cheating on Fluttershy.

_'We have no word yet on how Fluttershy is dealing with this development in her courtship with Caramel. But we can only guess she's heartbroken. What seemed like true love at the Gala may turn out to be a heartbreaking love rectangle.' _The article showed two pictures. One of Bon Bon selling candy to Caramel, and one of Caramel and Fluttershy together at the Gala.

"That's it!" Twilight suddenly declared. "I've got to get Celestia and Luna in on this in case these stories reach Canterlot! Especially since Celestia possessed Spike's egg until I hatched him, and Luna is good friends with Cougar," she added. She then summoned parchment and a quill out of thin air. "I mean, how do we know this is just isolated in Ponyville?"

Okay, Twilight, you write that letter to Celestia and Luna. Applejack, Rainbow, and Rarity, you three go to the school house to talk to the fillies. Maybe they might know someone on the school newspaper staff who is feeding these stories to the town paper," I nudged my girlfriend, reminding her of her idea from our walk over here. Applejack smiled a bit at my enthusiasm and stood up from resting her head on the table.

"Ah think we can manage that, Ivan," Applejack nodded as she helped Rarity to her hooves. "We'll be back as soon as we can," she added.

"We'll join you in getting rid of these papers when we're done!" Rainbow saluted as she and Applejack helped Rarity out of the bakery.

"And the rest of us," I pointed between Fluttershy, Pinkie, Spike, Lyra, Bon Bon, and myself, "run around collecting these papers from everyone in town. I know most of them have already read every single story, but at least if we cut them off, we can keep more ponies from reading them. We've also got Derpy on our side telling everyone that these stories aren't true."

"Got it!" Spike, Pinkie, Lyra, and Bon Bon exclaimed, forming a small group in front of the door. Fluttershy gulped and nodded, clearly uncertain about being able to take something from someone else.

"Fluttershy, you can distract some ponies while I sneak the papers away, how about that?" I suggested.

"Oh...okay," she said in her usual soft voice.

"I just pray we're not too late," I said our little group headed out into town, going in separate directions.

* * *

**(Celestia's Chambers; 3rd Person POV)**

Princess Celestia, co-ruler of the land of Equestria, stood at the glass and gold plated doors of her personal balcony. She was busy admiring the valley which held Ponyville as the light of her sun glazed over the small village. The several thousand year old alicorn smiled, thinking of how happy her citizens were on a day devoted completely to their loved ones. She cast her gaze to the giant clock which was hung above her golden fireplace, seeing that it was only 8:30 in the morning. "Cadence must already be working overtime," Celestia smiled as she turned back to look at her reflection in the window of the balcony door.

_"Zzzzz," _Glock, her personal bodyguard and Coltfriend, snored peacefully from her bed. The poor stallion was forced to pull a double shift until four in the morning due to Remington requesting to clock off early. The other guard wanted to prepare a special day for his wife; Celestia and Glock fully understood and granted his request, but not without some disappointment. Celestia was hoping to snuggle a little before turning in and allowing her sister Luna to take command of royal duties for the night.

The sun alicorn remembered Glock collapsing into her bed from the exhaustion of standing in one spot for so long after she turned in for the night. She hoped that she would at least be able to say goodnight, but he was asleep before his head hit the pillow. The Pegasus guard didn't even get to take his armor off.

Celestia had been up for just a bit over two hours now. She couldn't bear to disrupt her coltfriend's sleep, so she'd crept out of bed quietly to raise her sun and make sure he stayed asleep. She had to shoo several servants away so they wouldn't bother Glock; this meant that she hadn't had breakfast yet. Celestia refused to eat until Glock was awake and ready.

With another look at the clock, Celestia decided that it was time for her bodyguard to awaken so they could enjoy Hearts and Hooves Day together. She worked painstakingly at some paperwork after the raising of her sun so she could have a free day; she was going to enjoy every second of it. Celestia quickly yet quietly trotted over to Glock's side of the bed where his head and left foreleg hung off the edge. She giggled as his legs twitched while he slept and he smacked his lips. "You're so loyal, Glock," she whispered, lowering her head. "But now it's time to wake up, sweetie," she pressed her lips onto his.

"Mmph!" Glock's eyes shot open as Celestia gently forced her tongue into his mouth. Despite being of Royal blood and acting like such round the clock, Celestia was also a mare that had desires and needs. She loved Glock and enjoyed being able to act like a normal mare whenever they had downtime. The Pegasus guard's shock died down as he kissed back.

"Good morning my faithful bodyguard," Celestia greeted as she pulled her tongue back into her mouth.

"M-morning, Tia," Glock caught his breath. "How long have you been awake?" He asked, standing up from the bed and stretching his muscles out. He sighed in frustration as he realized all of his armor was still on. Now it was going to chafe and feel sweaty all day.

"Only a few hours, dear," Celestia quickly smoothed out the sheets and blanket of her bed with her magic. "Happy first Hearts and Hooves Day, Glocky," she added with a teasing grin, throwing a foreleg around Glock's neck. The guard happily returned the hug at first, enjoying waking up in his princess' chambers with Celestia waiting for him. Even though they'd been together for a little under five months, she was still gladly helping him loosen up a little when it was just the two of them or when they were with familiar company like Luna and Checkered Flag. Over twenty years of being her stoic bodyguard wasn't going away overnight, but Glock was also willing to act more comfortable around his Tia. His eyes then shot back open as his brain processed the holiday his marefriend had mentioned.

"Hearts and Hooves Day?!" He exclaimed in what seemed like a panic. Stepping away from Celestia, Glock tried to maneuver around the alicorn, but found himself halted in his tracks by her golden aura. The princess felt bad about sending her coltfriend into a bit of a panic.

"It's okay, Glock," she tried to assure the Pegasus that was trying to wriggle out of her magic. "It's no problem to me that you forgot; you _did_ have to pull a double shift last night," she kissed his cheek. "I don't hold it against you," she added. After a brief intermission of silence, Glock chuckled, prompting Celestia to release him from her magical grasp. Glock's golden hoof plates _clanked_ gently on the marble flooring as he righted himself.

"Tia, I actually didn't forget that it was Hearts and Hooves Day," the Pegasus took off his helmet, setting it down on Celestia's bed.

"Oh..." Celestia blushed, embarrassed she had assumed the wrong information.

"Heh, I just remembered that last night before I came to bed, I had the chefs whip up something just for you," he rubbed his cheek under her neck. The alicorn's heart fluttered; she enjoyed both Glock's presence and his touch whenever they were close. "Would you like me to have them bring it in, or do you want to stay like this?" He asked as she re-wrapped her foreleg around his torso. The mare scoffed, looking down at him with a pout.

"Don't make me choose!" She playfully begged. It was then that it registered with Celestia that Glock said he had the palace _chefs_ make something for her. To her, that could only mean one thing..."Yes!" She exclaimed excitedly, "you may go if you must," Celestia attempted to regain control of her excitement.

"Uh Tia..." Glock tapped her foreleg. Blushing again, Celestia released her grasp around Glock and set her hoof onto the marble flooring. She cleared her throat and darted her eyes around, hoping to get rid of her overly excited state. Glock quickly removed the rest of his armor, feeling refreshed and more comfortable without it. He couldn't help but notice Celestia ogling him every few seconds.

"So...I'll see you in a few moments?" The sun alicorn guessed, opening the door for her Coltfriend. Glock smirked, heading for the door, but stopped halfway into the hallway. He turned around and stared at Celestia. "Is something the matter, dear?" she questioned.

"Well, since it _is_ our first Hearts and Hooves Day, why don't you just come with me?" He asked, holding out his hoof for her to take. "I think a morning walk would be great," he added with a smirk. Celestia's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at the request. She instantly zapped herself out into the hallway, and pulled her bodyguard out of her room, slamming the door shut.

"I think that's a _wonderful_ idea, Glocky," she nuzzled her cheek against his. Feeling his face warming up, the stallion gestured ahead with his hoof, allowing the lady to take the lead on their way to the kitchen. As the couple walked side by side, past dozens of other guards, a few of them had to hide the envy from their faces.

"Lucky motherbucker," a grey unicorn guard muttered under his breath as Captain Glock and Princess Celestia rounded a corner.

"Mmm, I can already smell it, Glock," Celestia inhaled deeply with her nose as they stood outside the palace kitchen. The two ponies could clearly hear the numerous chefs talking to each other, and the sounds of various kitchen utensils being utilized.

"Yeah, I guess I was kind of too obvious," Glock raised an eyebrow. Celestia managed to gain her composure one last time before they would walk into the kitchen to get her present.

"It doesn't matter to me if you were too obvious or too vague, Glock. The fact you thought to get me a present means more than the gift itself," she lightly grazed her wing on his back.

"I just wanted to show you how much I truly care for you, Tia," he replied, putting on a proud smirk. The alicorn smirked as well before bending her head down to whisper in his ear. FWOMP! The guard's wings immediately shot out, luckily avoiding smacking his marefriend in the side.

"Heh heh, I'm so pleased you like that idea," Celestia said as she pulled away. Before any of his fellow guards could see, Glock's wings softened enough to where he could fold them back against his torso. "I wonder if Luna and Checkered Flag have eaten yet," Celestia pondered. She had greeted Luna earlier that morning when the moon had to be lowered and the sun had to be raised, but she didn't know whether Luna and Checkered Flag would eat before going to sleep.

Since her baby sister was more of a nocturnal pony, Celestia knew that Luna liked to sleep until mid morning after she would lower the moon. But since it was Hearts and Hooves Day, Celestia had a suspicion that Luna would only be out for a quick nap so she could spend the day with her Coltfriend. "Well, since Princess Luna's doughnut obsession has been leaked, she probably grabbed half a dozen for her and the racing pony to snack on," Glock shrugged as Celestia's magic engulfed the kitchen door. Just as she was about to swing it open, one of the chef's burst through and bumped into Glock.

"Ah, Captain Glock, and your highness," the tanned unicorn bowed. "Are you here for Princess Celestia's gift, Captain?" He asked the Pegasus. The alicorn wanted to greet the palace's head chef as politely as she would greet all palace personnel, but the site of what she guessed to be her Hearts and Hooves Day gift made it difficult. Celestia's eyes darted up and down, from the kitchen to the head chef as she licked her lips.

"Ahem, yes Chef Whisk," Glock cleared his throat, nudging Celestia's leg with his shoulder. "If it's ready, of course," he added.

"Oh my," Celestia snapped her mind back to the conversation, "s-sorry about that, Mr. Whisk," she apologized. "Just a lot of royal duties on my mind," she pursed her lips. Both the chef and the captain of the royal guard glanced at their princess, feeling slightly off about her tone.

"It's..quite all right, your highness," the unicorn cocked an eyebrow before turning back to Glock. "And yes, Captain Glock, your present to the princess is ready. I love giving my crew a good challenge," he stepped aside to allow the duo to proceed into his kitchen. Celestia had to bite down hard onto her lower lip to keep from slurping her tongue like a hungry dog at the site of her present.

"Princess Celestia!" One of the other chefs exclaimed in shock, quickly tossing their spatula to the side to take a quick bow.

"OW!" An earth pony chef shouted as the kitchen utensil hit her in the back of the head. As all of the chefs bowed at their princess' entrance, Celestia's eyes almost bulged out of her head. A giant five layer red velvet cake with buttercream frosting stood in the middle of the kitchen. It was just slightly taller than the tip of her horn.

"Rise, chefs," Glock commanded when it became obvious that Celestia's mind was elsewhere occupied. Before the Pegasus could say anything else, he found himself being squeezed like a teddy bear.

"Oh, thank you so much, Glock!" Celestia cooed loudly, hugging him closely and kissing his cheek. Glock blushed when he noticed a few chefs pointing and laughing at him.

"_A-anything, f-for you, T-Tia,"_ he tried to reply, but the alicorn's vice-like grip was cutting off his air. Somehow, the captain successfully slipped from her grasp and took a few steps away, catching his breath.

"Are you okay, sir?" The head chef whacked him on the back a few times.

"J-just fine, Chef Whisk," Glock coughed. "Do you have the knife with you?" Nodding, Whisk's green magic surrounded a large butcher knife on the counter and levitated it over to the Pegasus. "Tia?" Glock called to his hypnotized marefriend. "Would you like me to do the honors?"

"Hmm, oh yes of course, Glocky," Celestia smiled.

"HA! GLOCKY?! I've gotta remember that!" A bright orange Pegasus chef guffawed. The captain of the Royal guard shot the chef a look that made him melt in fear.

"Would you like to go through _my_ personal training program?" Glock sneered. "That's what I thought," he rolled his eyes as the other pony turned away from him. Scoffing, Glock took the knife into his hoof and started to cut out a large slice of cake for Celestia when...

**SPLAT!**

A large chunk of cake, right where Glock was cutting, exploded right into his face. Celestia may have been several thousand years old, but she still had quick reflexes. She threw up a golden shield of her magic, preventing any cake from hitting her. Glock on the other hoof, wasn't so lucky. The poor guard's entire front of his body was completely coated with red and pink frosting and cake filling about an inch deep. His mouth hung open as he held the knife in mid air, shocked that the cake had just blew up.

"That...wasn't supposed to happen," Chef Whisk gulped. Some bits of cake dripped off the Pegasus, splattering onto the ground. On instinct, Glock licked some cake off his lips, getting a taste and trying to get rid of the dessert.

"Well, it tastes good," the knife clattered to the ground. "I didn't know you'd get that excited, Tia," Glock tried to make light of the situation.

"It wasn't me, Glock," Celestia's magic shield disappeared as she approached her cake covered Coltfriend. Wiping his eyes, Glock saw a rolled up scroll floating in the air where the chunk of cake used to be.

"Bad time to send a letter," he muttered, reaching for a cloth. Celestia took the scroll into her magic and undid the ribbon holding it together. But before she read it, she bent down and licked some cake off of Glock's cheek, making him shiver from her touch.

"Mmm, this gives me an idea," Celestia mumbled to herself and made a mental note. She then turned her attention back to the scroll where she easily recognized her longtime student's magic calligraphy. "It's from Princess Twilight Sparkle," she announced, reading the signature on the bottom.

"Well, what does it say?" Glock asked, digging some cake out of his ears with the cloth. Celestia's face fell the more her eyes soaked in the information on the scroll. One thing that made the princess uneasy was the fact that it was a rather short letter. She knew Twilight Sparkle loved to go into detail about whatever she deemed worthy enough to write to Celestia. The next few minutes in the kitchen were spent in silence. Celestia read the letter over again and again. She had to guess that Twilight wrote in such a hurry that she didn't have time to put in much detail. And what was this about avoiding newspapers?

"Something troubling has happened in Ponyville that requires both my and Luna's attention," the alicorn said after she had read the letter over and over for about five minutes. She lowered the letter from her eyesight; Glock peered over to see exactly what the Princess of Friendship had sent his marefriend.

_Dear Princess Celestia, I am writing to you in a state of emergency. Something awful has befallen our village, something that harms several of my friends. Please come down to Ponyville at your earliest convenience to help us with our situation, and ignore any newspapers you may see in Canterlot. -Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle_

"Something's happened that they need _your_ help?" Glock asked in astonishment. Of all the things he'd seen Princess Twilight and her friends stop; Nightmare Moon, Discord, The Everfree Forest from taking over Equestria, The Changeling Invasion, King Sombra's return, and Tirek's return, the fact that they needed Celestia and Luna to be there meant it must be _bad_.

"If my faithful student requires my assistance, I shall not leave her in the dark," Celestia's eyes turned white and her horn glowed golden. There was a huge flash of golden light that flooded the castle kitchen. Everypony shielded their eyes to not go blind as Celestia performed a certain spell.

"Oh Checkered, I love you so much," Luna moaned. Celestia had used a different variation of her teleportation spell. One that allowed the user to transport something or somepony to them rather than the other way around.

"Perhaps I should've contacted you through our mental link first," Celestia blushed as her baby sister was busy kissing her Coltfriend. The dark blue alicorn and light grey earth pony ceased kissing and looked around at the different environment they were in.

"TIA!" Luna barked as her face turned a flush red. She scrambled to stand straight and look presentable to Glock and the kitchen chefs. Unfortunately, her silver crown was hanging crooked off her head, her usually flowing dark blue mane was messy and tangled, and the feathers on her wings were pointing in different directions.

"I-I apologize, baby sister," Celestia gulped, understanding if Luna wanted to strangle her right now. She'd feel the same if her making out with Glock would have been interrupted so rudely.

"Morning, Glock," Checkered cleared his throat and smoothed out his black and white mane. The guard nodded in acknowledgement, trying to suppress a smirk.

"I do hope you have a good explanation for this!" Luna stomped over to her older sister, glaring at her with a pout. Without wasting any time, Celestia literally thrusted the letter into Luna's face, hoping to avoid being yelled at in Luna's Canterlot voice. She was the baby sister, but Luna sounded downright terrifying in her Canterlot voice, even to Celestia.

"I understand if you two had plans, Lulu," Celestia gulped, "but if Twilight Sparkle is in need of our assistance, we shouldn't turn her backs on her after all she and her friends have done for Equestria," she stated firmly. The Princess of the Night rolled the scroll back up and set it gently onto the kitchen counter with a sigh.

"Fine," she conceded, "perhaps when we are done, a stroll through the countryside would be a good Hearts and Hooves Day activity, Checkered?" Luna smiled at her Coltfriend.

"That sounds great, Luna, but why don't Glock and I go with you?" The racing pony questioned. "I think helping you two help your friends could be a great way to spend Hearts and Hooves Day together." Both sisters looked at each other, a smile growing on each of their faces.

"I don't see how that could be a bad idea," Celestia turned back to the two stallions.

"We'd still spend the day together, yes," Luna rubbed her chin. "It appears my worries of being apart from you today were for naught, Checkered," Luna rubbed her nose against the earth pony's. "Shall we fetch the chariot, dear sister?"

"Freshen up, gentlecolts," Celestia said to Glock and Checkered Flag, "we'll be departing in about five minutes. "Glock, can you get the chariot pullers ready?"

"Of course, Tia," Glock quickly bowed.

"You may want to freshen up too, Lulu," Celestia giggled at how frazzled Luna still looked. Groaning, Luna quickly zapped herself to the Royal bathroom while Celestia made her way over to the chariot hanger of the castle.

"Hey Glock, can I ask you something?" Checkered requested as the two walked side by side ahead of Celestia.

"What's on your mind, Checkered?" Glock asked, not looking at the earth pony to appear business as usual in front of the other guards of the castle despite not being in uniform.

"Why is there cake behind your ear?"

**End Chapter 46**

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_Tune in next time where new subjects are touched upon, and emotions are tested._


	48. Chapter 47: It Just Gets Worse

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 47: It Just Gets Worse**

_All right guys, so over the course of the past week, I worked hard to 'George Lucas' the previous chapter. I wasn't too thrilled that I had Lucy Lips print so many stories at once, so I reduced them. If anyone wants to go back and check that out, you're more than welcome to. And I want people to know that the main point of this newspaper arc is it's a social commentary on how people will believe anything they read without gathering facts and evidence, with a little twist at the end. And while I mention this in the end author's note, the next chapter will be a mini one, comprised of four mini scenes. I am choosing to do this because A) this chapter was getting super long, B) a lot of people actually respond well to my mini chapters, so I'll treat you guys to them once in awhile, and C) I can write out mini chapters relatively fast, and the chapter that takes place after this whole Lucy Lips fiasco is going to require as much time as I need to perfect; you'll find out why when the mini chapter is over. _

**Nostalgia Cop: **_I have no clue_

**SkullCrusher550: **_Thank you; I try hard for you guys_

**OBSERVER01:** _All right! Another Harry Potter fan! Yeah, I was trying to go for a Rita Skeeter feel :)_

**Random Guy: **_The press is the press no matter where you guy unfortunately_

**Dixie Darlin: **_I can't even fathom how pissed I'd be if I were interrupted like that :P_

**ShiningShadow1965: **_Thank you; I have pretty big plans in this chapter for that_

**SquirtlePWN: **_A lot of fans really are divided on the whole Ponyville Confidential episode. And actually I was originally planning on Lucy Lips to resurrect the Gabby Gums name, but then I'd have to write out the scene where the Crusaders are interrogated, and I didn't want to do that. _

**Srey: **_So yeah, I changed up the last chapter since you last read it. As for the slander, it really boils down to who it really is. And for AJ it IS slander. No one expects them to take a huge step that early in their relationship. To everyone else, they haven't, and they both don't want their sexual lives to be known, at least not right now._

**Uss71832: **_There really should be a harsh penalty for tabloid articles._

_Okay guys, we're at 199 subscribers! Only one more for 200!_

Also, if there are any artists out there interested in drawing fanart of AJ and Ivan, please don't hesitate to contact me :)

* * *

**(Ponyville; Ivan's POV)**

Thank God we only had to search high and low through Ponyville for copies of the _Ponyville Gazette_. There would have been no way we would've been successful had this occurred in Las Pegasus, Canterlot, or Manehatten. Though, we probably would've been done earlier had Rainbow Dash been available. Another lucky break we had was some ponies had yet to either get up or grab their papers from in front of their houses. Lyra and Bon Bon had rushed back to their home to grab their own saddle bags to carry extra papers; I saw Spike a few times either burning papers he snatched from ponies or shredding them; Pinkie would pop out of the weirdest places and shock some ponies enough to give her an opportunity to grab a few copies. I still had no clue what she did with the newspapers. This left Fluttershy and myself on a team since the timid pegasus would in no way be able to take something from somepony else without permission or if Equestria were in danger.

Fluttershy would at least try to convince certain ponies to give up the papers while I stood next to her for support. More often than not, both of us would get strange stares even before we asked to take their newspapers. Unfortunately, only a handful of ponies willingly gave up their papers when we had no choice but to ask; others weren't so willing. Fluttershy sometimes hid behind me whenever a pony would get angry and start cursing. That's when I had to step in, tell the pony to calm down, and take the paper without their say so. I didn't feel good stealing, but it was for a good cause to save my friends from falling prey to libel and slander.

We had gotten halfway through searching and cleansing the village when Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity appeared from the schoolhouse. Rarity's eyes were still red and puffy, and she wasn't talking very much, but she had at least stopped sobbing uncontrollably. AJ told us that their sisters nor Cheerilee or any of the school kids knew anything about another gossip column going around. Cheerilee apparently even took them through the school newspaper room to search it. They turned up nothing. Thankfully they were more than willing to help us collect the remaining newspapers to speed up the process. And with Rainbow now available as well, it took less time than we originally envisioned. Hopefully Twilight already had that letter sent to Celestia and Luna. Finally, after nearly half an hour, we all met up at the office of the paper with Lyra and Bon Bon's saddlebags ready to explode. "One more stop, guys," I stated firmly, staring into our reflection of the window on the door.

"But, we already gathered up papers from every newsstand, citizen, and business in town," Fluttershy replied modestly, peering around me into the office.

"Don't you see, Fluttershy?" Lyra put a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "We've got to make sure that the office won't print anymore of these papers," the aquamarine unicorn tapped her saddlebag, "and that they won't print any future Lucy Lips stories," she explained. The buttery pegasus let out a meek, _"Okay,"_ understanding what we were getting at. I knew that right away we were going to show that we had every copy that we didn't destroy with us to get the owner's attention; we didn't have any time to waste only to have him shoo us out the door.

"Ivan, are ya sure ya know what ta say?" Applejack lightly put her hoof on my arm. "If they were willin' ta print those stories, ya might have ta speak their language or somethin'," she advised me. I hadn't put _too_ much thought into what the conversation would turn into. I'd pictured it as us telling the staff and the owner to stop printing Lucy Lips stories, show them that we had every copy of the paper and that we'd destroy the rest of them, and mention that the princesses know what the paper had been printing, just to strike a little fear into them. I had no plans for threats of violence, just a little warning that Celestia and Luna may not be too kind for what they've done.

I put my other hand on top of Applejack's hoof, and caressed it gently. "This shouldn't take too long or get too messy," I winked at her. Applejack smiled in return and stepped back, allowing me to proceed into the building. The smell of wet ink and fresh newspapers snaked its way into my nostrils while the cacophonous sound of clacking typewriters, trotting hooves, and shouting voices assaulted my ears as I stepped into the building. About half a dozen ponies were running around, trying to perform various tasks; some even had a few ink splotches on their fur

"Eww…." Rarity seethed, "I didn't realize it'd be so….messy in here," she darted her eyes around, checking to see if she might accidentally step into some ink.

"It's newspaper ink, Rarity," Bon Bon nudged the seamstress' shoulder with her hoof. "That's like complaining garbage is smelly," she rolled her eyes as Spike and Lyra chuckled. Rarity pouted and glared at the candy making earth pony as the last of our group stepped into the building.

"Hmph, _my garbage does not have an offensive odor whatsoever," _she mumbled under her breath. I stood a few feet from the front desk, scanning my eyes behind said desk, looking for hopefully either the owner, manager, or at least even the editor of the paper. Since I didn't know exactly who it was, I guessed I'd look for the loudest shouting pony in the back.

"Whoo, they need ta open some windows in here!" Applejack took off her stetson and waved it in front of her face, trying to cool herself down. I had to admit that with all the machinery to make the papers coupled with all of the ponies running around that it was pretty damn stuffy in here. The closest pony was obviously the mare sitting at the front desk, typing away on her typewriter and occasionally sipping a glass of water. Without making sure everyone was on the same page, I marched my way over to the pony. She took another sip before casually setting the now empty glass onto a coaster and resuming typing away.

"Yeah, yeah, it's stuffy in here," Rainbow Dash waved her hoof to shut everyone up. "Now, where's the editor's butt so I can kick it?" She pounded a hoof into her other hoof as she floated above us. I heard AJ sigh as she grabbed Rainbow's tail with her teeth and yanked her down to the ground, shaking her head. Rainbow Dash grumbled as she ripped her tail from Applejack's teeth and straightened it out.

As I stopped directly in front of what I'm guessing was the secretary or another writer, I noticed that Rainbow and Applejack stood on either side of me. Despite knowing I wasn't planning to threaten anyone with violence, having two tough mares like my girlfriend and Rainbow Dash standing on either side of me may give us a psychological upper hand. It got even better when Spike stood on AJ's opposite side; his eyes glaring at the desk mare. When she didn't even notice us, I cleared my throat, hoping to politely get her attention. It puzzled me that no one seemed to notice a large group of ponies, a dragon, and myself enter the building. They must all be really dedicated to their work….

"Ahem," I cleared my throat a little louder. I didn't have too much patience with that had happened this morning, so I wasn't willing to get the run around from these newspaper ponies. "Ahem!" I even tapped my fingers on the desk; the grey mare still didn't look up at us. That's when I noticed the copy of today's paper sitting on the desk. And as luck would have it, the paper was turned to the story about Rarity, and what she did behind closed doors to Spike.

"Grrrr," Spike growled upon seeing the article again. The reptile snatched the paper from the desk and shredded it with his claws like a vicious lion going for the kill. That definitely caught the mare's attention. She squeaked loudly in surprise at seeing both an angry Spike, and the large group standing in front of her. "How do you _live_ with yourself, lady?" Spike said as he pointed a claw at the grey unicorn. A few pieces of the shredded paper gently floated down onto the desktop. We couldn't help but stare the purple dragon as Rarity softly pulled him away from the desk, tapping his arm with her hoof.

"Just calm down Spikey; it's okay," she cooed, though not without sucking her tears back into her eyes. Seeing the paper ruined the progress she'd made with her emotions, but I wasn't about to hold that against her. The dragon lost his flare of anger to try and comfort the poor unicorn. The rest of us simultaneously looked back to the pony sitting at the typewriter. Her hooves were frozen on the keys and her eyes were as big as saucers.

"Uhh….c-can I help you?" The desk mare stuttered, still looking as if she'd seen a murder after Spike ripped up the newspaper. I opened my mouth to speak, but Lyra practically shoved me out of the way to get her words in.

"Yeah, stop printing these lies about us!" The aquamarine unicorn demanded to the grey unicorn, snorting like a bull and getting up into her face. Leaning back, the desk pony nearly fell out of her chair, but somehow regained her balance, biting her lower lip.

"W-what?" She stuttered again. This time I focused in on the name tag that was partially hidden when the mare was hunched over in front of the office equipment. The tag read _Ms. Goss_, but she didn't appear to be the one in charge around here. Without saying a word, I pointed at the remains of the newspaper that was scattered about her desk, hoping she'd get the memo. "Oh," she breathed a sigh of relief and cleared her throat.

"What do you mean, '_Oh'?"_ I questioned, shaking my head in the process to emphasize my inquiry. "You don't think these stories you came up with can _hurt_ anyone?" Goss looked from the shredded paper back up to me before an uncomfortable blush burst onto her cheeks.

"Um, Mr. Cougar I don't believe _you've_ been getting hurt from what the story about you and your marefriend said," she covered her mouth with her hoof, trying to hide her modest smile.

"When it's a _lie_, it can hurt many ponies!" Applejack barked, suddenly losing her cool. My girlfriend cleared her throat and giggled nervously, feeling bad about just barking like that. I could feel Fluttershy shaking as she practically held onto my legs, still afraid of confrontations like this.

"Look, Ms. Goss," I began, "what kind of sick kicks do you ponies get coming up with this shit?" I questioned as politely as possible. "Does my girlfriend really look or act like the type of mare that would use someone, much less her colt friend, as a sex toy?" I wanted to avoid asking that, but laying down a good old fashioned guilt trip beat the alternative of negotiating in circles. Getting more brave by the moment, Goss nonchalantly levitated her glass behind her to a water cooler and refilled the glass!

"Hey! We're talking to you Ms. Stuck Up!" Rainbow exclaimed, waving her hoof in front of Goss' face.

"There's just a few things wrong with your story, Mr. Cougar," she casually sipped the beverage, ignoring Rainbow Dash. The Wonderbolt's face turned red as she growled and snorted. "Firstly, I don't even know what she sees in you. Frankly, your mere presence should scare anypony off, so I can't figure out why she'd want to go that far with you." I felt….insulted a little by that remark, but it was a confused feeling as well. I think she may have called me ugly, but I think she also called Applejack…tasteless? Or a freak? Speaking of which, AJ bit down her lower lip, trying to keep from blurting something out again.

"Just because you don't understand what love is doesn't give you the right to insult a couple," Bon Bon sneered, slamming her hooves onto the desk.

"Second," the desk pony then got into Bon Bon's face, pushing both their noses together, "nopony at the _Ponyville Gazette _wrote those stories," she pushed our candy making friend away from the desk. Suddenly, and without anyone seeing her move, Pinkie popped up from under the desk, directly in Goss's face.

"Oh don't give us that baloney, Missy!" Pinkie pointed an accusing hoof in the mare's face. "A guilty pony would totally say that to throw us off the trail!" Goss furrowed her eyebrows, picked Pinkie up, and plopped her down on the desk before looking back up at me.

"I think _this_ is yours," she scooted Pinkie closer to me. Pinkie crossed her arms across her chest and harrumphed slightly at Goss before taking her glass and chugging down the rest of the water.

"Ahh, refreshing!" Pinkie sighed before tossing the glass to the side. "Now then, what's the big idea?!" She hooked her hoof onto the collar of Goss's shirt. Smacking Pinkie's hoof away with an angry scowl, the newspaper mare stood up once again from her desk and trotted around it, glaring at all of us.

"Look, I'll have you know that I've worked at this paper for over five years; if you think trying to scare me into talking will work, you're just wasting your breath." She then reached into the paper organizer on her desk and pulled out a manilla envelope that had been torn on the edge.

"Don't be so sure, chump!" Rainbow flapped her wings almost as fast as a hummingbird, getting right into Goss's face. The grey unicorn shoved Rainbow away with her magic, causing the pegasus bite her own hoof to keep from exploding at the mare.

"Take a look for yourself," she handed it over to the nearest pony which happened to be Bon Bon. Our first instinct was to look inside for anything, but we found it to be empty. Lyra even took ahold of it in her magical grasp to shake it, but again nothing came out.

"Check the back," Spike suggested, still with his arm around Rarity. She didn't really seem to mind how close he was. I wouldn't have batted an eye if it were Fluttershy trying to comfort her since they go to the spa every Saturday, but I had to wonder just how comfortable Rarity felt in Spike's grasp.

"Okay, so it says _Lucy Lips_ and has the paper's address on the back," Bon Bon tossed the manilla envelope onto the desk.

"So?" Goss raised an eyebrow, "My boss received that late last night along with the articles and pictures. He had the rest of the staff run with them early this morning since Gabby Gums was such a hit a while back," she explained, slipping the envelope back into the paper organizer. Pinkie narrowed her eyes at Goss before slowly stepping off the desk.

"And he doesn't give a flying feather about how other ponies had owies on their hearts last time?" The party mare jabbed a hoof in Goss's chest.

"Yeah!" Applejack agreed with Pinkie as she stayed close to my side. "An' not ta mention the fact that these stories are much scummier than the ones my sister 'n her friends published," she pointed her hoof out. Goss sighed before sitting back behind her desk, rubbing her temples. She went to reach for her glass of water before realizing that Pinkie drank it all, and had tossed the glass somewhere else.

"You ponies and whatever you are," she uncaringly waved her hoof at me, "have to understand how this works. This is a business; gossip columns generate interest. We don't mind restarting a gossip column, but rest assured that we won't target specific ponies all the time. If we start out with big names like the Elements of Harmony, a few of their friends, and the biped, then everypony will buy tomorrow's newspaper to see just who could be next," Goss tried to explain.

"Could be you," I replied, "how does that make you feel? What if 'Lucy' decides to do a story on how you secretly steal apples from Applejack's market carts in the summer?" I could feel Applejack tense up at the thought of someone stealing her family's apples. Sure it was just something I pulled out of thin air, but it still made her feel a little uneasy.

"Hmph, being in the newspaper after working for it for five years wouldn't harm me whatsoever," Goss shrugged and pulled out a stick of gum from her desk drawer.

"Oh-ho really?!" Rainbow chuckled impatiently. "And what does the great Ms. Goss do that's so bucking important around here besides sitting on her fat-" I grimaced as Rarity forcibly engulfed Rainbow's mouth with her blue magic, preventing the pegasus from talking. Rainbow began to struggle at taking the magic away from her mouth, but to no avail. At least she could still breath through her nose.

"I'm Mr. Tab's personal assistant," she said in between chews, blowing a bubble after completing her sentence. "And if you don't mind, I have a lot of work to get done for him," she cleared her throat, darting her eyes toward her typewriter and back to us. I heard Spike snort as she revealed she was an assistant; some smoke even billowed out from his nostrils.

"Well, don't you ever question his actions?" Spike curled his claws together on his free hand. The personal assistant that he'd been raised as certainly didn't seem very pleased with Goss, and rightfully so with how many years he'd helped Twilight. "Being an assistant is more than just doing work for your boss; sometimes you have to challenge them to really make them think about if what they're doing is right or wrong." I raised an eyebrow at this statement, intrigued at how the mare would respond. Unfortunately, it wasn't an enlightened response like I was hoping for.

"Eep!" Fluttershy squeaked as Goss slammed her hooves onto her desk, leaving barely visible imprints on the desktop.

"All right, fine. If you have such a problem with how we run things, you can talk to Mr. Tab himself!" Goss exclaimed, scooting her chair back and angrily trotting to an office in the back. We all cringed at how hard she slammed the office door. A few ponies working the printing press and talking to each other stopped what they were doing to see what was going on. They looked back at us before resuming their conversations and jobs, but not without a hint of hesitation seeping off of them.

"MMM MMM MMM!" Rainbow's muffled shouts shot off in Goss' direction while she shook her hoof. Rainbow groaned and again tried to wipe the magic from her mouth by swatting at it with her hooves. Rarity tiredly rolled her eyes and deactivated the spell, making Rainbow gasp with triumph. "WHAT is your problem, Rarity!?" She demanded.

"We don't need to get kicked out before we find answers, Rainbow Dash," Rarity glared, "the least you could do is use whatever manners you posses to not get us thrown out!" She exclaimed harshly, snorting at her cyan friend. I rubbed the back of my neck at the hostilities between friends.

"She didn't notice your saddle bag full of papers?" Bon Bon asked Lyra with furrowed eyebrows.

"Guess not," I replied, bringing my hand up to stroke the back of Applejack's head. "Sorry about having to bring that up, Applejack," I apologized, just barely scratching behind her ear. The orange mare moaned and leaned her body up against my side. "I was just hoping to guilt her a little into seeing our side."

"It's okay, Ivan. Ah just don't want anypony else ta get hurt by this," she explained, nuzzling my leg with her cheek. Naturally I didn't care and will never care what others think of me, but damn I was holding back from shouting at that mare. After how many times Rarity, Applejack, and Spike have helped save Equestria, this is the thanks they get? And Lyra and Bon Bon hadn't hurt anyone as far as I knew. They were always warm and welcome, especially to me when I first got here. Despicable, that's the only word I can think to use to describe the paper's treatment towards them.

"I still think she's hiding something," Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin.

"W-w-what do you mean?" Fluttershy stuttered, standing up from behind me. Pinkie Pie quickly snapped around and grasped Fluttershy's cheeks in her hooves, pressing their faces together so Pinkie could look straight in her eyes.

"I'm saying that what if she _knows_ the pony that wrote those awful stories and is covering for them? Maybe it's not technically a lie if somepony _did_ in fact drop the envelope off in the middle of the night!" She exclaimed. "And what if it doesn't stop there? What if there's a whole cult dedicated to ruining the lives of other ponies?!" Pinkie suddenly dropped Fluttershy from her grip, causing the buttery pegasus to fall onto her face.

"Are you okay?" Lyra helped Fluttershy to her hooves as Pinkie's chest expanded and deflated several times from her rapid breathing.

"No matter what it is guys, we're not leaving until we make sure that the Gazette doesn't print anymore of these types of stories," I replied to Pinkie's theories.

"What do you have in mind to stop it, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked, moving her head out from under my hand. I peered down to admit that I was still thinking of a plan when the office door opened, and Goss's voice interrupted me.

"They're right over there, sir," she announced, trotting in our direction. Following her was a mocha colored unicorn with green eyes, a thin mustache, a black mane, a suit that looked like it came directly from the 1940s, and a pipe dangling from his mouth that bobbed as he trotted. Little wisps of smoke seeped out as he breathed in and out. Goss sat down at her desk with an annoyed grunt, folding her forelegs across her chest. "Now, may I _please_ get back to work?" She asked with venom in her voice.

"Actually, why don't you take a ten minute break, Goss?" The stallion suggested politely, levitating his pipe out of his muzzle. Goss sighed in relief, grabbed a small flask out of her desk and put up a _'Back in ten Minutes' _sign.

"Do you have _any_ idea how early it is?" Lyra gasped. "Even I don't drink wine before two in the afternoon if I'm feeling like it!" She exclaimed. Goss scoffed and continued to sip out of her flask as she slowly walked by us.

"Don't get your horn twisted," she rolled her eyes at Lyra. "It's just coffee; my regular travel mug was dirty," she concluded and left the building. Lyra growled at the other mare and gritted her teeth while we all exchanged awkward glances with one another. Lyra was always in a good mood whenever I saw her with the exception of today. But up until now, she didn't act _too_ upset. Bon Bon softly patted Lyra's back, trying to calm down her rarely upset spouse.

"All right, buddy!" Rainbow jabbed her hoof in Tab's direction. "Spill it!" She demanded, flaring her wings out in a sort of show of dominance. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, actually feeling like Rainbow did. We didn't come here to be referred to different ponies.

"Yes….well then," Tab rubbed his pipe against his 40s styled suit jacket before popping it back into his mouth. "My assistant told me why you were here. Is there anything I can do to placate you ponies, dragon, and human?" He puffed on his pipe, taking a seat in Goss's chair, levitating his hat onto the desk. The stallion continued to puff on his pipe as we all waited for one of us to step up. That's when Applejack cleared her throat and lightly tapped my back. I looked down toward her where she outstretched her foreleg, giving me the all clear to go ahead.

"First off," Spike cut in just as I was about to step forward. The dragon moved out of the way and motioned for myself and Applejack to do so as well. "We just spent nearly a half hour running around town collecting your newspapers," he pointed back at Lyra who took off her saddlebags. The contents then spilled out, rolling everywhere onto the floor. Tab's jaw nearly hit the ground as he stared in shock at what we had done. His pipe clattered to the desktop, spilling out some smoldering tobacco.

"You…..you _stole_ my business?" The stallion stood up from the chair, bracing himself up with his forelegs on the desk.

"Not really," Rainbow replied in a smart aleck tone, "your customers already pay for a subscription," she pointed out with an eye roll.

"I understand that, ma'am. However, if my customers wake up to find no newspaper, they'll be very disgruntled and may cancel their subscriptions," Tab straightened out his tie and scooped the ash from the desk back into his pipe.

"And you do realize that some of _us_ subscribe to the paper, right?" Pinkie popped out from Lyra's saddlebag, tossing out the last few newspapers. "Well not me personally. Mr. and Mrs. Cake let me read their copy when they're done with-" Lyra gently placed her hoof over Pinkie's mouth, shaking her head from side to side. Pinkie nodded and sat down on her haunches, but not without pouting and folding her forelegs at Tab.

"Ya left us no choice, _Mr. Tab,_" Applejack chimed in. "Did you even read beyond the headlines 'o those stories? Or did you just see the amount 'o bits you could make off 'o them?" she demanded. The unicorn's ears dropped low as he sighed, running a hoof through his mane. With a click of his tongue, his magic engulfed his tie, loosening it up until it hung lazily around his neck like Rarity's measuring tape.

"Truthfully, no I didn't; I was the only one here last night when the envelope," he tapped it with his hoof, "slipped through the mail slot. It was extremely late, I was exhausted, and I thought it was unusual for mail to be coming in the middle of the night, but I was immediately intrigued by the photos and headlines."

"_INTRIGUED!?" _Rarity burst, shooting off blue sparks from her horn. "Yes, of course! Because it's very intriguing printing a story that says I treat my baby sister like a misbehaving _animal_!" She spat as tears streamed down her face. "Or that I inappropriately-" She was crying again. Rarity was now struggling to hold back tears; I was starting to lose my patience.

"Or that I cheat on my wife with Caramel!? And then it drags Fluttershy in just because she went to the Gala with him?!" Bon Bon roared while steam literally shot out of her nose. Bon Bon bent her head down, narrowing her eyes at Tab. The owner of the paper now had his back against the wall, both metaphorically and literally as there was a small wall behind the desk.

"Look," he gulped, "we aren't out to actually hurt anypony. Our paper's goal is to give hard hitting news to Ponyville and maybe entertain a little. I just wanted our readers to have something….interesting to talk about on Hearts and Hooves Day?" He shrugged. I had two suspicions about this guy. For one thing, he was either trying to lie his ass off to make a buck like J. Jonah Jameson, or he was telling the truth…to an extent. Something just didn't add up to me. If he'd been the longtime owner of the Gazette, why would he just publish those god awful stories without even reading them first? And what the hell would he have to _gain?_ Nonetheless, his answers weren't making any of us happy whatsoever.

"Oh yeah," Pinkie scoffed, "because it's _sooooo_ interesting to punch a poor pony right in the heart to entertain your readers! Do you have any idea how much your story about Applejack and Cougar hurt Applejack? Well she's more angry now than before when she was a little depressed about it. You're nothing but a meanie pants who doesn't deserve this cool reporter's hat!" She snatched his hat from the table and put it on her head.

"Pinkie," I said so I could interject something. The mare turned to me, and cocked her head, wondering what I wanted. With her silenced for the time being, I stepped forward, softly placing my hands on the desk before putting it in a death grip.

"Sir," I began, "just let me ask you something. How would you feel if you woke up only to find a story about you in the paper, hmm?" I questioned. "And I don't mean just any story, what if there was a story in there that you steal bits from your worker's paychecks to pay for your smoking habit?" He opened his mouth, but I continued. "Or that you force your female workers into sexual favors to keep their jobs? Wouldn't that make you feel like shit?" The mocha colored unicorn silently smacked his lips together as my words sank in. There was a quiet _shiff_ from his suit jacket sliding against the wall as he brushed against it. Tab sighed in what I believe to be disgust while promptly plopping down on the office chair.

"_I think you broke him, Cougar_," Pinkie whispered into my ear. The newspaper owner braced his elbow onto the table and held his head in his hoof as his eyes glazed over, staring at the ground.

"Well….when you put it that way," his voice mumbled lowly as his eyes drifted over to the triple decker paper organizer. He then reached into one of the drawers, pulled out a bottle of aspirin and dumped a pair of pills into his muzzle, swallowing them without a drink. "Ugh," he shuddered as the dry pills were swallowed.

"Hey I really didn't want to have you think that hard about it, but you've gotta understand where we're coming from," I stood up, holding my hands at my sides. Tab looked back up at us, the glaze in his eyes still present. He looked somewhat ill, but not physically ill, more like, _'What have I done?' _ill.

"No, no I don't really believe Rarity abuses her sister and her friends or 'touched' you when you were smaller, Spines," he said grimly to Spike.

"Uh, that's Spike, Mr. Tab," Spike corrected through gritted teeth. He was obviously trying to hold back his anger, but I didn't know how long the poor guy would last. Tab apologized, but it didn't sound sincere nor uncaring.

"Well, if you don't believe that story, why did you print it and the others, then?" Rainbow demanded, cocking an eyebrow upward. For some strange reason, Tab didn't answer but instead went straight for the manilla envelope. He stared at the name printed in plain, tall, straight letters as if it were a hieroglyphic marking in a pyramid, never blinking. "Um, excuse me?" Bon Bon groaned, tapping her hoof on the desk. Tab's eyes then squinted as his ears drooped on the sides of his head before he tossed the envelope with a light _smack_ onto the desk, rubbing his eyes profusely.

"I…..I have no idea," he admitted, covering his eyes with his black hooves.

"HEH!?" Pinkie fell forward flat on her chin with her butt in the air.

"Come again?" Applejack cocked her head to the side, pointing her ear directly at the unicorn. I felt like I was just slapped across the face. Just a minute ago this guy explained that he wanted to entertain his readers while putting out true and hard hitting stories. But now all of a sudden he doesn't know? "Are ya just now tellin' the truth, mister?" AJ continued, digging in her ear a little with her hoof.

"Maybe," Tab gulped, "or perhaps I'm just remembering," he guessed.

"Okay, what are you remembering?" I asked, just wanting a straight answer for once while we were here. I expected a little resistance to our presence, but nothing quite like this. I was mainly worried if Luna and Celestia had arrived at the bakery and if they knew of the stories yet. So much for a happy holiday.

"Look, I'm going to level with you all," Tab finally replied. "And this is going to sound like a cheap cop out to what you're looking for, but I really can't explain it," he admitted shamefully, lowering this head. As I expected with that sort of answer, none of us were too pleased. I could actually hear Spike grinding his fangs together; it sounded like steel grinding against steel. Fluttershy tried to look upset, but she whimpered a little instead. Pinkie then jumped up from resting her chin on the floor, grabbed the desk lamp, pointed it straight into Tab's face and flicked the light on.

"We're done playing Mr. Nice Dragon and Human, and Mrs. Nice Mares!" She exclaimed like a cop, "We want straight answers, and we want them now!" She growled as her hair deflated. The unicorn seethed under the bright light, shielding it with his hooves.

"Ugh, I can tell you what I remember from last night, but it _is_ hard to explain!" He exclaimed, turning his head around. Pinkie continuously glared at the stallion, fighting hard to not give in. Finally, Fluttershy of all ponies slipped between myself and Applejack, albeit slowly, and tapped Pinkie on the shoulder. Pinkie's mane poofed back up to its original cotton candy form as she turned around to face our friend.

"Pinkie, I uh think you can let him talk now," Fluttershy mumbled. "I want a truthful answer like the rest of you…," she bit her lower lip. "But you're kind of preventing him from talking," she pointed to the pony who was still shielding his eyes from the desk lamp.

"Sorry Fluttershy," Pinkie switched off the lamp with a sad pout, "I'm just sick of being stalled and getting the run around around here," she shrugged. "Besides, I just really want to get back to Sugar Cube Corner and try to put this horrible morning behind us!" She declared triumphantly.

"Yeah, we all do, Pinkie," I clicked my tongue. "Except we have Celestia and Luna to explain this to after we're done," I reminded her. "Hopefully with their help they can keep these rumors contained in town until everypony forgets about it," I added, putting my hands into my pockets. I turned my attention back to the unicorn still sitting solemnly at his desk, rubbing his forehead with a hoof. He then suddenly grabbed the envelope in his magic, and dumped its contents out onto the desk. All of us ceased breathing at the exact same time. Rather then just a few photos and three typed up articles like we'd read earlier, there were over a dozen pictures, and I counted nine articles all typed up and ready to be sent in. Our shock didn't stem from the fact that the paper only picked three of the stories to print. Our shock stemmed from the horrifying realization that some sick fucker typed up stories that included even more disgusting contents. There was even two stories that slammed Celestia and Luna.

It hit me right then and there that whoever was doing this wasn't looking to get even or anything close to that. Whoever was doing this, wanted to see all of us suffer.

"I'm sorry for making you relive this," he apologized, "but I just want it away from me too!" He exclaimed, balling up the envelope in his magic and tossing it into a garbage can. We all took a step back, not expecting a moment of anger to explode from the stallion. Like the big bad wolf, Tab was huffing and puffing, but from frustration and maybe a little exhaustion.

"Oh, if you're not ready….." Fluttershy sank to the floor before squirming her way back behind me.

"Everypony, listen up!" Tab turned around to yell at the workers in the back. Every single one stopped what they were doing, even stopped running the presses, and turned to look at their boss. "Home, all of you, now," he quickly ordered, opening the door with his magic. "Don't worry; I'll still pay you all for a full day plus a little holiday bonus," Tab added to placate ponies that might complain.

"We didn't actually want to shut ya down," Applejack chewed on her tongue quietly, looking a little guilty. She still looked visibly upset about this whole shitstorm, but our goal was to come here for answers and to stop the paper from printing anymore gossip, not just completely wipe it out of Equestria.

"It doesn't matter; I need to regroup with my employees tomorrow," Tab waved it off as the last employee confusingly trotted out the door. "Anyway, as I was getting to, last night I was working late like normal on bills and payments on stands to stock the newspaper," he explained. "And like normal when I work late, I was alone; even the night janitor went home already," he added. "Around I'd say one thirty in the morning, I was just having a shot of Smarenoff when I heard the mail slot open and shut."

"And of course, the mail isn't delivered past six o' clock, right?" Spike questioned as he too patiently awaited Tab's explanation.

"Yes, so naturally I was puzzled at what it could be, or if it was just some prankster dropping off gag letters and whatnot to our advice columnist," Tab replied. "But when I saw it was marked with the name Lucy Lips, I was intrigued, so I decided to have a look. I wanted to see who it was that dropped it off, but when I looked outside, I couldn't see anypony," the unicorn lightly swallowed, pausing to think about what happened next. So far he appeared to be telling the truth in my eyes. Applejack hadn't stopped him for anything, and I couldn't hear a stutter from him. The only real possibility that he was lying was that he barely made eye contact with us. But since he just had a bright light in his eyes, I felt it unfair to count that against him.

"Do you have any idea who could've sent this in?" Lyra asked more politely than she'd acted since she stepped hoof inside. She was met with a nervous shaking of Tab's head.

"Sorry, there was no real signature on any of the papers. Only the name Lucy Lips was on the envelope," Tab admitted. "It didn't strike me as weird since most stories or questions sent in to the paper are signed anonymously. However, since I was so curious, I decided to give them a quick read rather than save them for this morning. But that's where I can't really explain why I decided to just go ahead and run them."

"You keep saying that," Rarity pointed out, "what exactly can't you explain?"

"I….don't…..know," Tab repeated. "They just _drew_ me in the instant I laid my eyes on the headlines. I can't tell you if it was the alcohol combined with my exhaustion, but I just had the urge to make a decision and chose to print the first three I saw without consulting any of you about it. I _do_ know, however, that I chose three because if I printed them all at once, I'd just waste them. And trust me, I didn't even feel any indifference toward them, and I had planned to periodically release the last stories until Goss came into my office and alerted me to your presence," he gestured toward us.

"Did you feel bad because you were caught, or did you realize you actually hurt some of us?" I questioned with a little sprinkling of guilt as I motioned toward Rarity's puffy eyes, and Spike's contorted face of anger and pain from how one of the most important mares in his life was impacted by this.

"Honestly, Mr. Cougar," Tab stood up from the desk and sighed tiredly, "I practically forgot of the existence of the stories when I came in this morning. It wasn't until all of you showed up and dumped all of my newspapers on the floor that I remembered what I'd done."

"And that example Cougar brought up," Pinkie Pie added while rubbing her chin, studying the stallion for any signs of him fibbing.

"Yes," Tab grunted, "that certainly jarred me as well," he forced a sad grin on his face. "Ponies in this town won't care about a retraction, no matter how much I wish they would. All I can do is offer a sincere apology even though I deserve some sort of comeuppance," he admitted. With that explanation over and done with, I approached the desk and sat down onto the floor with my knees so I could look the stallion in the eye.

"Look, Tab," I began in a gentlemanly manner, "I do believe your explanation, and believe me when I say I want to wring the neck of whoever did this, but I think it'd be best if you just never printed another section like this in the paper," I suggested. "Under the new order by Princess Twilight of course," I added. Yeah it was a lie and I felt bad about it, but like all of my friends, I didn't want anyone, no matter who they are, to face something like this again. It takes years to build up a good reputation, but only seconds to mutilate it whether by an action of one's self or another.

"Uh, Ivan," Applejack started uneasily, affected by my white lie. However, Tab sensed it too.

"Perfect," he exclaimed, "I can tell that to my staff," he added, sitting up with a grunt.

"Wait, there's still one thing I don't understand," Lyra blurted. "How come nopony else thought these articles were strange? Did anypony come forward to talk to you about them?"

"Actually, no now that I think about it," Tab raised an eyebrow and trailed off. "I told you it was very difficult to explain," he repeated in an almost manic tone. After hearing that final explanation, I had a horrible thought pop into my head. What I assumed didn't make sense before was starting to make sense the deeper I thought about it, but I was going to need evidence.

"Uh, Tab, you don't mind if we take possession of all this?" I questioned. The unicorn looked at what I was talking about and quickly nodded his head.

"Please, take it all away; this too!" He levitated the balled up envelope out of the trash and tossed it at me. "The sooner we get this trash out of my shop, the better we'll all be!" He declared, gathering up all the rolled up papers on the floor and floated them into a nearby trash can. "I'll burn these once you all leave, you have my word," he stated firmly, gathering a few matches out of his pocket.

"Aww, here's your hat back," Pinkie slapped the hat back onto Tab's head, making it sag a little.

"Why….thank you," he rubbed his head from the impact.

_BEEELLLCH!_

Spike let out a loud belch followed by smoke and green flames. A rolled up piece of parchment paper engulfed in a magenta aura shot out from his mouth and beaned Tab right in the forehead before clattering the ground. "Oops, sorry!" Spike apologized, gathering up the scroll.

"No, I guess I deserved that," the pony shrugged as he relit his pipe, taking a satisfying puff to calm himself.

"It's from mom," Spike announced upon unraveling the scroll. He didn't read the letter out loud; he just read the most important part. "Luna and Celestia are here and they're waiting for us to get back," he announced, rolling the parchment back up and tucked it into Lyra's now empty saddle bag.

"I guess we'll see each other later," I turned to Tab as he was still puffing away at his pipe. He gave me one slow head nod before opening the door for the rest of us.

"Ivan," Applejack bumped her muzzle into my hand to get my attention. "What's with collectin' the envelope 'n all that?" She asked me, pointing to original works of hell. I had a hunch, but I wanted Twilight, Luna, and Celestia to hear it before I told anyone else. All I could say to my lover was that I may have a theory on how Tab got this sudden urge and why nopony questioned his decision.

* * *

**(Sugar Cube Corner; Ivan's POV)**

Every citizen seemed to pay us less attention when we trekked back through town. Sure, there were a few ponies that were still pissed that we'd stolen their newspapers right from them. Heck I'd be pissed too if someone stole my paper before I had the chance to read it or while I was reading it. But as I was saying, nearly everypony's attention was solidly locked onto Sugar Cube Corner. We could barely see it, but the royal golden chariot was parked near the entrance to the bakery with dozens of pegasus, unicorn, and earth ponies surrounding it and the building. A pair of pegasus guards, one white and one grey, were standing guard in front of the door, preventing anyone from entering. "Okay, how do we get through that?" Rainbow questioned, darting her head around as she looked for a way to get into the bakery.

As we got closer, I could make out the two alicorn sisters through the cracked windows, but they didn't seem to notice we'd arrived just yet. "Big Mac could move these ponies lickety-split!" Applejack clicked her tongue with a sigh, sounding frustrated.

"I have an idea!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed before hopping onto my shoulders and sitting on them with her rear legs hanging over my chest. "IS THAT SAPPHIRE SHORES!?" She shouted, pointing in some different direction. No one seemed to move or hear her. "Who doesn't love Sapphire Shores?" Pinkie asked in astonishment. I groaned before being down and allowing her to hop off my shoulders.

"A little warning next time, Pinkie?" I suggested, stretching my neck around to get the few kinks out. The pink mare shrugged with a smile in response before sitting on her haunches like a dog. Even though Ponyville didn't have too big of a population, the amount of ponies that had surrounded the humble Sugar Cube Corner made it appear like we had to trudge through an Indy 500 crowd. "Hey Spike," I turned to the dragon. "Since you're sort of an advisor between your mom, Celestia, and Luna, do you think maybe you can speak for Twilight to get everyone to move?" I questioned. Spike looked shocked; he'd never spoken for Twilight before as far as I knew. I didn't know if he'd be stepping outside his comfort zone or if he's been wanting to do this for awhile now.

"Uhhhh, I'm not sure if mom would be okay with that," he bit his lip. "I mean, she's never given me a practice run or told me what to do in case I _did_ need to speak for her."

"Out of all of us, you're the only one that's connected to royalty in a familial way, Spikey," Rarity reminded him with a soft smile. "Of course most of us have had a hoof in saving Equestria, but we don't have the authority that Twilight does. And to a certain extension, you," the seamstress added. That was the main reason I thought Spike could order everyone to clear the way; none of us really had the right to tell everyone to move from a public area. They weren't inside the bakery, so they technically weren't in a private area.

"Ah think Twilight would be proud 'o ya, Spike," Applejack playfully slapped him on the back. Spike jolted from the sudden contact, but continued darting his eyes about at the ground.

"What makes you say that, Applejack?" Spike asked, finally looking up at her in the eye.

"'Cause! You'd be takin' the initiative, Spike," AJ explained, nudging his arm with her hoof. "Ya know, showin' Twilight that you can handle a few important matters other than reorganizin' books when she's not around," she added. Spike exhaled softly through his nose, ejecting some smoke from his nostrils as he thought about what to do. Still, no one had noticed any of us standing at the back of the crowd. I coughed a little as some smoke encircled around my head.

"Oh, all right, but if mom gets upset at me, I'm not taking the blame," Spike snorted, though it was in determination rather than annoyance. The dragon inhaled a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and prepared to raise his voice when Pinkie Pie stopped him.

"Here ya go, Spike buddy!" She declared, shoving her own megaphone into his face. "You can borrow my trusty megaphone; it's never let me down!" Pinkie grinned at all of us proudly.

"Yeah, we know that," Bon Bon rolled her eyes.

"Just don't forget to give it back when you're done," the party mare patted Spike's head before bouncing a few paces back to give him space. Spike fumbled with the device, still surprised by having it shoved directly into his face. Eventually the dragon flicked over the ON button and cleared his throat which spat out some feedback from the megaphone.

_"Attention Ponyville, by the order of Princess Twilight of Ponyville, everypony must vacate this area at once and return to your normal routines!" _Spike announced loudly into the megaphone. Everyone ahead of us instantly turned around, giving us a mixture of confused stares and judgmental stares which were directed towards those of us that were in the paper. I could barely see through gaps in the crowd that the guards perked up at the mention of Twilight's status. The only ponies who actually listened to the announcement were Derpy and a lightly tanned earth pony stallion with an hour glass for a cutie mark.

"But we want to know why the princesses are here!" A mare's voice shouted from within the gaggle of ponies. Luckily, Spike was right on top things so the rest of us didn't have to explain anything. I still, however, wrapped my arm around AJ and pulled her closer.

"_That's a private matter, and we've been summoned by Celestia and Luna personally,"_ Spike announced. "_So please vacate the premises in an orderly fashion or face the consequences of….uhhhh," _Spike froze, not knowing what else to say. Suddenly, Rainbow swooped down and snatched the megaphone from Spike's grasp, pulling it up to her muzzle.

"Either move your butts away from our private meeting with the princesses, or be charged with disobeying royal orders!" Rainbow Dash threatened, hovering above the crowd. "And you'll have to deal with me!" She added, shaking her hoof at the crowd. A few ponies gasped and galloped away while others didn't seem too fazed.

"Come on, we don't want any trouble," I said to a few of the ponies that remained. Some of them squinted their eyes at me, seeming to not trust me very well.

"You heard Princess Twilight's pe- erm, _son_!" One of the guards spoke up. "They've been requested to an audience with the royal sisters, and nopony else is allowed in," the grey pegasus guard announced. Both guards flared their wings, making the rest of the crowd step back to avoid getting hit. This created a nice, clear path for us to gain entrance into Sugar Cube Corner. Rainbow Dash tossed the megaphone back behind her where Pinkie Pie caught it and stuffed it back into her mane.

"Grrr," I heard Spike growl in annoyance at nearly being called Twilight's pet. But the dragon put it behind him and started walking forward with Rarity, Pinkie, Lyra, and Bon Bon. Applejack. Fluttesrhy, and I started to follow them when Rainbow Dash, out of seemingly nowhere, flew through the middle of us as if she were an F-14 that'd launched from an aircraft carrier.

"Come on, guys!" We heard her shout as she barreled toward the bakery. The two pegasus guards tried to leap out of the way with wide eyes, but Rainbow was too fast for them. The rainbow colored blur slammed into the guards, sending them flying off in opposite directions. Applejack and Fluttershy seethed at how hard the guards landed on the ground, while Lyra, Bon Bon, and Spike couldn't believe what they'd seen.

"You fellers okay?" Applejack asked whilst galloping towards them with Bon Bon right next to her. The rest of us jogged forward to assist them, well everyone minus Pinkie Pie.

"Ooh, a spare!" She exclaimed, pulling what appeared to be ice packs from her mane. "Here you boys go!" Pinkie tied an ice pack to their forelegs before saluting the two guards. She moved out of the way as AJ and Bon Bon helped the stallions to their hooves. They looked pretty dazed and pretty pissed from what happened.

"Was that _really_ necessary, Rainbow Dash?" Rarity scolded the Wonderbolt. "They would've moved out of the way for you."

"Hey, I thought they _would_ move out of the way in time," Rainbow shrugged while we gave her unamused looks. "Well, do you guys really want to keep the princesses waiting longer than they have to?" She asked as she gently touched back down to the ground.

"You're already a Wonderbolt, Dashie," I cocked a smirk at her, "I don't think you have to impress Luna or Celestia anymore," I patted her cheek like a smart ass. Her face turned the slightest shade of red as she snorted.

"I just don't want to make them feel like they're wasting their time, Cougar," Rainbow smacked the back of my leg. "Besides, Soarin' once greeted Celestia like, "'Sup Princess C?" She did a horrible impression of her boyfriend. As the others went inside, I stopped walking all because of her horrible impression; she sounded like she was stoned. "I just want to always make a good impression around the princesses," she explained.

"You can, just don't do that god-awful voice again," I shuddered, holding the door open for her. Peering in through the crack, I could see a few stragglers from our group trying to find a place to sit around the table that now occupied the royal sisters plus Glock and Checkered Flag. Luna looked up from the table, smiled in my direction, and waved happily. "You bulldozed two guards for nothing," I tried to make Rainbow feel a little guilty, but in a teasing way. "For shame," I shook my head.

"Whatever, just move it or lose it, Coug," she literally shoved me aside with her wing, trotting in like a proud Wonderbolt. Without even looking behind, I clutched the manilla envelope in my hand, stepped inside and shut the door, remembering to lock it before proceeding to the table. The rumbling of galloping hooves broke through the door from outside. The dozens of ponies outside had regathered in front of the windows. That's when there was a sudden flash of silver light reflecting off the cracked panes.

"Ah, so good to see you, Cougar!" Luna waved cheerily from the table. "Don't fret; I just turned the windows into one way mirrors. Those onlookers cannot see in the bakery," she explained. She, Celestia, and their coltfriends were all situated around Twilight in the biggest booth Cup and Carrot Cake had to offer. They must not have seen any of the newspaper articles yet, otherwise I don't think they'd be this cheerful. Then again, Celestia and Luna were actually able to celebrate Hearts and Hooves Day happily with their loved ones.

"Hey, Luna," I did my best to put on a smile, but I'm sure it looked as fake as it felt. "Checkered, Celestia, Glock," I added, quickly taking my seat in between Applejack and Fluttershy, sighing tiredly before placing the envelope on top of the table. Luna seemed to notice my less than enthusiastic attitude.

"Is something the matter, Cougar?" She questioned with concern. I shifted my eyes and raised an eyebrow toward Twilight as Spike scooted closer to her. When her eyes met mine, I motioned toward the royal sisters with my head, asking if she'd mentioned anything to either of them. The purple alicorn quickly ran her tongue across her lips like a nervous tick before shaking her own head.

"We didn't keep y'all waitin' too long, did we?" Applejack asked to break the now awkward silence.

"Of course not, Applejack," Celestia replied warmly. "It's good to spend time with my former student and her friends as just….well, friends," the white alicorn giggled a bit at using 'friends' twice in the same sentence.

"And you're not upset at us disrupting your Hearts and Hooves day, are you?" Fluttershy sank a little in her chair at the guilty thought. Hell, I hate dragging them into this, but as the leaders of Equestria, they could easily put a stop to all this tabloid shit.

"Well, we hadn't planned on leaving Canterlot for the day, but I do like the smaller town atmosphere," Checkered grinned. "It's a little more peaceful than Canterlot," he added, bumping his foreleg against's Luna's wing.

"To be honest, I was more displeased with Tia disrupting myself and Checkered than your request to see us, Princess Twilight," Luna chimed in, tossing a quick glare toward her big sister. "Not that I don't mind speaking with you," she cleared up. Spike, Rainbow Dash, AJ, and I turned to shrug at one another before Celestia's white fur glowed pink.

"Forgive me, Luna, but I didn't have time to check for your availability," Celestia cleared her throat. "Besides, Twilight wrote that there was an emergency, so I had to act. But next time I'll…..knock?" She shrugged.

"Oooookay….." Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head. Carrot and Cup Cake then came into the dining area, carrying bagels, croissants, and cups of coffee, tea, and water for all of us. The duo smiled, attempting to try and lighten the mood. I'm gonna have to leave them a big tip or something for being such gracious friends with us. Though both bakers seemed to be battling their own emotions.

"I wish I could be excited to have three of the four princesses _and_ Checkered Flag in our bakery," Cup Cake's smile turned into a frown. Carrot Cake put a foreleg around his wife and patted her back.

"Me too, pudding pop," he agreed sadly. "Is there anything else we can get you?" The yellow earth pony grinned.

"No, we are fine, Mr. Cake," Celestia graciously bowed her head. "Thank you though," she added.

"Just give us a holler if you need anything, dearies!" Cup Cake exclaimed as she upstairs while Carrot went into the kitchen. I assumed that Pound and Pumpkin Cake were upstairs since their mother headed that way.

"So, what's in the envelope, Cougar?" Glock finally spoke up. "You haven't let go of it since you came in," he noted, squinting a bit like Clint Eastwood. I felt my fingers around the manilla package, remembering that I still had it.

"Yeah…..well, it's the reason Twilight asked the four of you to come down here," I drummed my fingers atop the envelope.

"Right," Twilight gulped, wiping just a tiny bit of sweat from her forehead. The realization then struck her as she did a double take between myself and Celestia. "Where _did _you get the envelope?" She questioned, trying to surround it with her magic. I tried to keep her from taking it, but it slipped out from under my fingers. With nothing else to hold, I scooted my hand over the tabletop and lightly gripped Applejack's hoof with a small smile, hoping that Twilight wouldn't try to read any of the stories.

"Well, Twilight," Applejack said, "after we got done collectin' all the papers in town, we stopped by the newspaper office 'n got the owner ta shut down fer the day," she explained. Twilight was about to open up and dump the envelope of its contents, but the bit of news Applejack gave her prevented that from happening.

"When did you decide to do that? I thought all you were doing was gathering up every paper in town?" Twilight dropped the envelope onto the table top in shock.

"Yeah….about that, mom," Spike seethed and darted his eyes around. Celestia and Luna were more curious than their coltfriends and Twilight. "Cougar thought we should go to the paper's office and make sure they wouldn't print anymore Lucy Lips stories today or at all," he explained, jabbing a thumb toward me.

"Lucy Lips?" Luna questioned, confused. She looked to Checkered for an answer, but he could only shake his head in return.

"Is this why you told us to steer clear from any newspaper we saw today, Twilight?" Celestia asked, dropping a croissant from her magical aura. "Did somepony print more unflattering stories about you and friends again?"

"Uh, not all of us, Princess Celestia," Twilight tried to correct but was interrupted by Rarity.

"Twilight, darling. That isn't the case anymore….." the seamstress gulped. The purple alicorn's ears swept back as her eyes expanded. She began to hyperventilate before literally ripping the envelope in half with her magic.

"What did it say? _What did it say?_!" She demanded, flinging papers and photos across the table, looking for her own. All of us pulled back, afraid of losing an eye if Twilight flung a paper in the wrong direction.

"Mom!" Spike exclaimed. "Just calm down; none of us got the chance to read it. We only saw a photo of you," he explained, gripping his hand around her foreleg.

"B-b-b," Twilight stumbled as her scrambling slowed down and sweat was still forming on her forehead. I leaned over and scooped all the papers and photos into a pile before taking them all back. Everyone's attention was now drawn on me.

"No Twilight!" I barked. "We've all read enough slanderous writings for today. And I didn't bring these all back with me to make us all feel worse!" I realized I must've sounded deranged, but some of my friends were already hurt; I wasn't about to hurt them even more or hurt my other friends.

"Geez, what's your deal, Cougar?" Rainbow Dash grimaced from my shouting. I clutched the envelope firmly in my fingers, determined to not have it taken away once more. Applejack's hoof lightly patted my back; she leaned over to look me in the eye.

"You okay, Sugarcube?" She asked with her big emerald eyes. I sighed and took in a deep breath through my nose.

"Sorry," I quickly apologized into her eyes. "There are a couple reasons why I decided to take all of these instead of letting the owner of the paper deal with them," I announced, letting the envelope fall flat onto the table. "We have the _original_ copies of all these articles; no one else will ever see these again. And we destroyed most of the printed papers in town while Tab said he'd burn the rest before going home," I explained. Everyone nodded in unison, seeming to understand.

"Okay, so then why didn't you just give them to Carrot or Cup Cake to burn in their kitchen?" Pinkie Pie cocked her head to the side to study me.

"Or just destroy them back at the newspaper office?" Fluttershy chimed in. I wanted to destroy them. I wanted to rip them apart, dump a fifty-five gallon drum of gasoline on them and light them up like New Year's Eve.

"Well, Tab's story rubbed me the wrong way," I replied. "He claimed that something _drew_ him in to the headlines of the articles. That just threw up a whole bunch of red flags to me. I mean, anyone who believes in gossip would surely look at headlines first and then choose their opinion. But Tab seemed like the kind of pony that would at least _look_ at what someone sent in before choosing to publish it."

"But…" Bon Bon butted in, "remember he said he'd had a little bit to drink last night, and he was exhausted," she reminded me. My chair creaked as I leaned back and adjusted myself.

"Yeah, that is true. However, I'd think someone would wait until they were in their right state of mind before publishing stories as heinous as these," my fingers tapped the envelope. "But I knew something was really up when he mentioned how he was just sort drawn directly to the headlines. That's when I knew I had to bring these, all of them, in to you three," I pointed between the trio of alicorns.

"And pray tell," Luna raised an eyebrow, "what did you need us for?"

"I can field that question, Luna," Twilight seemed to be calm for now. "We were hoping to get in touch with you two in case these stories did in fact reach Canterlot," she explained. "And…I was hoping maybe you could tweak the law about what's okay to print and what's not okay to print?" She shrugged sheepishly, apparently knowing that the right to the press and news could be a touchy subject for some. Celestia pondered this for a moment before throwing her former pupil an unsure look.

"Unfortunately, I would have to know the severity of what was printed, Twilight," she replied apologetically. Lyra then cleared her throat before anything else could be said.

"Hate to interrupt you, your highness, but I think Cougar was about to explain why he needed to bring the original copies into you three," she gestured toward me. Once I had everyone's attention again, I reluctantly slid the envelope into the middle of the table.

"I'm not magic in any way, but I have a theory that somepony laced these papers and pictures with a spell," I announced. There were a few surprised gasps from the table coupled with some hooves dropping onto the tabletop. Checkered even choked a bit on his bagel. Luna whacked him on the back with her wing, making the obstruction fly out and nearly hit Rarity. Spike caught it with his hand and tossed it behind him, earning a thankful pat from the unicorn.

"Thanks….Lulu," Checkered coughed and wheezed.

"Sorry?" I apologized again, but I was puzzled that my theory was that shocking. "I know it's a little farfetched, but what if whoever wrote these cast a spell that sort of hypnotized Tab into printing the stories?" I suggested.

"Actually, it may not be too weird, Cougar," Spike replied, rubbing the back of his head. "Uh…mom?" He asked, drawing the attention of Twilight. "Remember that book I took out of the old abandoned castle for Rarity?" He asked sheepishly, blushing.

"Yes…." Twilight raised an eyebrow. I couldn't remember if AJ had told me this or not, but I listened anyway in case this could have been the same spell. "What are you- The Inspiration Manifestation Spell!" She exclaimed with a gasp.

"I'm sorry, the what?" I questioned.

"Inspiration Manifestation," Luna explained. "It's a spell that entrances the reader into creating whatever pops into their mind. The more they use it, the more they'll succumb to the book. However, I'm pretty sure that's not what you were getting at."

"No…not really," I said, gulping a bit. "But maybe something along those lines. I can only assume Tab would've had to have been exposed to some kind of hypnosis spell that tricked him into printing these. And I was hoping that maybe you three could do something to these papers and see if they are enchanted or whatever." The three princesses…..bit their lips, as if they had something to hide.

"We can, Cougar," Celestia informed me. "Unfortunately, if we scan these contents, we'd know precisely what they say," she added grimly. "I know you didn't want us to read anything to save us any humiliation," she acknowledged before Luna took over.

"And while we appreciate that, there's really no other way," she gave me a sympathetic look, knowing that my efforts would be wasted. I sighed, hanging my head low just above the surface of the table. There was nothing I nor anyone else could do as the trio of princesses magically levitated the papers and pictures. Luna's eyes glowed completely silver, Celestia's eyes glowed gold, and Twilight's eyes began to glow a magenta color. I noticed, after bringing my head back up, that Spike tenderly held Twilight's hoof in his hand. While it was true that no one really saw what the six other articles said, Spike was just trying to pre-comfort his mom for whatever her particular story said.

Even though I was practically used to all of the magic that unicorns and alicorns could do in Equestria, what Celestia, Luna, and Twilight were doing was radically different than what I've seen. Twilight's mane began to defy gravity like the royal sister's manes did as all the stationery and photos on the table flashed the trio of colors from each magic user. The three of them almost looked as if they were possessed from their lack of pupils, and how stiff they'd gone. Glock and Checkered Flag leaned back in their seats to get a better view of the light show happening directly above their heads, nearly mesmerized by what they were seeing. Suddenly, a loud gasp came from Celestia's mouth. Her jaw dropped, yet her eyes hadn't returned to normal. Twilight then cried out and began to shake, causing Spike to remove his hand from her hoof and throw his arms around her. Luna groaned uncomfortably and even looked a little dizzy.

"Woah nelly!" Applejack exclaimed as all three colors of magic flashed at once, temporarily blinding all of us. Just as soon as the magical procedure began, it was over, though the alicorns looked different than when they began. Celestia put her elbows on the table and her hooves onto her muzzle. She looked as if she just saw someone die before her eyes. Glock's hardened look softened up tremendously as he out his hoof on her foreleg.

Luna couldn't really face anyone. She didn't look like Celestia, but she did look as if she'd just been violated in some way. Her cheeks had a pink tint to them, and her facial expression was just uncomfortable. Twilight, however, was paler than I'd ever seen anyone in my life. She looked visibly ill with sweat racing down her forehead as she rocked back and forth in her chair. "Maybe I should've kept my mouth shout," I said grisly, closing my eyes and holding my head with my hand. Applejack smacked her lips and nudged my arm with her nose.

_"It was just an idea, Sugarcube," _she whispered, trying to soothe me. That was all any of us could really say with how the princesses looked. Would they even be willing to talk after going through that?

"So…." Rainbow coughed into her hoof, pausing uncomfortably. I opened my eyes to look at her. "D-did you find anything?" She gulped, trying not to set any of them off. I couldn't blame her in any way; they could just go off in anger or snap and start sobbing uncontrollably. It was anyone's bet, but the house would win.

"I…uh," Celestia exhaled through her nose whilst gulping and lowering her hooves.

"They do….have a spell on them," Luna quickly darted her eyes in my direction before looking down at her glass of water. She sounded embarrassed to me; I don't know what in the hell she read, but I had a hunch it was AJ's story on how she 'used' me.

"Luna?" Checkered Flag laid his chin onto the table and slid himself closer to his marefriend. "Can I get you anything, Moon Pie?" He asked; his eyes looking sorrowful. The midnight blue pony gulped and shook her head. Checkered sat back up, slowly put his forelegs around her and snuggled his head into her neck.

"That's awful!" Rarity proclaimed before slapping her hooves over her mouth. Thankfully none of the alicorns were set off by the sudden burst of noise.

"We…..we deactivated it," Celestia shut her eyes tightly before a single tear was squeezed out. I shifted in my chair, ready to spring up if anything would blow up from her emotions. Twilight explained to me awhile back that unicorns and alicorns can sometimes lose control of their magic if their emotions went unchecked, but she also mentioned it was rare. Of course I wasn't going to take any chances.

"Tia?" Glock slipped a napkin off the table and gingerly wiped the tear away. "What's wrong?" He asked worriedly, sounding more like a normal pony rather than a stoic guard. The normally proud princess sniffled before moving a piece of paper over to Glock for him to read. I felt even more guilty about bringing this up, but there was nothing I could about it. I could only try and help comfort the three if they needed it. "Oh….." he said as if the air was sucked from his lungs. The pegasus put the paper face down onto the table and spread his left wing from his torso, interlocking his feathers with Celestia's.

"I'VE NEVER BEATEN SPIKE IN MY LIFE!" Twilight screamed out of nowhere. The force of her scream made Pinkie Pie fly out of her chair before landing upside down with her back to the wall. The platter that Cup and Carrot Cake set down rattled from the vibrations. The purple pony then turned around and vomited into a plant pot, leaving a confused Spike sitting in his seat. We all scooted back in our seats to assist the poor pony, but Spike was on top of it.

"Mom!" He exclaimed, patting her back as she continued to retch.

"Twilight, _beating_ Spike?!" Bon Bon questioned with a sneer toward Lyra. There was a loud trotting of hooves coming from both upstairs and the kitchen. The Cakes appeared in a panicked state.

"Is everything okay!?" Carrot asked vehemently.

"No!" Pinkie exclaimed as she picked herself up off the floor. "The princesses and Twilight now hurt as bad Rarity!" She pointed directly to the seamstress. "Oop, sorry Rarity!" Pinkie apologized.

"It's quite all right, darling," Rarity brushed it off, looking at Twilight with sympathy.

"Woah….." Glock said as he put Celestia's story down. Great, just _fucking _great! I had to open my big mouth and now hurt even more of my friends. I made Celestia cry and Twilight vomit just from reading a tabloid. What the hell is wrong with me?

"Sugarcube?" AJ put her hoof under my chin and gently turned my head toward her. "Yer lookin' pretty steamed; what's the matter, Ivan?" She asked quietly.

"I-I caused this," I replied stuttered. "It was just a theory; I didn't want to ruin their day too," I looked over at the princesses. Even though it was Twilight that summoned the royal sisters to the town, this was my fault.

"Ya don't hafta blame yourself, Ivan," Applejack released my chin from her hoof, laying her head onto my chest. "We all just wanted ta prevent this from happenin' again," she added. "Ah don't blame ya one bit," her voice turned into a whisper. "_The man who made love ta me last night is still the same man Ah see here,"_ Applejack rubbed her cheek against my chest.

"I-I just wish I didn't say anything. All we had to do is convince Celestia to tell any newspaper in Equestria to not accept any stories from Lucy Lips," I replied, resting my chin on AJ's head.

"A-actually, Cougar," Luna spoke, but still didn't look at me. "With the information that these papers were tainted with a spell, the pony responsible can face harsh penalties," she explained. "Passing these stories off is one thing, but lacing a hypnosis spell is a massive offense."

"That still doesn't make me feel better, Luna," I admitted, sighing in disappointment.

"Can I ask something?" Fluttershy peered out from her mane. "Do we um, still even n-need these?" She asked. Spike then growled, and I mean growled like a rabid wolverine. Since the spell was deactivated, he grabbed every paper and every picture before tearing them all apart and setting the scraps on fire.

"Nopony's gonna hurt my mom anymore!" He seethed whilst breathing heavily.

"Oh my," Cup Cake backed away from the scene. Hell, if I were in her or Carrot Cake's position, I'd back away too. There was _no_ happiness at all from this table. Everyone was either depressed, sad, angry, puking, feeling guilty, or just….lost.

"I hate to sound like this," Rainbow stood up from her chair, "but after this morning, I think I'm gonna need a drink." Lyra and Bon Bon agreed with Rainbow, nodding in unison at the idea. Though I was sure the Cake's didn't keep any alcohol in the bakery, unless they had their own personal adult beverages upstairs.

"I just want to take a long soak in my tub and hug my sister for the rest of the day," Rarity sighed, slowly stuffing a doughnut into her muzzle. _'Happy fucking Hearts and Hooves Day,'_ I thought as AJ still cuddled against me.

"Lulu?" Celestia sniffled.

"It's quite all right, sister," Luna looked over to her big sister. "I know how much it pained you to send me away. The thought that you enjoyed it and did it to raise your status level is absolutely horrendous." Celestia whined slightly, breathing heavily to avoid crying. Twilight's retching finally ceased; she pulled her head out of the pot and wiped her mouth. Spike was there, helping guide her back to the table. The princess of friendship's lower lip quivered before throwing her forelegs around Spike, pulling him close.

"Hey, Princess Luna?" Pinkie Pie asked, raising her hoof in the air like a school filly. The alicorn looked over toward the mare, yet again avoiding me, even though Pinkie was standing beside myself and Applejack.

"Yes?" She replied.

"Why aren't you looking at Cougar? Aren't you two supposed to be good friends?" She questioned, cocking her head to the side. Luna's cheeks turned a brighter tint of pink as she locked eyes with me before snapping them away again.

"It's uh..no reason!" Luna's voice cracked. Checkered pulled his head away from her, looking her dead in the eye.

"Lulu, does it have anything to do with-"

"No, of course not!" The princess of the night immediately replied. Her outburst unfortunately drew the attention of all of us minus Twilight and Celestia. I felt Applejack remove her head from my chest. Her gaze was locked in Luna's direction.

"Now princess," she began sweetly, "if yer story involves Ivan, we won't believe it," she assured her. "Ah know yer faithful ta Checkered, 'n Ah know Ivan's faithful ta me," she squeezed my arm with her foreleg. Getting the idea that Luna's story probably talked about us either seeing each other behind Checkered and AJ's back, or that the four of us were….._swingers_ and Checkered and I shared Luna and AJ, I decided to set the record straight.

"You're right, AJ," I agreed. "Luna and Checkered really shouldn't have anything to worry about. The story is bullshit, and I'd never even think of being romantically involved with her," I stated proudly, just hoping we were all on the same page.

"HMPH!" Luna scoffed loudly, standing up from her chair with her hooves imprinting on the table surface. Uh-oh….. "Well then, that's _certainly_ what a mare likes to hear on Hearts and Hooves Day!" She said sarcastically with an eye roll. Now I finally had Luna's attention; I didn't like it. She actually looked a little insulted by what I'd said.

"Oh come on!" I exclaimed. "You know I didn't mean it like that!" I tried to explain, but Luna didn't want to hear any of it. "D-do you see how I just make things worse, AJ?" I asked with a sigh, running my hands through my hair. Luckily Checkered didn't seem pissed or anything; he was trying to placate his girlfriend.

"Awkward….." Pinkie stuffed a cupcake into her mouth and chewed solemnly.

"Er, Ivan," Applejack tapped my shoulder.

"I know, I know," I grunted, knowing what I had to do, as if I couldn't fuck anything else up today. Unfortunately, right as I was about to ask Luna to talk, she stood up from her seat and approached Cup and Carrot Cake.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cake, may I please use your little mare's room?" She asked. Luna thanked the couple as they pointed her in the direction of the bathrooms. She heavily trotted her way near the back into a little hallway, disappearing before we all heard the slamming of a door.

"I'll be right back," I said under my breath, following in the same direction as Luna.

"Are you really followin' a mare into the bathroom?" Applejack hopped up from her seat and galloped in front of me.

"No; I'm going to wait outside for her to come out so I can talk to her privately, Applejack. This is at least one thing today I can fix that I've fucked up," I replied. "She has to know that I didn't mean it like that."

"Ah know how ya meant it, Sugarcube, but don't ya think you should give her some time ta cool off before tryin' to explain it?"

"Sorry, Applejack, but I've got to fix this sooner rather than later," I lightly pecked her on her mouth before walking toward the bathrooms. I could only hope I _could_ fix this.

* * *

**End Chapter 47**

**So, just in case anyone is wondering, the rest of the tabloids won't be revealed at all in the story. But here I'll tell you what the rest of them said: For Pinkie's story, it was said that she was plotting to foalnap the Cake twins; for Rainbow's story, it was said she's feeding Scootaloo anti-growth pills to prevent Scootaloo's wings from growing; and for Fluttershy's story, it was supposedly a sequel to Lyra and Bon Bon's story in that she forgave Caramel for cheating on her and that the two are back to a healthy relationship, with hints of her possibly being pregnant with Caramel's foal. Luckily though, those stories won't see the light of day. **

**Also, the next chapter will be a mini-chapter. What you have to look forward too: Luna and Ivan's talk, StacheKing's OC gets a cameo, Checkered Flag bonds with the Cake twins, and a surprise visit from another character!**


	49. Chapter 48: A Few Good Friends

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 48: A Few Good Friends**

_Hey guys, before I even get to talking about this chapter, I want to say something important. At the time of this chapter update, the story has surpassed 200 subscribers. I know it's not as much as a lot of other stories on here, but for me to reach that is big. I was excited I reached 100 subs for the first time; 200 never even crossed my mind. But I just want to thank every single one of you who have ever clicked on my story. I never thought any of my stories could become this well-liked, but again, thanks to every single one of you; you guys are awesome, and without your support, I doubt the story would be this long. _

_As for this chapter, when I said it would be a mini chapter, that was a little too vague. What I meant was it would have several mini scenes written in so I could incorporate a few more characters for their own scenes. But I digress. One reason why this chapter took a little longer than usual was because it's Spring Break, and I had to go to Anchorage Saturday for a quick trip, so I lost a day of writing. _

_Also, this is big for me, with Season 6 premiering on the 26th, I've been writing down reviews for episodes of the shows. So far, I've got the first eight episodes done with scripts written. Starting this week, while coinciding with writing chapters, I will record voice overs for the scripts and post them to my YouTube channel. I will also try and keep up when Season 6 episodes start rolling out while still trying to post reviews for older episodes. Yes, I will try to review every episode of the show, or maybe all of Season 1, and then episodes that really stick out for Seasons 2-5. So, if you're interested in that, you can copy the YouTube channel link on my profile page and subscribe ;) And if you already subscribed, you might want to again because I deleted my other YouTube channel so I can start fresh. I also posted a link to my new Twitter account on my profile page. I know a few of you already followed me on my RacinMason Twitter, but this is other one is specifically for my YT channel. _

**Nostalgia Cop: **Cool, too bad you weren't the 500th reviewer

**Dixie Darlin:**Yeah, I'm not the best at subtlety :/ But thanks for re-reading!

**SkullCrusher550: **Thank you :)

**Sassymouse: **Everyone reacts to news (or tabloids) like this differently; everyone has their own personality. Besides, if the royal sisters had no reaction, they'd just be mindless drones. Some circumstances are exempt, but there are times when it's necessary to feel what the characters are feeling so you can be more involved with the story. And since Inspiration Manifestation is one of my favorite episodes, I thought that was a good place for it to have a callback.

**Guest: **I love the classic whodunit stories. Clue, for example, is one of my favorite murder/mystery movies

**OBSERVER01: **Lula Trixiemoon? I think you mean Trixie Lulamoon ;) But those are some pretty good guesses

**Srey: **Love big reviews like these, and thanks for pointing out some mistakes (mistakes I STILL need to fix by the way. Been busy lately.) I'm liking your suspects though

**ShiningShadow1965: **Thanks man!

**SquirtlePWN: **Not a problem whatsoever! Yeah, I was hoping people would catch on, but I'm still a novice at subtlety unfortunately. At least it wasn't TOO obvious, and I didn't let slip who the real culprit is.

_So, I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It was so much fun to have other characters in the spotlight besides Ivan. I already know that you may have some questions, so please read the post chapter author's note at the bottom; there will be a few explanations. _

* * *

**(Sugar Cube Corner; 3rd Person POV)**

"Sorry, Applejack, but I've got to fix this sooner rather than later," Ivan apologized to his lover, giving her a loving peck on the cheek. She smiled in reaction to the kiss as the human marched in the direction of the restrooms, disappearing as he entered the little hallway. Applejack sighed as she turned around and trotted back to the table where her disturbed friends were.

"Uh, can somepony tell me what in the _hay_ just happened?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Pinkie Pie then vanished from her spot, only to reappear behind Glock. The pegasus guard did a double take, unsure of how the mare snuck behind him.

"Don't you see, Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie placed her hooves onto Glock's shoulders to stand taller. "Cougar said that he'd never date Luna in his life. And Princess Luna was already stressed out from not getting some alone time with Checkered Flag here this morning," she explained. The earth pony racer in question flattened his ears on his skull as his light grey face burned red from embarrassment. "I don't know about you, but I'd be a little irritable about statements like that too, Dashie," Pinkie then stepped down from Glock's shoulders, but not before sniffing quickly.

"Um, Ms. Pie?" Glock asked uncomfortably, not liking having somepony _sniff_ him.

"You have the _greatest_ smelling cologne I've ever sniffed, Glock!" Pinkie exclaimed. "You smell just like a cake!" The party mare then found herself surrounded with Celestia's golden magic. She was then levitated away from Glock and back over to her spot with a muffled _thump_ in her chair. This little incident seemed to amuse the sun alicorn, taking her mind off the horrid story about her and her baby sister for the time being.

"Well then," Celestia sighed, tapping her hoof on the table. The breakfast pastries didn't seem too appetizing to the princess anymore. What started out as a great day to spend time with her special somepony now was a day that made her stomach knot up. "Checkered, you didn't seem too displeased with what Cougar said to Luna," she pointed out. The racing stallion had both elbows planted firmly on the table as he pursed his lips, still trying to understand what just happened.

"Eh, I knew what he meant," the pony shrugged. "He and Luna are good friends; I'm positive they'll sort this out. Besides, like Pinkie Pie said, Luna _was_ a little high strung from the interruption this morning," he added. "Not trying to pin the blame on anypony," he waved his hooves around. Twilight groaned as she loudly set her glass down; her tummy was still upset from what she had read. Spike still practically clung to her, massaging her back in between her wings to comfort her.

"I _never_ thought reading something would make me react like that," she muttered, politely wiping her mouth with a napkin. "I apologize for what might happen to your plant, Carrot and Cup," she said, slowly drawing her eyes over to the bakery couple.

"Oh, don't worry over it, dearie," Cup Cake smiled in assurance. "Neither of us blame you for what happened, right Carrot?" She nudged her husband with her elbow.

"Y-yes of course!" Carrot cleared his throat. "Frankly we're happy you didn't get any on the floor," he admitted sheepishly, not wanting to make the poor mare feel worse. Everyone's ears perked up at the sound of trotting hooves descending the staircase. Since Carrot and Cup were already downstairs, Lyra, Bon Bon, Spike and the Mane 6 knew who it was coming down the stairs. Carrot and Cup Cake looked anxiously at each other, unsure if their twin children should be down here at a time like this, even if they couldn't exactly read just yet.

"Mommy!" A young colt's voice cut through the air, "I'm thirsty!" a light cream colored colt pegasus emerged from the staircase. Pound Cake halted as he rubbed his sleepy eyes. His gaze was locked onto the pearly white alicorn and the light grey earth pony sitting at the table.

"Now, Pound honey," Cup Cake tried to get her son's attention. Unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough. Pound Cake turned right around and shouted back up the stairs to his twin sister.

"PUMPKIN! PRINCESS CESTIA AND CHECKERED FLAG ARE HERE!" He screamed. Pinkie, Celestia, Checkered, and Fluttershy couldn't help but smile at Pound's mispronunciation of Celestia's name in his young excitement.

"No, son!" Carrot tried to stop his children from disturbing the princess, but he didn't act quick enough. The pattering of tiny hooves scrambling down the wooden staircase was heard next. Pumpkin Cake seemed to glide as she appeared at the bottom of the stairs next to her twin.

"YAY!" The toddlers cheered, galloping toward the princess and the racing pony. Carrot and Cup Cake tried to scoop them up, but their little ones had too much energy. Pound and Pumpkin leapt up and landed into the laps of the older ponies.

"Oh my!" Celestia exclaimed as Pumpkin landed with a thud onto her lap.

"Woah there!" Checkered grunted when Pound jumped up and down on his lap. Both toddlers placed their front hooves on the chests of the respective older ponies, happy to be in their presence. While they were indeed surprised at first, both Checkered and Celestia didn't mind at all to have toddlers with them. Every other pony at the table, minus Rainbow Dash, couldn't help but smile at the admittedly adorable display. Rainbow on the other hoof only cracked a small smile, still trying to maintain her tough exterior. As for Carrot and Cup Cake, they were freaking out. Carrot's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he passed out right in the middle of the bakery.

"POUND, PUMPKIN!" Cup exclaimed, galloping over to the duo. "SHOW YOUR MANNERS! You don't jump onto other ponies, especially Princess Celestia!"

"Pretty!" Pumpkin waved her hoof through Celestia's translucent mane.

"Aww, you're so sweet, little one," the princess patted the toddler's head gingerly as she smiled down at her. Celestia giggled as Pumpkin's eyes were firmly locked onto and played with this strange other mane she had never seen before. "My you're the curious little filly, aren't you? Aren't you?" Celestia tickled Pumpkin's belly with her hoof. Cup Cake almost felt like collapsing like her husband.

"Checkered!" Pound sat onto the racing pony's lap, waving his forelegs around. "Y-your da bestest racer!" He said with a proud smile. Checkered chuckled heartily and placed his larger hooves onto Pound's smaller ones.

"Always nice to meet a super fan," the racer grinned, moving the colt's hooves back and forth. He then took notice of Pound's wings, "Except you might be a future Wonderbolt instead of a racer for the earth ponies, huh?" He lowered his head to Pound's level. "Rainbow, looks like you might have a future trainee here," he mentioned. Rainbow Dash cocked her head, realizing that she'd never thought of that possibility before. Then again, Pound was still extremely young.

"Uh-uh!" Pound shook his head, moving his hooves away from Checkered's. "Wanna be like Checkered Flag!" Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight awed at that notion by the little colt.

"Oh, I'm so embarrassed!" Cup bit her lip. "I apologize for my children; they're just excited," she tried to explain. The mother reached over and scooped Pumpkin away from Celestia gently. "Again, I'm so sorry, your highness," she cringed, afraid of what would happen.

"It's no trouble, Mrs. Cake," she waved to Pumpkin who was now cradled in her mother's foreleg. "I always love seeing the future of Equestria so young, excited, and vibrant. Sometimes I wish I could've taken the step to motherhood long ago," she added, looking downward for a brief moment before casting her gaze over to Glock. The pegasus cocked an eyebrow before catching on what his marefriend was talking about.

"Uh, well," the guard mumbled, "m-maybe we shouldn't rush things like that Tia," he blushed, failing to keep his stoic demeanor.

"I'm only teasing Glock," she playfully shoved his shoulder, "_for now_," she whispered, winking at him.

"Come on, Pound," Cup called, trying to get her son to leave Checkered Flag alone. "I'll get you your drink, but Checkered Flag is very busy right now." As she said this, Carrot Cake awakened, shaking his head after fainting. He rubbed his eyes only to see his daughter in Cup Cake's foreleg.

"Oh, he wasn't bothering me, Cup Cake," Checkered assured her. "I like kids; I've got to deal with a lot of them at races," he picked Pound up by his sides, trying to hand him to Cup Cake.

"You put the babies up, Honey Bun, and I'll get back to work on the Hearts and Hooves orders," Carrot Cake shook his head back and forth. He wanted to help his wife with their kids, but because of this whole morning fiasco, they were a few hours behind on orders.

"NO! WANNA STAY WITH CHECKERED!" Pound wailed, trying to get away from his mother's grasp. Cup Cake set Pumpkin on the floor, now free to use both forelegs.

"Please don't fuss, sweetie," she begged. "I'm sure he won't mind signing something for you if you behave like a good colt." The colt continued to wriggle around in Checkered's grasp, not wanting to leave him. "Pinkie, could you help me, please?" Cup Cake requested.

"You've got it, Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie sprang up from her seat with a salute. "Now then, where did I put that extra bag of flour?" She tapped her chin.

"Sorry Pinkie, but we need the rest of the flour in the shop to fill these orders!" Carrot called from the kitchen. Checkered, not wanting to accidentally drop the colt, held him close before standing up from his seat. He clutched the toddler to his side as he walked on three legs.

"I can help you put them up for a nap if you'd like, Cup Cake," he smiled. "It's no trouble," he added when the mother opened her mouth to object. "And I don't blame your husband at all; it can't be too easy raising twins while running your own business." The baking pony sighed, yet it was a sigh of relief. She smiled warmly as she placed her daughter onto her back.

"Thank you, Checkered," she said. "And don't worry about Carrot; we take turns baking and taking care of our children." Pound finally stopped fussing as Checkered gently placed the colt onto his back, allowing the colt to grab onto his neck for support.

"Hey Pound, wanna see how fast I can go?" Checkered offered. The colt squealed in glee, bouncing up and down on the stallion's neck. "Let's see if we can beat your mother and sister," he winked at the mare. Checkered then counted down from three; he and Cup trotted quickly up the stairs as Pound and Pumpkin made racing noises. The bakery felt strange as the quietness set in.

"Well then," Rarity exhaled with a smile. "I hadn't a clue Checkered was that good with foals," she complimented, moving her glass of water around gingerly with her magic.

"Luna's a lucky mare to have somepony like that in her life," Lyra nodded, though held Bon Bon close.

"Ah've seen him stop ta talk ta a few foals before 'n after races," Applejack replied. "He's a good pony," she added, looking solemnly toward the hallway where she last saw her lover go. It'd been only a few minutes, but it felt like hours, especially with everything they'd been through the previous night and this morning.

"Can I get you anything else, mom?" Spike asked with hope. The purple alicorn, although feeling better after seeing the display of Checkered and Celestia with the Cake twins, was still feeling ill, so she wasn't doing much at all.

"Just, stay the good son you are, please," Twilight smiled weakly, folding a wing over Spike's back.

**CRACK-A-BOOM!**

Everyone yelped at the sudden clap of thunder as their manes stood up straight from the sudden flash of lighting. Spike clasped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing at the ridiculous mane styles his friends and mom now had. "What the tartarus was _that_?" Bon Bon smoothed her mane back into its original form. All of a sudden, it began to rain, _inside_ the bakery. But instead of water droplets, globs of red _something _fell onto the floor, tables, chairs, and heads of the ponies and dragon.

"Eww!" Rarity shrieked, grabbing an empty plate and covering her head, "GROSS, GROSS, GROSS!"

"Is that, slime?" Rainbow kept shaking her head to get the globs out of her mane. It already had enough colors _and_ looked badass; getting sticky stuff out of it was a pain in the ass. Curious, Pinkie Pie collected some in her hoof before licking it like it were ice cream.

"Don't put your tongue on it!" Rarity gagged. Celestia cast a quick spell that made the gooey stuff fall around everyone instead of on them. Pinkie Pie gave the substance another lick before her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. She narrowed her eyes and spoke in a low voice.

"_Raspberry,"_ she said in a Batman-like voice. "There's only _one_ that I know that would _dare_ make it rain raspberry jam," she collected more in her hooves and began to eat it up. "And it's delicious, Discord!" She cheered as another glob, one with yellow eyes, landed on her hoof. The glob's eyes looked up at the pony before they literally rolled out of the jam and onto the floor like a pair of billiard balls, landing with the red pupils face up.

"I thank you for not _licking_ me, ugh," Discord shuddered as his hodgepodge body materialized on the floor. "Sorry for the sticky entrance, but I didn't want to scare the little ones. Nothing can ruin a mood more than a crying brat," the draconequus stretched his arms with a groan. Fluttershy grinned and waved at one of her closest friends, perhaps he _was_ her closest friend. A visit from him may just be what the doctor ordered to perk her spirits up even more than the Cake twins did.

"Hello _Discord_," Twilight grumbled. While she still didn't mind the master of chaos as much as she did before, the Princess of Friendship was NOT in the mood to deal with his antics for the time being. Discord summoned a little plate, a blueberry cruller, and a mug of coffee from the table before seating himself between Glock and Celestia.

"Don't mind me, though you may want to scootch your rather large rump over, Celestia," Discord winked, dunking the plate into his coffee before taking a bite out of it.

"I beg your pardon!" Celestia exclaimed, her cheeks turning red from astonishment and embarrassment.

"Hey! You watch what you say to your princess," Glock growled, though the lord of chaos didn't care what he said.

"Now, Discord, I don't want to sound rude," Rarity cleared her throat as the draconequus munched his plate, using the cruller to wipe his mouth.

"Oh, I DO!" Rainbow butted in and pointed a hoof at Discord, "We're not in the mood to deal with whatever crazy and backward crap you have cooked up for us!"

"Rainbow!" Fluttershy gasped, dropping her jaw a little. She was used to Rainbow being more blunt than any of her other friends, but that didn't mean she approved of it. "Sorry Discord," she apologized, looking back to her friend, "we've all had a somewhat frustrating and disheartening morning," she explained. He swallowed his bite and sipped some of his coffee.

"So Lyra, how goes the married life?" He completely ignored Fluttershy as if she weren't even there. The married couple was dumbfounded that Discord even knew they existed; the three had rarely, if ever, spoken to each other. "Are you two sick of each other yet?"

"Um, we're doing fine?" Lyra leaned back from Discord, not trusting anything he had to say or do.

"Well, isn't that fantastic?" Discord let out a little belch. "It's good to know that you two trust each other so much," he sort of sneered. The atmosphere around the table changed yet again. This time from cheerful because of the Cake twins, to awkward because of Discord.

"'Scuse me, Discord," AJ leaned forward, "Ah think Fluttershy was speakin' to ya," she narrowed an eye at mismatched creature, letting him know he was being rude. The yellow pegasus in question did in fact look a little hurt that Discord had ignored her greeting, but brushed it off as he probably wanted to know how Lyra and Bon Bon were doing on their first Hearts and Hooves Day as a married couple.

"Say, where is your biped of a coltfriend, Applejack?" Discord retorted to the farm pony. "I figured you two would be all snuggled up on a bail of hay, listening to the newest Pony Keith record," he teased, puckering out his lips and making kissing noises. The mare bit her hoof as she blushed, embarrassed to admit that that actually sounded like a great idea to do once her coltfriend was done talking to Luna.

"We had plans today," Applejack coughed, "but they sorta got pushed ta the side- HEY! Don't change the subject one me, ya varmint!" She snapped.

"What?" Discord asked innocently, turning into a younger, more innocent-looking version of himself. "It IS Hearts and Hooves Day after all; I just want to know how the happy couples are doing today. I only ask because on my morning stroll through Ponyville, I noticed there was very little Hearts and Hooves Day activities, and more whispering behind closed doors so to speak."

"What do you care what goes on in Ponyville?" Spike questioned.

"Oh, well normally on Hearts and Hooves Day, everypony is making either googly eyes with each other or making baby ponies," he shrugged nonchalantly, causing Pinkie Pie to spit out her milk. "So I was doing what I do best: Changing words on those stupid heart candies, writing different names in those dumb cards, making flowers smell like spoiled cottage cheese, those sort of things."

"I didn't know you-" Fluttershy attempted to chime in, but was interrupted by Discord.

"But then a newspaper caught my eye," he said grimly as the lighting in the bakery dimmed, mirroring that of a house in a horror film. "And that's when a certain article made its way across my gaze," he snapped his eagle talons, causing a newspaper to appear in front of him. "I suppose you may trust your, whatever Bon Bon is in your relationship, a little too much Lyra!" He exclaimed, shoving the article into Lyra, Bon Bon, and Fluttershy's faces.

"_Oh no…."_ Fluttershy's pupils shrank as the color drained from her buttery yellow face.

"I had a feeling we forgot something important," Pinkie Pie scratched her chin. "Uh, Discord, you do know that the whole article is fake, right?" She questioned. Discord snorted, ignoring the earth pony's explanation as he ripped the paper away from Fluttershy, Lyra, and Bon Bon, sitting back down with a growl.

"Why do you care about _our_ love life?" Bon Bon furrowed her eyebrows at the draconequus, bracing her forelegs against the tabletop. "And to be honest, _we've_," she pointed between herself and Lyra, "never had much of a conversation with you before," Bon Bon added.

"Oh PLEASE!" Discord summoned a hammer and nail, proceeding to hammer the nail into his head. "I'd rather hammer nails into my skull all day before I'd want to hear about your, blech, love life," he shuddered before the hammer and nail disappeared. Bon Bon shook her hoof at Discord as Lyra stuck her tongue out.

"D-Discord?" Fluttershy stuttered. She knew that the mention of her and Caramel in the paper had the potential to bite her, but she honestly didn't even think that Discord would get ahold of the Ponyville Gazette. "P-please don't believe-"

"Hmm, why did anypony else hear that?" Discord dug a talon into his inner ear before cupping the entire ear with his hand. "Why I believe Cup Cake and Carrot Cake may have a mouse problem," he said, still rudely ignoring Fluttershy. The meek Pegasus pouted and slumped into her chair. She even sniffled a bit and quickly wiped her eyes with her hair. Everyone glared at Discord for his behavior, waiting for him to finally respond to Fluttershy.

"That is IT!" Celestia slammed her hoof onto the table. "Discord, I _demand_ you answer your friend Fluttershy this _instant!_" She growled, causing golden sparks to shoot out from her horn. It was rare to see Celestia a little miffed, let alone this angry. The rest of the table cowered slightly at her rage, uncertain of what she'd do next. "If you are truly worried about what this newspaper says, then let her explain it since you two are close friends!" Discord sneered at the princess and opened his mouth to reply.

"Oh why don't you stuff more cake into your mouth, Celestia?" he scoffed, pointing a finger from his lion paw at the alicorn. The princess dropped her jaw, along with everyone else who gasped loudly at the remark. Discord was known for more fun-loving teasing, but he said this with a large hint of malice behind it.

"How...dare you!" Twilight finally picked her head up from the table. "HOW DARE YOU!?" She screamed, flaring her wings out and accidentally smacked Spike in the face. The dragon rubbed his cheek as Discord's face remained stoic and uncaring at his brash remark.

"Please be calm, Twilight," Celestia requested through gritted teeth. She was used to his nearly 24/7 insults, but he was starting to get under her skin; she didn't have much patience this morning.

"YOWCH!" Discord whined when a golden lightning bolt from Celestia's horn zapped him in the rear, catching it on fire. The draconequus materialized a fireman's uniform onto his body as he sat into a bucket of water, sighing in relief as the water soothed his burning bum. "I think that was a bit rude, don't you think?" He suddenly found himself frozen in a golden mist, unable to move of his own will. He was then turned to face the sun alicorn's fiery glare as she leaned him close to her face.

"You…" she said grimly, pausing to choose her words carefully. "Will answer your friend Fluttershy this instant, Discord," Celestia growled, "or you can say bye-bye to your powers, _forever," _a large flame appeared in both of her eyes. The alicorn then pushed Discord onto his back, allowing herself to tower over him. Pinkie brought up a bucket of popcorn from under the table, intrigued at seeing an angry Celestia.

"B-but!"

"If you think I'm bluffing, don't forget that myself, Luna, and Cadence transferred our powers into Twilight to hide them from Tirek. I can just as easily take away yours if you continue to act like a selfish brat to your first and closest friend," she jabbed her golden hoof plate into his face.

"Woah…." Rainbow Dash's eyes widened. Discord, knowing that Celestia wasn't bluffing whatsoever, gulped as rivers of sweat streamed down his face.

"Oh F-Fluttershy, there you are!" He stumbled, darting his eyes over to the meek pony. "M-may I have a word with you, dear friend?" His voice cracked. His red and yellow eyes shifted back over to Celestia as she narrowed her own eyes at the creature beneath her. With a loud snort, the golden mist surrounding Discord dissipated, allowing the draconequus to move. Like a snake, he slithered out from underneath the alicorn, only to appear next to Fluttershy. Just as he was about to speak to the hurt pony, Discord realized that everyone was staring at him. Regaining a bit of his snarky side, Discord put his lion arm around his friend. "Ahem, could we have a friends only moment?" He snapped his eagle talon, making the duo disappear and reappear on the other side of the dining area.

"Aww!" Pinkie Pie groaned, "Just when it was getting good!" She dropped her bucket of popcorn on the floor. Back over with Discord and Fluttershy, the latter was having a hard time looking at the former, still feeling hurt that he ignored her, and worried about his issue with the newspaper. Discord on the other hand was having difficulty finding a good place to start. Scratching at his chalk white goatee, Discord thought hard about something that really defined what the two of them did together. He couldn't start off a conversation and ignore the fact that he treated Fluttershy as if she were dead; that would only hurt her further. _'Well, we've always had tea together,'_ a mini Discord appeared on the original Discord's shoulder. _'Perhaps that can lighten the mood a bit?' _The mini Discord whispered into Discord's ear as it sat in a recliner with a pipe. With a quick drum of his talons atop the table, a tea set appeared between Discord and Fluttershy.

"Tea for 400 bits, please," Discord chuckled, levitating a full cup over to Fluttershy. The pegasus looked up from her reflection in the table to the tea before looking back down. "Aw, you _always_ love that joke, Fluttershy," Discord set the tea gently down in front of his friend. When she still didn't respond, Discord gasped as another idea oozed from his brain. And as he sucked his brains back into his head, he pulled out a giant mallet, holding it above his head. "Would you like one lump, or two, Fluttershy?" He banged his head hard, forming two lumps in between his horns. The lumps rolled off his head, down his nose, and landed into Fluttershy's tea cup. The two lumps turned into Discord shaped sugar cubes with smiley faces.

"_…." _Fluttershy mumbled something inaudibly. The Discord sugar cubes turned to frowns before melting.

"Apologies," Discord stuck a giant Q-Tip into his ears, pushing it in and out between his head, "but could you please repeat that?" The animal lover sighed sadly, pushed her tea cup away and tried to pick up the volume of her voice.

"_You…..rt…..e," _she said softly. Ears and horns drooping, Discord pouted, knowing he'd done far more damage than he realized. When not even his usual breaking the laws of physics gags would cheer up Fluttershy, there was only one thing he could do. With a sad smile, he reached over his eagle talons and lightly stroked Fluttershy's bubblegum colored mane.

"Fluttershy please," he begged, "I really do wish to talk of my own accord, not because of what Siz- Princess Celestia ordered," he caught himself from making another immature joke. Slowly, Fluttershy raised her big, teal eyes upward with a quivering lower lip.

"_You really hurt me, Discord,_" she said solemnly.

"That much I know, and I took it too far," he admitted.

"But why?" Fluttershy's hoof touched Discord's talons. She didn't move his talons away; she just sort of held his talons within her hoof. "I'm your friend; friends don't treat other friends like that," Fluttershy blinked a few tears away. "Please, just tell me why you acted like I didn't exist or even matter over what you read in a dumb newspaper!" She rose her voice just a little. Discord raised his lion paw and began to chew on its claws.

"Fluttershy, we've been calling each other friends for some time, correct?" He asked in a cracked voice. Fluttershy nodded in response. "Well, I recall we made a pact to always be honest and truthful with each other like your friend Applejack over there cherishes," he pointed to the orange pony that was still staring in the direction of the bathrooms. "I've answered every question you've ever asked and even told you a few secrets that even Celestia doesn't know."

"But….I've done the same in return," Fluttershy replied, feeling lost.

"Then imagine how I felt this morning after working hard to dirty my dishes and putting fresh dust bunnies in the corners of my house, only to see an article that claimed you were courting Caramel," now it was Discord's turn to look and feel hurt. He shut his eyes and let his head droop low. "You told me that you only performed that certain act with him because you didn't have enough time to properly prepare yourself for the Estrus. And that taking him to the Grand Galloping Gala was your form of apology," he added.

"And it was!" The pegasus defended.

"I just….felt like you lied to me and that if you were keeping your courtship secret from me, you didn't trust me enough as a friend. That's why I treated you like I did."

"Discord, that newspaper article you read was just a tabloid," Fluttershy repeated what Pinkie Pie had said earlier. A sudden alarm went off in Discord's head.

"…_Tabloid?"_ Discord gulped as a boxing glove appeared from thin air and socked him in the face.

"Yes!" Fluttershy exclaimed, making him remove his talon from her hoof. "I would _never_ lie to you; and I do trust you as one of my closest friends. And if I were courting somepony, I would tell you before anypony else, even Rarity," she plopped back in her seat, holding her muzzle with her hooves. Her true feelings for the draconequus were beginning to surface. She had to stop and think about what to say next or risk blurting out that he'd be the somepony she wanted to court and send everything to tartarus. "I really wish you would've come and asked me if it was true."

"Well, I feel like a jerk," Discord's face briefly turned into Christian Bale's as he put his talon back onto Fluttershy's hoof. Although he couldn't admit it to Fluttershy, and he really did feel like she lied to him earlier in the morning, he was actually filled to the brim with jealously that Fluttershy could potentially court somepony else. She would always be his first friend, the first pony who actually cared about his feelings and wanted him to know that she would be there for him. There was a possibility the feelings for friendship he felt for the buttery pegasus had grown stronger over time, but he could never tell her. How would she know if he was joking or not? Or what if it was so awkward that she couldn't face him anymore? The jealousy he felt at the idea of her with somepony else was truthfully the anger he felt toward himself for not being able to tell her, especially since they vowed to tell each other everything as he pointed out. "F-Fluttershy I know there's no excuse for my behavior," he flat out admitted.

"Everypony has their bad days, Discord," Fluttershy replied, knowing that her friend truly felt bad about jumping to conclusions.

"Yes, but a simple apology won't do; you're too special to just throw an apology at, even if it's heartfelt," Discord held his chin in his lion paw. "My behavior must be punished," he added. An idea suddenly sprang into Fluttershy's mind.

"Give up your powers for a day," she said with a smile.

"Excuse me?!" Discord's head exploded into confetti before reappearing on top of his body.

"We can spend the rest of the day as friends since you're already here, but you can see what it's like to live without your magic for the rest of the day," Fluttershy explained.

"Um, I _was_ imprisoned in stone for thousands of years," Discord briefly turned to stone before he broke free. "And I couldn't use my magic then," he reminded her.

"I know, but then you wouldn't have to feel like you have to use your magic to keep my attention. You can just be the gentle soul I know is underneath all of your mismatched body parts. And I'm not saying I'm bored of your tricks, but you don't have to do them all the time with me. We can just talk like we're doing now, or maybe have a picnic with my animal friends," she suggested as the slightest shade of pink appeared under her yellow fur.

"Would that really help?" He questioned, lifting his chin up.

"If you can give up your powers and just be my friend for the rest of the day, then I know you're truly sorry, Discord," Fluttershy smiled as she flapped her wings and floated over to Discord, wrapping her forelegs around him. The draconequus was thankful she couldn't see the blush rising up into his face. He patted her back as he returned the hug. With another sigh, they released the hug. Discord snapped his talons, and made a large jar appear. He levitated himself above said jar before wringing out his slender body like a towel, causing a blue substance to be squeezed from his body.

"There we go," he declared after collapsing onto the tabletop and crawling back to his seat next to Fluttershy. "This jar is 100% Discord power concentrated," he tapped the label that had a winking farmer Discord. "The jar won't open for 24 hours, and I'll entrust Celestia to watch it," he grimaced, missing his powers already.

"I'm proud of you, Discord," Fluttershy hugged his torso.

_'Maybe this won't be so bad,' _Discord thought to himself. "Um, perhaps we should rejoin our friends," Discord cleared his throat. "In fact, I even forgot Luna and Cougar were here," he pointed to the duo that were approaching their friends.

* * *

**(Time Jump; Ivan's POV)**

With my back against the wall for the past few minutes, I stared directly at the _Mare's Room_ sign on the bathroom door. I wanted to patiently await Luna's exit from relieving herself, if she had to that is. I still had the utmost respect for the female gender; barging into the bathroom wouldn't be very appropriate. Still, Luna's reaction to what I said was completely out of left field. She was my friend, and I really didn't have any feelings of romantic caliber for her. Thinking it over, I didn't even say anything too mean; I felt that extinguishing any possibility of that idea right away was the right thing to do. I kept replaying the scene over and over in my mind, trying to look for any clues for her outburst. '_That's certainly what a mare likes to hear on Hearts and Hooves Day!'_

While waiting, I heard the Cake twins yelling about Celestia and Checkered being in the bakery which brought a little smile to my face. I even heard Pound praise Checkered for his ability as a racer.

"Did I insinuate that I thought she was unlovable maybe?" I asked myself. There was that possibility, but Checkered Flag was sitting right next to her, how could she think that's what I meant? I was no Sherlock Holmes, but no matter how much thought I put into this, I couldn't come up with a good reason for her reaction. Then again, it was said that she didn't get to have alone time with Checkered earlier…..maybe she was just, pent up and anxious?

"I know you are out there, Cougar," Luna's voice penetrated through the door, causing me to jump. "Do you not realize how loud you talk when speaking to yourself?" She asked, still sounding mighty ticked. I gulped, not knowing what to do. Should I just wait for her to leave, go back to the table, or try and hold a conversation through a bathroom door?

"Luna," I licked my lips, trying to find a place to start, "I just wanted talk to you," I admitted. "I may have said something wrong, but I honestly don't know what," I trailed off, mentally kicking myself for sounding ignorant. There was some shuffling coming from the other side of the door, but I still had no idea what Luna was doing in there. She really could've just gone to the bathroom to think for all I know.

"And you thought talking to me through a bathroom door would be logical?"

"Well, I'm not just gonna go into a women's restroom," I replied with a snort. "I'm not looking to end the day with a broken nose," I added. I was met with some more shuffling. Could she have just been leaning against the wall for support and her fur was brushing up against said wall? "I…I just want to straighten things out, okay?" This time I heard a sigh rather than shuffling.

"Could you just give me a brief moment, please?" She requested. I had to do a double-take; I was surprised it didn't take much to get her to talk to me. Though the few minutes I waited was probably just enough time for her to cool down from her initial outburst. "Are you still there, Cougar?" She asked when I didn't respond.

"Oh, uh, yes!" I replied, shaking my head. "I can wait until you're done," I lightly patted the wooden door before stepping back and leaning back against the wall. Though, I still felt like I had to say something else. "Can I just add that I wasn't trying to say you were ugly or anything-"

"Please stop talking," she cut me off, sounding rather paranoid. I quickly covered my mouth with my hand, preventing any other possibly stupid things to come out. After a few seconds of her latest request, I heard the sound of a toilet flushing, followed by the sound of her turning the sink on. "You may enter," she suddenly said.

"Excuse me?" I was positive I heard her wrong while I was trying to think of what to say.

"I am finished; you may enter if you are still wishing to speak to me privately," Luna repeated as she had yet to turn off the sink. Other than Applejack, no other female just willingly invited me into the bathroom before. And since this was NOT AJ, I was completely against the idea.

"Uh, I _did_ want to speak to you privately, but the hallway still blocks the view of anyone from the dining area," I stepped closer to the door so she could hear me better. The mare scoffed at my modesty.

"Besides a pony's bedroom, the bathroom is one of the most private places in existence," she explained. "And the door locks; nopony else will come in," Luna added.

"It wasn't my plan to go into the bathroom while-"

"Just get in here, Cougar!" Luna exclaimed much louder than before. Her silver magic seeped from the sides and underneath the door like smoke. The door quickly slammed open to reveal the blue alicorn glaring at me through the open doorway. I didn't want to piss her off even more, so I had no choice but to enter the bathroom. I never felt so….dirty in my life as I stepped foot into the women's bathroom. The instant I cleared the doorway, Luna quickly shut the door and locked it.

"Hey," I bit my lower lip, not ready to start up a conversation in this particular location. The mare did not respond. Instead she turned back to the sink where she splashed some cold water onto her face before turning off the sink. She grabbed a paper towel within her magic and dabbed her face before tossing the paper towel into the garbage. Our eyes locked as neither of us spoke; we were both waiting for someone to say something.

**CRACK-A-BOOM!**

The two of us yelped from the sudden sound of extremely close thunder. "Did Rainbow Dash mention anything about a rain storm today?" Luna asked me as both of our nerves calmed. I swallowed and listened for the sound of rain falling. Usually with thunder that loud, the rain would hit pretty hard, but I didn't hear anything that sounded like rain. "Wait a moment," Luna darted her eyes around with a cocked eyebrow. "Discord is here," she sighed, tapping the side of her head. I guess she could sense another strong magical presence within the building, but I wasn't about to stop and ask.

"What the hell does he want?" I double checked to make sure the door was still locked.

"Probably to spread his usual brand of Hearts and Hooves Day mischief," Luna then quickly dried her hooves of any remaining water droplets.

"Well, it's a good thing he showed up _after_ I said….." I trailed off, not wanting to piss her off further, and still puzzled why Luna got so worked up over my comment. She shifted her gaze my way, giving me an impossible to read look before turning back away.

"Hmm, yes; or else he would never let me hear the end of this," Luna groaned, flapping her wings and sitting on the counter next to the sink. For some reason, I felt compelled to join her, at least as much as I could. The sink was small, so I had to substitute sitting on the counter by leaning on the edge of the counter.

"If I can ask, why were you splashing water on your face?" I questioned, trying to work my way up to asking her what was wrong with my statement.

"Haven't you done that to help when you are feeling stressed?" Luna replied with a question of her own. "Or to calm down?" She added. I couldn't lie there; I must've wasted a good amount of water from splashing it on my face back home on Earth. I nodded with a sheepish shrug, still working to avoid saying the wrong thing again. "Are you and Applejack still fairing well?" Luna changed the subject rather abruptly.

"Oh…yeah," I had to blink away my surprise. Obviously we were doing better than we could've ever hoped, but I still held together the pact we'd made last night. "We had a pretty good Hearts and Hooves Day planned until all of this crashed that party," I explained.

"I am very pleased to hear that," Luna managed to crack a small smile.

"Thanks, but are you and Checkered still happy?" I replied with the same question.

"My heart soars higher than even Rainbow Dash ever could whenever I see him," Luna said with a sly smile. That response was something I'd expect to hear from Rarity or possibly Cadence, but I wasn't going to complain about it. Luna still sounded generally happy to be with Checkered Flag. "In fact, like yourself and Applejack, we too had somewhat of a special day planned," she ended with a growl. I was about to make somewhat of a smart remark that would make us chuckle, but I noticed something. Luna grimaced and raised her hoof to rub her head.

"Hey, are you okay there, Luna?" I asked as she lowered her hoof back to her side. She could only nod yes, but didn't keep her eyes on me for very long. "Can I get you anything?" Was my go to response if I saw something wrong with a friend, though I quickly realized running out of the bathroom only to run right back in would look suspicious.

"No, you don't have to do anything, Cougar," Luna sighed as she stepped down from the counter onto all four hooves.

"Well, that's not entirely true, Luna," I responded, standing at attention as the mare stretched out her wings. She froze and looked over at me, curious. "Look you can chalk this up to me not having a clue how females work, but please just tell me what was wrong with what I said," I begged. "I didn't mean to upset you, and I don't want to strain our friendship." The alicorn lowered her head for reasons I don't know, only raise her head back up with her ears flattened.

"I….I suppose I should apologize for overreacting," She replied.

"Because I didn't mean- I'm sorry?" I realized she had said something in return, but I was so worked up that I couldn't hear anything. Luna's eyes glowed a brilliant white before two lounge chairs appeared in the middle of the bathroom. The mare took one, sitting on her stomach with her legs curled up in front of her and gestured with her horn for me to sit down across from her.

"Please, take a seat; I have a few things I must tell you," she announced politely.

"So….you're not angry at me anymore?" I asked as I hesitantly took a seat across from the blue mare. Despite looking rather cozy curled up in her chair, I could tell she was still a little uncomfortable. Luna squeaked slightly from my question before bowing her head.

"Cougar, I truthfully never was angry at you per say," she admitted, pulling her head back up to look me in the eye.

"What?" I was flabbergasted. I squinted my eyes as I pulled my head back away from the alicorn. Things were now starting to jumble around in my head, things I didn't know how to figure out. "Okay Luna, please just tell me what the hell is going on," I requested firmly. "Should I be apologizing for what I said or not?" Luna frowned, looking a bit ashamed.

"Firstly, no, you have no reason to apologize nor feel sorry," she admitted, dropping her hoof off the edge of the chair, swinging it around.

"You yelled at me and stormed off for the bathroom," I replied flatly. "What am I supposed to feel or say?" I leaned closer to the mare.

"Concerned, perhaps? Possibly even confused?" Luna guessed. "Ahem, but as to what I said earlier, yes, I do admit I overreacted to your statement. And I know I have no excuse for yelling at a friend like that, but….." she paused briefly, chewing on her bottom lip. We were actually getting somewhere, so that was a good start, but I still wanted to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible. "Oh, this is a little uncomfortable to talk about, especially to a stall- male," she blinked a few times. Being the caring guy that I was, I reached out and cupped her hoof with my fingers, just trying to get her to calm down. Even though I was getting jumbled up with her, she was still my friend. With a sigh, she opened her mouth again, "Cougar, did you ever make love to anypony back in your old home?" She asked bluntly. "Ow!" She exclaimed when my fingers clamped around her hoof like a vice.

"N-no!" I replied hastily, "I-I'm still…no I didn't," I decided to keep a partial truth between Luna and myself, but that came from literally nowhere. "Sorry," I added as I relinquished my grip on her hoof. The mare shook it about to get the feeling out.

"Okay then…." she looked at me suspiciously. "This morning, Checkered and I awakened together in my bed. Since it was Hearts and Hooves Day, our _first_ Hearts and Hooves Day to be exact, we were just starting to, ahem, 'relax,' together," Luna emphasized the word. My eyebrows shot up to my hairline as she gave me this information. Of course she already guilted her sister earlier about this, but I still wasn't exactly comfortable talking about this sort of thing. "Do you understand what it feels like to be interrupted and being forced to be pent up for a period of time?"

"Uhhh," I shrugged, unable to say anything in response.

"It can be extremely frustrating," she explained as I nodded. "Especially since I awakened this morning with a migraine," Luna added.

"M-Migraine?"

"Yes," the mare looked away to her reflection in the mirror. "That is also why I was rinsing my face earlier; the cold water helps some, but not as much as being with my special somepony," she sighed. "Do you understand what I'm getting at?" She looked at my reflection in the mirror.

"Surprisingly yes," I mumbled, recalling a brief conversation between myself and Tex a few years ago about the same situation. "I guess I shouldn't have demanded you to tell me what was wrong," I added solemnly.

"Don't," Luna replied quickly and firmly, snapping her gaze from the mirror to me. She sat up on her haunches and said, "Do not apologize; you had no idea what was going on with me, and as your friend it wouldn't be fair for me to hold that against you." She explained. "I don't get migraines very often, just during a certain time," Luna added.

"Certain time?" I had a little memory flashback of trying to help Applebloom during her first 'certain time.' "Well, that would explain a lot," I mumbled. Being pent up with a migraine _and_ on her period, I couldn't fault her for being a little touchy and moody. "Wait a minute, you were trying to 'relax' with Checkered Flag while your….'thing' was going on?" This time Luna gave me a sly smile.

"On the contrary, I don't experience much pain at all with the exception of migraines, so I was prepared to have Checkered help cure my migraine," she winked.

"I get it," I grimaced, holding my hands out to emphasize that I understood what she was saying.

"However, I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that," Luna confessed.

"Trust me, it wasn't your fault whatsoever," I stood up from the cushy chair and braced my hands against the sink counter, looking into the mirror. The alicorn stood up as well; her magic made the two pieces of furniture vanish. She trotted over to my position and stood next to me.

"Is that all you wanted to know? Or is there something else on your mind?" Luna questioned, looking over at me with concern and curiosity.

"I don't know," I shook my head. "Even though you're not mad at me and I understand the reason for your outburst, I just feel like I have to explain why I said what I said."

"Well, why?" Luna questioned curiously. "It was a natural response as you only see me as a friend, right?" I gulped and nodded in response.

"Look Luna, I didn't say it like I found you unattractive or unlovable," I turned to the mare. "Because I can easily see why Checkered loves you," I earned a blush from Luna. "The reason why I stressed that I wouldn't be romantically involved with you is because I'm a one woman man. I love Applejack more than I've ever loved anyone, and I just can't share my heart that way with anyone else. Besides, I'm not a swinger like Austin Powers, and I'm sure it's frowned upon for a stallion or mare to have more than one parter," I chuckled.

"Um….." Luna clicked her tongue. "That's not entirely accurate, Cougar," she rubbed her shoulder. "I can tell you that I find your dedication and loyalty to Applejack most commendable, but it's not illegal for a stallion to have more than one mate; they can even have a herd if they wished."

"H-h-herd?" I stuttered, trying but failing laughably at comprehending sentient beings such as ponies and humans having a herd. Monogamy was law in many parts of my world, so it just boggled my mind that a stallion could have his own herd.

"It's an ancient law," Luna blushed again, "created long ago when the mares vastly outnumbered stallions," she explained. "The numbers have gotten more even in the past hundred years as Tia has told me, but the law was never rescinded, so a stallion could have multiple lovers."

"I'm a one woman man," I repeated, coughing uncomfortably into my hand. "Applejack is all I'll ever need," I quickly turned on the faucet, doused my hand with cold water and ran it across my forehead.

"Well then, she's a very lucky mare to have such a loyal stallion as her special somepony," Luna patted my back.

"I'm more lucky to have her," I mumbled, but Luna didn't hear me. "I suppose we should rejoin our friends if we're done here?" I suggested, quickly drying off my hand with a paper towel. "So you can get back to Checkered?" I winked. The mare's silver magic vanished immediately from around the door.

"I suppose I'm a little anxious," she grinned. "Oh!" Luna exclaimed when I bent down and hugged her close. Luna didn't struggle or object; she put her hoof on my back and patted it softly.

"What was that for?" She questioned when we parted.

"Just a thank you," I replied as I stood to the side of the door frame, allowing her to exit first. "Thank you for being my friend, Luna," I smiled.

"Thank _you_ for enriching all of our lives, Cougar," she bowed her head as we exited the bathroom and entered the hallway. "By the way, who is this Austin Powers? Was he another friend of yours?" Luna asked me. With a chuckle, I patted the back of Luna's neck.

"I'll show him to you sometime Luna," I remarked. We appeared in full view of the dining area. Discord, as Luna predicted, was here and sitting next to Fluttershy at a table on the other side of the bakery.

"In fact, I even forgot Luna and Cougar were here," he pointed to us as we were approaching our friends, though I was curious as to where Checkered had gone. The draconequus clapped his eagle talons and lion paw, disappearing from sight only to reappear with Fluttershy at the main table. Luna and I smiled at each other as we stopped next to everyone, choosing not to sit down.

"Well, we're on the same page now," I announced. "But if I can be frank here, after all the shit we've been through this morning, I think we should go our separate ways and spend today with the ones we cherish the most," I suggested, walking over to near AJ's seat and sat down on my knees.

"Best. Frakking. Idea. Today," Bon Bon agreed in a frustrated tone.

"Though, where is Checkered? I have an important task for him," Luna looked around, trying to hide her desperation.

"Right here, Lulu," we looked over to see Checkered trotting down the stairs. "Cup Cake and I finally got the twins to sleep," he grinned as he trotted over to Luna and nuzzled his cheek against her wing. The alicorn did somewhat of a double-take.

"You assisted Cup Cake with her children?" Luna asked with a surprised yet proud expression.

"Mm-hmm," Pinkie nodded as everyone got up from the table. "Pound wouldn't leave Checkered alone, but Checkered definitely earned the title of coolest honorary uncle! You know Princess Luna, Checkered _would _make one great daddy," the pink mare trotted over and nudged Luna's side, clicking her tongue.

"Errrr," both Luna and Checkered uttered at the same time. "Th-thank you for your compliment, Pinkie," Checkered swallowed roughly.

"Well, I can see that," Luna agreed with Pinkie, wrapping a wing around Checkered's torso. "Checkered does make a very good special somepony." The stallion blushed as Luna proceed to rub her cheek on top of his black and white mane. Rarity, Lyra, Fluttershy, and Celestia 'awed' at the moment while Rainbow and Discord gagged.

"Oh, it appears Rainbow Dash and I actually agree on something," Discord looked as if he was waiting for something to happen, but he then looked disappointed as if he'd remembered something troubling.

"Heh, you got that right, Dipcord," Rainbow smirked as she teased the draconequus. She gave my back a good slap before hovering in front of myself and Applejack. "I'll see you guys later; I'm gonna go meet Soarin for lunch, pick up Scootaloo from school, then probably squeeze a nap in somewhere," she announced.

"If ya want Ivan 'n Ah ta take in Scootaloo fer the night so you 'n Soarin can, ya know….we don't mind, do we Ivan?" Applejack nudged my knee with her elbow. I still wasn't too comfortable talking about that sort of thing, and because of my talk with Luna, I wasn't ready to tease anyone about it.

"I-I guess not," I shrugged. Rainbow's jaw seemed to be locked open. Pinkie bounced her way over and made sure it was shut.

"Best be careful to not get any flies stuck in there, Dashie!" Pinkie giggled as Rainbow's wings even gave in, causing her to collapse to the ground.

"A-Applejack!" Rainbow stumbled over words, making me chuckle a bit. "Soarin and I are nowhere NEAR that phase yet!" Her cyan face was nearly dominated by a sea of crimson.

"Ahem, sorry but Spike is present," Twilight cleared her throat, gesturing to the dragon with her wing. "I don't think he needs to listen to this," she exclaimed in an overprotective motherly tone. Spike groaned at his mom, instead of showing disdain, he mustered up a smile and placed his hand on her back.

"Fine by me!" Rainbow exclaimed, breathing in and out through her nose since her lips were pursed shut.

"Aw, Ah didn't mean too much by it, Rainbow," Applejack chuckled at her friend. I could only shrug at Rainbow, not sure of what to say really. "So, what'd you 'n Luna talk about, Ivan?" AJ looked up at me as the last pony got up from the table.

"Uh, well we're back to the same page," I replied, chewing on my lower lip. I hoped that was all Applejack wanted to know; I didn't want to have a repeat of the conversation.

"So what went wrong, then?" Shit. I groaned, trying to think of something short that would put an end to this explanation as quickly as possible.

"Remember what I helped Applebloom with a few months ago?" I asked. Applejack could only cock her head to the side, trying to think of what I was talking about. "You know….it happens a few times a month…" I darted my eyes around, still immensely uncomfortable with this sort of thing.

"Oh….." Applejack pursed her lips as well, giving me an understanding nod. Breathing a sigh of relief and placing my hand on AJ's neck to pull her closer, I noticed Discord handing over a giant jar of blue stuff to Celestia. On the jar was a label with a picture of Discord wearing a stereotypical farmer outfit. "Fluttershy said Discord's givin' up his powers fer the day as an apology," Applejack explained when she noticed where I was staring.

"Don't remind me!" Discord whined. The draconequus then bit one of his eagle talons. His muffled voice chanted, "For Fluttershy," a few times as he seemed to relax a bit more.

"So, what are your plans for the whole newspaper fiasco, princess?" Lyra asked Celestia. All of us stopped what we were doing and simultaneously shifted our attention over to Celestia and Luna, waiting for their response. I hated to admit it, but due to all of the unnecessary stress all of us were under, I'd forgotten exactly why we wanted the royal sisters here in the first place. The elder of the sisters cleared her throat before speaking.

"We shall request a quick audience with your town's mayor," she announced. "That way, we can keep in check to see if your local paper will comply with what you told the editor earlier. And Luna and I will have to discuss it, but we may tweak the laws of the press to prevent anything like this from being printed ever again," Celestia added.

"And that's why you're the best princesses!" Bon Bon complimented Celestia and Luna. "Oh, no offense, Twilight," she said upon looking over to the purple alicorn. Twilight managed a small smile and shrugged right into Spike's hand that was still rubbing in between her wings.

"I don't think she really cares right now, Bon Bon," Spike replied for his mom. I still found it rather sweet how well Spike and Twilight's chemistry played off as mother and son, even though they were completely different species. Every time I looked at them, it was getting harder and harder to remember that when I arrived in Equestria, Spike was a baby and Twilight only treated him as a close friend at best. "In fact, what do you say we go home and I can fix you an early lunch, mom?" Spike suggested. "Then we can read to each other like we always did on Hearts and Hooves Day."

"I'd love that, Spike," Twilight had to wipe a tear away before forcibly hugging her son tightly.

"Blech," Rainbow gagged. "This is getting too sweet, even for Hearts and Hooves Day!"

"But, what about Flash Sentry?" Fluttershy asked Twilight, stepping in. Twilight's eyes popped open and looked as if they were about to fly out of her eye sockets.

"Oh…..well, I'll see if I can join him for dinner later tonight in Canterlot," she pondered.

"Glock and I are about to return, would you like me to bring Flash Sentry a message?" Celestia offered with a smile. Twilight bowed her head in response, prompting Celestia to make a mental note of her former student's answer. "Well then, I do believe we are all done here?" All of us gave one last look at each other before nodding in unison.

"I think I just want to spend the rest of the day with Applejack," I announced, pulling the mare close. "Though I haven't had time to think of what to do." I didn't want to exactly copy what we did yesterday, but even just cuddling on the couch in her living room or in my shack would be just fine.

"Actually, Ah _may_ have an idea, Ivan," Applejack chimed in. "Thanks ta Discord, surprisingly," she rolled her eyes over to the hodgepodge creature.

"Next time my advice won't be free, Applejack," Discord crossed his arms. I looked down to my girlfriend, looking a little worried that she took some advice from Discord. She just gave me a reassuring smile before nuzzling my hand. Luna's silvery magic engulfed the door of the bakery, and opened it. What _was_ a sea of ponies that had flocked to Sugar Cube Corner before was now just about a dozen and a half ponies still waiting outside. The windows flashed from Luna's magic again, presumably allowing the outsiders to see inside.

"Well, I'll see you guys later," Pinkie exclaimed, "I've gotta help Mr. Cake with those orders!" She saluted before trotting backwards into the bakery.

"Uh, Rarity?" Spike called out to the seamstress as we all filed outside. Luckily the stragglers parted ways as Celestia and Luna took the lead of our group. "Look, I'm sorry about this morning throwing us a curveball," he apologized.

"It's no trouble Spike, and it certainly was not your fault," Rarity patted his cheek. "However…..if you'd like, I wouldn't mind giving breakfast another go tomorrow morning, seeing as how we were interrupted this morning," She smiled sweetly. Spike blushed and looked over at Twilight for approval. We all smiled as well as Twilight gave him a quick nod, allowing him to try breakfast with Rarity again.

"Sure!" Spike squeaked out before hiding his face from his high pitched voice crack.

"Splendid; I will have a sisterly bonding night with Sweetie Belle tonight, for obvious reasons," Rarity announced with a shudder. Spike stuck out his hand with a smile, hoping to get a hoof shake from the fashionista. Rarity, however, looked down to his hand before looking back up with a smile of her own. Instantly, she wrapped a foreleg around the dragon and squeezed him. "We're too close of friends to belittle each other with hoof shakes, Spikey," Rarity said before letting the dragon go with a faint blush on his cheeks.

Celestia announced to us that she, Luna, Glock, and Checkered were departing for the Mayor's office at Town Hall and wished us a happy rest of the day. Feeling much better about the newspaper situation, well most of us anyway, we said our goodbyes to the quartet before finding ourselves in the middle of town, luckily with much less stares than earlier. Lyra and Bon Bon left as well; they too wanted to put the morning behind them and enjoy their first Hearts and Hooves Day as a married couple.

"Beg pardon, but could I speak to the both of you for a moment?" Rarity stepped in front of AJ and myself, allowing the others to converse amongst themselves. Before we could even reply, Rarity grabbed my arm and AJ's foreleg within her magic and pulled us in an alley in between two buildings. Once she checked that none of our friends could listen in, she exhaled sharply. "I do believe you know what I wanted to speak to you about, Cougar," she politely patted my leg.

"Well," I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Just let me say that I am so proud that you worked up the courage to get back on the same page as Applejack," Rarity complimented me. I opened my mouth to get more than one word in, but Rarity continued to gush, not that AJ or I minded too much. "I'm so happy for the both of you; especially you, Applejack."

"Thank ya kindly, Rare," Applejack replied as she nuzzled her shoulder against my leg.

"Why, I couldn't even tell that you were still feeling down about what happened last night, Cougar," Rarity turned to me.

"Well you could chalk that up to how god awful this morning was," I mumbled. Rarity gave me a deadpanned expression before shaking her head to bring a smile back. "But yeah, thank you for helping us Rarity, you're a good friend," I stuck my hand out. This time, Rarity accepted a handshake, just shaking it like a proper lady.

"You know, with how awful I felt this morning, it did warm my heart to see you two together and happy. You're very lucky to have found one another," she ended with another smile. I instantly wrapped my arm around Applejack, pulling her closer and rubbing her shoulder. Applejack turned her head and rested her chin upon my hip, looking up at me. We both exchanged a knowing look, deciding that it was now or never. AJ even rubbed her chin on my hip, giving me her full permission.

"Uh, Rarity?" I asked, tearing my gaze away from the farm pony.

"Mhmm?" She gave me her attention.

"About last night….thank you," I started, stumbling over my words.

"Oh, you needn't thank me more than once you two. I'm more than happy to lend a helping hoof to friends in need," Rarity chuckled happily.

"No…" I tried to correct her. "I mean-"

"Ohhh, of course not! You don't need to apologize for interrupting me, Cougar. Like I said before, I'm more than happy to help my friends with an issue, especially when it comes to their special somepony," she gave me a reassuring wave of her hoof. Delaying what I was trying to say only made it harder for the words to come out. Obviously I was still a little uncomfortable with the idea of telling someone I made love to Applejack, but with Applejack standing next to me, I had a bit more confidence. Finally, Applejack wriggled out of my arm and stepped forward.

"Rarity, what Ivan's tryin' ta say is yer advice worked wonders fer us. Thank ya fer givin' us both that push," Applejack placed a foreleg on Rarity's shoulder. The milk white unicorn had a blank expression on her face for about five seconds before it slowly changed. The realization dawned on her as a long, drawn out gasp escaped her mouth. The mare then lost her balance and fell onto her flank; her jaw looked as if it were about to rip from her skull.

"I expected her to squeal loud enough to shatter windows," I said, surprised at Rarity's reaction. Applejack gave enough of a hint without giving away too much or sounding as if she were bragging, but Rarity still sat on her haunches as still as a statue.

"_Her….."_ Rarity finally said something.

"You okay there, Sugarcube?" Applejack lightly tapped Rarity's shoulder to break her from this funk.

"H-h-HER!" Rarity snorted loudly, jutting a foreleg past AJ. The two of us turned around to see just what had gotten her in such a frumpy mood. A red pony, a pegasus with a jet black mane, orange eyes, and what appeared to be an iron hoof shooting lightning as a cutie mark to be exact, was strolling through the town toward our friends.

"Is that a client that stiffed you or something?" I asked Rarity. The mare jumped up onto four hooves with fire in her eyes, and not the same fire that AJ had in her eyes last night. This was _vengeful_ fire. Turning back to look at the pegasus, she was approaching closer and closer to our group of friends. I could barely make out the smug look on her face.

"Rarity, who exactly is that?" Applejack questioned before Rarity about knocked us over as if we were bowling pins. "Hey!" Applejack exclaimed. After regaining our balances, we spotted Rarity trotting rather quickly over to the pegasus mare almost like a Terminator zeroing in on a kill.

"GET AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS, YOU HUSSY!" Rarity shouted, gather the attention of the mare and the rest of our group as AJ and I broke into a full sprint to catch up. As we arrived, the mare's surprised face turned into a somewhat evil smile, almost like the Joker.

"Well, well, well," she greeted, her voice just dripping of smugness. "If it isn't the child abuser _and_ the dragon toucher." A collective gasp rang from our group.

"Keep your mouth shut, _Etherea!" _Rarity spat as her whole body shook.

"Who the hay do you think you are, lady?" Rainbow hovered in the air, jabbing her hoof in this, Etherea's face.

"Just a concerned citizen of Equestria is all," she said innocently, smacking Rainbow's hoof away.

"Concerned citizen my hindquarters!" Rarity bared her teeth as she yelled at the mare. Applejack and I had to surprisingly restrain her in case she lashed out too far. But I couldn't hold it against her; this mare's attitude would make anyone want to punch that stupid look off her face. "You are nothing but a hateful she-devil who wants anyone that disagrees with you to burn," she growled.

"Woah, woah, woah, TIMEOUT!" Discord got in between the two mares. He groaned once nothing happened after his snapped his talons, but shook it off. "Now usually I'm all for a mare fight, but where did you two get off to such a bad start?" He questioned.

"She's just so high and mighty; somepony has to take this dragon fondler down a few pegs," Etherea grinned toward Rarity. "Though, I think today's newspaper did a fantastic job at that."

"Leave her alone!" Spike snarled, snaking his way between Discord and Rarity, trying his best to tower over Etherea.

"Will somepony get this disgusting reptile out of my sight before he eats me or something?" Now it was Twilight's turn to be pissed off. This mare was just _asking _to be buried six feet under. She was pissing me off too; she'd better shut her trap soon.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to my son like that, Etherea!" Twilight flared her wings. "If you have a problem with him _or_ my friends, then you talk to me!" Etherea could only give her the 'I'm so scared' face.

"It figures you'd abuse your powers when it comes to those close to you," Etherea chuckled like a snooty rich asshole. "And besides, just what the buck do you know about having a son? Who would be proud of having a filthy dragon for a son?"

"You'd be wise ta shut yer trap there, lil missy!" Applejack snorted as steam shot from her nose.

"I'll get to you soon, animal bucker," the pegasus replied in a cheery voice. I stomped a foot forward out of protection. I was hoping to scare her to shut her up.

"Twilight, why don't you order her to shut her damn pie hole?" Rainbow turned to the purple alicorn.

"Because it's my right to speak freely, dumbass," Etherea snapped. Rarity tried to wriggle out of my grasp when Applejack let go to yell. "Give me a break _Princess_," the pegasus spat, narrowing her orange eyes, "I know of your story; you merely hatched this stupid animal."

"She RAISED me from birth!" Spike growled, grinding his fangs together.

"Shut up! Nopony is talking to you!" Etherea snapped.

"LEAVE him….out of this," Twilight clenched her teeth together. Etherea chuckled and began to circle Twilight, strutting around like a kid with a new toy. I kept focus on her, never blinking, and never moving my eyes off her as if I were studying an enemy bogey to figure out her motives. She seemed to want _more_ than just to piss us off….

"You are not a true mother," Etherea stated firmly. "You are nothing but a glorified pet owner that taught one of the dumbest animals on Celestia's green Earth to speak and not piss inside your home. You should be _sooooo_ proud. You're just an insult to true mothers out there who actually went through the pain of giving birth and raising a _pony_, not some retarded reptile." Oh…..shit. Fluttershy and Rainbow covered their mouths with their hooves, Discord and Applejack remained silent while Rarity, Spike, and I began to breathe angrily in unison. "It's just pathetic how you compensate for being unable to find a willing stallion to breed with you, that you have to parade an animal around as your son."

"Y-y-you!" Twilight cried out, trying to sound angry, but her voice cracked. Suddenly, her whole body began to shake until she whined. Her purple eyes welled up with tears as she covered them with her wings, turned around, and ran away back to her castle, bawling.

"MOM!" Spike called out, running after her. "WAIT!"

"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, shoving Rarity aside. Having seen firsthand Twilight crying and depressed, seeing it happen again blew my fuse. Watching one of the most intellectual and kindest souls I've ever met run off crying pushed my button too far. I stomped my way over, determined to make this fucking bitch pay.

"Watch it; you get any closer and I'll have you arrested for rape," Etherea warned with a smirk.

"Yeah, you're so tough picking on a mare whose heart was already broken by what was written about her!" I snapped. "Just fuck what you think or say about me, but if you pick on one of my friends that didn't do a damn thing to you, then you've got another thing coming, bitch."

"Like I care what _you_ think. That mare," she pointed behind me to Applejack before I interrupted her.

"You better choose your next words wisely; they may be the last you say before you wake up with your jaw wired shut…." I threatened.

"Oh, threatening somepony are we? Perhaps I should pay a visit with Princes Celestia when she's done speaking with the mayor about this. You may be on her good side, but threats of violence don't sit well with her. And I don't think she'll be so forgiving considering what you've done to other ponies here."

"W-what?"

"Let's see, beating up Trenderhoof for getting too close to Applejack," she began. "Entering Filthy Rich's home and threatening him after his daughter and Applebloom got into a fight," she continued.

"How….?" I asked as my jaw dropped. "FUCK YOU!" My anger boiled. "Trenderhoof _touched_ Applejack's flank without permission and wouldn't leave her alone, that warranted him getting his ass kicked! And I apologized to Filthy Rich for what I did, and now we're on good terms from it."

"You think I'm the only one that knows what you supposed friends do behind closed doors? We're _everywhere,"_ she said in a haughty voice. I couldn't say anything else as my anger still built itself.

"Who's _we?_ TALK!" Rainbow Dash ordered, hovering high above Etherea. The red pony ignored her, instead choosing to get closer to me.

"Hmm yes, your anger just reveals what you truly are. A sad, deplorable, primitive, and violent creature that has no business walking amongst us ponies."

"Ivan," I heard Applejack call out to me, at least I think she did.

"I bet you'd love to shut me up. Use only what you know to fix the problem; maybe it'll impress that imbred hick enough that she'll want to get off from you tonight," Etherea teased.

"Ivan…." Applejack's voice rang through my ears, but she sounded distant. I knew she was standing shorter than a foot away. I can't explain what happened, but as I clenched my fingers together, I temporarily went blind, only for my sight to return a few seconds later. I…..I was seeing the events of everything that'd happened to me ever since I fell from the sky. I saw myself sitting alone outside before Luna landed to talk to me; I saw myself cuddling with Applebloom after she got into her fight with Diamond Tiara; I saw Spike and I bonding together in the lake behind Celestia and Luna's castle; I saw myself hugging Applebloom after helping her deal with her first period; I saw myself talking to Celestia on my birthday; me and Twilight hugging each other after the whole Hearth's Warming Eve fiasco; myself and AJ dancing at the Gala; her giving me my black stetson on my birthday; Applejack and I admitting our feelings for each other; and finally, I saw an image of us hugging each other after we made love. _"Ah love you, Ivan,"_ Applejack's words echoed.

"_Applejack_," I whispered before my vision ended. I looked around to see Etherea still standing in front of me with a smug expression on her face, and my fist raised into the air. My arm shook as my anger radiated throughout my body.

"Don't do it, Ivan!" Applejack begged me, "Yer better than that!" All of my friends nodded in unison as I looked over to see my love standing next to me with a pleading look on her face. I breathed in deeply, shaking my fist even more.

"Well?" Etherea asked. I exhaled sharply, dropping my fist down to my side. I opened my mouth, only to speak in a gravely voice.

"If you think I'm going to waste everything I've worked hard here for to forget my past life…." I paused, "on someone like you…you're wasting the oxygen around us," I glared at her before turning around and dropping to my knees next to Applejack. My girlfriend immediately was at my side with her forelegs around me. I heard Etherea scoff behind me as Discord and Rainbow Dash took over.

"You've done quite enough!" Discord exclaimed loudly. "I'd suggest you leave before _I_ get angry," he threatened the mare. "And don't give me that nonsense about tattling to Celestia; there are more than enough witnesses around here to verify you provoked us."

"What he said!" I heard Rainbow agree with Discord.

"Please, everypony knows that if you do anything, Celestia will just lock you back up in stone," Etherea blew a raspberry at Discord.

"That may very well be true, but by the time that happens, you'll be in another dimension where nopony can hear you scream…."

"You wouldn't," Etherea called his bluff. I hope she didn't know he gave up his powers for the day.

"Do you _really_ want to try me, little mare?" I turned around to see Discord towering over Etherea, baring his teeth, eagle talons, and claws from his lion paw. Etherea's face turned pale as Discord raised his eagle talon into the air, threatening to do something.

"Hmph! You're lucky I'm feeling rather nice today," she moved out from under the draconequus. "Just be careful, everyday we only grow in numbers; someday you'll all see the world the way it was meant to be," she declared before flying off.

"She's bluffing," Rainbow growled. "I'm hoping she'll say the wrong thing to the wrong pony and get a good old fashioned flank kicking!" She exclaimed before floating down to the ground.

"Should….should we go after Twilight?" Fluttershy squeaked. Rarity exhaled, seemingly reducing her anger levels as well.

"Perhaps…we should let Spike handle her. Twilight needs her son more than anypony right now after what that bitch said to her."

"But Twilight's still our friend," Applejack chimed in. "Ah don't think it'd be a good idea ta just let her run off like that without checkin' up on her."

"She's had a stressful day though, Applejack" Fluttershy retorted meekly. "I want to help her, but I don't want to possibly make things worse!"

"Twilight is in good hooves with Spike looking after her. I believe we should let her rest tonight and then all go over to check on her tomorrow morning," Rarity suggested. After a few more minutes discussion, everyone else agreed that we would let Spike be with his mother for the day, and then check up on her first thing in the morning. I had to agree; she was already in bad shape this morning. After having _that_ piled on top of the newspaper article, she had to have been worse than on Hearth's Warming Eve. Everyone had dispersed to go do whatever they pleased; I was too busy mulling to hear what everyone's plans were.

"Ivan?" Applejack shook my shoulders. "A-are you okay, Sugarcube?" She whispered into my ear before kneeling down and laying next to me. I hadn't gotten up from my knees yet. She removed her stetson and nuzzled my stomach as I put my hand on top of her head, petting it lightly.

"I-I'm sorry, Applejack," I apologized, swallowing hard.

"What for?" She pulled her head away from my stomach in worry. I removed my hand from her head, only to wipe away a tear from my eye. I bowed my head and rocked back and forth on my knees.

"For letting my anger dictate some of my actions here," I admitted shamefully. "Trenderhoof, Filthy Rich; that one pony from Luna's Night Court!" I exclaimed as my breathing became a little ragged. "I shouldn't have let my anger deal with them like that; I should've just pulled them aside and talked like grown adults."

"Ivan, Sugarcube," Applejack placed her forelegs on my shoulders, making me look her in the eye. "We all make the wrong choices from time ta time, 'n it's good you recognize you coulda handled them better, but look how many good things ya've done. Saved our hides from a timberwolf attack, helped us take on the Tantabus, helped Applebloom when Ah was gone, befriended Spike 'n kept him company durin' the Estrus, got Twilight outta her funk," she listed. "Ah understand you could've made better decisions with Trenderhoof 'n Filthy Rich, but at least you admit what you did was wrong, 'n you made up with Filthy Rich," she smiled.

"I don't know," I sighed. "I've had anger problems in the past, AJ. Whenever I see my friends being attacked verbally like that, or physically, something in me just….snaps." I suddenly found AJ's lips lightly kissing mine.

"It's okay, Ivan. None of us are perfect, but you showed a lot 'o progress here; Ah'm proud 'o you fer that." She rewarded me with a heartwarming and promising smile, even nuzzling my nose with hers. I sighed yet kept my gaze glued to hers, wanting to know the truth. Gingerly, I put my hand around her hoof, rubbing it gently with my thumb.

"Applejack? I just want to know….." I trailed off.

"Know what, Ivan?" She sat back onto her haunches, pulled her nose away from mine, and placed her other hoof on my cheek. As hard as this was to ask, seeing her trusting smile made it a little easier to swallow.

"Why did you or anyone else not confront me about my anger issues with Trenderhoof or Filthy Rich?" I asked. "Luna at least forgave me for going a bit overboard on the pony that tried to push a library statue on us," I added. "But, I always knew I could've handled the others-" Applejack's lips cut me off. It was nothing more than a quick peck to shut me up.

"Hun," she pulled away with half-lidded eyes before opening them up fully. "Ya lost yer only friends in a horrifyin' way only ta wake up in an alien world with no way ta get home. We understood that ya might have a hard time copin' with it. An' Ah couldn't hold that against ya. Trust me though, Ah was pretty miffed that ya shoved Filthy Rich ta the ground 'n threatened him, but since you apologized fer it, 'n you had Applebloom's safety in mind, Ah couldn't hold it against ya," she lightly kissed me again. "Besides, ya kinda punished yerself by gettin' locked up…" She, like me, trailed off, not wanting to remind us of that horrible night. "Aw, come 'ere Sugarcube," she squeezed my shoulders and pulled me closer so we could somewhat cuddle.

"Okay," I said softly into her ear, "I might've shown restraint today, but what if next time I'm not so lucky? I could end up in jail and throw everything I've worked hard for away," I shook my head, trying to clear it of those thoughts.

"Well, you've got a faithful marefriend who's here every step 'o the way fer ya," she raised a hoof and lightly stroked the back of my head. "Yer makin' progress, Ivan, but Ah promise ta support ya whenever you need help," she then pulled back from the hug. "Just as long as you promise ta only resort to usin' yer fists if yer throwin' the second punch in self defense," she said, pushing off me and getting up to her hooves.

"I love you too much to disappoint you, Applejack," I grasped her hoof.

"Let's go home," Applejack suggested, helping me stand up. "Ah've got a new Pony Keith record ya may like," she winked.

**End Chapter 48**

* * *

_Next time, the Aftermath of Etherea's words for Twilight and something else..._

_So, I know some people may be thinking, "Why didn't they interrogate Etherea if she had something to do with the papers?" Firstly, if someone is acting completely bitchy like her, EVERYONE wants to get away from her. Second, that will be touched upon in the opening of the next chapter. _

_Also, I have a feeling that some people may be wondering why Fluttershy didn't get upset for Discord's methods. For one, she's very much aware he doesn't have his powers for the rest of the day, so she knows he's bluffing. Another thing, she knew full well that asking Etherea to leave was not an option; sometimes having an intimidating friend like Discord can help; at least he got Etherea to leave without physical harm. _

_Anyway, hope you guys liked this chapter; the next one is one I've had planned for a long time and you really don't want to miss it. It's the start of a new ACTION PACKED arc..._


	50. Chapter 49: Unexpected

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 49: Unexpected**

_Hello all my faithful readers out there! I'm here to bring you the final chapter in the Hearts and Whooves Daysaster arc. _

_I got to see Batman Vs. Superman over the weekend; it was uh okay. And YES, I did watch the Season 6 premier. If you want to know my opinion, periodically check my YouTube channel; I'm still a novice at video editing, but I'm working to get better. _

**OBSERVER01: **_I can't even begin to tell you how happy I was to see everyone's reaction to Etherea's return._

**Dixie Darlin: **_Honestly, I'd LOVE an episode where either Celestia or Luna has to watch Pound and Pumpkin or the CMC. And I KNEW the FlutterCord moment would make YOU squee. I MIGHT have a few of those later on, but who knows? Even though it's not good to just attack someone, some people really need an attitude adjustment, and sometimes a good old fashioned ass kicking is the only cure. _

**Sassymouse: **_The thing about Luna and Ivan is I've stated in the story numerous times that they are friends, but they haven't really shown it that much. And as usual, I love writing Discord so much. The randomness factor is really endless!_

**Guest: **_YEEEEESSSS! I am SO glad someone caught that joke! I thought Pinkie would be the perfect one to reference Spaceballs_

**SkullCrusher550: **_Thank you very much!_

**headreviewer mk2: **_And I don't think anyone would blame you. As for the Fourth of July, I've got something special planned for when the story reaches that date. I think other authors don't touch upon it because the human is in another dimension, and it'd be kinda pointless to celebrate that holiday since Equestria doesn't have their own version of it. _

**Srey: **_You should starve your grammar Nazi for complaining about a little baby mispronouncing a name. As for the FlutterCord thing, I want to mention that Fluttershy admitted to Ivan back on his birthday that she found Discord cute with all his mismatched body parts. As for his jealousy, after 'Make New Friends but Keep Discord', I wanted to pursue that jealousy again._

**dragonsofthe8elements: **_O_o, um thanks... and no, I won't be doing that_

**SquirtlePWN: **_T-two reviews for one chapter?! WHAT KIND OF SORCERY IS THIS!? Anyway, for Etherea, back in Las Pegasus she HATES Ivan with a burning passion, and since the royal sisters and the Mane 6 support him, she in turn doesn't like them anymore. Also, she'll be coming back again where we are also revealed more information about her. And for the FlutterCord moment, I really find their relationship intriguing and fun to explore. I can assure you that I'm going to keep up with them, but I won't just have them making out anytime soon. Like with CouJack, FlutterCord is going to develop naturally. _

_Before we get to the chapter, two things. 1) With FlutterCord now officially hinted at in the story, I promise you all I will treat it like CouJack and have it happen naturally over time. I also want to mention that the story will NOT just become all about couples. They'll be mentioned here and there, but they won't dominate the story. 2) As for everyone's theories, no, Etherea is neither Starlight Glimmer nor Chrysalis in disguise. She's my own villain OC that I created, but I am glad to see her getting responses I like. I can promise you that there is something else to her character that will be explained later on in the story. _

* * *

**(Ivan's POV; Sweet Apple Acres; The Next Morning)**

My left eye fluttered open several times as the light from Celestia's golden sun burst into Applejack's bedroom window. It didn't bother me too much as I had slept rather well the night before, and it was just about time to wake up anyway. Before it got too annoying, Fawkes yawned and quickly snagged the bottom half of the window blinds and pulled them down before flying back to his perch. I rubbed the sleep from my eye and popped all the muscles in my body to begin a new day. I had to peek my left eye out since I had a face full of AJ's golden mane, and my right eye was practically buried in it.

I quickly stole a sniff from Applejack's mane, taking in the ever familiar apple and cinnamon scent she wore. My arms were wrapped around her protectively, only further painting the picture that we were a little more than cuddling, we were spooning. Although I distinctly remember she was facing me when we went to sleep last night, I wasn't complaining about the situation we were in. "Hey, Applejack," I said softly, raising my left hand up and caressing her orange cheek. _"Come on, let's get some breakfast," _I whispered in her twitching ear, urging her to get up mainly so I wouldn't let my right arm go numb.

"Hmm?" Applejack mumbled in her sleep, still snoring softly. I gently pulled the part of her mane that was covering her face back so I could kiss her cheek. When she _still_ didn't wake up, I had to use my last resort. I quickly moved my mouth over to her ear and, "Ooooh, Ivan!" Applejack moaned as I saw her eyes open whilst I nibbled on her ear. She giggled and moaned simultaneously as I continued to tease her awake. "Isn't it a little early ta be foolin' around, Sugarcube?"

"Well, I'm not sure you'd appreciate being woken up with a bucket of cold water, AJ," I said as she flipped over and connected our lips together. We stayed connected like that for a good ten seconds before we parted and just hugged each other with AJ laying her head against my bare chest.

"Smart thinkin' there, buster," she joked as she gave my pecs a teasing lick. I wanted to stay like this all day, but the gurgling of one of our stomachs quelled that idea right away. Applejack blushed as she pulled away and put a hoof to her hungry tummy. "Hehe," she chuckled, "Are ya feelin' hungry, Ivan?" she questioned as we pushed away from each other, got out of bed, and quickly fixed the sheets and blanket.

"Meh, I guess I could eat," I winked, pulling on a fresh shirt and pair of pants. "Should we make enough for the family, or enough for the whole Equestrian Army?" I asked, teasing her about her appetite. I was immediately met with a pillow to the face from my girlfriend.

"Very funny, hun," she rolled her eyes as she tied her mane back up and put on her stetson. Chuckling, I tossed the pillow onto her bed and held the door open before following her downstairs to get started on breakfast. Since harvest season was still about three months away, and it was a Saturday which meant no school, everyone was still sleeping in a little later than usual. "How does buttermilk pancakes, oatmeal, biscuits, 'n scrambled eggs sound fer breakfast?" Applejack suggested when we entered the kitchen.

"As long as you have a hand in cooking it, it'll be perfect," I smirked and opened the fridge to grab a quick drink of OJ. Applejack snorted playfully in response while digging the pancake mix and oatmeal mix out of the pantry. "What's so funny?" I asked, tossing the now empty bottle of orange juice into the trash before grabbing the large carton of eggs and a few tubes of biscuits.

"You, Sugarcube," she chuckled and placed the pancake and oatmeal mixes on the counter. "Ah just love how you talk ta me like that without soundin' too mushy," AJ ripped the pancake mix open and poured it into a large bowl.

"I figured you'd prefer a little cheese to a little mush," I grinned as I cracked a few eggs into a mixing bowl of my own and began to whisk the yolks. After a few minutes of preparation, we had eighteen biscuits in the oven which was enough for everyone to have three a piece, a large pan of scrambled eggs on one side of the stove that I was manning, another pan of buttermilk pancakes in the middle of the stove that both AJ and I were watching, and a large pot of oatmeal that AJ was continuously stirring.

"Ivan, could ya get me the jug 'o milk again?" Applejack requested sweetly. "Ah think the oatmeal needs ta be a little creamier," she explained as I went over to the fridge and got what she asked for. She poured a little bit into the pot and gave me the jug back which I promptly placed back into the fridge. "There, Ah think that should do it until it's cooked," she exclaimed happily. I was letting the eggs rest after I had stirred them for a good while, and the pancakes weren't due to flip yet, so I had nothing to do for the time being. I decided to go back and keep a closer eye on the eggs, and mainly to stay close to AJ when an idea popped into my head.

As quietly as I possibly could, I tiptoed back over to the other side of the kitchen where AJ and the stove was. The country mare was busy standing on her hind legs stirring the oatmeal, not paying too much attention to what I was doing. Thankfully she stopped stirring to give the oatmeal a rest, so there was no risk of her accidentally getting burned. I stopped directly behind her and as gently and quickly as I could, I slipped my arms around the mare. She gasped in surprise and went as stiff as plywood from the sudden contact. "I-Ivan!" She exclaimed. I squeezed her gently and rested my chin on her shoulder, taking in her aroma.

"Hey," was all I managed to say, just wanting to be as close to her as possible. Applejack placed her front hooves on the front of the oven where she wouldn't burn herself.

"D-don't scare me like that again," she tried to sound tough, but came off as more content. Applejack managed to move her head out of the way of my face and turned to look at me.

"Sorry, I just like having some time alone like this," I gingerly pecked her neck, causing her to moan slightly. I wasn't looking to be ultra romantic or anything of that nature, I just truly wanted to be close to her and show her how much I loved her.

"Well, Ah do too, Sugarcube," Applejack rubbed her cheek against mine, "but maybe y'all should hold off until Ah'm doin' somethin' that can't burn me," she advised. I whispered into her ear that I'd be more careful in the future, but continued to hold her like that as she went back to stirring the oatmeal with the wooden spoon in her mouth.

"AJ, can I ask you something?" I requested, removing my right arm from her torso so I could stir the scrambled eggs. She gave me permission with a chuckle, but I still approached as careful as a bomb squad agent. "Do you think we should gather everyone to check on Twilight right after breakfast, or how long should we wait?"

"Uhhh," Applejack could only utter that particular word, completely ceasing her stirring. Twilight was still on my mind even when I woke up; she was still a complete wreck the last time we all saw her. Suffice to say, myself, AJ, Rarity, Fluttershy, Discord, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash all caved last night and went to try to lift Twilight's spirits after dinner last night. Unfortunately, she was even _worse_ than when I saw her after she tried to force the truth out of me on Hearth's Warming Eve. She had locked herself in her room, but cast a certain spell that allowed only Spike and Owlowicious inside. Even without his crazy magic, Discord tried his best to enter the room, but no matter how much he tried to sweet talk Twilight or find other ways into the room, he'd always bounce back from the spell. At least Fluttershy caught him every time so he wouldn't get hurt.

Luckily Spike was on our side and wanted us to help him help his mom. He even came up with an idea to have Rarity and Fluttershy enter Twilight's room simultaneously with him, but the spell kicked them out once they got inside. After that whole morning coupled with what Etherea had the balls to say, no one could fault Twilight for wanting to see no one but her son. Some of us talked about camping out at the castle to see how long Twilight could last before granting us entrance into her room, but we all went back to our original agreement of coming back the next day to talk to her. Nearly 24 hours should be enough time for her to decompress a little.

"I figured once everyone had a good breakfast, we should be ready to go talk to her," I explained to Applejack. "I mean, I think we should give her enough time, but I don't want to wait too long," I added, squeezing AJ softly once again. She sighed sadly, pushing the spoon to the other side of the oatmeal pot.

"That ain't easy ta answer, Ivan," she sputtered, not trying to wriggle out of my soft grip. "Who knows how long will be long enough?" Applejack questioned rhetorically. "Everyone wants ta put yesterday away, but Ah've a feelin' this'll stick with Twilight fer some time."

"You have no idea what she was like on Hearth's Warming," I muttered, feeling quite a bit ill at having to pull that memory back from the gutter. I was happy to have brought her out of her sad funk, but having to see her that depressed and emotionally wrecked haunted me. "Even if we manage to talk to her, she might not be very social afterwards," I agreed with what Applejack mentioned.

"Well, hun, what do you think we should do?" Applejack laid the top of her head into my chest, staring with her emerald eyes into my pale baby blues. "Ah wanna help my friend as soon as possible, but at the same time, has she had enough time ta decompress 'n talk about it?"

"I-I don't know," I admitted, sounding like a fool for bringing this up without an idea. "You've been friends with her longer than I have," I pointed out, "what do you think we should do?" Applejack blinked several times, looked away for a brief second before returning her gaze to mine. It was clear to me that I may have put too much pressure on her.

"Hmm, well Ah'd rather seem too eager ta talk ta her than wait too long 'n make her think we don't care," Applejack confessed, biting her lower lip. Her stomach then growled loudly, making me squeeze her a little tighter as my body sort of jumped. The little moment lightened our attitudes enough to make us chuckle.

"Well, I guess we should eat first and then gather everyone else up?" I suggested, lowering my head to kiss my girlfriend. "Fluttershy can get Rainbow, right?" I asked, pausing briefly as our lips were about to connect.

"Mhmm," AJ nodded, trying to lean back further. I bent closer and connected our lips. It was sweet and simple, just a quick closed mouth smooch, but it made the both of us feel so much at peace that we didn't hear the hooves trotting into the kitchen. That is, until the pony cleared their throat.

"Ahem, havin' a little dessert fer breakfast are we?" Big Mac's booming voice questioned. He seemed to be holding back a teasing snort at the end of his question. AJ and I both yelped as we disconnected and went back to our breakfast making duties, failing to look as if nothing had happened. We didn't mind having others know of our relationship, but we weren't the kind of couple that rudely has make-out sessions willingly in front of others.

"Morning, big brother!" Applejack tried to hide her blushing cheeks under her stetson, but it was a little late. The red stallion had a smirk on his face as he walked past us and flipped on the coffee pot on the counter next to the pantry.

"Smells good, AJ, Cougar," he chuckled as he took a few whiffs whilst passing by us. AJ and I looked at each other, hearts still racing from the sudden interruption. We heard the front door slam shut, followed by the sound of Big Mac's trotting hooves as he approached the kitchen. "The family 'n Cheerilee should be down any minute," he remarked and sat down at the table with a newspaper tucked under one of his forelegs. The stallion opened it up and began reading, though I had a suspicion he was secretly watching us. Cheerilee had begun to sleep over here on Fridays, weekends, and other days that school wasn't in session. Just as the timer for the oven dinged and we finished stirring the eggs, oatmeal, and flipping the pancakes, I heard the recognizable sound of Applebloom's hooves bounding down the stairs.

"Hey, shrimpy," I said once the yellow filly trotted happily into the kitchen. She licked her lips and sniffed the air as the scent of breakfast wafted around the room.

"Mornin' everypony!" She cheered and quickly galloped over, squeezing AJ's hind legs and my legs at the same time tightly. "Boy, Ah'm _starvin'!"_ Applebloom opened the fridge and took out a small bottle of milk, taking it over to the table, and parked next to Big Mac. "Hey big brother!" Applebloom hugged against his foreleg. Big Mac chuckled and ruffled her red mane with his hoof.

"Good thing you're starving, Bloom," I turned to smirk at her, "breakfast is ready!" I declared. Applejack and I got plates out of the cupboards and slid all of the breakfast foods onto them before bringing them over to the table, feeling a little less flustered from Big Mac's surprise entrance. Cheerilee and Granny Smith appeared in the entry way to the kitchen. The elderly pony was muttering about coffee over and over again, just barely able to say hello as she trudged through the kitchen.

Applebloom let go of Big Mac's foreleg as he put down his newspaper to quickly peck Cheerilee on the cheek. While this happened, AJ and I took our seats opposite of Big Mac, Applebloom, and Cheerilee, setting our plates down and inhaling the delicious aromas. "Hey Ivan," Applejack nudged my ribs with her elbow. "Does that headline say what Ah think it says?" I looked over at the newspaper that Big Mac had set down. I shouldn't have done it without asking, but I quickly snatched the paper and flipped it around so AJ and I could get a good look at it.

"Well, I'll be," I could feel a victorious smile spreading across my face. "A little bit of good news to counteract the crap from yesterday." Applejack slid the paper over to herself to get a better look. A smile appeared on her face as well. The headline of the paper and the coinciding article stated that after meeting with the mayor, Celestia and Luna had decided upon a new set of laws for newspaper and magazine publications. Tabloid articles like the ones found in yesterday's paper were now strictly forbidden, and any lawbreakers could face a hefty fine of 5,000 bits should they disobey. The only articles remotely close that were allowed were thought pieces, whatever that meant.

"Lookie here," the orange mare tapped a smaller article below the headline article. "Mr. Tab even printed an apology letter. At least we know he's an honest stallion. Even if it wasn't his fault that the articles were printed in the first place," she added just as Big Mac took back his newspaper albeit with an eye roll rather than a death glare. However, the stallion just slid the paper next to his plate as he grabbed a coffee mug in his other hoof and sipped the hot beverage. With his motion of drinking the coffee, it was pretty much a signal for us to start chowing down. The sounds of silverware clanking against plates, and mugs thumping against the wooden table filled the air. Granny Smith even perked right up after sipping her own mug of coffee.

"Good mornin' everypony!" She declared, seeming to beam now that she was fully awake. Even though she was usually the first one up every day, apparently she missed one of her naps yesterday; that was why she slept in today. "You 'n my granddaughter cook up a mean breakfast there, Cougar!" Granny Smith added, adjusting her dentures.

"Thanks, Granny," I swallowed my bite of biscuit and gave her a smile.

"Did you finish your homework last night so you can enjoy your weekend, Applebloom?" Cheerilee questioned as she buttered up one of her biscuits. The yellow filly burped quietly and set down her bottle of milk, nodding proudly. Applejack giggled as there was a milk mustache on Applebloom's muzzle. She motioned to her little sister about it, who promptly licked it away with a sheepish smile. "Good," Cheerilee added, taking a bite out of her biscuit before placing her free hoof on top of Big Mac's free hoof.

"Hey Bloom?" I called out. Her orange eyes shifted over to me, curiously waiting for what I wanted. "Since your teacher is, uh, courting your big brother, do any of your classmates ever think that Cheerilee gives you special treatment?" Applebloom, Cheerilee, and Big Macintosh all looked from each other over to me.

"Courtin'?" Applebloom scratched the side of her head.

"I didn't think you used the word 'dating'," I explained, resting my chin onto my hand. Applebloom shrugged in response.

"It's actually never come up, Cougar," she pondered, pouting her lower lip as she thought.

"As a matter of fact, no student has come forward and asked me," Cheerilee chimed in, shaking her head. "Besides, even if I am in a relationship with Big Macintosh, nothing would ever make me favor Applebloom. I treat all my students the same and never with special treatment," she explained, tapping her hoof on top of Big Mac's. The stallion looked over at the maroon mare and gave her a slight smile. I shrugged and went back to my breakfast, enjoying the smooth and creamy oatmeal Applejack had made.

"Oatmeal is perfect, AJ," I whispered over to her. The mare thanked me by quickly nuzzling my neck with her muzzle, giving it a slight kiss. I figured that was okay since no one, not even me, objected to it.

"So Applebloom," Applejack removed her muzzle from my neck, "didja have a good Friday at school?" She asked, polishing off her second biscuit.

"Eeyup!" The little pony remarked like her big brother. "Ah loved openin' up all the Hearts 'N Hooves Day cards from my classmates. It was almost like a second Nightmare Night with all the little chocolates 'n heart shaped candies," she smiled. I shuddered at the mere mention of the stupid cards, having flashbacks of miserable days in elementary school. "Featherweight made a card fer me himself; even drew a picture of me," Applebloom blushed as she revealed that piece of information.

"Hoofmade cards _are_ the best!" Cheerilee exclaimed, smirking at Applebloom for the giant heart shaped present she, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo gave her a few years back. Applebloom took a brief vow of silence by downing the last of her milk and stuffing some eggs into her mouth.

_Knock, knock, knock_

All of us ceased making noise as there was a light rapping on the house's front door. We could even hear the faintest sound of humming coming from behind the door. "Derpy?" I asked Applejack. She shook her head.

"Naw, mail doesn't come 'til later on Saturdays, Ivan," she reminded me.

"Maybe it's Rainbow Dash?" I suggested as Applejack stood up from the table. When she didn't respond, I stood up as well and followed her through the living room to the front entrance. Through the window of the door, I could make out a lightly tanned colored earth pony stallion patiently awaiting for someone to answer his knocking. The stallion also had a light brown and somewhat messy mane, blue eyes, an hourglass cutie mark, a saddlebag on his back and, for some reason, a white shirt collar with a green tie.

"Howdy there Dr. Whooves!" Applejack greeted heartily, swinging the door open for the stallion. He grinned happily upon Applejack's greeting and strolled in.

"Ah, good morning Ms. Applejack, and hello Mr. Cougar!" He spoke with a refined English accent, or whatever the pony version of England was. Dr. Whooves stuck out one of his forelegs, attempting to shake my hand. "I've always wanted to meet you!" He bellowed happily. "A strange yet intriguing creature you are, sir!" I raised my eyebrow, having never been referred in that way in Equestria before, but grasped his hoof politely.

"Uh, thanks?" I skeptically shook his hoof. Applejack led him to the sitting room where he gladly sat down, setting his saddlebag next to him on the couch. The stallion looked as if he was about to correct himself before his nose scrunched against his muzzle.

"Oh my, I'm not interrupting anything am I?" Dr. Whooves asked worriedly after sniffing the air. He quickly adjusted his tie, probably thinking that either of us might not be too happy that he had arrived during breakfast.

"We were just in the middle 'o breakfast, Doc," AJ explained, still putting on her friendly and welcoming Apple family charm. "It's no big deal." Dr. Whooves shook his head and stood up, reaching for his saddle bag.

"No; it's impolite to disrupt a family meal," he stated firmly. "I apologize, but I shall return at a more proper time."

"Hey, we can spare a few minutes, right AJ?" I asked, standing up as well. Applejack nodded and jumped in front of the doctor. I didn't really know him all too well; I had met him during the Tantalus incident in the dreamscape, but Applejack seemed to trust him, and I've heard Spike mention that Twilight loaned him a few beakers that she never saw again.

"'Course we can," Applejack agreed. "Do ya need help with anythin', Dr. Whooves? Did somepony break into yer lab or whatever it is?" Still looking a bit worried that he was imposing, the stallion shook his head and set his saddle bag back down onto the couch.

"It isn't anything of that nature, Ms. Applejack," he chuckled slightly, "but thank you for your concern in that area," he added. "The true reason for my presence here is to talk to you, Mr. Cougar is it?" He pointed to me. I was instantly taken aback; I've spoken to this stallion only once before, but why would he want to speak to me? Unless he was exactly like Moondancer and wanted to 'study' me. I nodded slowly, still trying to figure out what he wanted from me. "Ah good," he turned to Applejack, "and you are okay if I speak with your um….." Dr. Whooves trailed off.

"Mate," Applejack said for the good doctor. Needless to say I was caught off guard a bit; I'd expected her to say coltfriend like usual, but pony logic I guess.

"Ah, mate," he rubbed his chin. "Romantic relationships have always baffled me." Applejack and I shrugged towards one another.

"An' 'o course Ah'm fine with it, Doc. Don't know why Ah wouldn't be," Applejack replied.

"Good, good!" Dr. Whooves cheered. "Sorry, I'm still a little weary about taking time away from your breakfast," he reached into and rummaged through his saddle bag. My jaw slowly dropped at what he produced from the bag. While he grinned at what he was holding, I couldn't believe my eyes. In his hooves was the emergency CB radio that was in my F-15's survival duffel bag. It was gone after I had waken up in Celestia and Luna's infirmary and looked through the duffel bag. When I was feeling a little freaked out, Applejack had explained to me that some big black box had fallen out of the bag and was pretty much destroyed. I pieced together that from my flat spin, it must have literally shattered under pressure and was about as fragile as an egg, only to break apart completely from hitting the ground.

"Where did you get that?" I reached out and felt it, making sure this was real. It was probably beyond useless here; I was more intrigued on how the hell Dr. Whooves had repaired it. "AJ told me it was destroyed," I looked up at the stallion.

"Ah, but it _was!"_ The doctor chuckled to himself. "I discovered it on the shores of the Ponyville Lake mere hours after your, ahem, unannounced arrival, good sir," he grinned.

"And y'all just took home a busted up piece 'o junk?" Applejack cocked her head to the side. She immediately shot me a look of apology, but I shrugged it off, still amazed that it was able to be repaired.

"Precisely! It was a somewhat alien object, and nopony tried to quarantine it nor take it away, so I took it home with me to study and rebuild it," he explained. "I would've finished it sooner, but it was more of a side project to my main experiments."

"Okay, so you fixed it," I took my eyes off the radio and looked up into Dr. Whooves' eyes. "Were you planning on giving back to me?" I asked curiously. "Because I really don't have a use for it here." The stallion shook his head fervently back and forth.

"No, no," he waved his hoof around, "it's not _the_ reason why I've brought it here to show you, though it had crossed my mind that you may want it back." I could only shrug and shake my head before telling him he could keep it for however long he wanted. A small sigh of relief escaped his muzzle.

"So then, why _did_ y'all bring it ta him, Doc?" Applejack asked politely. She was just about as curious as I was, maybe even a little anxious for whatever reason. He quickly ran his tongue across his lips, thinking of how to explain. "Do ya need him ta show ya how it works?"

"Oh no, I've figured that out already, Ms. Applejack," Dr. Whooves chortled. "I wanted to show you that it was indeed as good as new, but I have a bit of an odd request, sir. You see, this radio technology is much more sophisticated than our own," he began just like a college instructor. "We have our own two-way radios, but the technology is lacking, and the ranges are very weak. While the mail system is somewhat efficient, sending a plea for help or to just ask a fellow colleague for some assistance takes much longer than needed using traditional methods. The capabilities of this equipment could leap us decades ahead of our time for communication." That part seriously freaked me out just a bit. The human race was always looking to advance technology 'decades ahead of its time', but not always for peaceful or everyday reasons.

"Dr. Whooves?" I asked, standing up. He didn't even miss a beat as he continued with his request.

"I know of your flying machine that crash landed here around ten months ago; since it is yours, I would like your permission to study it," he requested politely, standing proudly before me.

"No," I stated firmly, folding my arms across my chest.

"Ivan!" Applejack exclaimed, a little upset that I had spoken with a rude tone. The Doc wasn't expecting that blunt of an answer; his ears folded back on top of his head in surprise.

"Oh…..well this is a bit awkward then," he loosened his tie just a bit more. I sighed, feeling guilty about sounding like a jerk.

"Look, Dr. Whooves, the weapons on that jet are centuries, hell, maybe even a millennia ahead of your time. I've wielded those weapons and have seen firsthand what they can do. I don't want that technology in this society's hands or else you could find yourselves in a form of war higher than you could ever dream of." I warned him point blank. His reaction was truly out of the blue. He began to chuckle before placing a hoof on my shoulder.

"My good sir, I have no use to study the weapons or how they work on your flying machine," he assured me.

"Oh," I felt my cheeks heating up, feeling like an ass for assuming the worst. I shot my gaze over to Applejack who had a disappointed look on her face.

"No, I merely wanted to study the radio system of your, erm, jet did you call it?" I nodded that he was correct. "I already understand how this simple portable system works, but if I could just remove the radio system from your jet, I could study it, test _both_ systems, and then I can distribute it for all of Equestria to use. I could even draw up designs for an in ear version for guards to use on missions away from Canterlot or if they're in different parts of a castle or city!" He declared triumphantly.

"I have no problem with that," I agreed to what he needed. "Although, while it _is_ still my jet, it's resting in pieces in the Canterlot Dungeons," I revealed to the stallion. "You might have to ask Luna and Celestia permission to go down there to do whatever is you need to do," I explained, knowing he'd feel a little discouraged.

"Right," he clicked his tongue. "And the royal sisters _are_ indeed busy mares."

"Y'all could probably ask Twilight if she could ask Princess Celestia herself," Applejack chimed in before remembering Twilight's state. "Uhh."

"That may not be an option right now either," I replied solemnly.

"Oh of course. I cannot believe the nasty things the newspaper printed about our village's humble princess," Dr. Whooves sneered. "I can tell you as a fellow student of science, that I hope she can spring back from this. I can't be selfish and ask her for a personal favor in her state; this can wait until she recovers," he exhaled sharply and stuffed the CB radio into his saddlebag.

"Well, ironically we were going to check on her with our friends after breakfast," I said quietly, sitting back down on the couch.

"Hmm," the Doc rubbed his chin. "Well, when she does recover back to her old self, I _do_ have some beakers and test tubes to return to her. You needn't say anything to her, but could one of you keep me up to date on how she is doing so I _can_ return some borrowed equipment to her?"

"Will do, Doc," Applejack nodded happily.

"Well then, I'll just be on my way. Thank you for your time, Ms. Applejack and Mr. Cougar," Dr. Whooves slid his saddlebag over his back before showing himself out the door. He didn't have as much pep in his step as when he'd arrived. I watched him as he trotted his way off the farm before turning to look back at Applejack. The mare seemed to have trouble keeping her head up after talking about Twilight again. Biting my lip, I approached her and gently stuck my thumb and index finger under her chin, lifting her head up.

"AJ, what do you think we should do?" I asked, cupping her chin with my whole hand. She could only stare at me with her emerald eyes, rotating her head around so she could rub her cheek against my fingers and palm. She sighed contently and gave me a small smirk.

"Ah think we need ta pay our friend a visit, Sugarcube," Applejack lifted her head up. I nodded slowly in agreement, retreating my hand back to my side.

**(Twilight's Castle; Ivan's POV)**

After giving a quick explanation to the family of why we were ditching on breakfast so early, Applejack and I quickly rounded up everyone else to keep our promise to Twilight. I thought Discord would be the hardest one to get, but it turned out that he couldn't really return to his house because he still had a few hours left of his 'no powers punishment.' So he ended up staying on Fluttershy's couch for the night. And even though it was still pretty early in the morning, everyone, even Rainbow, was fully determined to do this. "So, who should do the honors?" Discord questioned while we were all huddled around the castle's front door. We were determined, but having not a clue of what exactly we would be met with made it a challenge to just knock on the door.

"Uh," Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head, "who was closest to her?"

"Spike," the rest of us said simultaneously.

"Well gee, that doesn't really help since he's already inside!" The Wonderbolt snapped.

"What about Fluttershy?" Pinkie suggested. "Nopony can deny her sweetness, and sweetness is just what our poor little Twilight needs!" The pink mare then grabbed Fluttershy by her rear and shoved her forward before zooming back to the rest of us.

"Oh-oh my!" Fluttershy shook, sitting down on her haunches and gulping. "B-but, what if Twilight doesn't want to be disturbed?" She snapped her head around to look at us. No one could give her a straight answer whatsoever. I suddenly felt a tapping at my side.

"Ahem, Cougar," Rarity cleared her throat. "You've dealt with Twilight like this when nopony else could, do you think maybe you should start things off for us?" the seamstress asked politely, finishing off with a bat of her eyelashes. I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

"Heh, you can try that until your mane turns grey Rarity, and it won't work on me," I refused as the mare gasped loudly, clutching her purple hair for dear life. "But _this_," I motioned to the castle, "this isn't the same as on Hearth's Warming. Twilight made a pretty bad mistake; someone else hurt her this time. And I just wanted to let her know I forgave her last time," I explained. My response wasn't taken too kindly by Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, this is ridiculous!" Rainbow groaned, holding her head in her hooves. "Twilight wouldn't sit back and bicker with us if one of us was in her state!" The pegasus then flew toward the castle door so fast that Fluttershy fell over onto her side from the strength of the wind gusts.

"Wait! Ya can't approach this too fast, Rainbow!" Applejack called out as Rainbow pounded on the castle door hard. We all fell silent as Rainbow's knocking seemed to echo back as if the castle was empty.

"There, like ripping off a band-aid," Rainbow said smugly, tapping one of her hooves impatiently.

"Uh, you don't plan to tell Twilight to snap out of it, do you?" Discord asked the cyan pony. "Because according to Fluttershy and Rarity, that would be cruel if we don't approach Twilight with care and patience," he smirked.

"Of course not, Dipcord," Rainbow stuck her tongue out, "this waiting was just getting on my nerves. Once we get inside, I'll let Applejack or Rarity or whoever lead the way to get Twilight back to her old self!"

_Creak_

The castle door slowly opened to reveal Spike standing in the doorway. "Spikey!" Rarity cheered as the dragon shielded his eyes from the brightness of Celestia's sun. His spines were crushed and messy. If I had to guess, the drake didn't even bathe last night. And he didn't look like he slept very well if at all.

"Guys…." he exhaled and trailed off, leaning against the door for support. He looked utterly drained, not exhausted. Kind of emotionally drained. All of our jaws, even Discord's, dropped when Spike didn't react in anyway to the warm hug Rarity had given him. She was shocked as well and pulled away to look the dragon in the face.

"Sp-Spike, are you okay?" Rarity questioned. "Is Twilight okay?"

"_You guys should just come inside,"_ Spike mumbled, rubbing his eyes with his hand. Rarity let him go, and he stepped aside to allow all of us to enter. My heart stopped when I realized that even though Twilight's circumstances were different, this was eerily similar to Hearth's Warming. The castle was dark and if not for Spike's presence, it would've felt empty. But with multiple creatures walking inside, it felt like we were in a funeral march.

"Spike, did somethin' else happen after we left last night?" Applejack asked, taking a good note of the dragon's attitude. He was much more lively last night, running around and trying to think of ways to get Twilight to talk to any of us. Pinkie suddenly took a loud sniff of the air before gasping loudly.

"Nopony has made breakfast," she bit her lip as it quivered. "Spike, did something happen to you too?" Pinkie grabbed the dragon by his shoulders, staring deep into his eyes.

"Well, no Pinkie," Spike looked away and toward Twilight's bedroom door. "But she left about an hour after you guys did last night, Applejack," he answered AJ's question before looking over to Rarity who was sticking close to him.

"She wouldn't talk to us but she just _left_?" I asked, not feeling angry at Twilight at all, just confused beyond all reason why she did that. "Oh Christ, please tell me she didn't go to a bar, Spike," I knew full well that some people drank to quell their sorrows, but I didn't want Twilight to turn to that.

"I DON'T KNOW!" He suddenly burst into tears. Pinkie fell onto her back from his outburst. The dragon then lost his footing and fell forward into Rarity's chest, wrapping his arms around her forelegs.

"Spike!" She exclaimed, helping prop him up. All of us ran forward and dropped to our knees around the dragon to see what we could do to help. The dragon continued sobbing, burying his face into the seamstress's chest. Rarity, the ever so generous mare, curled one foreleg around the purple dragon and held him close, resting her head on top of his. He was laying completely on the floor with only his head propped up against the unicorn mare. Seeing him so vulnerable and downtrodden like this hurt. "Shh," Rarity cooed, "Spike, please tell us what happened, sweetie," she requested softly. Still sobbing, Spike pulled his head away from Rarity's now matted chest from his tears, and sniffled.

"Sh-she l-left right out o-of the blue. She didn't e-even tell m-me _wh-why_ sh-she we-went to Canterlot!" He said in between sobs. "A-all she s-said w-was that she was g-going t-to Canterlo, a-and th-that I n-needed to st-stay here."

"Did you try to follow her, Spike?" Fluttershy scooted closer and began to pet his head gently.

"Of course I did!" He wailed. "But she refused to let me go and teleported away!" Fluttershy shrank back at his exclamation, but wasn't afraid of him. "I stayed by the front door for another hour until she teleported back here." He wiped his nose with a handkerchief that Rarity produced, having calmed down just a bit.

"And…." Discord trailed off. I could really tell he was genuinely concerned for both Spike and Twilight, but was uncertain of what to ask. Since he was sarcastic most of the time, it couldn't have been easy for him. "What was that outcome, Spike?"

"_W-worse,"_ Spike choked out, trying to suppress his tears. "_I tried to get an answer from her, but she ran to her room and cried herself to sleep,"_ Spike began to softly sob, returning his face to Rarity's chest. His body continuously shook as he sobbed. "_I-I stayed with her all night, b-but," _he couldn't say it. _"__Please guys, you've gotta help me," _Spike begged_ "I-I can't stand to see my mom like this, and I can't stand to not be able to comfort her!"_

_"_It's okay, Spikey," Rarity massaged his back. "Is Twilight still in her room?" The dragon breathed heavily and nodded, wiping his nose once again with Rarity's handkerchief.

"_She hasn't left since she came back last night,"_ he handed the cloth back to Rarity. With help from Rainbow Dash, Rarity was able to stand Spike up on his legs as both mares slid under his arms to support him.

"Hey Spike, you don't have to come if you don't want to," Rainbow tried to reassure him. "I think you've done more than anypony could've asked of you, right guys?" She turned to look at the rest of us. We all nodded simultaneously, feeling proud for Spike's admiration to console his mother, but saddened at the same time for the pair. Spike didn't deserve to beat himself up like this for feeling like a failure again.

"No, I'm not gonna stand by and do nothing," Spike sucked back his tears and growled at Rainbow. "Mom wouldn't stand by to let somepony console me, and I won't do that to her." With nothing left to say, and with Rarity and Rainbow helping him, Spike led us down the hall and towards Twilight's bedroom door which was cracked open slightly, but no light source came from within.

"Ivan," Applejack lightly rubbed her cheek against my hand as we walked, taking the rear end of the pack. "What exactly are ya gonna say ta Twilight?"

"I can't tell you AJ," I replied, placing my hand on the back of her neck and scratching it lovingly. "I used up all of my stuff on Hearth's Warming when I talked to her. And this is different; she didn't do anything wrong this time. Etherea just got to her," I explained.

"Well, Ah know that, but what ya did last time with her was amazin'. Ah just thought ya might have somethin' else planned," she admitted, nuzzling closer to me. _'Maybe,' _I thought. No one else said a word as we reached the door and Spike gently shoved it open.

_"You guys may not like what you find," _Spike said quietly, possibly so he wouldn't surprise Twilight. "_And she deactivated the spell after you guys left last night," _he added. Indeed, as he, Rarity, and Rainbow crossed the threshold into Twilight's room, neither mare was blocked by an invisible force field.

"Oh my," Rarity gasped. I poked my head in and soon realized she truly was worse than on Hearth's Warming. Her bed was completely covered with crumpled up tissues that also spilled out onto the floor. Her wastebasket was overfilled with the tissues as well. The purple lump that was Twilight's body was face down on her pillow, slowly moving up and down as she breathed. With a quick flash of her blue magic, Rarity evaporated every used tissue, effectively cleaning Twilight's room for her.

"Um, Fluttershy?" Discord bit one of is eagle talons. "Where do we begin?" Fluttershy could only shrug as she covered her mouth with her hoof.

"Mom?" Spike removed his arms from around Rarity and Rainbow Dash, moving quicker than before until he slid onto his knees right next to Twilight's bed. "Mom, please wake up," he begged. "Everyone's here for you." I hate admitting, but my heart almost burst when Spike lightly pecked Twilight's cheek, trying to get a reaction out of her. The mare stirred slightly, making a noise that was some sort of cross between a whine and a moan.

"_Wha?" _She exclaimed as she lifted her head up tiredly. Her pillow, for whatever reason, stuck to her face as she turned her head toward the drake kneeling beside her. It then slowly peeled off her cheeks, revealing her puffy red eyes and tear stained cheeks. There were no other words to describe her; she looked like Hell. As she then realized what was going on, Twilight cowered back at the sight of us as Spike calmly stroked her side, never moving away from her. _"What are you guys doing here?" _Her voice was hoarse, no pun intended.

"We, we came to check on you, Twilight," Fluttershy replied.

"Just like we promised," Pinkie Pie added. I was expecting her to say 'silly' at the end of her sentence, but she held off from that.

"We're here fer ya, Sugarcube," Applejack chimed in sweetly, taking a tiny step forward. "Whatever ya need." Twilight bowed her head and looked at the ground from side to side, opening and closing her mouth several times. Spike removed his hand from her side, yet still remained in his spot as Twilight propped herself up on her haunches. Even her wings drooped down her sides.

"I uh, I'm sorry for just running off like that," she swallowed roughly, staring at the floor. Spike moved over in front of Twilight, placing his claws on her hooves.

"Come on, Mom. Nopony can blame you for that," he said sweetly as he rubbed his thumbs on her hooves.

"Too right, Spike," Rarity agreed, stepping forward with AJ. "After how emotionally traumatized from the articles you were, having that _Etherea_," she spat, "degrade you further, why anypony would want to get as far away as possible," she smiled. That smile, however, turned into a frown as Twilight shook her head.

"No, as a leader to most ponies, I shouldn't be beaten down so easily, especially by just words," Twilight groaned, barely lifting her head up. "But Rarity, where do you know her from? The minute you saw her, you knew she'd be trouble," Twilight asked. Rarity sighed and ever so cautiously approached the alicorn.

"I kept this from everypony because I thought it was only a one-time occurrence, Twilight. Sweetie Belle and I ran into her and a friend of hers in Las Pegasus during our trip. She's a speciesist if I ever saw one. Etherea believes you to be dangerous to Equestria for raising a dragon and then believing him to be your son. She sees dragons as nothing more than violent animals," Rarity explained. "She also believes Celestia is unfit to rule because she allows Cougar to walk amongst us."

"What?" Applejack and Twilight asked at the same time as everyone else gasped. I could only glare into space, thinking about what was wrong with Etherea.

"Etherea told me that Cougar should have been either locked up in the Canterlot Zoo or…." she trailed off, getting more and more upset as she recalled her first meeting with the mare from Hell. "It doesn't matter; Etherea is a plague," she exclaimed.

"Forget what Etherea thinks," Discord butted in. "It doesn't matter what goes on her head, dear Twilight. I understand your pain from what she said to you, but words can bring down anypony. I'm certain Celestia never told you that after she banished Luna to the moon, she would stroll about her private gardens to weep where nopony else could see her every time Luna's name was drug through the mud. We all have our limits," he surprisingly had the balls to not only approach Twilight, but sit down next to her as well.

"Th-that's not it," Twilight shook her head, reacting much differently than I, or anyone, expected her to after Discord spilled a little secret about her former teacher. "I'm such a bucking screw-up!" She whined, covering her eyes with her hooves. Spike, Discord, and the rest of the ponies gasped for Twilight using a swear word. It surprised me too, but it didn't faze me too much.

"Hey," I stated firmly, "you're not a screw-up Twilight. Holding your composure against someone like that is something only a handful of people can do. That little bitch was just messing with your mind; she was messing with all of our minds, and she almost succeeded," I explained to her, stopping myself before revealing how I almost punched Etherea's lights out. "You handled it a lot better than I did, believe me," I shuttered, again feeling fearful of how close I could've come to ruining everything I'd worked hard for in Equestria to forget my past.

"Well you don't know what came over me after you all left last night!" Twilight suddenly shouted, shooting off magenta sparks from her horn. She was crying and angry at the same time, fuck. "I let Etherea's words get to me; that's why I'm upset at myself! I don't even care what she said to me anymore…" she seemed to calm down, trailing off. "_I'm disgusted that I let her get to me_," she added.

"Spike said you went to Canterlot," Rainbow tip-toed around her words. "Hey, if you wanted to see Celestia for comfort or something, or to ask her for advice-"

"FLASH BROKE UP WITH ME!" Twilight suddenly shrieked. Even the ticking of her room's clock was drowned out by the silence. The purple alicorn was now breathing heavily; the pain from last night was starting to resurface. She was right, she didn't care what Etherea said anymore. "The only stallion that will ever care about me in that way, and I ruined it!" She wailed, grasping the pillow behind her with her magic and stuffing it into her face so she could cry. Understandably so, Discord sat up from the bed and retreated back next to Fluttershy. No one expected him to be able to console her about this.

"Mom!" Spike yelled, jumping on the bed, taking Discord's empty spot. He threw his scaly arms around the mare and squeezed her tightly.

"Well," Pinkie's mane deflated, "this isn't a very nice twist," she pouted her lip and wiped her eyes.

"Wh-what's wrong with me?!" Twilight pulled the pillow away to breathe. "Why am I screwing things up lately?! Simple things that I _shouldn't_ mess up!" Before she could bury her face in the pillow again, Spike blocked it with his hand, causing Twilight to look at him.

"Mom, what are you talking about screwing things up lately?" He asked. "And what happened with Flash?"

"I-I-I t-tried to g-give Cougar a t-truth s-serum o-on Hearth's W-Warming Eve," Twilight reminded him as she sobbed. "R-ruining a f-friend's tr-trust!" She explained.

"That was nearly two months ago," I pointed out, only to have AJ elbow me in the ribs. She shot me a look that was pretty much the epitome of 'shut up.' I could only guess she wanted to see Spike handle this; we apparently were backup at this point.

"Please," Spike removed his hand from the pillow and placed it on Twilight's shoulder. "Mom, what happened with Flash?" He asked. Though tears were still steadily streaming out of her eyes, Twilight stopped sobbing enough to get words out without stuttering.

"I just wasn't thinking clearly," Twilight swallowed, shifting her gaze from the floor to her son. "After everyone left, I…I realized that I was about to miss my prior engagement with Flash Sentry for Hearts and Hooves Day dinner," she explained.

"Wait," Rarity interrupted as kindly as possible, "you went to Canterlot so you could have dinner with Flash Sentry in _your_ condition?"

"Well, I know it sounds absurd, but I didn't want to make him feel like I blew him off _after_ Princess Celestia gave him her word that I would be in Canterlot for dinner," Twilight said. "And while worrying about that, I also thought it may take my mind off what happened earlier in the day, I could have fun during dinner with Flash, and then I could come home and spend more time with Spike," she gave a sad smile to us before looking back at the drake that still hugged her. She paused for a brief moment, allowing Spike to wipe some of her tears away with his thumb.

"So what happened?" Pinkie questioned. "Flash didn't know about…." she trailed off as Twilight shook her head.

"No, at least not until I had to explain why I'd been crying," she replied. "He understood that it was nothing but an awful lie and that Etherea was talking out of her rear end. Flash wanted to help me take my mind off it at dinner, but right before we left his quarters at the castle, he mentioned that he thought I _was_ a good mother to Spike."

"Aw, that was sweet of him," Fluttershy smiled, hoping that it would elevate Twilight's spirits. The alicorn exhaled sharply before clenching her eyes tightly and plopping her head on Spike's shoulder.

"Yeah, until I got the worst idea I've ever come up with!" Twilight began to sob again. Spike patted her shoulder lightly and began to rock back and forth. It was odd to me to see a son consoling his mother by rocking back and forth, but Spike apparently knew what he was doing. "_When Flash mentioned that,"_ her voice was coming out more and more like a croak, "_I suddenly asked him if he wanted to test it,"_ Twilight explained.

"What do you mean, test it, Twilight?" I asked her. If Flash already complimented her on her role as Spike's mom, then what would she need to test?

"_Well, I then told him I thought he'd make a good father. He laughed and said he never really thought about it before, and then I asked him if he wanted to test out us as parents," _Twilight explained. Oh crap, I was starting to understand what she asked him. I couldn't tell if anyone else was catching on, but I kept my mouth shut, hoping I was wrong. "_It caught him completely off guard, but he asked if I was just asking him to move in to my castle and be sort like a father figure to Spike. He didn't sound repulsed or put off by the idea, but I just _had_ to explain what I was getting at. I told him if we both believed we'd make a great mother and father, then he _should_ move in with me and Spike and we should," _Twilight bit her lip and began hyperventilating.

"Mom?" Spike tried to calm her down. "Rainbow, can you go to the kitchen and get a paper bag?" Spike asked. Rainbow quickly saluted us, left, and was back in about seven seconds. Spike thanked her and handed Twilight the bag. She rapidly breathed in and out of the bag until it popped loudly, making everyone but her jump.

"I told him we should live together and try to have a foal of our own to prove we can be good parents!" Twilight wailed loudly. Oh shit, I was right. Just the weight of that situation made me feel uneasy. I had to hold my head in my hand for a moment. I was really more concerned for Spike at this point. What if he felt like Twilight was trying to replace him? "He couldn't believe what I was asking, and asked me to say it again so he heard me right. So, me being the stupid idiot I am, I retold him my idea and even added that it would strengthen our relationship, bring us closer by us having a child of our own, and Spike would have a younger sibling to play and bond with which would make our whole family strong!"

"Twilight," I managed to mutter while holding my head. Applejack looked toward me with a concerned expression and wrapped her foreleg around my torso. _"I'm okay," _I whispered.

"He asked me if I was feeling okay, and I said I was," Twilight continued. "Flash then sat me down on his bed and gently told me that I was letting what Etherea told me get to me. He said that while it's an interesting thought, I was rushing our relationship way too fast and that we weren't even close to being married yet. I told him I didn't care about that and just wanted to be bonded closer to him."

"He didn't start yelling, did he?" Rainbow Dash grimaced.

"Flash never rose his voice to me the entire time we were there," Twilight sniffled into Spike's shoulder. "He asked me to not bring this up again until our relationship made it to the engagement level, but I kept begging him. I wanted me, him, and Spike to be more of a family and then Flash and I could conceive a child of our own. I pleaded with him several times until he asked me to leave. I asked him how long to wait to go to dinner, but he said he didn't want to go to dinner with me anymore.

"Well, what exactly did he say?" Applejack questioned.

"Flash said, _'Twilight, you're an amazing mare that's done more for Equestria than most ponies could ever dream of, and I was hoping to build our relationship up, but this? I can't just rush into having a foal with you, especially not before we're married. I had true feelings for you and not just because you're a princess. But if all you want from me is to just father your foal, then I just can't be with you anymore. I'm truly sorry, Twilight Sparkle, but it's over.'" _Twilight whined before saying one last thing to us. "H-he ga-gave me o-one last k-kiss b-before gently cl-closing the door. I tried to plead with him that I'd drop it, but deep down I knew I'd bucked this up worse than anything else, so I ran down the hall and teleported back here. And he was right! I was only selfishly thinking of showing up Etherea instead of really thinking about my future with Flash!" Twilight concluded.

None of us really knew how to respond to this. Even Spike just sat next to Twilight with his arms still around her. "I'm just, so _angry_ at myself for ruining a relationship and forcing Flash to make that decision!" Twilight burst when none of us responded.

"Mom, it's okay," Spike tried to convince her.

"I'm not angry at Flash in any way; I deserved to have that happen for being so stupid!" The alicorn scolded herself. "I just want to forget yesterday," she bowed her head and let her tears fall to the floor. "I just want to forget," she repeated. I can't explain why we all did what we did at the same time; all I can say is it happened. We all, even Discord, crowded around the poor alicorn and hugged her tight, forming a protective barrier of friendship around her as she said again, "_I just want to forget."_

"Whatever ya need, Sugarcube," I felt Applejack gulp hard, "we're here fer ya." I admit I'm not an expert at helping people get over situations like this, and I'm still shocked that I was able to help Twilight back on Christmas, but since she and I were friends now because of that incident, I would do my part too as I know she'd do the same for us. None of us knew how long it would take; but what we did know is that Twilight accepted that she made a huge mistake and wanted to move on. I was positive Flash would forgive her if she met up with him, but I was also positive that there was no hope for them to get back together as mean as that sounds.

"_I just want to forget," _Twilight repeated one last time as Spike nuzzled his cheek against hers as his own tears rolled down his cheeks. Her words hit me harder than anyone else in the room. Twilight and I now had something else, something vastly deep in common, and I wanted to help her forget as much as she's helped me forget. Maybe, just maybe, if I helped her, it could in turn bring us even closer as friends.

**End Chapter 49**

* * *

_A couple of things I'd like to point out. Yes, I know the scene with Twilight really got to the point quicker than when Ivan had to deal with her, but seeing as how you guys already went through that, I felt you didn't want it to be as long. _

_Also, while yes the website does in fact say this is the fiftieth chapter, the first chapter is a prologue, meaning that the NEXT chapter to me is Chapter Fifty. As most of you already know, I've never written a story that's even come close to fifty chapters, and I right now just wanted to thank everyone who's stuck by as long as they have. _

_Another thing, with next chapter being Chapter 50, I can give you a little hint at what happens. The next chapter takes place directly in a Season 5 episode; it's up to you all to try and guess which one after reading this chapter. All I can say is it's one of my favorite Season 5 episodes and this begins an arc I've been DYING to write for the longest time. This chapter is also the last dramatic chapter for awhile as we move into a more action and gritty arc. _

_Final note, I really hope no one is mad at Flash; in my honest opinion, he had a pretty good right to break things off with Twilight. How would you guys react if your significant other just brought up out of the blue that they wanted a child with you and continuously begged you about it? And don't worry, this little incident is NOT, I repeat NOT just so I can pair up Twilight with someone else. I'm really still thinking about WHO I could pair her up with and how to do it naturally and slowly._

_Again, thank you guys for reading!_


	51. Chapter 50: Baby Steps

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 50: Baby Steps**

_What's this? I'm updating a little ahead of schedule? That's right guys; this is one story arc that I've been dying to write for a LONG time, and it makes it a little more special due to the fact that it starts with the 50th chapter. At the beginning of the story, I said my goal was at least 40 chapters, and I've more than beaten that goal. I have no idea how long the story will be, but I still have plenty of material to work with. _

_As we all know, Season 6 is upon us. I can tell you guys right here, right now that Season 6 does not happen in this story. Only certain parts of Season 5 will remain. Speaking of Season 6, if you follow the link to my YouTube channel on my profile, I have published two review videos for the first few episodes of Season 6, and a review for the very first episode of the series. _

_One huge positive about the previous chapter is how glad I am that no one wanted to blame Flash at all for what he had to do. I tried my best to have him make a decision that he really didn't want to do, and according to you guys, I succeeded. As for what will become of Flash? Let's just say I've been talking to a few fellow authors and I have a pretty good idea on what will become of the guy. _

**SkullCrusher550: **_Thank you!_

**Nostalgia Cop: **_I hate to be that guy, but what exactly is Flashpoint?_

**theflammableflamedragon: **_Um, I've never watched a single second of Dr. Who, so I don't really know why he's a scumbag. Is he a player or something?_

**StacheKing: **_Well I was thinking a LOT about the many Human in Equestria stories I've read. A lot of them seem unrealistic in that EVERY pony likes the human. I was thinking that there has to be somepony out there who will just not like the human. And then I came up with Etherea who, like you pointed out, is a definite racist and deems anyone associated with Ivan unfit. But I do have some pretty big plans for her. I was also thinking, why not have a villain who has NO magic whatsoever, but the power of words? As for Flash, my main goal was to have a guy break up with his girlfriend, but do it in a way he HATED doing, yet had no choice but to do so. However, I'm not done with orange pegasus just yet; I have a few ideas to save him from Brad syndrome that the EQG movies inflicted upon him. And as for Discord, yeah he was pretty mellow, but if I had him stay at Fluttershy's cottage while everyone comforted Twilight, he'd seem like an ass._

**dragonsofthe8elements: **_Because Twilight tried to force a huge step in their relationship on Flash without caring for his feelings for the matter. _

**Dixie Darlin: **_They're fun to write too! Ever since Dr. Whooves appeared in Season 5 in an official speaking role, I wanted to give him a shot. As for your opinion on Flash, you are 100% right, and I although it was my intention, I was in the wrong. _

**Sassymouse: **_Because hugging Book Horse makes everything better! And I do think you're referring to the Brad syndrome correct? I'm gonna try my best to cure that_

**Srey: **_I don't hate Flash either, but I'm annoyed that the writers made him such a Gary Stu in Equestria Girls that I decided to try and fix that in this story. I'm not sure if it'll be successful, but I'm willing to give it a shot. We hadn't had an Ivan and Apple family moment in awhile, so I thought that'd be the perfect place to try that. And Cheerilee and Big Mac are in fact growing closer but I thought I'd give it an explanation that she does stay there from time to time. And I like them as a couple mainly because they're opposites. Big Mac rarely talks at all, but Cheerilee is a teacher, so she HAS no choice but to talk. They kind of even each other out. I can't wait to show a little more of Dr. Whooves myself. And I'll be honest, as much as people liked that at least Flash HATED breaking up with Twilight, it was a rather brash decision, but it's all apart of my plan for the story_

**uss71832: **_Thank you for at least seeing Flash's point of view fairly. And as for your prediction, we'll see how it goes. _

_Okay everyone, we are here for Chapter 50, and I really hope you guys enjoy this arc. YES, it takes place during a season 5 episode, but ever since this episode premiered, I KNEW it was the perfect episode to insert this story arc into. After this chapter, you can guarantee there will be a little bit of grit and excitement. _

_ALSO, please read the author's note at the bottom of the chapter after you are done reading. I have critical instructions for everyone. _

* * *

**(Two Weeks Later; Ponyville; Ivan's POV)**

Two weeks. It's been two weeks to the day since a part of Twilight's life was completely crushed. All of us knew that Twilight could not wake up after three or four days and feel completely better. We all put forth our best efforts, no matter how long it would take, to help our friend. Obviously, Spike spent more time with Twilight than anyone else. Although she still didn't leave her castle for the first two days after her break up with Flash, she was well enough to at least cook meals, bathe, and as Spike told us, read a few books here and there to keep her composure. We even decided to meet at Sugar Cube Corner in the evenings so Spike could give us up-to-date information on his mom's condition.

We never told Twilight of our plan, but everyone took turns throughout the days spending time with her on whatever Twilight wanted to do. Every day of her recovery so to speak, Rarity would make herself, Twilight, and Spike some tea along with some cucumber sandwiches and bring over some outfits for Twilight to help on. Eventually, Twilight was well enough to leave her castle, but it would only be for short walks to get some fresh air. Fluttershy accompanied her and Spike for the brief walks, and over time Twilight gathered up the confidence to walk all the way across town to Fluttershy's cottage to assist with her animals.

Pinkie and Rainbow Dash teamed up to bring laughter back into Twilight's life. Even though Spike was in on it, they would come over to spend time with Twilight by pranking the dragon through, what I've been told, harmless jokes. Thanks to their efforts, by the end of the first week, Twilight was able to have full conversations with more than just Spike and her friends. Spike relayed to us that on the ninth day, Dr. Whooves showed up at the castle to bring some beakers and test tubes that he'd forgotten to bring back before. Apparently, the two talked for a good hour about science and some experiments that the Doctor wanted to conduct. Twilight even wrote a letter to Princess Celestia, asking her to give Dr. Whooves permission to examine and extract the radio parts from my jet. The last I heard about Dr. Whooves is that, when she was 100% back to her old self, Twilight would assist him on repairing and testing the radio equipment.

This left myself and Applejack. While every day Rarity would show up with fresh tea and sandwiches, Fluttershy and Twilight would go for a walk, and Pinkie and Rainbow would show up to help Twilight laugh, AJ and I would bring over any kind of treat we could make using Apple family recipes. As we expected, Twilight didn't eat them for the first three or four days, but eventually her sweet tooth returned and when we showed up one day, she was in the middle of pigging out on some apple cobblers. What really surprised the others though is that I wouldn't leave Twilight's castle with Applejack. While yes we arrived together to eat desserts and talk with Spike and Twilight, I'd stay a little longer, even after Spike would doze off.

After helping Spike to bed, Twilight would lead me to her library where we would sit in front of the fireplace, only speaking when something was on our mind. I suggested it after deciding to stay on what I believe was the eighth night of her recovery. The silence got to her a few times, but I'd start asking about happy memories for her to tell me. She told it quite a few times, but she didn't mind telling, and I didn't mind listening, about her first ever trip with Spike to Ponyville and how she met her friends, and how they helped reform Luna. Twilight questioned my approach to helping her, but my answer was quite simple. _"Well, a library is a place where you not only gather knowledge to better understand the world around you, it's also a place that makes you think, that challenges you. A place where you not only gather knowledge, but it makes you think beyond, and makes you ask yourself why." _Twilight understood, but was still curious about one thing. On the first night of when I'd stayed longer than AJ, she asked me how I got over adjusting to a completely alien world. I stared her right in the eye and said, "_I know I didn't show it all that well, but surrounding myself with those willing to lend a friendly hand to help me assimilate to this world, kept me intact. I was going out of my mind back in my old world anyway; despite having a friend in Princess Luna and a few of you right away, I kept to myself yet still allowed all of you into my life. I was truly grateful to have friends like that, but again I didn't show it because I was afraid I'd lose it all too soon. But like I've been having you do, thinking of some of your happiest memories doesn't hurt at all." _On the rare occasion we'd lost topics to talk about, Twilight would ask me to listen to music, explaining that she'd listened to all of her records and wanted something new. So I would take out my phone, set it on an end table between our chairs and play Def Leppard's _Hysteria_ album until we either found new topics of conversation, or she was ready to hit the hay. Only on one occasion she fell asleep and I personally carried her back to her room.

And actually, while all of this drama with Twilight was going on, little Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all got their cutie marks during class! The amount of joy and pride that beamed from AJ, Big Mac, and Granny Smith would've put Celestia's sun to shame. And although I wasn't an Apple, I couldn't help but feel proud for Applebloom and her friends. Twilight even sucked up her emotions to attend the girls's Cutecineria at Sugarcube Corner, even though we all told her she had no obligation.

Truth be told, these two weeks actually went by fast, and I had a lot of fun spending some of that quality time with Twilight. I found myself on more than one occasion chuckling to myself as I was reminded that I didn't take too warmly to Twilight when I first arrived, but now we had something we could bond over as friends. Like her recovery, it just took a little time for our friendship to start. After two weeks, we all agreed Twilight was about 75-80% better. But when we woke up on the end of the second week, she seemed to be 100% recovered. The seven of us were currently in the throne room of Twilight's castle, having been called by Twilight for a special announcement. Well, I was standing since I didn't have a throne to sit on, but it didn't bother me too much.

"Before we begin, darling," Rarity spoke up as Twilight levitated a scroll over to herself from Spike's claws. "I just want to say you look positively radiant this morning," the seamstress complimented with a large grin. All of us nodded in agreement, feeling happy that our efforts were paying off to help a friend in need. Twilight paused to give a small smile in return to all of us.

"Well, I have you all to thank. I know I haven't been at all like myself as of late, but thank you all for doing your best to keep my spirits up. I can't ask for any better friends than you," she quickly wiped a tear away with her hoof. "And this announcement _really_ put me a good mood," she added gleefully until she noticed that I was standing. "Uh, you know Cougar, you can pull up a chair right next to Applejack if you'd like," she informed, trying to make me more comfortable.

"Nah, I'm fine standing," I shook my head politely, leaning with my elbow against Applejack's throne.

"Anyway," Twilight cleared her throat, raising up the parchment. "Somepony special is coming to visit Ponyville!" Twilight announced. I couldn't help but notice Pinkie Pie looking nervous like she'd seen a ghost, but she rubbed her hooves together as if planning something. I brushed it off as her just being Pinkie Pie and refocused my attention on Twilight. "And I need your help getting everything ready!" Twilight concluded. Everyone, except me started cheering and hollering at the announcement. I held off since I had no clue who it was that was visiting, and I don't cheer just because a random someone is visiting.

"Who's showing up, Twilight?" I asked, cracking my knuckles. Twilight sucked in a big breath of air. "It's _Shining Armor and Princess Cadence!"_ Both Twilight and Pinkie exclaimed simultaneously. We all cast confused glances towards the pink party pony as she braced herself against the table. She had on a grin that looked physically impossible and her eyes were as wide as hell.

"…Yyyes," Twilight blinked a few times, "and they're coming _tomorrow!"_ Pinkie copied Twilight at the exact same time again. Twilight honestly looked weirded out, and maybe even a little horrified at what Pinkie was doing. Except the pink mare had what appeared to be a nervous smile.

"Um Pinkie," Fluttershy coughed, "I hope you don't mind me saying, and please don't be mad, but it's kind of rude to uh interrupt somepony," the buttery pegasus had raised her hoof in the air to get Pinkie's attention. Fluttershy's statement hit Pinkie's deaf ears as the element of laughter nervously darted her eyes to her right, directly at Rarity. The seamstress was clearly put off by Pinkie's strange behavior as well as she raised an eyebrow and leaned back away from Pinkie. She then looked back toward Twilight who was scratching under her chin.

I could only stare at Pinkie as if I were seeing Bigfoot out in the wilderness. I couldn't decipher what the hell was going on; the 'normal' Pinkie I'd grown accustomed to was a far cry from what this Pinkie was doing. "Yes," Twilight started, uncertain if she could get a word in. "On the _Friendship Express rather than the Crystal Empire train so as not to cause too much of a scene when they skip town to come visit?!" _Pinkie cut Twilight off yet again at about three hundred miles per hour, finishing off with another creepy smile.

"AAAAND?!" Pinkie galloped across the table and stuck her nose against Twilight's, completely invading her personal space.

"That's…..it," Twilight had to pause, feeling uncomfortable and probably a little creeped out by Pinkie's actions. Pinkie sighed sadly at not being able to divulge any more information, allowing her head to sink low.

"How'd you know all that?" Rainbow finally asked what I was willing to bet was on everyone's minds. Pinkie darted her eyes over to the athletic pegasus, chuckling nervously and sweating.

"Uh, um, Pinkie sense?" She gulped as if she were guessing her answer. The mare slowly trotted backward to her throne, keeping her mouth shut for the time being.

"Pinkie?" I asked, causing her to look up at me, "have you started taking any new medication lately?" I questioned curiously. This wasn't a joke; I was _really_ concerned if she was taking any new medicine or had stopped taking any medicine. She only shook her head as AJ elbowed me in the gut and shot me a glare.

"Did you say you needed our help with something?" Fluttershy asked sweetly. Twilight nodded happily and requested that we all follow her. She took flight, something we haven't seen from her in two weeks, and led the way. I lagged behind with Rainbow Dash, allowing the rest of the group get a little ahead.

"So, you see it too, Rainbow?" I asked in a more hushed voice for extra precaution. "I mean, has Pinkie ever acted, _beyond_ Pinkie before?" I questioned. The rainbow maned pegasus shook her head quickly.

"No," she started, "well yeah. She's snapped from reality before, but she's never acted like this. Maybe her 'Pinkie Senses' are losing a little steam," Rainbow shrugged.

"You two teamed up to help Twilight," I pointed out as we made our way through the halls. "Did she show any signs of acting like this?" Rainbow could only shake her head again, having no idea what was wrong with our party-loving friend. After not too long of a walk, Twilight led us into a random room in the castle, only this room was different even from Spike's room. I took note that there was an ant farm on a shelf, a train set in the middle of the room, and various posters of what appeared to be Sci-Fi ponies.

"Hey, sweet posters!" Rainbow flew up to a poster of a unicorn pony wearing a futuristic suit, striking a dramatic pose. "Is that Smash Fortune?"

"Mhmm, sure is!" Twilight beamed. "When Shining Armor wrote to me and said he wanted to come to the castle and visit, I had my parents send me a few things he liked when he was a colt as a special surprise," she explained.

"SURPRISE!?" Pinkie burst out of a toy chest, wearing a spartan-looking helmet. The sudden shock of her outburst made me almost drop an action figure I was studying. After juggling with it for a few seconds, I got a good grip on it and set it down gently on a shelf before putting my hands at my sides. Thankfully no one saw my little episode and was instead focused on Pinkie's nervous laughter as she spun the helmet around to hide her face.

"I've been getting so excited the past few days that I've hardly been able to keep it to myself!" Twilight said with much joy in her tone. "And again, combined with your help, it's really helping me get back to my old self," she added.

"Heh, I guess a visit from your brother and sister-in-law is really what the doctor ordered, Twilight?" I asked, stuffing my hands into my pockets. The mare nodded vigorously as Pinkie's voice echoed from the helmet.

"I have no idea what that's like!"

"Aww," Fluttershy cooed. I turned to see her pressing her face up against the glass of the ant farm window. "Look at the cute little ant farm!" She gushed.

"And look at these cool comic books!" Spike exclaimed as he admired the pieces of heroic literature and graphics. Reminding me of the Big Bang Theory nerds, the comics were wrapped in a special plastic. "Awesome! Issue number four of the _X-Stallions!"_

"Careful Spike!" Twilight gasped, "those are mint in bag and nearly-" she tried to warn.

"Irreplaceable," Spike finished for her as he quickly wiped some dust off the cover of the bag. "I know mom," he smiled and set the comic back down. "You know I collect comic books too; I treat them like they'd fall apart just by looking at them." Twilight exhaled in relief and gave Spike a quick hug.

"How could I forget?" She asked rhetorically, squeezing Spike tightly.

"Ooh, what's this?" Pinkie Pie asked, holding up an old doll.

"That's Brutus Force, Pinkie," Twilight turned from Spike and trotted over to Pinkie. She seemed to chuckle at the memory, "Shining Armor used to carry him around all the time like he was his baby," Twilight described. Pinkie then juggled the doll around like it was a hot potato before laughing nervously.

"Yeah, heh heh, really cute!" She exclaimed. Me being somewhat of a nostalgia snob, I actually thought this room was pretty damn cool, even if it was a remodel of a little colt's room. Sometimes reaching back into your childhood was a good thing.

"It _is_ somewhat juvenile for castle decor," Rarity chimed in, holding her chin as she scanned her eyes around the room.

"Well, maybe a little," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest and garnering everyone's attention. "But come on, what's wrong with feeling a little nostalgic? If I walked into my shack on AJ's farm and you guys somehow decorated it with posters of Spongebob, action figures of Buzz Lightyear, pictures of Jeff Gordon in his Rainbow Warriors car and had all my die-cast race cars, I'd be freaking thrilled!" Everyone gave me a blank stare in return, making me feel a little self-conscious of my exclamation.

"If you'd let me finish, Cougar," Rarity cleared her throat, "I was going to add that it was _very_ sweet of Twilight to do for her brother." I began to purposely scratch at my neck so I wouldn't have to look at Rarity for interrupting her like an ass. Applejack only giggled at how flustered I looked and gave my waist a quick hug.

"I'm sure Shining Armor will love it!" Fluttershy grinned. What happened next was an odd mixture of Twilight asking us to help her collect a few more things for her brother, Rainbow explaining how much waiting for someone to be surprised can be better than the surprise itself, Pinkie asking some off the wall weird question about holding a huge surprise, followed by Rarity going William Shatner on Pinkie Pie about ponies who ruin surprises.

"GOTTA BOUNCE!" Pinkie randomly shouted before bouncing off the walls like a pinball before busting through the wall. As we all stared, completely flabbergasted at the mare, I couldn't help but bring up my prior theory.

"Still voting for any form of medication she's stopped taking or started taking," I raised my hand in the air.

Things with Pinkie only got stranger and stranger after we dispersed to gather a few things for the arrival of Cadence and Shining Armor. Applejack and I were strolling through town with baskets of apples when Pinkie zoomed by with a cart full of pastries, nearly running us over. Then as we were taking a break and chatting with Twilight, she raced by us again like the hounds of Hell were in hot pursuit. I stared at the dust trail the cart left before slowly turning to Twilight and Applejack. "Still think I'm thinking too much about this, Applejack?" I asked, balancing one basket of apples on each arm.

"Uh, maybe fer now, Sugarcube," Applejack was more on the fence about the issue than before.

"Hey, AJ, Cougar!" we heard Applebloom calling for us.

"What is it, lil sis?" Applejack greeted the little yellow filly. She was carrying in her mouth a ballon in the shape of a goldfish, more than likely Pinkie Pie's work. The filly took it out of her mouth and stepped on the string with her hoof to talk more clearly.

"Is Pinkie Pie feelin' a bit under the weather? She was makin' ballon animals 'n made a bottle fer Scootaloo but claimed it was a puppy dog," Applebloom asked. Applejack, myself, and Twilight all turned slowly to exchange odd looks. "Then Featherweight said she got real stingy 'bout makin' a balloon fer him." I didn't say any words for fear of upsetting AJ, but I did gesture toward Applebloom with an expression of '_Do you see what I've been saying?'_

"Don't gimme that look, Ivan," Applejack shook her head. "Pinkie Pie hasn't mentioned anythin', Applebloom," AJ ruffled the filly's red mane. "But we'll be sure ta keep a close eye on her." She promised. Applebloom cocked her head to the side before clenching the balloon string in her teeth and trotting away.

"We'll talk to Pinkie about this later," Twilight pulled out a list from her saddlebag. "I want to start spiffing up the castle early so it's perfect when Cadence and Shining Armor get here!" She exclaimed giddily, hopping up from the picnic table. Myself, Applejack, and Fluttershy and Rainbow who were sitting at another table, got up to follow her.

A little while passed as we found ourselves doing the necessary prep work on the castle just like Twilight wanted. I didn't mind having to do so many different things to get the castle ready. As long as Twilight's mind was occupied and she was happy, I was glad to do this to help her. We hadn't seen Pinkie Pie since our brief glimpse of her back at the picnic tables, but we were expecting her to arrive soon with some extra snacks for the big arrival tomorrow. Rainbow Dash was setting up different plants and decorations on elevations the rest of us couldn't reach, while Fluttershy and Rarity were polishing a lot of surfaces and putting in fresh decor on the throne room table. Applejack was busy sweeping up around the throne room while I was cleaning the windows of the throne room. And naturally, Twilight had her trusty checklist out, checking things off as Spike reported they were done. "Why can't they make this stuff smell like blueberries or something pleasant?" I asked, covering my nose of the odor that the window spray left.

"Ah'd be a lil more worried 'bout gettin' in yer eyes, Ivan," Applejack called out from across the room.

"Hello Pinkie!" Twilight suddenly exclaimed. We all stopped what we were doing to see the pink mare entering the room with a tray of vegetables on her head and one her left forehoof. She didn't seem overly hyperactive and crazy like earlier in the day, but she looked a little discouraged to me. I set the window spray and cloth on the floor, wiping my hands on my jeans and curled my fingers over and over to get the feeling back inside them. "Those look yummy!" Twilight added, licking her lips and levitating the trays over to the giant table. "But we'd better cover them up now so they don't get spoiled," the alicorn put silver lids over top of the trays.

"Why would they get spoiled?" Pinkie scratched her head. "We're all going to eat them super soon!" She squeaked.

"Uh, I have to agree with Pinkie on this one," I cocked an eyebrow, pointing my thumb at her. "At room temperature the vegetables should be okay for quite awhile." Seeing how my _pony_ friends loved eating vegetables, it seemed odd that they'd be so pessimistic about keeping the refrigerated.

"Didn't y'all hear?" Applejack approached Pinkie Pie, placing her foreleg on top of her back. "Shinin' Armor 'n Cadence got held up; they won't be here 'till maybe Saturday," she announced.

"Huh?" I snapped my head toward my girlfriend just as Pinkie shouted.

"WHHHAAAAAATTTT!?" She exclaimed loudly before leaping up into the air, higher than Rainbow Dash, and latched onto Twilight's tree chandelier. Everyone dropped what they were holding at Pinkie's sudden outcry as we stared at her acting like Spider-Man. Pinkie huffed and puffed, fanning herself with her hoof. "You mean," she started gasping for air, "I have….to wait…ANOTHER WHOLE DAY?!" She screamed before laying her head against one of the roots of the chandelier. "I don't know if I can!"

"I may move my theory from medication to possession," I narrowed my eyes at the mare. "Unless…..Hey Pinkie, are you positive you haven't taken any red pills lately?" I questioned both sarcastically and legitimately. I didn't get a straight answer from her as she rubbed her cheek against the root.

"Pinkie Pie," Twilight said carefully as we all gathered around under where she was clinging to the root. "Do you have something you need to say? You've been acting crazier than usual and look like you've been keeping something in," Twilight asked and pointed out. Well, that's one theory. Though to me, looking like someone was keeping something in looked more like someone who's acting depressed than whatever Pinkie Pie was acting like. Pinkie only gasped harder, clamping her own hooves against her mouth, shaking her head. Surprisingly, Fluttershy, not Rainbow Dash, took flight and flew upward to Pinkie Pie.

"We're here to listen," she reminded Sweetly, petting against Pinkie's coat. Pinkie only shook her head even harder.

"Well, go on then Sugarcube," Applejack added.

"We're not going to judge you, darling," Rarity chimed in. I actually lost focus on Pinkie and looked across to my friends and girlfriend. I understand that they all want to give her moral support, but their one-liners were starting to creep me out a little.

"You'll feel so much better once you get it off your chest," Spike beamed with big green eyes as he placed a hand on Twilight's back.

"What, is everyone gonna get a turn?" I asked under my breath. Pinkie pulled out a yellow balloon and started to hyperventilate into the rubbery device. At this point, Rainbow Dash joined up with Fluttershy hovering next to the chandelier.

"Come on," I heard her try to convince Pinkie Pie to both come down and to spill the beans. The balloon Pinkie was breathing in and out of suddenly popped, mildly startling Rarity next to us. "Whatever it is, you can tell us. We're best friends," Rainbow reminded the party mare. And then, something odd happened. Pinkie's face just went to stone. Her face froze up as if she'd been in contact with Medusa, not moving an inch of her eyes or mouth whatsoever.

"Is she stuck in a trance or something?" I squinted to see her face better.

"OKAY OKAY OKAY!" She suddenly screamed, snapping from her trance. "YOU WIN!" Pinkie exclaimed, sounding like she'd been under extreme torture. Then, like a vacuum, she sucked in a large breath of air, continuing to shout. "SHINING ARMOR AND CADENCE ARE GONNA HAVE A-"

"An awesome weekend with the greatest little sister in Equestria!" A male's voice interrupted Pinkie's rant. The voice was accompanied by the loud creaking of the door. We all turned around to see a large pile of suitcases, and none other than Shining Armor and Cadence themselves. Cadence giggled as her husband laced his foreleg around her back.

"Hi everypony!" Cadence greeted all of us. Pinkie Pie sighed in relief before lazily slipping off the root! Noticing her fall, I dashed over with my arms outstretched. The mare slipped into my grip as I fell over onto my stomach and chest. I groaned as the mare hopped up and out of my arms, trotting away as I sat up onto my butt. AJ quickly rushed over to see if I was okay as well, rubbing my back with her hoof.

"Dash and Fluttershy couldn't keep up?" I asked, standing up from the floor. AJ shrugged and walked me back over to where everyone was now gathered in front of the Crystal Couple with huge grins on their faces. I didn't have one after sliding about ten feet on the floor to catch a pony who's MUCH heavier than she looks. Nonetheless, I brushed it aside and put on my best welcome face as it did warm my heart a little to see Twilight so happy.

"Cadence, Shining Armor!" She squealed, galloping over and nearly knocking them down. "You're early! I thought something came up and kept you from showing up until Saturday!"

"Well we thought so too," Cadence chuckled. "It turns out we weren't needed in Maretonia until next week," Cadence explained. "And the summit we needed to attend to had to be rescheduled." _'What in the hell is that sound?' _Was all I could think now. I looked over to see Pinkie chewing on her hoof.

"Sooooo, surprise!" Shining removed his foreleg from Cadence and gave Twilight a huge bear hug, rubbing their foreheads together.

"But it's so wonderful to see you all again," Cadence smiled.

"Hey, especially our favorite human!" Shining stuck out his free foreleg in my direction. I gladly accepted it and shook his hoof. "How's life going for you, Cougar?" he asked me.

"Well," I looked over at Twilight, "I can't really complain too much," I let go of Shining's hoof. I didn't want to blurt out to Cadence and Shining Armor about what Twilight had gone through the past two weeks. And I didn't know if Spike or Twilight had written to them about it.

"And how are, _things_," Cadence shot me a sly look after I placed my arm on AJ's back. Applejack and I looked toward each other before smiling, knowing precisely what Cadence was talking about.

"Ah'd like ta say _things_ are goin' smoother than a butter covered griddle in the middle 'o August!" Applejack exclaimed, nuzzling my ribs with her cheek. Unsurprisingly, what AJ and I did the night before Hearts and Hooves Day still remained between us. Our plans to tell Rarity went to Hell, and it wasn't that important while we had a poor Twilight to console. I chuckled at Applejack's description and patted her on the back.

"I'm so glad you're hear!" Twilight exclaimed. "_I _have a pretty big surprise for you."

"Oh yeah?" Shining said with a bit of a cocky tone in his voice. Twilight once again led the way out of the throne room. I didn't quite catch where we were going, but I presumed it to be the room we'd been in earlier.

* * *

**(Short while later; Ponyville; Ivan's POV)**

We found ourselves in Ponyville once again; this time Pinkie was actually WITH us. However, Cadence and Shining Armor weren't. After taking them to see Shining's room, (and having him flipping the fuck out) I noticed something odd about Shining. He took Spike aside to talk to the dragon. I didn't then and didn't now know what the hell that was all about, but I never got the time to talk to Spike, Shining Armor, or even Cadence. "Ugh," Rainbow groaned and clutched her stomach. "Where did they say they were gonna meet us? I'm STARVING!"

"In the town square!" Twilight replied in a chipper tone. "Though I wish they'd waited to walk over with us, but they said they had something to take care of first that required Spike's help," she explained.

_"They're gonna have a lot more to take care of soon," _we all heard Pinkie mutter under her breath.

"What!?" Twilight exclaimed as we all stopped and turned around at Pinkie.

"NOTHING!" Pinkie kicked up a ton of dust on the bridge we were walking on as she sped ahead of the group.

"Guys, are we seriously not gonna talk about Pinkie?" I asked with genuine concern. "Weird doesn't even describe her today!" I gestured toward the pony that looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown.

"I think she was just excited for Cadence and Shining Armor to arrive, Cougar," Rarity brushed it off. My face instantly fell.

"MORE excited than TWILIGHT?" I asked in the most 'duh' voice I could muster.

"Well, you know how overhyped Pinkie can get," Rainbow agreed with Rarity.

"About the littlest details too," Fluttershy nodded. I groaned and gave up, realizing that there was no convincing these ponies, even if a few acknowledged earlier that something was up with our party loving friend. We spotted the mare in question leaning against a fountain that was in the middle of the town, but Cadence and Shining Armor were no shows.

"Wha?" Twilight asked. "Usually they're more punctual than this." Rainbow groaned loudly yet again, complaining that she was in need of a hayburger while punching the head of a statue that was in the middle of the fountain. "Hey, what's this?" We all looked towards Twilight's gaze as her magic engulfed a scroll settled in the statue's mouth. The scroll levitated over to Twilight who gasped upon untying and reading it.

"What does it say, darling?" Rarity questioned as we all gathered around the alicorn.

"It's a _scavenger hunt_!" Twilight squealed in delight, dancing around in place. "Shining Armor used to set these up for me all the time when I was a filly! At the end, he'd always have a big surprise waiting for me. Like a new book!" Twilight rambled on about how great this was. None of us, even Twilight, knew the true intentions of why exactly her brother and sister-in-law were in Ponyville, but seeing Twilight this happy didn't make that matter to me. In fact, I'm starting to think that's what Shining wanted to talk to Spike about. Maybe the dragon let him know what happened to Twilight, and Shining quickly whipped this up for Twilight.

"OKAY WE GET IT! YOU LIKE BOOKS!" Pinkie suddenly blurted, taking the scroll away from Twilight.

"So, what's the first clue?" AJ asked, as the rest of us minus Rainbow looked curiously at Pinkie.

"I hope it's something about eating lunch!" Rainbow whined, though I had to agree with her as my stomach growled just a bit.

"You've got a scroll; you're on a roll," Pinkie started to read off the list. "Why don't you take a peek at where young ones spend their week? A piece of paper will continue this caper," Pinkie removed the scroll from her face, darting her eyes around. _'School,'_ was literally the first thing on my mind after hearing that, though no one else had an answer yet. I wanted to say the answer, but at the same time I wanted Twilight to be able to handle this. Low and behold, Twilight gasped, repeating the clue.

"I don't get it," Rainbow Dash shrugged.

"Just follow me, girls and Cougar," Twilight chuckled.

* * *

Just as the two of us predicted, we were led to none other than the Ponyville Schoolhouse. Though it appeared all of the students were inside, the bell was going off for some reason.

"Oh, now I get it," Fluttershy giggled, apparently not understanding the clue at first as well.

"Yep, the Ponyville Schoolhouse!" Twilight declared. I was about to suggest we go inside to look for a clue when Pinkie barged her way through the group.

"GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME! Now, where's the next clue?" She started panting like a bloodhound and sniffing at the ground. Yeah, my theory about medicine made me want to scream now. Anxiety, some bouts of possible Tourettes, and now acting like Scooby-Doo? She sniffed inside a bush before sneezing loudly as a leaf stuck to her nose.

"Don't give us that look," Rainbow rolled her eyes when I shot everyone a '_Are you freaking kidding me?' _look.

"Extra extra! Get your Ponyville News!" We heard Featherweight shouting behind us. "Read it in the paper!" He added, trotting around in a little uniform.

"Hmm, _piece of paper?"_ Twilight whispered to herself. "A paper that will continue the caper," she paraphrased the clue. Twilight gasped and quickly paid for a paper from Featherweight, opening it up. Fluttershy, AJ, Rarity, and Rainbow crowded around Twilight and the paper, scanning through it. I held back and awaited to see what they found. Rarity pointed out a dress that the mayor was wearing in a picture. _'Typical Rarity,'_ I thought with an eye roll. I chuckled to myself as Applejack pointed out that it was Rarity who'd made the dress in the first place.

"FOCUS EVERYPONY!" I heard Pinkie's shrill voice cry out, followed by the sound of ripping paper. Peering over everyone's heads, I saw Pinkie's head had torn straight through the newspaper.

"You know, Shining Armor doesn't set time limits for these scavenger hunts, Pinkie," Twilight giggled at the mare.

"Aha! There!" Pinkie jabbed her hoof at the paper. This time I joined in crowding around the paper, though I was stuck looking at it upside down.

"Though this hall is rather small, in it you'll find files of all kinds. Take a look on the back of the birth certificate of Applejack!" Twilight read off the clue. If I had to guess, it would have to be the love I held for Applejack, but the minute Twilight said we had to look at her birth certificate, a smile grew on my face. Applejack's eyes had shrunk in surprise as we all leered at her.

"Uhh, Ah don't like where this is goin'," Applejack seethed just a bit.

"Aww, don't be like that, AJ," I said sweetly, putting my arm around her. "It's _your_ birth certificate; it can't be all bad," I added.

Pinkie, like an NHRA driver, rocketed ahead of us toward town hall. Luckily the door was closed or I'm sure she would've smashed right through it without slowing down. Applejack had looked a bit uncomfortable that we were going to have to look at her birth certificate, but I was pretty intrigued. Though I've seen her baby pictures back at her home, a birth certificate is really something special, especially since it was hers.

"Um, you know where your own bathrooms are, right?" I asked the mayor as she looked to be dancing impatiently in front of town hall. She stopped dancing as we entered, only to have Pinkie run back outside for something. "Damn, this place looked smaller on the outside," I scanned around the room, taking note of every hallway that the building contained.

"Well, good thing your auntie Pinkie Pie is here to guide you, Cougar!" Pinkie suddenly exclaimed from behind, patting my leg with her hoof. She then gave a bunch of different directions about turning left, which interested me of course, but with how fast she was talking, I couldn't keep up.

"Wow, Pinkie," Fluttershy said, "I had no idea you knew so much about town hall!"

"There's a lot of things I know," Pinkie started to brag, "uh, that you don't _know_ I know!" She corrected and held her breath before zooming down the hallway.

"Okay, can we please actually take time during this hunt?" I requested to everyone once we started down the same hallway. "I feel like she's rushing the hell out of us and we haven't been at one location for more than thirty seconds," I added.

"I feel somewhat the same way, Cougar," Twilight sympathized, "but Pinkie adds something to the game," she shrugged it off. We made it to the filing room just as Pinkie was fishing through one of the cabinets, looking a little pissed to me. She grasped a file within her mouth and opened it, pulling out a piece of paper.

"Aha, here you go!" She said victoriously, holding up the paper in her hoof so Twilight could hold it in her magic. Without missing a beat, Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy began to gush over whatever picture was on AJ's birth certificate. The trio plus AJ were crowding around it so I had no view whatsoever. Even though I tried to use my height to my advantage, the four ponies didn't even attempt to move out of the way.

"Oh, did you want to see, darling?" Rarity noticed me trying to peer over and took a few steps back. I thanked her with a quick nod and saw that Applejack was blushing from all of the comments made about her picture before moving my eyes to the paper. I can't really explain what happened next; but the moment I saw Applejack's picture of her first moment of life, I not only felt a smile creep across my mouth, but I also felt my heart leap. Just seeing her, the one that I've pledged my love to, as not just a baby, but a newborn was a little surreal. It was also the moment the fool that lived inside me took over my actions.

"Aww," I said as well, slinging an arm over Applejack and pulled her close. But I didn't stop there. I also put my hand to her cheek and just played with it a bit. "You were just the cutest baby, hun," I teased, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. Applejack blushed harder, forcing a smile on her face as she looked up at me before flipping the certificate around. The next thing I knew, my foot was throbbing in pain. Releasing my arm from her, I grabbed my ball cap off my head and quickly bit down onto it to keep from screaming.

"Oops," Applejack chuckled, lifting her hoof off my foot. "Ah _really_ do need ta watch where Ah'm steppin', Sugarcube," she even gave me a quick nuzzle to my hand. I started to breath in and out through my nose as I could hear Rainbow Dash trying not to bust her gut laughing. I need to remember just how strong Applejack's hooves are before I start teasing her like that in public. "Oh I'm so pleased that my pain made you forget about your hunger, Dashie," I called her by her nickname.

"Hey, you're the one who poked the bear by teasing your marefriend. It's game on from there," Rainbow shot back, crossing her forelegs with a smart ass smirk on her face.

"SHH!" Pinkie shushed the two of us.

"This next place is where you can buy a table or chair. Or some comfy beds to rest little heads," Twilight read off the clue from the back of the certificate. And just like that, Pinkie once again put both the Flash and Quicksilver to shame, bursting out of the room as everyone thought hard about the clue while I was still coming down from my pain high.

"REALLY!?" Pinkie then poked her head through the door. "_None_ of you?!"

Out of the blue, Pinkie _somehow_ managed to mash us all, even me, together in one ball and shoved us out of town hall and into the streets of Ponyville at what felt like 200 miles per hour. "IT'S OBVIOUSLY THE FURNITURE STORE!" She shouted as she pushed us until coming to a sudden stop. "GO IN, GO IN, GO IN!" She bounced up and down impatiently.

"Well, thank God no one has a camera," I muttered. When we came to the sudden stop, a few of us tumbled a few feet forward. Unluckily for Fluttershy, I landed underneath her while she landed right on top of me with our noses touching. I didn't feel embarrassed or anything since I only saw her as a friend, but the color of her face was a different story.

"OhmyCelestia!" She quickly exclaimed, scrambling to get off me. AJ helped me sit up as Fluttershy started to ramble on an apology. I assured her that it was okay and that she shouldn't be apologizing for anything.

"Twilight!?" Pinkie grabbed the alicorn's hoof and tried to pull her inside.

"Look Pinkie, I don't know about this," Twilight politely objected. And that's about the moment where Pinkie lost her patience. The mare groaned loudly before barging into the store, sounding like she was looting the place after a natural disaster or an L.A. blackout. We all stared at the building as we could see Pinkie through a few of the windows, tossing cribs and other pieces of furniture around before the door burst open with her riding a golden colored crib.

"I hate to be _that_ guy, but could we at least get a decent pacing for the game, Pinkie?" I requested.

"Nope!" She exclaimed, "That'd take way too long! Now ZIP IT!" She jabbed her hoof at me before practically punching a riddle on the crib. I was actually taken aback by this. I was legitimately scared of Pinkie Pie for that brief moment.

"Wow, you're scary good at this, Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash commented. _'Fine choice of words there, Skittles,' _I thought to myself before standing up and winced a bit as I put too much pressure on my foot.

"It seems we've saved the best for last; we hope that you've had a blast. Now it's time to take a break, where you can get a slice of cake!"

"Sugarcube Corner!" Everyone but me and Pinkie exclaimed.

"Pfft, that was an easy one," Pinkie waved it off. And then, the scavenger hunt on crack was, for the time being, over.

* * *

**(Sugarcube Corner; Ivan's POV)**

_'What Hell is waiting for us here?' _I asked myself as I tried to wrap my head around how quickly we finished the game with that mare acting a million times crazier than usual. I'm fine with doing an activity like this with my friends and girlfriend, but if Pinkie is gonna act like a psychopath the whole time, I may fake an illness the next time.

"Surprise!" Shining Armor greeted us as we walked into the bakery. "Twily, did you like the scavenger hunt?" He ruffled Twilight's mane. _'Unless it's to put Twilight's mind elsewhere,'_ I conceded after reminding myself that Twilight was happier from the sudden scavenger hunt. A few more days of Cadence and Shining Armor visiting, and Twilight may be back to normal.

"It was perfect!" Twilight exclaimed happily. "Just like old times, except even better because this time I got to share it with my best friends!" She added, turning to us. We all smiled while I even gave her a thumbs up to somewhat agree with her. But it was right about then that I noticed the bakery was completely covered with decorations. _'Was there a party for Twilight that I wasn't told about?'_

"There's just one thing missing, isn't there?" Twilight asked as Pinkie pushed all of us aside. The alicorn looked underneath her brother for some reason before looking to the side of him and behind him.

"Oh really? What's that?" Shining asked. I could tell Twilight was trying to sound a bit modest, but she sounded genuinely excited for her prize.

"Well, you know, the book prize at the end?" She poked Shining in the chest. The white unicorn chuckled before patting his sister on the back and joining his wife.

"There _is_ a prize, Twily, but it's a little different this time," Shining revealed as he and Cadence embraced each other.

"Actually, there's a _few_ for you, little sister," Cadence added with a warming smile. I turned to ask AJ if she knew anything about all these surprises that Twilight was going to receive, but I instead focused on Pinkie who looked like she was about to have a heart attack.

"I don't understand…." Twilight replied, confused as the rest of us.

"Well, all the places we sent you and your friends had something special in common," Cadence explained before both she and Shining put on smiles that were a cross between smug and proud. And as Twilight began to list off all of our locations visited, Pinkie moved from heart attack to 'apparent detonation.'

"Let's see, first we went to the schoolhouse; and then read the Foal Free Press." Pinkie suddenly gained an underbite for some reason which made me take a step away from her. That wasn't necessary however; she disappeared from next to me and appeared behind Twilight with a sort of serial killer look on her face. "After that we found Applejack's birth certificate," Twilight continued. The mention of AJ's birth certificate made my foot involuntarily throb. Pinkie then bit her hoof and fell to the floor in the fetal position. "And then the last clue was on a crib…." Twilight tapped her chin. And then Pinkie appeared holding Pound and Pumpkin Cake in her forelegs. "Hmm, school, foal, birth certificate, and crib," Twilight pondered.

_'Hang on a minute,' _I too started to piece together what we did. _'Oh holy mother of-' _I thought until Twilight gasped.

"CAN IT BE? ARE YOU TWO-" She pointed a hoof at Cadence and Shining Armor.

"We're having a baby!" The duo parted ways to reveal a three layer cake with a baby carriage on top.

_"_A BABY, TWILIGHT!" Pinkie suddenly burst, sounding much more joyful. The mare then for some reason grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "It's a baby, whoo-hoo!" She released me before bouncing off the walls like a pinball.

"Boy howdy, isn't this excitin', Ivan?" Applejack asked and grabbed me so I could get my sense of balance back as Twilight leaned against a wall for support.

"Yeah, exciting," I shook my head to keep the room from spinning.

"Y-y-you mean, I'm going to be an _aunt?!"_ She exclaimed. "This is the BEST prize ever!" Twilight exclaimed again, flaring her wings from excitement. The alicorn went to hug Cadence and Shining Armor, but for some odd reason, they stopped her. "Wh-what? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Twily, nothing like that," Shining replied, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "We still have a few more surprises for you," he then whistled. Spike appeared from the kitchen, marching proudly to his mom before giving her a hug.

"Not that I don't love seeing you, Spike," Twilight kissed his forehead, "but you're not that much of a surprise," she giggled.

"Twilight, this was all because of Spike," Cadence announced. We all took a few steps closer just to hear where all of this came from. We were all surprised, well everyone except Pinkie.

"What?" Twilight asked in awe.

"Look little sis," Shining hugged Twilight. "Spike wrote to us a few days ago and told us what happened to you on Hearts and Hooves and Day," he admitted. We all cringed, expecting Twilight to start shaking a few times from mentioning the holiday as she did the first few days of her recovery.

"And we're NOT mad at you," Cadence assured her.

"Even though you had him and the rest of your friends to carry you after what happened, Spike was so heartbroken to see you like that that he wrote to us to beg for help. We didn't tell him Cady was pregnant," Shining explained, "but we decided to come and visit you and that it would be the perfect opportunity to tell you our big news. You know, to take your mind off it." Twilight breathed heavily and looked at the ground.

"And," she swallowed, "and the actual party?" She gestured to all of the decorations.

"All Spike's idea," Cadence lifted Twilight's head to turn it to Spike.

"You've always comforted me when I was sad or helped me up when I was down," Spike said with a smile and a few tears of his own welling up in his eyes. "I just thought you deserved a special party to remind you how much you mean to your friends, and to me," he hugged her tightly before capping off with, "I love you mom!" He exclaimed. Twilight then cried out loudly before hugging Spike as well.

"I love you too, my special little Spike!" Not wanting to shed any tears, I looked around the room for a distraction, but found it very difficult. I tried to think of positive and uplifting things, but they were overpowered by the mother/son moment. Pinkie took out a handkerchief and blew into it loudly before crying loudly. Fluttershy smiled and rocked back and forth in place while slow streams of tears fell down her cheeks. Rarity tried wiping the mascara that was staining her white fur, and Applejack just leaned against me, not shedding any tears whatsoever.

"Um, Carrot Cake?" Rainbow said to the baker that was watching the whole scene behind us. "Can you close your onion drawer or whatever?" She requested, wiping her eyes.

"But we don't have an onion drawer, Rainbow Dash. This is a bakery," he reminded her, scratching the back of his head. Rainbow Dash groaned before she took a seat and covered her face with her wings and hooves. I couldn't stop myself from giving the cyan mare a slight smirk at her attempt to keep looking tough.

"I'm sorry for putting you in that situation, Spike," Twilight apologized, never letting go of her reptilian son.

"Mom, it's okay," I could tell Spike tried to chuckle to make the scene a little less heavy hearted, but it only came out as quiet sobs. "Like you taught me when I was a baby, everypony makes mistakes," he said, rubbing his cheek against hers. No one said a word as we watched Spike and Twilight embrace their roles as mother and son; how could any of us say anything? "Hey, believe it or not, we have one more surprise for you mom," Spike patted her back and pulled away.

"Hmm?" Twilight sniffed and cocked her head in confusion. Spike raised up his hand, and in the direction of the kitchen, put his thumb in the air. Surrounded by golden aura, the doors to the kitchen softly yet swiftly swung open. Everyone immediately took a gasping bow as Princess Celestia and Glock entered the room. Out of politeness, I bowed as well, sitting down on knee next to Applejack.

"Hello Twilight," Celestia greeted in her motherly tone. "You may rise," she granted softly. I lifted my head up to see if anyone else but Twilight and Spike had ceased bowing, only to find just about everyone else doing the exact same thing I was. "That means all of you, my friends," she corrected, casting her gaze our way. We all followed suit, but still dared to not say anything as Spike took a step away so his mother could talk to Celestia. Of course, Twilight couldn't say anything. instead her jaw quivered as if it were having a seizure.

"P-P-Princess Celestia?!" The mare's voice squeaked in both surprise and I'm guessing anxiousness. The only reason why I could think she was anxious was Celestia knowing of her plan and subsequent break up with Flash Sentry. However, the pearl white alicorn didn't glare, furrow her eyebrows, or even look at all judgmental to Twilight. In fact, Celestia didn't even ask her usual questions to the smaller alicorn. Instead, the goddess of the sun reacted only to Twilight's shock.

"When Spike wrote to me and told me about your condition, I thought I'd pay you a little visit," Celestia said warmly, placing a golden hoof on Twilight's shoulder. What surprised me the most about this is Twilight _never_ responded to Celestia's explanation. Rather, she looked back in the direction of Spike and gulped loudly.

"Y-you told princess Celestia too?" She asked in a hushed tone.

"Only yesterday," Spike explained with a quick shrug. "I just thought that if you were surrounded by everypony that loved you…." the dragon trailed off, feeling as if he didn't need any further explanation. He gasped for air, however, when Twilight re-wrapped her forelegs around him and hugged him tight.

"I-I couldn't a-ask f-for a b-better son!" She cried out into Spike's shoulder once again. Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Celestia, Shining Armor, and Cadence all 'awwed' at the display. Applejack and I only smiled, trying not to express too much emotion while Rainbow still hid her face behind her wings, and Glock stood still, maintaining his body guard pose.

"Well, you know Twily," Shining chimed in, pointing at Cadence's belly. "Spike may have some competition here soon," he grinned. Even though tears were still coming out of her eyes, we all easily heard Twilight scoff as she wiped her nose with a napkin.

"Check back with me in about five years," Twilight patted Spike's back proudly. As this was all playing out, I bent my head down to Applejack's ear.

"_Knowing how these usually go, I'm betting it's gonna be a girl," _I whispered. The orange mare snapped back to give me a puzzled look, but I just put my hand on the back of her neck and lightly scratched it.

"Twilight, I just want to let you know that while I understand this is a day of cheering up for you, I am still fairly disappointed with what happened between you and Flash Sentry," Celestia cleared her throat sternly. I seethed, hoping that this one moment wouldn't destroy everyone's hard work. Twilight sighed, yet maintained eye contact with her former mentor.

"I-I know, princess," she said in a near weak voice. "It was completely wrong and out of line for me to force what I wanted onto Flash without even taking his feelings into consideration," Twilight admitted. One thing that I was pleasantly surprised with was the fact that _no_ one, not even Twilight's brother or sister-in-law wanted to blame Flash. In about 99% of these situations, the guy is normally blacklisted as the one at fault, but here we all knew it was Twilight's fault this happened. Yet, we never said it to her face like that.

"Now, now," Celestia cooed as Glock's concentration broke at Celestia's motherly display. "We all make mistakes, Twilight Sparkle. And the best way to learn from them is to admit we committed them," she advised. "But I didn't come here as your former mentor, or even as a leader for that matter. I came here as your friend, Twilight," she pulled the purple pony in for a hug. The two held the hug for a solid ten seconds before Twilight gasped again.

"Wait a minute!" She turned to Shining. "Where are mom and dad?!" Her voice rose at her realization.

"Calm down, Twily," Shining Armor chuckled.

"We were hoping they could come down too, but they got held up in Canterlot," Cadence explained. "So we told them that they would be grandparents yesterday."

"But don't worry, we didn't mention anything about-" Shining tried to assure her before Twilight held up her hoof.

"Listen everypony, and Cougar," Twilight announced. "I want to thank you all for putting me at the top of all your thoughts and for doing everything you can for helping me. But I'm sick of this recovery," she forced a grin onto her face before looking toward Pinkie. "Pinkie, I think you know what time it is," she grinned harder. Pinkie disappeared for about half a second and reappeared in the middle of the bakery dining room with her party cannon. I shielded my eyes in case any confetti were to land on my face.

"IT'S PARTY TIME!" She set off the cannon, spewing cupcake scented paper all of the place. And just like an 80s movie party, music started to play from seemingly nowhere, but none of us minded as we are all ready to relax a little and have some more fun. One other thing was itching at my mind, though. As Carrot Cake cut up some slices of the celebration cake for everyone while everyone started to mingle and personally congratulate Cadence and Shining Armor, I snuck around to Celestia. And by sheer luck, I managed to get her away from the cake to talk to her.

"Hey, Celestia?" I tapped her side.

"Oh, how are you doing, Cougar?" She sounded pleased to see me.

"Just great," I quickly replied. "Twilight's looking happier than I've seen her in half a month, Cadence and Shining Armor are gonna be parents, and Applejack and I couldn't be doing better," I gave her a brief summary. She nodded at my response before levitating a piece of cake over to herself. "I like that you and Glock are here, but is Luna coming too? I mean Cadence is her niece too," I asked. Ever since Luna and I had our breakthrough a few weeks ago, I was eager to spend a little more time with her.

"Well, Luna's feeling a little ill today," Celestia said after swallowing her bite of cake. My heart sank a little. "But don't worry, it's nothing life threatening or anything of that nature. We sent letters back and forth this morning; she's sending Checkered to bestow a gift upon Cadence and Shining Armor. It's more of an apology gift for not being able to come," she explained.

"Oh," I clicked my tongue as Celestia practically swallowed the rest of her cake slice. "Well, do you know what she got Cadence and Shining Armor?" I looked over at the expecting parents who were chatting with Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy.

"She made a set of star and moon pajamas for their baby," Celestia said with her mouth full, probably so the surprise wouldn't be spoiled for the couple.

"Ah, well that's sweet," I grinned. "But wait-" I tried to ask.

"My baby sister may be ill, but she can really focus in her concentration on just about anything when ill," Celestia explained. Even though I've never seen Luna sew anything before, she'd been around during Equestria's much earlier days, so it wouldn't surprise me if sewing was something she could do to keep her mind at ease while sick. "And Cadence and Shining Armor alerted us to their news a few days ago as well," she added as I had another questionable look on my face.

"Howdy, Princess Celestia," Applejack suddenly said from behind me. The mare then slipped her head in between my side and arm, cuddling against me. "Hey there, Ivan," she added.

"Hello Applejack," Celestia winked at me. "I can certainly see that what you said is true, Cougar," she added. "Is there anything you need, Applejack?"

"Naw, Ah just came over ta see what y'all were doin' is all," Applejack explained, continuing to rub her cheek in between my arm and side. "Ah gotcha a slice 'o cake, Sugarcube," she held a plate in her free hoof, shoving it toward me. Celestia giggled before politely leaving us alone and to go talk to Cadence and Shining Armor. "How's yer foot, Ivan?" Applejack asked when I grabbed the plate from her.

"It's getting better," I replied, daring not to make a sarcastic comment.

"Ah'll make it up to ya tonight, Ivan," She remarked out of the blue when I sat down to eat my slice. Realizing what she said, I held the fork just above the dessert as if I'd been frozen. Of course I could've misinterpreted it. "So what were you 'n the princess talkin' about?"

"I, uh, just wanted to know where Luna was is all," I shook my head clear of what AJ had insinuated and began to eat the slice of dessert. "I just wanted to say hi to her, but she's sick," I explained. Applejack carefully took her own plate of cake off her back and slid it onto the tabletop before sitting down next to me. "You didn't eat any yet?" I asked, wiping my mouth of frosting.

"Nah, Ah'd rather eat with you, Ivan," Applejack smiled before digging into her own slice. "So, what's wrong with Princess Luna?" She asked me. I chuckled at how dirty her muzzle was getting from the frosting while scooping another bite into my mouth.

"Celestia said she's not feeling well," I reported, "but that Checkered should be by soon with a present for Cadence and Shining Armor's baby." Applejack ceased eating to wipe her own mouth before belching loudly.

"A present? But isn't that kinda upstagin' everypony? Especially her older sister?"

"It's more of an apology that she couldn't make it; don't tell them though," I jerked my head in the direction of the expecting parents. "Celestia told me Luna made special pajamas. And who knows, maybe Checkered will get the baby a foal sized hat," I chuckled, remembering the kid-sized Jeff Gordon hat I had when I was younger.

"Oh, well that's awful kind 'o Luna," Applejack took another bite. "Ya know, speakin' 'o Cadence 'n Shinin' Armor are ya gonna go congratulate them?" I put my fork down on the plate next to the remaining cake left.

"Well of course," I shrugged, not understanding why AJ asked that. It wasn't that I didn't care. "I mean once they get some free space away Twilight, Celestia, and Pinkie Pie," I looked back over to see Cadence and her husband practically surrounded by the three aforementioned ponies. "Besides, Twilight's still freaking out over being an aunt; I wouldn't want to interrupt that." Now that I thought about it, her going back and forth between emotions over the course of the day was probably going to turn into exhaustion for her soon. Although I was certain that she wouldn't have too much trouble sleeping tonight even with all of the big news that's happened.

"Ah'd say Twilight's not gonna leave Cadence 'n Shinin' Armor's side until she gets plum tuckered out 'n falls asleep," Applejack replied. I'd think that's a pretty safe bet. "Ah also wanted ta talk ta ya about a few things, Sugarcube," I could feel her hoof stroking my arm, drawing my attention away from Twilight, her friends, and family.

"Something's not wrong, is it?" I asked. I wasn't exactly thinking about the worst, but nine times out of ten in my life, bad news would follow that exact statement. Of course Applejack's reaction didn't adhere to my expectations.

"What?" She shook her head a few times. "Nothin' is wrong, Ivan!" She exclaimed. "What makes ya think that?" I took her hoof in my hand and explained that it just a normal reaction from me before allowing her to continue with what she wanted to talk about. She sighed in relief, knowing that she hadn't worried me. "Now, Ah know this won't be fer a good while, 'n Ah know ya just love the Crusaders 'n Pound 'n Pumpkin Cake," she began. "But Ah was thinkin' that as a present fer Cadence 'n Shinin' Armor's baby, do ya want ta help me make them one?"

"You could have phrased that first part so much better," I mumbled, feeling a huge weight lift off my shoulders.

"Heh?" She asked, clearly puzzled by my comment.

"Uh, nothing," I shook it off. "Sure I can help you, AJ. What were you thinking of making? Extra pajamas, a quilt, a special photo album?" I asked.

"Well, those don't sound too terrible 'o ideas," she grinned, "but Ah was thinkin' more along the lines of a cradle ta help the baby relax 'n get ta sleep," Applejack explained. "Ah asked you 'cause Ah already know ya like ta work with yer hands 'n yer good with them too."

"Yeah I think you've told me that before," I squeezed her hoof softly. The mare blushed and forced a giggle.

"An' Ah thought it would be nice fer just the two of us ta work on somethin' like that together. Ya know, as some good bondin' time?" She offered. I was going to say yes; how could I say no to her in the first place? But she even gave me a slight puppy dog look just to make me melt.

"Working with my hands _and_ getting to spend quality time with you?" I asked before leaning forward and touching her face with my free hand. "I'd want nothing more," I grinned whilst gently massaging her cheek with my thumb. The mare smiled in returned and moved her hoof around in my other hand.

"That's, great," she replied, but I noticed that she paused briefly and her face actually fell into a look of disappointment before going back to normal. "Like Ah said, we don't have ta worry 'bout it fer awhile. But Ah can't wait ta get to it," she added, yet her voice had a hint of disappointment in its tone.

"What? Were you hoping you'd have to work harder at persuading me or something?" I smirked, knowing how much she loved to use her affections just to get me closer to her. All of a sudden, she moved her head away from my head and sighed rather sadly.

"Sugarcube, there's somethin' else Ah want 'n _need_ ta talk to you about," she swallowed but kept moving her hoof around in my hand, pushing me to keep massaging it. She rose her head up to look me in the eye; I swear I could see a little bit of fear in her eyes.

"Applejack?" I had no clue what she could be so scared to talk about. I know for a fact she wasn't the jealous type, and I've always given her plenty of love and attention when needed and not needed. Her breaking up with me was out of the realm of possibility here; she wasn't the kind of mare to do it in public, and she didn't _look_ like she wanted to at all.

"Ah'm sorry, Ivan," she finally spoke up. "Ah'm so sorry ta bring this up to you again, but since we've been so preoccupied the last few weeks, Ah haven't been able to tell ya," AJ admitted. Without saying another word, she allowed me to cup her cheek again and gently rub it. "You remember what happened last fall, right?"

"Last fall?" I squinted my eyes as I thought about what she was referring to.

"Ya know," she sighed again, looking ill just talking about it. When I still couldn't answer, no matter how hard I tried, she leaned forward and set her chin on my shoulder. "_When ya woke up 'n Ah was treatin' ya like a…..toy?"_ She whispered shamefully into my ear. My eyes shot open as I briefly saw an image of her straddling my body with a crazed look in her eye. I didn't go into full flashback mode, nor did I jump from the memory, but I could feel my heart rate increase slightly.

"Please," I started, laying my head on hers, "please tell me you're not still beating yourself up over that," I begged. "You had no control over what you were doing."

"Ah know, but Ah don't think about it much anymore, especially since we officially made love together, Ivan," she pulled away yet kept her face close to mine.

"Applejack, it's fine," I assured her with a kiss to her nose. "But if I can ask, why are you bringing it up now?" Applejack bit her lower lip so hard I thought she was going to draw a little blood, but she released the lip before that could happen. She blinked several times and sighed.

"Well, Ah love you Ivan, but Ah wanted ta give ya fair warnin' in advance," she explained. "What happened in the fall ain't a once a year occurrence, Sugarcube." My eyes widened and my head involuntarily moved closer to hers so I could hear her better. "Trust me Ivan, Ah don't want ta make ya relive what happened to ya, but mares go through a spring 'n a fall heat season."

"Okay," I could only think of that reply since I was trying to wrap my head around what AJ was getting to.

"Ah'm only warnin' ya because Ah don't want ta scare ya awake ever again," she rested her chin on my chest now. "Which is why Ah'm givin' you an option."

"An option?" I replied quickly. "Why?"

"Because Ah don't want ta _force_ ya ta mate with me if you don't to Ivan. Ah know you told me that yer species doesn't go through a heat cycle, so it could be a scary experience fer ya. Even if ya do agree outta yer own free will, Ah may not be myself," she advised. "Besides, we only just recently started gettin' physical; this ain't a three or four round deal in an evenin', Ivan. It goes on for a whole 48 hour weekend with only a few breaks in between, uh, sessions," she was starting to sweat a little. "If ya say no, Ah'll understand." I let out a breathy chuckle as I continued to rub her soft cheek. I wanted to ask her how she knew that if she's never had a mate during the estrus before, but I did the smart thing and skipped that certain question.

"You know I'm not gonna lie, Applejack," I said honestly. "I _did _enjoy doing that with you, and I know you won't quite be yourself," I managed to smile for her.

"Ah said Ah _might_ not be," she corrected. "You already know Ah've never had a partner durin' this time, but mares are known ta be pretty resilient 'n tough as nails when in heat. Even if we do go through with it, Ah don't wanna risk the possibility 'o hurtin' you," the fear in her voice was coming out more. "If ya don't want ta go through with that-"

"Applejack," I interrupted her, "what kind of lover would I be if I just left you in that state for a whole weekend?" I asked gently. "I'm willing to do anything for you, AJ. You're right, the idea of a heat season does concern me a little bit, but as long as we stay together, we shouldn't have anything to worry about. And I may be a little sore when it's all said and done, but I'll consider it payback for how sore you were on our first night," I kissed her lips.

"Ah love you, Sugarcube," she said when we pulled away from our brief kiss. Our moment was interrupted when the music suddenly stopped, only to be replaced with the ringing of the bakery bell above the door. Just like out of a movie, everyone in the bakery turned their heads toward the ringing of the bell as the music whirred to a stop. In the doorway stood Checkered Flag with a box sitting atop his back. Luckily Pound was not present, so he wouldn't try and tackle Checkered again.

"Hello everyone," he greeted, trotting inside the bakery. Just barely before the door closed, I caught a glimpse of a pair of Luna's bat-pony guards standing watch in front of her personal chariot. Everyone cheerfully greeted him, but I was more curious about him than glad to see him. The pony didn't seem down or upset, (which I expected him to look like since his girlfriend was sick) but confused for some reason.

"Ah, Checkered!" Cadence greeted the stallion with a quick hug. "Aunt Celestia told me about Aunt Luna, I'm sorry she's sick," she apologized. AJ and I stood up from our table and headed toward the stallion as everyone else gathered around him. But the closer we got, the more I could feel something was off about him, like a child afraid of someone finding out they did something wrong.

"Yeah, thanks," he answered in a really low and uninterested tone as he looked around the room. "Uh, Lulu got this for you and Shining Armor as an apology," he explained, handing the box over to Cadence. The Princess of Love apparently felt the same way I did. She thanked him for the gift, but neither she nor her husband opened it.

"Checkered, is everything okay?" Rainbow asked the racing pony.

"Hmm, you look a little down," Pinkie noted, tapping her chin with her hoof. "Aw, is Luna's ickiness making you feel bad?" She asked him.

"Oh, if you'd rather be with Princess Luna, we understand," Fluttershy chimed with a smile. Sure, I agree with her wholeheartedly. If AJ was sick, I'd more than likely just make a quick stop so I could get right back to her. The light gray pony peered his head up and over the ponies that surrounded him, scanning the room one more time.

"Did my sister wish for you to pass a message along to me, Checkered?" Celestia inquired, stepping closer to the stallion while the others moved out of her way. He didn't respond, however. Checkered moved his gaze over to Celestia before swallowing roughly.

"Y'all didn't catch her bug, did ya?" Applejack spoke up. With a heavy sigh, Checkered opened his mouth to speak more than two words to us.

"Luna isn't here?" He asked, sounding just as confused as he looked.

"What?" I replied. "Celestia told me she was too sick to come here today, and that you were dropping off the gift she made," I added.

"Yes, that's precisely what I said," Celestia nodded, holding a hoof to the side of her head. "Glock and I haven't been here very long; I stopped by Luna's room before we left so I could say goodbye, but you two had fallen asleep," she explained.

"Well, after Luna finished with the gift, she told me she was tired and wanted to take a nap. I thought I'd keep her company and cuddle with her before I dropped this off for Cadence and Shining Armor," Checkered delineated. The next thing that ran through my mind was the _Unsolved Mysteries_ theme song. Something wasn't adding up, unless this was an elaborate ruse set up by Celestia, Luna, and Checkered Flag to surprise Cadence and Shining Armor. "But when I woke up, she just gone. The sheets and blanket were a bit messy, but it didn't look like she had vomited anywhere. So I thought maybe she just decided to take the gift herself…." he trailed off.

"Except, you have it here with you," Twilight finished for him.

"I-I looked around for a bit in her room, her closet, and her personal bathroom, but I couldn't turn up anything." He couldn't have chosen a worse phrase to use.

"IS PRINCESS LUNA MISSING!?" Pinkie bellowed, causing us to cover our ears to we wouldn't go deaf at an early age.

"Hey calm down, Pinkie!" I exclaimed with my hands nearly melded to the side of my head. "There has to be a logical explanation for this."

"Yeah, I agree with Cougar," Spike declared, pointing his thumb at me. "How long did you look around for?" He asked the racing pony.

"Well, not too long," he admitted. "After I found no sign of her around her room, that's when I found the box was still there, so I got Venom and Bat Fang to fly me down here just on the off chance Luna arrived and just forgot the gift," Checkered explained further.

"Okay, so maybe she just went to the kitchen to grab some medicine for her tummy?" Fluttershy offered her own explanation.

"Or she probably used our own royal bathhouse," Celestia cut in. "We do have some all natural cleansing medicines for illnesses. Perhaps she woke up early and went to run a quick bath. She's done it before."

"Or maybe she opened a closet door thinking it was the bathhouse but she was so drained of energy that she passed out!" Pinkie exclaimed loudly, making Checkered look sick himself.

"Uh, Pinkie, I think a guard or a servant would have noticed that," Shining corrected her, putting Checkered's mind at ease.

"Look, I _hate_ to ruin this moment for all of you, but even _if_ Lulu is just taking a bath in your private bathhouse," he pointed to Celestia, "or just grabbing some medicine from the kitchen, I'm still worried about her. She woke up with a migraine and a stomach ache; I know how awful it can be to suffer those alone."

'_Right, new month,' _I thought to myself, remembering that the last time I saw Luna, she was dealing with her monthly visitor. Poor mare; migraines do suck.

"Yes, Checkered," Celestia held up a hoof, "Lulu told me about what made her ill," she grimaced, probably because her own visitor would arrive in about five to seven days. "I've rarely used this since I don't showing up when you and Luna are alone, but would you like me to try our mental link just to see where she is?" Celestia offered.

"Sure, just so I can know," Checkered mustered up a grin. Celestia, like a martial arts expert, breathed in deeply through her nose, concentrating hard on summoning up her mental link she shared with Luna. To me, the mental link they shared was almost like Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker being able to mentally contact each other in the _Empire Strikes Back_. I wondered if Cadence and Twilight were powerful enough to have the ability to use that. But nonetheless, we all stayed silent to not break Celestia's concentration. Her eyes glowed a bright white, but she didn't say anything or move at all. In fact, she almost looked liked she was possessed for a brief minute before she finally snapped out of the link, breathing heavily from how hard it must take a toll on her.

"No need to worry," Celestia held up a hoof as a few of us rushed to help her catch her breath. "Even myself and Luna can experience fatigue when using magic," she assured us.

"Well, what did you see?" I asked her as Glock patted her side.

"To be honest, nothing," the white alicorn replied. "However, she _could_ be helping somepony get over a nightmare; I am unable to reach her when she is in the realm of dreams," she explained.

"But it's still daytime," Pinkie rushed over to a window.

"So?" Rainbow countered, "Lots of ponies take naps during the day."

"Yer the grand champ at that, Rainbow Dash," Applejack snickered, causing the cyan pegasus to glare at her. I joined my girlfriend in snickering as well, thinking it was a pretty good jab at her. However, Spike all of a sudden grabbed the box that Checkered brought and started sniffing it like a bloodhound.

"Spike! What are you doing to Cadence and Shining Armor's gift?" Twilight exclaimed, taking it away from him with her magic.

"Wait mom!" The dragon snatched it back, continuing to inhale its aroma. "Princess Celestia, have you had enough of a recharge to zap us all into the castle?" He asked right out of the blue. Celestia did a double-take, as did a few of us.

"Um, I may need Cadence and Twilight to help with that, but why Spike?"

"It's just a theory," Spike replied.

* * *

**(Ivan's POV; Luna's chambers)**

After Spike's brief explanation, Celestia, Cadence, and Twilight all joined their magic as one and transported all of us, even Venom, Bat Fang, and the box containing the gift back to Luna's bedroom. The first thing Spike did was take the box out and sniff it once again. "Checkered, did Luna have the fireplace going at all today?"

"No, she hasn't lit it in a few days," Checkered shook his head. Spike's face sort of fell as he set the box down on the bed, leaning against the side with his arms.

"Okay, so if you couldn't get through to her with your mental link, then she has to be somewhere in her weird dream world," Spike groaned, thinking hard enough to make some sweat appear at the top of his head.

"Spike, don't give yourself a headache, darling," Rarity wiped his forehead with her handkerchief. "But, why did you have us transported all the way here?"

"Whatever odor is on that box, I've smelled it before, but I can't place it where," Spike explained, darting his head all around the room. He then sniffed the air a few times before planting his face on Luna's bed, inhaling its scent. "And Luna's bed smells like it too."

"Tell me Checkered," Shining cleared his throat, "you didn't wake up for anything when Luna was still here, right?"

"No, Luna didn't tell me if she was going anywhere or just to cuddle closer to me," Checkered replied, looking a bit paler than usual. I took note that he looked like he was breathing heavier than usual as if he had asthma. I was still on board with the idea that Luna was helping someone with a nightmare. But I could sympathize with him; if AJ was sick or on her period, I wouldn't want her working either.

"I'm sorry," Spike apologized. "I thought if I could identify that smell, then we'd know where Princess Luna was," he explained.

"You mean like if she smelled like the kitchen, she probably went there?" Pinkie Pie asked him. He nodded in return, looking aggravated that he couldn't put his finger on an answer. I walked over near the window, just trying to walk around everyone to maybe see if I could find a note Luna left that could have fallen underneath the bed. Maybe she left a quick one for Checkered before entering the dream world.

_Chink_

When I took a step that set my foot underneath the bed, I stepped on something that scraped across the floor. I looked around to see if anyone else heard it, but they were busy trying to come up with ways to ease Checkered's worry over his girlfriend. I had to give it to him, he loved Luna more than anything. Turning back to the bed, I took a step back and got onto my knees, sticking my arm underneath to feel around for whatever I had stepped on. It felt empty and lifeless under there. I don't exactly know what I was expecting to find, maybe some spare midnight snacks or something. But my fingers eventually traced along something that felt different from the floor. It felt small, but I was able to grasp it and firmly clench it in my fist. "What are ya doin', Ivan?" AJ suddenly asked, making me jolt and hit my head on the railing.

"AHH FFFF-" I bit my lip to keep from cursing. I pulled my head out and stood up, rubbing my head with my free hand.

"Oops, sorry hun!" AJ apologized, holding her hoof over her mouth.

"It's fine," I seethed, praying that it didn't form a welt or else I wouldn't be able to wear a hat.

"What did you find, Cougar?" Fluttershy asked as I opened my clenched fist. After shaking my head, I inspected what I had found.

"Does Luna play the guitar?" I questioned. I had what appeared to be a red guitar pick that shone brilliantly from the light coming in from the window. Everyone shook their heads no, just as surprised as I was. "Does she collect guitar picks?" I asked further, trying to make some sort of sense about this.

"GIVE ME THAT!" Spike out of nowhere shoved me aside and snatched the pick. I didn't fall over or anything, but I certainly wasn't happy.

"Hey, what the fuck?" I demanded, seething at the dragon.

"SPIKE!" Twilight scolded her son. "Apologize to Cougar now!" She ordered. Spike, however, ignored her. Instead, the drake put the guitar pick up to his nostrils and inhaled deeply before sticking it close to his eye, studying it closely. "SPIKE!" Twilight scolded again, losing patience. "Answer me right now!" She ordered. The dragon inhaled and opened his mouth.

"_Garble," _he said under his breath, staring at the guitar pick as if he were staring straight into Satan's face.

"What the hell is a garble?" I asked, still pretty pissed about him shoving me aside. While most of us were confused too, Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash's eyes shot open like they'd been suddenly stabbed.

"Garble is a dragon, just like me," Spike explained, throwing the guitar pick so hard that it stuck into the wall like a ninja star. "Only he's-"

"An evil bucking reptile that tried to brainwash our Spikey-Wikey!" Rarity growled.

"And that," Spike pointed at the wall, "is one of his scales. I knew I recognized that smell; his scale and the box reek of it."

"Spike, a _dragon_ got into my castle, into my sister's room, without Checkered Flag nor a guard or a servant noticing?" Celestia tried to get a firm grasp on this.

"If this Garble did get into the castle, how and why would he?" Shining Armor questioned. "What would be the point of getting captured?"

"I-I think he's connected with Luna's absence," Spike admitted, still glaring at everyone. None of us could breathe. The idea that someone broke into the castle and kidnapped Luna seemed a little farfetched for a few reasons. She was one of the most powerful beings in the world, how could no one notice a red dragon breaking in, and how could Checkered not know about it?

"But how?!" Twilight exclaimed. "The window isn't broken, and it doesn't look like it's been opened in quite awhile," she took some dust off the window sill with her hoof. "This doesn't add up!"

"Mom," Spike said, "Checkered wakes up to see Luna just _gone_. Even in her migraine induced state, I think she would wake him up to tell him where she was going," he explained. "Celestia can't contact her through their mental link," he continued, "and to top it all off, Cougar finds one of Garble's scales under her bed! He may not have taken her personally, but he's _connected_ to this somehow. Now I can't answer how he got in, how he was able to take her, or even why, but if his scale is here, he knows something about it."

"So what are you saying?" I asked him. "We have to try and find him in…" I trailed off, not knowing exactly how to put it.

"Draconia," Celestia said for me. "Draconia is the kingdom of the dragons, but nopony has been there for over half a millennia," she added, furrowing her eyebrows. "Please, just give me a moment," she appeared to be doing some sort of calming exercise. This was getting bad. I really had no clue how to feel. I was pissed on one hand because my friend was possibly kidnapped, but it sounded so impossible that I was trying to deny it on the other hand. Everyone else was a mixture of emotions as well. Pinkie and Fluttershy were shaking in fear, Rainbow looked about ready to kill, Twilight was hyperventilating, Applejack was sitting on the edge of the bed with her stetson in her hooves, Rarity looked like she was going to puke, and Cadence and Shining Armor just looked pale.

"And we don't have to find him right away, maybe one of his idiot friends knows where he is," Spike was visibly angry. I know some would except maybe a few of us to be freaking out, thinking the worst about Luna. And rightfully so; when something this awful happens to a friend, a lot tend to jump to the worst possible scenario. Why? I don't know; possibly to rule out any surprises so the answer won't be so horrifying. But none of us (at least not yet) were jumping to conclusions or losing our minds. We were almost acting like the family of a soldier who just got the grim news that their family member was KIA. We didn't want to believe it at first; but we were all slowly grasping the reality of the situation. I couldn't blame anyone if they got sick from this.

"_Oh Lulu," _Celestia was having a difficult time keeping her head up. Besides Celestia, Checkered looked sicker than all of us. The poor bastard actually looked like he was about to pass out from the weight of the situation. In fact, he started to look like he was losing his balance before falling forward, putting all of his weight on his forelegs. "Checkered?" Celestia asked, stepping closer to the stallion as he was either dry heaving or hyperventilating. "Does anypony have a bag?" The alicorn requested.

"NO!" Checkered suddenly shouted, losing his balance finally. Glock luckily scooted over and pushed against Checkered before he could keel over. Glock asked the earth pony if he needed to sit down for a minute or if he needed a drink, but the racing pony said nothing in response. He just shook against the pegasus's body whilst darting his eyes around like a crazed Disney animatronic. Then to our shock, Checkered looked over at Glock and shoved him aside, painting his balance on his own.

"Are you sure you don't need to lie down, Checkered?" Rarity kindly asked, knowing how to act around ponies that are like this. I didn't know what to make of what was going on. I expected a least someone to maybe start crying or wail uncontrollably, but Checkered looked paranoid for some odd reason, almost like he'd seen a ghost and was going crazy.

"W-w-when do you plan to leave?" Checkered shakily turned his head to Celestia, ignoring Rarity's offer. "When are you going to save Luna?"

"As soon as I can come up with a plan, Checkered," Celestia bent her head lower to get closer to Checkered's eyes. "I'm going to want to speak to the dragon king Horntail," she added. Now to be fair, I hadn't asked if there was a kingdom of the dragons before, so it came as a shock to me that they actually had a king instead of just doing whatever the hell they wanted.

"But how long will that take?" Checkered snapped, his breathing intensifying. "Celestia please, you have to understand that you can't waste time with this!" he shouted. Celesta was most shocked at his yelling, especially since they weren't that far apart.

"I understand you're afraid for my sister's safety, and I find that comforting she has somepony else who deeply cares about her," Celestia lowered her voice. I've never seen anyone try to order Celestia like Checkered nearly did, but I expected she wouldn't take too kindly to that. I just put my arm around AJ, hoping that this wouldn't turn ugly. "But these are dragons, Checkered," she continued, "If myself and a few guards just fly into Draconia like the Wonderbolts demanding where my sister is, the dragons _could_ take it as an act of war," she explained.

"But they TOOK your sister!" Checkered retorted loudly. I can see both arguments fairly clearly. I was pissed too, but I wasn't showing it. Demanding answers was a plan I was okay with, but Celestia's argument that they couldn't just show up with hostility was spot on as well. The worst and last thing that could happen was a war between Equestria and the dragons. And I've been in more than enough wars. "That's beyond time for diplomacy!"

"Uh-oh," Pinkie gulped as Checkered's emotions starting writing checks his ass couldn't cash.

"Did you ever think that Horntail may not even know of what took place?" Celestia asked, her voice getting lower with each passing statement and question, but she never growled at the stallion. I had to admit she was showing remarkable restraint. "We must treat him fairly about this and not blindly accuse him; he may even be willing to help us if this was a case of a few rogue subjects of his."

"Celestia," Checkered said eerily like Jack Nicholson in _The Shining_, "BUCK diplomacy!" He roared. "They took YOUR little sister, the mare I love, and a ruler of Equestria. Why do you care less about Luna and more about a dragon king's feelings?!"

"_What,_ did you just utter?" Celestia finally growled, slamming her hoof onto the ground before the stallion.

"WHERE is your urgency?!" Nothing was going to stop him from speaking like that to Celestia. "You're acting like all that was taken were a few treasures instead of Luna! I can't lose her! I just can't, Celestia!" A few tears started to overflow his eyes.

"You're only thinking of vengeance, Checkered," Celestia tried to contain herself. "But _who_ do you think you are telling me that I don't care about Luna? If there's a way to get my baby sister back without this snowballing into an all out war, I will choose that path! Everypony in Equestria will lose a lot if we don't save Luna, not just you!" She added, shedding a few tears of her own. The emotional toll of everything was getting to her now. "Now, if you just calm down and let me think, I can come up with a plan as quick as I can to get Luna back," she advised.

"THEN DO IT!" Checkered screamed, falling to his hind legs, "AND STOP TRYING TO PROTECT EQUESTRIA'S IMAGE INSTEAD OF SAVING HER!"

"Glock, subdue him until he calms down," Celestia quickly ordered, snapping her head over to her coltfriend. Reluctantly, Glock reached out for Checkered, but was met with a flailing foreleg. Checkered wasn't going to give up without a fight.

"Wait, just listen to me!" He begged, trying to evade the guard. We all took a step back, not believing what was going on right in front of us.

"Cougar, help Glock!" Celestia turned to me. I was caught off guard, not expecting to be called upon. I just stood there, staring at what was going on, unsure of what to do. Finally, Glock tripped Checkered, sending him crashing to the floor before sitting on the earth pony.

"You don't understand!" He screamed. "I CAN'T LOSE THEM!" He wailed.

"What?" Glock asked amidst Checkered struggling.

"SHE'S CARRYING OUR FOAL!" His voice reverberated throughout the room. The stakes were just shot through the atmosphere.

**End Chapter 50**

* * *

_If I could have everyone's attention. I beg of you, please do NOT, I repeat do NOT, post the spoiler of this chapter in the reviews. If you want to talk to me about it, then feel free to PM me. But please refrain from leaking the end of this chapter; I'd like the surprise to stay a surprise._

_But as for the next chapter, buckle up. _


	52. Chapter 51: My Choice

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 51: My Choice**

_*Deep breath* Wow, so I want to sincerely apologize for how long this chapter took to get out. However, I have a few valid reasons for the tardiness. One scene in particular went through several rewrites. It's a scene that we haven't gone through yet, and I wanted it to be believable, about something important and not trivial, and for it to seem like something that could happen to...well you'll see. Also, last week, my mom broke her foot in three places and was a millimeter off from having a Joe Theismann bone break, so I had no chance to work on the chapter with that going on and while trying to keep up with reviewing new episodes on my YouTube channel. Couple that, the rewrites and the fact that my dad has a pinched nerve in his leg, I had to use all of Saturday to run errands all over town for my parents. However, family comes first, but now I am ready to update the chapter. _

_What's interesting here is that last week's episode, The Gauntlet of Fire, took place in the dragon kingdom while I was writing this chapter! And no, remember Season 6 does not happen in my story, but the episode gave me a few ideas. _

_And no, I'm sorry guys, but I won't be replying to reviews for this chapter. After this weekend and with how late I'm proofreading this chapter, I'm EXHAUSTED. However, I can say this. _

_Thank you to everyone not only for their patience, but THANK YOU to EVERYONE that reviewed and kept the twist a secret. Just thank you guys so much, you are all so fucking awesome. In case anyone is curious, there were several clues hidden in the story that pointed to Luna's pregnancy. Notice in the Hearth's Warming Eve Chapter that she refused to drink alcohol when Ivan asked her about it. And her moodiness in the Hears and Hooves Day chapter was a cover up. The reason I decided to have Luna get pregnant is because I want her to have development beyond being Celestia's little sister that became Nightmare Moon. I can really see how she would have so much love to give after being stuck on the moon for a millennia. And I can see her as a mother! _

_For the record, please don't send name ideas for the foal; I already have one picked out. _

_With all that out of the way, let's get to the thrilling continuation of Fallen Eagle!_

* * *

**(Luna's Bedroom; Ivan's POV)**

Of all the things that had transpired so far today, this turn of events would've made even Sherlock Holmes drop his pipe in shock. Like the rest of us, I couldn't fathom what was unfolding. My friend, the first friend I ever made in Equestria, was secretly pregnant and now was kidnapped by dragons. I had to massage the side of my head to prevent a headache from coming on. We all stood still as Glock slowly got up and off of Checkered who was shaking like a leaf in the wind. Even Celestia's mane stopped flowing freely. Thankfully no one passed out, however. Checkered gulped several times whilst trying to find his footing as Celestia placed her golden plated hoof on his shoulder. "_Checkered_," Celestia said, sounding like she was about ready to pass out. "_What did you just say?" _She whispered again. The racing stallion looked up at her and sniffled little before breathing heavily.

"She's…..she's pregnant, Celestia," he choked. "Luna's pregnant," he sniffled again, closing his eyes to prevent tears from flowing out.

"_Sweet Celestia,"_ Spike muttered under his breath.

"Checkered," the sun princess said softly, pushing the stallion's chin up with her hoof. "How long?" She asked, blinking several times. Checkered gulped loudly, yet he never blinked or moved his eyes away from Celestia's. I could tell Checkered had a little fear in his eyes now. But whether or not that was from Luna's kidnapping or of what Celestia could do to him was left open for interpretation. The stallion replied something, but it came out as quiet gibberish. "_Please_," Celestia quietly begged.

"F-four months," Checkered exhaled as tears finally fell down his face. "Just b-barely four m-months," he added, still not blinking. "She conceived the foal on Nightmare Night; she wasn't feeling well a few days later, so she took a test in her bathroom," he explained.

"Are you positive it was Nightmare Night?" Pinkie asked out of the blue. Rarity and Cadence shushed her, but she didn't pay them any attention.

"Well, it was the most recent time we, uh, made love," Checkered looked over at the pink mare, "before she took the test." Celestia slowly retreated her hoof back under her body, allowing Checkered to drop his chin to his chest as he plopped down on his haunches, softly sobbing.

"I can see now why you were more adamant than anypony, Checkered," Celestia looked away from the stallion. I couldn't even tell what emotions Celestia was showing. If I had to guess, it was a combination of fear, sadness, shock, disappointment, and anguish. Apparently Checkered feared something else.

"Please Celestia," the stallion cried out, "please don't be angry at Luna. If you want to be angry, just take it out on me," he begged. "I-I know I don't have any royal blood inside of me, and Luna and I aren't married, but please don't put any blame on her." While none of us said anything, Celestia refocused her attention on Checkered and knelt down to his level. She said nothing, but her presence was enough to make him stop blubbering enough to look at her again.

"Checkered Flag, I admit that this revelation of yours, especially at this time, is most shocking," she spoke in the softest voice I've ever heard. "And I am concerned that you and my sister were not a little more cautions while doing amorous activities," the stallion flashed a look of shame across his face. "However, how could I be angry or take my frustrations out on the father of my baby sister's foal, or my future brother-in-law?" She managed a small smile, draping a foreleg around the stallion to hug him. This seemed to raise his spirits a bit as a way smile cracked across his muzzle. "Although," Celestia pulled away from him with a stern look on her face that made his smile disappear. "When were you two planning on telling us?" It struck me as a bit odd that Celestia cared about that particular detail during a time like this, but I had a feeling it was the last detail she desired.

"Uh, we were planning on telling you and all our friends around Spring time," Checkered gulped from Celestia's intense look.

"Wait a minute," Rarity chimed in before Checkered interrupted her.

"Luna cast a spell that would hide her baby bump," he quickly explained. "She'd disable it on occasion so we could, you know, rub her belly," he added.

"Well, that certainly explains a lot," Rarity replied. It took me a quick second to remember that Luna lied to me a few weeks ago at Sugarcube Corner, but that didn't bother me so much now. Celestia then stood up, helping Checkered to his hooves in the process, and turned to face us.

"And to answer Checkered's question, I plan to leave as soon as possible," she announced. "First I must draw up plans for my arrival in Draconia, dust off the map of the country, and acquire the proper number of guards to accompany me on the trip. It's been a long time since I've visited Draconia; I wish to stay on Horntail's good side if I desire his assistance," she explained. It made sense to me; something as big as telling the leader of another country that a huge political figure may have been kidnapped by members of that country can't be rushed in any way. Hell, a part of me wanted Celestia to head off into the sunset right now to get Luna, but she was right in her planning. I could only pray that the dragon king would show Celestia pity and help her.

"W-what should we do in the meantime, Aunt Celestia?" Cadence quickly trotted over to the larger alicorn. Celestia clicked her tongue and looked across all of us.

"I'll have the palace chefs cook up some dinner for you all," she replied, purposefully avoiding Cadence's question. "And I'll alert the servants to prepare rooms for you all," she continued as her magic engulfed Luna's door and slowly opened it. "I also would like to ask that none of you breathe a word of this to anypony that is not a guard or a servant. The last thing we need is an all-out panic on our hooves," Celestia concluded.

"But Aunt Celestia," Cadence tried to protest.

"No, you are not going, Cadence," Celestia sternly replied. "Not while you are expecting a foal as well. While I am gone, I leave you, Shining Armor, and Twilight in charge of the castle," she explained. Based on the tone of her voice alone, Cadence backed away, knowing that Celestia wasn't going to allow her to search for Luna as well. When no one else said anything, Celestia finally trotted out of the room, calling for Bat Fang, Venom, and Glock to follow her to her chambers for a meeting.

Immediately, everyone's gaze turned directly to the racing stallion that was looking much paler than usual. After Celestia's comforting presence had left him, Checkered Flag looked longingly at Luna's bed before solemnly heading out of the room as Celestia had. "Checkered," AJ called out suddenly. We all shifted our gazes from her to Checkered as he stopped and looked back at her. "W-we're here fer ya, partner. Fer whatever ya need," she cautiously made her way over to the stallion and placed a hoof on his back.

"Thanks Applejack," he replied before walking out of the room with his head held low. Applejack's hoof quietly clopped against marble flooring of the room.

"Poor guy," I exclaimed, shaking my head.

"Poor Celestia," Shining Armor said at the exact same time.

"So, what do we do now?" Fluttershy asked aloud. Even her velvet-soft voice managed to create an echo within the room.

"We do what we can for Celestia and Checkered of course," Cadence replied. "We make Celestia's life a little easier by doing what she asked of us, and we do what we can to cheer Checkered up," she explained.

"Yeah, I get that," I said in return. "But I think for the time being, until we get Luna back, no mention of foals or kids, and as much as I hate to say it, no talking about couples or affections of any kind around Checkered. That goes for me too," I swallowed roughly, staring at Applejack. "The last thing we need to do is remind Checkered of what he's missing right now."

"Agreed," Spike nodded his head, still clutching Garble's red scale in his claws. "Pinkie, I think you can lead the way so you can try to cheer up Checkered," he offered. By some miracle, Pinkie's mane managed to stay poofy as she agreed to Spike's suggestion, taking the lead of our group. Although she was trying her best to keep upbeat, there just wasn't as much joy coming out of Pinkie Pie. I know as much because she was actually walking out of the room instead of bouncing along like she normally did. Even Rainbow didn't seem to have the strength to fly a few feet above us per the norm. The pegasus marched herself alongside Fluttershy in front of AJ and myself as we all exited the room. Twilight and Spike were the last ones to leave the room before the door shut loudly, echoing down the hallway we were traveling.

"It's nice of Celestia," I mumbled to Applejack, "but to be honest, I'm not really hungry," I admitted, stuffing my hands in my pockets rather than petting the back of AJ's neck. From behind myself and Applejack, however, I heard a different voice speaking. It was a male's voice, but it wasn't Shining Armor nor Spike that was talking. Unsure if AJ heard since the voice was so quiet, I looked behind to see Twilight, Spike, and Flash Sentry walking together. _'Where the hell did he come from?' _I asked myself. Seeing Flash trying to speak with Twilight put me on red alert. Flash couldn't have chosen a worse time than now, but I didn't know if I had the right to interfere. From the looks of it, the conversation, or attempted conversation, didn't look hostile in any way, but for some reason Spike turned away from his mom and Flash and walked in a faster pace to catch up with us.

"Everythin' okay, Ivan?" AJ sounded more distant than she should have. I looked forward to see her a few feet ahead. Instantly I jogged forward and kept her from looking back.

"Just keep walking, it's none of our business," I gently urged a confused AJ forward. She tried to question me, but when I didn't answer and the fact that Spike even surpassed us, she let it go and remained silent on our way to the dining hall. The journey was probably five or six minutes at the pace we were walking, but to me, and I'm guessing a good majority of us, it felt like an hour had passed. We were greeted in the dining hall by a familiar face, Wadsworth. He alerted us that the chefs had just begun cooking dinner and that it would be ready soon. The ten of us took seats around the table in whatever order pleased us. Twilight entered about a minute or two after we did, looking stressed out as she took an empty seat in between Spike and Shining Armor.

"Sorry I lagged behind," she apologized, taking a small sip out of a cup of water. She needed no further explanation as Flash Sentry made his way through the dining room at a modest pace. Everyone except myself, Spike, and Twilight were shocked to see him, but no one said a word. It was hard to tell as I was sitting across the huge table from where he was walking, but I could see the stallion was trying to keep from looking depressed. Instead of the usual intimidating face most guards had on the clock, Flash's frown looked weak and he was mainly pointing his focus at the ground. With no other noises going on within the dining hall, Flash's hoof-steps and the opening and closing of the south end doors stuck out. _'He's probably on his way to see Celestia,' _I guessed to myself, staring at my own reflection in the water cup before me. All I could see was a confused twenty-four year old man staring back. And to be honest, I _was_ feeling both confused and conflicted. I didn't know what to do.

"Say Checkered," I heard Pinkie exclaim from across the table. "Could you tell us about your very first race?" She questioned. _'Great job Pinkie,' _I thought. _'Perfect way to distract him from what's going on.'_ I looked up to see the racing stallion just barely able to keep his head up as he looked over at Pinkie. He quickly licked his lips while rocking back and forth in his seat. It was a good thing no one tried to urge him on about it, or else that could easily raise his stress levels. "I mean, I already know what happened, but I just thought it'd be neat to hear from your perspective," she explained with a toothy grin.

"Y-yeah, I guess so," he swallowed before bracing his hooves on the table to keep steady. "Has it really been twenty-three years?" Checkered asked himself as he thought hard about what to say. I couldn't help but smile a little as I felt AJ's hoof sneak over and softly rub on top of my right hand. She was such a smart mare. I wasn't trying to be obvious that I was a little lost on my feelings, but she could tell something was wrong. Either that or she wanted some form of comfort as well. I sighed and took off my ball cap, running a hand through my hair before putting it back on and looking over to Applejack.

_'I love you,' _I mouthed to her, not wanting to interrupt Checkered. She mouthed it back to me before taking a sip out of her own water cup. I reached over to grab my own water, but something startled me a little. Scooting my cup over closer, I could still see my reflection, but I looked like I was seventeen again! Wondering if the stress of the situation was getting to me, I shook my head and took a quick sip before looking into the water again. My reflection appeared, yet my seventeen year old self was still looking back at me. And then all of a sudden, Checkered's voice started to melt away until I couldn't hear it anymore. In replacement of Checkered's voice was Celestia's.

_'First I must draw up plans for my arrival in Draconia, dust off the map of the country, and acquire the proper number of guards to accompany me,' _I heard a repeat of what she said earlier crystal clear. _'The proper number of guards to accompany me,' _the last part echoed again. That's what was making me feel so conflicted. How much help was she going to need for a rescue mission of this size? Would any number of guards be enough to help her face King Horntail should things turn sour?

_'This is something we have to do,' _a male voice entered my mind. In fact…it was _my_ voice from when I was a teenager. _'Adam, I know it's a big step and a frightening one, but if no one else is willing to strap themselves in to protect the rights of every free person in the world, it's up to us.'_

_'Ivan, I believe every word you say.' _No….it can't be. I-I was hearing Adam's voice again. I haven't heard him speak in nearly a year. _'But we both have to be 100% sure about this. We can't talk a big game and wimp out at the last second. We have to be willing to give it our all for the good of what's right.'_

_'I know,' _my seventeen year old voice agreed with Adam's. '_Which is why I'm telling you Adam. I'm signing up this Friday; I can't sit back and watch other good airmen and women fly off into the sunset without doing my part.'_

"Ivan," I heard a fourth voice calling my name. All I could think about, however, was Celestia's words, the conversation Adam and I held before we signed up for the Air Force, and Luna all frightened and alone, in need of help. "Ivan," the voice called again. All four voices started to overlap each other, making my breathing intensify. I felt like my brain was going to rupture from how quick and loud the voices were becoming. "Ivan!"

I gasped, looking upwards at the table. Everyone that was sitting at the table was staring at me like I was rabid. I felt AJ's hoof poking my side fervently and looked over at her. "Sugarcube, you just…blacked out fer no reason!" She exclaimed. "You didn't even notice yer food arrived," she pointed to a plate of steamed vegetables, rice, mashed potatoes and buttered bread. I looked up again at everyone, only this time I noticed Pinkie Pie had mashed potatoes covering her entire face.

"I-I'm sorry," I apologized, pushing my cup of water out of the way. "How long was I just sitting here staring into space?"

"About five minutes," Fluttershy replied worriedly. "It wasn't just that you were alone with your thoughts, you were just almost frozen," she explained.

"We tried to get your attention, but you were in a trance-like state," Shining Armor chimed in. To try and ease everyone's minds, I picked up a fork and pushed some food around before stabbing a piece of broccoli and shoved it in my mouth. At this point, everyone was still watching me cautiously, but were starting to enjoy their food as well. Yet they all ate slowly, as if they were doing it to be polite to the chefs and Celestia. I wasn't that hungry either. After eating just a few vegetables, I started to just push food around nonchalantly, still stuck on what had just happened to me. Something like that has NEVER happened to me before. I hoped it was only a stress induced flashback or something.

"Sugarcube?" Applejack whispered, placing a hoof on my back and massaged it lovingly. "Is everythin' okay?" She asked me, scooting a little closer. "Do ya need ta lie down? Ah'm sure everyone would understand." I sighed, dropping my fork on the plate.

"I don't even know how to respond to this, AJ," I exhaled. Though I made sure to keep my voice down so Checkered couldn't hear. "Luna's pregnant, but now she's been kidnapped by dragons? H-How _would_ anyone even respond to that? I mean, I want to feel excited for the both of them, but I feel so horrified for them. I just feel…nauseated from this." It was Luna who'd been taken, but it could've been any one of my friends, even AJ, and I would've still felt sick to my stomach. But the million dollar question was could I even do anything to help?

"It's okay, Ivan," AJ assured me, yet still managed to keep from being too affectionate. "It's been a long day fer everyone. 'Sides, everyone should feel better when Celestia comes back with that plan 'o hers."

"But is there anything any of us can do?" I replied quickly to her, catching her off guard. The mare removed her hoof from my back, cocking her head to the side confusingly.

"What do ya mean, Ivan? There's nothin' we can do; there ain't no train that can get us all ta Draconia, 'n Celestia's smart enough ta not take a golden chariot there. She doesn't want ta attract too much attention ta herself 'n her guards," AJ explained. "Ah wish we could help, but the only thing we can do is give our moral support ta Checkered while Celestia's gone." I put my hands over my eyes, still contemplating what Celestia's plans could be and AJ's words on helping her.

"There's got to be more," I suddenly said, pushing my chair out and standing up. "Please, excuse me," I gave a quick wave to everyone before walking briskly away from the table. I wanted, no, _needed_ to find an empty room to think in.

"Hey, where's he going, AJ?" I could hear Rainbow's confused voice ask. I'm only guessing that AJ shrugged since I didn't hear her answer. It was wishful thinking, as I quickly exited the dining hall, but I knew AJ wasn't going to let me be alone for very long, especially for ditching everyone like that. And I knew she wasn't going to like what I was thinking. Nonetheless I made haste, forcibly opening the door to the dining hall we all entered through, and entered into the corridor. I didn't even care that there were no guards present; even if there were, I wasn't about to explain myself to them. I didn't want to pick a room too close in proximity to the dining hall because I would be found too quickly, so I selected a room about halfway down the corridor.

_Knock, knock, knock_

I knocked thrice on the door in case there was a servant, maid, or guard occupying the room, but when I received no response after a few seconds, I jiggled the handle and the door creaked open. A dim and empty room with a modest bed, a medium sized dresser, a draped covered window, and another door, presumably leading to a bathroom, awaited me on the other side. Without looking back to see if AJ was following me, I slipped inside, slammed the door as quickly as possible, and inhaled deeply, shutting my eyes tight.

_'Hello darkness my old friend,' _a few song lyrics played in my mind as I opened my eyes. The only sound that could be heard within the room was my own shallow breathing. I could feel my heart pounding so hard I thought that my ribcage would crack from the beating it was taking. Whatever that brief flashback was really got to me. I couldn't understand how or even why it happened. Sometimes I would purposefully reminisce about my past life, but memories have never butted their way in my mind like that. As I bowed my head and slinked over to the bed, sitting down on the side facing away from the door, I ran a hand over my hat.

The only things I did know at that moment were Luna was gone, Celestia was coming up with a plan to rescue her, and I felt like there was more we should do to help. Yes, Checkered needed love and support first and foremost, that was the primary goal for everyone. But the more I thought about Celestia telling us we were staying here until Luna was returned, the more I knew there was something else we could do. At least those of us with ways to get to Draconia. Having Cadence stay made sense, she was pregnant, and any stress whatsoever is dangerous as all hell to a fetus. Twilight in all honesty should stay; she could use the extra time to learn how to make more important decisions while running a kingdom. Even if no one outside the castle would know of the events that just took place.

I rolled over onto my back, trying to get relaxed as possible so I could think easier. AJ, Pinkie, Shining Armor, and Spike were out of the question as well since they had no wings to speak of. Fluttershy I know still has some fear of dragons and no experience that I know of in combat should it be required. Rainbow Dash was the only member of my friends that I thought could go; she could fly faster than any pegasus, and was combat ready whenever she wanted to be. Where did that leave me? Well, the last time I actually had to fight anything was last summer when the pair of timberwolves invaded our campsite, and I had to kill one to keep it from harming myself or Applejack any further. But that didn't mean I was out of the question to help. Especially with my set of wings back home at Sweet Apple Acres.

"I haven't practiced in a good while," I reminded myself, still trying to look at this realistically. However….it wasn't like I had to perform any tricks necessarily. More than likely I would have to just fly in a straight line and bank from time to time in the direction we needed to go. And I didn't plan on actually having to fight any dragons. In the deepest recesses of my mine, I hoped that if we had the dragon king on our side, and we found Luna with his help, he would do whatever was necessary to the dragons that committed this crime, leaving us to just take Luna back. I knew I wanted to help, yet whether or not Celestia would accept my help wasn't my main concern; I could do my best to make my case, especially since she trusted me.

Still with a pilot's mind, however, I knew I couldn't just strap on my pack and go; I had to analyze the mission and really think hard about whatever consequences could become of it. I froze when I heard the sound of hoof steps clacking against the marble flooring of the corridor outside the door. Trying not to draw attention to the room, I slapped a hand over my mouth so my breathing could not be heard. I stayed like that for maybe fifteen seconds as the sounds faded away in the opposite direction. _'Probably just a maid,' _I thought, breathing hard in and out of my nose. I felt like I _needed_ to help, and I had to talk to Celestia before she left, mainly so she would have enough time to allow me to grab the necessary items for the mission. Yet there was one _huge_ problem I was dreading most of all: Applejack.

Never have I ever had to say goodbye to anyone I loved before going on a tour or a mission. The only one that could come close was our commander, but he was always reachable by radio if we ran into new situations or needed further instruction. And Adam was with me for every mission we went on. Telling Applejack that I wanted to go with Celestia was not going to be easy at all. How would I tell her? It wasn't like I could go back in the dining hall and just casually say, "You know what AJ? I'm gonna go ask Celestia to let me accompany her to Draconia; see you in a few days!" She deserved so much more than that. And there was absolutely no way I was going to sneak around her to ask Celestia. I loved Applejack too much to be that dishonest with her.

I haven't even been on an assignment like this since that fateful night last summer. Ten months of living a (somewhat) normal life was like a dream come true for me. Was I really ready to jump back in like this? The flashback of myself and Adam started to make more sense. We'd signed up for the Air Force because we knew that if no one else was going to step up to defend what was right, then we would. And this wasn't so I could recapture the days of flying my F-15C; my friend, my pregnant friend, was in trouble, and I didn't want to just sit back hoping she would come back. I wanted to _make sure_ she would get back.

"Ivan, Sugarcube, you in there?" I nearly yelped when AJ's voice came in through the door. Once again I attempted to silence myself as much as possible, but I realized soon enough that I would have to face her and get this off my chest. "Hun," she said again, "please, Ah'm not angry ya left; Ah'm just concerned fer ya," she sounded worried. I got up from the bed, feeling a little guilty, and started toward the door when she said something that only made me feel more guiltier. "Sugarcube, Ah know yer in there."

"Hold on," I said softly, grasping the door handle and easing the door open. The orange mare was sitting patiently on her haunches with her stetson in one of her hooves as she looked very worried. "Hey, I'm sorry-"

"It's okay, Ivan," AJ held up her other hoof and stood up. "We all have our different ways 'o dealin' with stressful situations like this," she forgave me and trotted in as I stood aside. "An' Ah don't mind if ya like ta think alone, but ya know my ears are always open ta listen," she smiled. My eyes had adjusted to the dimmer room, so I could see her pretty well. I still flipped on the light for her though.

"Uh, how did you….?" I trailed off, pointing to the door with my thumb. She blushed and chuckled nervously, easing my high-strung tension for a brief second.

"Let's just say that when we mated, Ah kinda got a good lock on yer natural scent, Sugarcube." Well I wasn't going to ask any further. I returned to the bed, this time sitting on the side facing toward the door, and patted my hand for AJ to sit next to me. The mare happily obliged, putting her stetson on the end table next to the bed before hopping beside me. She didn't just sit down, instead she sat down and pushed me, causing me to try and fall sideways.

"What was that for?" I asked, trying not to sound too upset. She gave me an answer quicker than I thought. She then laid down next to me, snuggling up and cuddling her cheek against mine. _'Oh Christ, why are you making this so difficult, AJ?' _I was starting to go crazy. She then started to lightly massage my chest, trying to get me to relax. I wasn't stupid enough to make her stop, so I made the most of it and curled my arm around her furry body, pulling her closer.

"There, just relax fer a bit, Sugarcube," she cooed. I gulped; I was torn between wanting to stay like this and knowing I couldn't hold on like this forever. Applejack on occasion would lightly graze the end of her muzzle against my neck, using my weak spot against me so I could keep calm.

"Applejack-"

"Ya don't have ta leave us if yer feelin' anxious, Ivan," she cut me off, moving her hoof from my chest to my cheek. "Yer not a burden," AJ added, leaning upward to peck my lips.

"I just needed to think before I could talk to you, Applejack," I admitted, stroking her mane. "And I didn't _want_ to just up and leave like that, but-" I pursed my lips, for sure knowing that she'd believe me to be crazy if I told her what I'd heard.

"What'd Ah just tell you?" She asked sternly yet sweetly. I tried to look away, but her hoof prevent me from turning my head. "Ivan, if somethin' is buggin' ya, Ah'll listen ta every word ya have ta say, 'n Ah won't judge ya, Sugarcube." I believed that she would listen to me, but listening and agreeing are complete polar opposites. I knew I couldn't hold this in forever or else Celestia could leave before I'd get a chance to chat with her.

"Let me ask you something. What would you say if I told you I heard something abnormal in the dining hall?" I asked her.

"How abnormal?" She moved back to look me square in the eye.

"Like I heard my seventeen year old self talking to Adam abnormal," I described. "And right before we both signed up for the Air Force," I added. As I suspected, her eyes grew in shock, but she didn't accuse me of talking crazy or anything. In fact, she took it pretty well.

"Has this happened before?"

"No, but it happened right when I was about to take a drink of my water," I explained, moving closer to her until our foreheads touched. "I looked into the water itself and saw my seventeen year old self staring back at me; that's when I started to hear the voices."

"Well hun, maybe the stress is just messin' with yer mind?" She suggested with a shrug, trying to not paint me as a lunatic.

"I thought that at first; that's why I wanted to think alone so I wouldn't sound like I was going insane. But the more I did think about it and what Celestia told us she was doing, the more I thought the voices were some sort of guilt ridden reminder," I moved my hand to cup AJ's cheek, rubbing it gently.

_"What?" _AJ was clearly confused, not that I was doing her any favors by avoiding specifics. "Ivan, what in the world do ya have ta feel guilty about?" She scooted backward, propping herself up in a sitting position on the bed. I however stayed in a lying down position, not having the guts to move that much with what I knew was to come.

"Applejack, Adam and I joined the Air Force because we felt it was our duty to help defend what was right and those who couldn't defend themselves. We risked everything by lying to the military about our ages, but we were willing to give our lives to protect freedom," I delineated. "And you know how that eventually turned out for the both of us." The mare then started to stroke my hair with her hoof.

"So ya lied, hun. Ah'm not particularly happy with that, but ya did it at the cost 'o doin' what was right. An' ya know you did all that you could ta help Adam 'n the rest 'o yer friends that night. You have nothin' ta feel guilty about," she assured me. _'If only you knew the truth,' _I thought but didn't dare say out loud. Instead I bit my lip and prepared to tell her what I wanted to do.

"AJ, do you remember what you told me when I was feeling anxious about making love to you?" I asked out of the blue.

"'Course Ah do," she nodded, gifting me with a slight smile at the memory.

"Then please, please just listen to me," I slipped my fingers around her hoof, squeezing it gently. She nodded, still willing to listen to me. "Applejack, I love you, I love you so much," I started, getting the courage to shift into a sitting position as well. "But I _cannot_ stay here and just hope for the best for Celestia to save Luna." I paused, feeling anxious again about her reaction. Her loving and understand face was starting to falter as she gathered an idea of where I was going, but I couldn't stop now.

"Ivan…." She said in a warning voice.

"I want to offer my services to help Celestia. I _need_ to go with her to Draconia to rescue Luna," I concluded my admission. The mare ripped her hoof from my grasp and scrambled to her feet without hesitation. She then placed her forelegs on my chest, towering over me.

"Ah think the stress _is_ gettin' to yer head, Ivan."

"No, no it's not AJ," I replied firmly.

"Maybe you should talk ta a castle doctor 'n get some sleepin' meds ta rest this off," she continued. She was still sounding reasonable, but she was on the verge of becoming pissed off. I couldn't hate her for that though.

"AJ, I know you don't want me to say this, but it's something I have to do." The mare glared at me and inched her face closer to mine. I began to shake a little as her nose touched mine. I was used to her rubbing her nose against mine affectionately, but she was truly terrifying here.

"No, you, _don't._ This ain't yer business, Ivan. This is _Celestia's _personal affair that only she 'n trained guards needs ta handle," she growled.

"I'm trained," I cut back, leaning into her and making her move away.

"Fer handling' _dragons!?" _AJ exclaimed as she glared at me harder. "All you ever did was fly 'n shoot at other flyin' machines! Ya never once had ta face somethin' as bad as dragons."

"Well so what? Who said we needed to fight dragons anyway?" I retorted, glaring at her in return. "Like Celestia said, if we can handle this with peace and reasoning, then I won't have any problems helping to locate Luna."

"You've only been around Spike; you don't know how unpredictable dragons can be, Ivan. It's better if ya stay here with us 'n leave-"

"And leave Celestia to go off _knowing_ I have the means to help? You _know_ I can't refuse to help anyone Applejack. It's not who I am!" I actually rose my voice a little at her when she shook her head and hopped off the bed.

_"Hardheaded," _she muttered under breath.

"What?" I demanded, moving in front of her when she reached for her stetson.

"Ah said yer hardheaded! Why can't you just listen ta me?! Ya don't need ta go off on a suicide mission unprepared when Celestia _knows_ how ta handle the situation better than anypony!" Applejack rose the volume of her voice as well.

"Oh and you're _not_ hardheaded!? You won't even see to reason my side of the argument!" The mare then stood up on her hind legs and slammed her hooves into my chest, staring deep into my eyes with her anger levels rising. I shifted my gaze away, unable to look at her when she was so angry.

"Don't you _dare_ look away from me," she clenched her teeth. "You are NOT goin' ta Draconia with Celestia. Not now; not EVER! Do ya hear me!?" She pushed against me to quickly grab her hat from the nightstand. "You can stay here 'till you can think clearly," she ordered. "End, of, discussion," She added. I was shaking again, but not from fear or anxiety anymore. When I was denied helping anyone, I wasn't a happy camper.

"So it's okay for YOU to go off to save Equestria from whatever monster or magic villain is threatening the country, but I can't step up this ONE time?" I called her out, making her freeze in place. "Just who the HELL do you think you are telling me what I can and can't do!? If I want to go and do what I was born to do, YOU have no right to fucking stop me!" I roared, feeling my anger boiling within my blood. I've never been angry at AJ before, but she was doing everything she could to piss me off. As I stood there, huffing through my nose, Applejack was frozen in place and facing away from me. For about ten seconds, all I could hear was my angry breathing, but then Applejack menacingly turned her head to look at me. Her left eye was narrowed, and her eyebrow was pointed downward at a forty-five degree angle.

"What did you just say to me, Cougar?" She demanded, calling me by my callsign for the first time in months. I knew I was in deep shit, but I wasn't going to just let her treat me like a child.

"So, back to Cougar huh?" I retorted as she slowly stalked her way back over to me.

"Well, the Ivan AH KNOW wouldn't act like a spoiled, selfish _prick_ just 'cause he was told no!" She marched over to me and gave me a hard jab to my stomach. Although I didn't show it visually, it stung a lot that Applejack was calling me a prick and accusing me of acting selfish. I honestly felt like shedding a few tears from the stress of telling Applejack I had to leave, and that we were actually fighting. Unfortunately, despite feeling a twinge of sadness, I also had some anger that was trumping my grief. I rose my hand to my stomach where AJ had jabbed it and gently rubbed the area before glaring down at her.

"So, I'm a prick now too, huh?" I asked, laying down a thick layer of guilt for AJ. This caught her off guard for a brief moment, but she quickly retained her pissed off demeanor.

"Hey!" She barked, "Do ya think Ah enjoy callin' ya that? If you'd just get it through yer skull that Ah'm carin' 'bout yer safety-"

"Oh yeah," I sarcastically interrupted her with an eye roll, "calling me a prick REALLY shows how much you care about me," I bent close to her face before maneuvering around her. I plopped down on the edge of the bed, glaring at my reflection in the mirror of the dresser across the room. I wasn't left alone for long, however, as Applejack stomped her way over and stood in front of me snorting out of her nose and clenching her teeth.

"DON'T you turn this around on me!" She bellowed directly in my face. She looked as if she was going to say something else, but I interrupted her yet again.

"Well gee, you're doing everything you can to make ME feel bad!" I pointed out, squeezing the blanket behind me with both fists. Would I ever hit her physically? HELL NO. I was just simply trying to do what I could to quell my anger for the time being. As if telling her I wanted to go with Celestia was going to be heart wrenching enough; I wish we didn't have to fight. Neither of us said anything for two, maybe three minutes as we just stayed in our respective spots glaring at each other. Eventually, Applejack's face softened just a bit, but anyone could easily tell how angered she still was.

"Ivan, Ah'm simply tellin' ya that ya need ta know when ta stand down n' let others handle situations like this," she advised, still clenching her teeth together. If I could describe her, she sounded like a parent whose patience was at its end with their child, but didn't want to blow up at the kid. I swallowed, trying to think of what to say next.

"Applejack, are you really telling me I'm acting selfish all because I want to save a close friend of mine?" I asked her. "A _pregnant_ friend no less?" I stressed. She inhaled sharply into her nose and rubbed the side of her head.

"No….." she replied slowly, shutting her eyes tight and opening them up again. "Ah'm _askin' _ya do wa WANT ta get yerself killed 'n throw away yer life just so you can have a chance ta thump yer chest 'n show off for everyone?"

"WHAT?!" I jumped up, causing her to flinch backwards at the sudden movement. I caught myself before I could really explode at the woman I loved, so I cautiously held up my hands and looked away as my body shook. "A-A-Applejack," I stuttered from shaking so hard. "You know that that's a fucking lie. Do you think I was showing off when I saved you from those timberwolves?" Her ears and face fell at my question. "I hated talking about what I'd done when we went camping. Anytime someone brought it up, I tried to shrug it off and mention how you and our friends were safe," I sat back down, holding my forehead in my hand. "You know I _hate_ accolades and bragging a lot about accomplishments. Adam and I joined the Air Force because we felt it was the right thing to do, not just so we could kill bad guys, save innocent lives, and cram our victories down everyone's throats."

"Ivan, Ah-"

"I….we, have a friend in need of help and rescue, Applejack. I just want to do what I feel is right and help Celestia. Is that really such a bad thing?" I asked her. She looked around the room a few times before approaching me slowly.

"No, 'o course Ah don't think that's a bad thing, Sugarcube."

"Do you know how hard this was for me?" I skipped over her reply as I reached out and gently touched her face, rubbing her freckled cheek with my thumb.

"Enough that ya needed ta think alone," she replied, moving away from my hand before sitting next to me on the bed.

"AJ, deciding to tell Celestia I want to help is easy," I caught her off guard again. "I made that decision before I even found this room," I revealed. "The hardest part that tore me up was trying to figure out how to tell you what I wanted to do. You see, I never had to tell anyone I loved that I had to go away on a mission before back on Earth. I was just so scared of seeing _any_ kind of reaction from you because I know how hard it can be for loved ones to hear that sort of thing."

"Oh," Applejack looked away from me.

"I wasn't going to let you know just as we were leaving," I put my hand under her chin, bringing her head around to look at me. "I-I couldn't do that to you. This was something that had to be done privately between us," I paused to swallow, "because I need you for support, and you need me to be able to confide in you with things like this," I leaned forward and gently kissed her on the mouth, trying to show her how far my love for her went. The mare pulled away, however, and dropped her forehead onto my shoulder. "I know you don't like what I have to do, Applejack, but this is _my_ choice. I just can't let my friends potentially put their lives on the line while I stay here. That's just not who I am; I deserve to do no less than help," I laid my head on top of hers and wrapped my arm around her waist.

"Ah….Ah'm so sorry, Ivan," she whispered after having finally calmed down. Our first fight may be fizzling out, but there was still a little bit we had to discuss.

"It's okay, Applejack," I lightly squeezed her torso. "You may not have liked my choice, but I completely understand that you don't want me to go."

"Ivan, it just scared me," she admitted and pulled her head out from under mine so she could look at me. "An' it still scares me. If those dragons are brave enough ta snatch a princess right from her own castle, then there's nothin' that won't stop them. Ah'm just scared fer you, Sugarcube," her voice turned into a whisper as she put her hoof over my heart and kissed my cheek.

"I know," I whispered into her ear whilst stroking the back of her neck. "I'm scared too, but helping others is something I can't refuse."

"Ah don't wanna lose you!" She cried out, yet no tears flowed from her eyes. She removed her hoof from my chest and threw her forelegs around my body, squeezing me tight as she buried her face in my chest. "Ah love you so much, Ivan," she said into my stomach, "but the thought 'o somethin' happenin' ta ya-"

"Hey," I tapped her head, "look at me." The mare stopped talking and shifted her head, placing her chin on my chest. I took her hoof in my hand yet again and gave it a nice firm squeeze. "Applejack, I know you trust me, so listen up. _Nothing_ is going to happen to me," I stated. I knew she didn't like how I was basically jinxing the mission now, but I just wanted to put her mind at ease. "Do you know why?" I continued. "Because I've lost so much in my life, and have had so much happen to me. But I'm going to make damn sure nothing happens to me; you're the one thing in my life I'm _NOT_ going to lose."

Nothing prepared me for Applejack's reaction this time. The mare shook her head a few times before forcibly shoving me back onto the bed. My momentary confusion allowed her to straddle my body and lie perfectly flat on my chest and stomach. "Applejack-" I tried to get ahold of the situation, but was cut off my Applejack's tongue burrowing inside of my mouth. There was no way I could or would fight this. I moved my hands onto her back and tried to pull her closer as our tongues met and began to wrestle. This wasn't a simple 'let's have some fun' kiss; this was a 'you mean everything to me' kiss. If this was going to be her sendoff to me, then I was going to make her feel more loved than she's ever felt in her life. I only had two things left to do when we were done: Tell Celestia about my offer to help, and keep my promise to Applejack.

* * *

**(With Flash Sentry; 3rd Person POV)**

Flash Sentry sighed sadly as he pathetically marched his way down down a corridor of Canterlot Castle. The orange pegasus hadn't been feeling like himself lately, but seeing Twilight Sparkle again, so soon and abruptly no less, put him in an even worse state. He currently had his spear lazily dragging on the floor along side him, and his wings and head looked as if they were trying to melt off his body. He knew something was wrong as everyone who'd exited Princess Luna's chambers appeared to have the 1000 yard stare. It was on his mind to ask what was wrong, but Twilight only told him she couldn't say anything about it. Neither could her son Spike for that matter. "I'm such an idiot," Flash mumbled as he rounded a corner, not really paying attention to where he was going.

Having Twilight in the same room as him sent his emotions into maximum overdrive. A part of him was happy to see her again, but another part of him was both surprised and a little frightened upon seeing the lavender alicorn. And it really didn't help that she was talking to him in a sarcastic tone, making it obvious enough she didn't want to see him at all. "Why would she want to talk to me?" He questioned himself, not caring if another guard caught him slacking his duties like this. Yes, Twilight went a little crazy on Hearts and Hooves Day, and Flash thought she could use a little break to get her thoughts and feelings organized once again. At the time breaking things off with her seemed like a good idea, but when he woke up the next morning, Flash regretted his decision.

He analyzed word for word what Twilight had told him, and he felt even worse for her. She had always been a little on the eccentric side when it came to organization, having things just so, and making sure their dinner dates were exactly perfect. But she was always a sweet mare that did her part to make everypony around her feel welcome. And on a night when she needed him the most, he cast her out like a diseased cat, shutting her out of his life. If only he were a unicorn, then he could study Starswirl the Bearded a little more closely and go back in time to fix his mistake. He wanted nothing more than to talk to her and straighten everything out. Hopefully maybe even start over with their relationship. He truly had feelings for her and wasn't dating her just because she was a princess. She seemed like _herself_ even when on duty as a princess. However, she made it very clear in the tone of her voice that she wanted nothing to do with him anymore. Flash may as well have been a complete stranger to her now.

Flash's left ear twitched as he walked down the corridor that lead to Princess Celestia's chambers. He wasn't eavesdropping on purpose, but Flash _was_ just passing through. Anything to make him forget, even for a brief second, sounded like heaven. "Tia, are you positive you should be going to Draconia as well?" Flash heard Captain Glock's deep voice coming out of the sun princess's chambers. _'Draconia?'_ Flash picked his head and wings up. Why would Princess Celestia need to visit _that_ cesspit? Dragons have always had a deep rooted disdain for ponies, except for Spike of course. Visiting them seemed like visiting the castle dungeons with all of the cells unlocked. Curious, Flash Sentry even picked up his spear from the ground to not draw attention to himself.

"Glock, I am more than positive that I will be going to rescue my baby sister," Celestia retorted sternly, sounding mighty stressed and short fused. "I lost her once when I had to send her away; I will _not_ lose her again, especially to some rogue dragons who believe to be above both myself and King Horntail.

"_Oh buck," _Flash nearly knocked his spear onto the ground. _'Princess Luna was _kidnapped!?_' _He thought to himself. Just threatening any kind of violence to the royal sisters took both guts and a moronic train of thought, but _kidnapping_ them straight from the castle? The dragons must have a death sentence as a goal for their lives. Flash then began to think hard about when this could have happened. Bat Fang and Venom didn't report anything out of the ordinary, nor did Flash see or hear infiltration of any kind through the castle.

"What he means, your highness," Bat Fang's gruff voice cut in, making Flash snap from his thoughts, "Is that with Princess Luna gone, the leadership of Equestria has been cut in half. And should something happen to the both of you on this mission, we are left without a leader. Your country needs you," he explained. "Is it wise to put Equestria in distress by the possibility of both of you dying, only to leave Equestria in the hooves of Blueblood?" Flash wanted to gag at that thought. Blueblood is legally in line for the throne should both Celestia and Luna be put to rest; nopony wanted that spoiled, selfish, and obnoxious flankhole to lead them. There'd be a rebellion in no time.

"I understand your concern for my nephew inheriting the rule of Equestria, but call it sisterly intuition, I must save and protect my sister. And I have been to Draconia more recently than anypony; I am certain that as a fellow ruler I can help persuade King Horntail to assist us in finding Luna and her unborn foal," Celestia explained to the three guards inside her chambers.

"WHAT!?" Flash shouted before he covered his mouth, realizing what he had done. The pegasus knew he had screwed up when the voices ceased speaking. He didn't want to just run away or else his hooves would give away his position. As quickly and as quietly as he could, Flash turned around and tried to head in the other direction, hoping that Celestia, Bat Fang, or Glock would just ignore what they'd heard. He wasn't going to breathe a word of this to anyone; maybe he was just hearing things. Yes, that's what he'd go with. Just play dumb and pretend he hadn't heard a thing, that'd work perfectly.

"Flash Sentry!" A deep voice barked at him. Whipping around, Flash was face to face with an angry-looking Captain Glock. The pegasus gulped, unable to keep his face intimidating whatsoever as his spear clattered to the ground. "What do you think you're doing snooping around, soldier?"

"S-snooping?" Flash stuttered. "No Captain, I was just making my rounds," some sweat began to drip down Flash's face. While it was technically true, he wasn't even paying attention to his duties at the time. Unfortunately for him, Glock was experienced enough to spot a liar amongst the guard force.

"Don't lie to me, Sentry," Glock got into the orange pony's face. "You know you're not even supposed to be watching this corridor today," the senior guard jabbed his chest.

"I know Captain," Flash nodded, biting his lip. "But I-I can tell you that I wasn't trying to snoop; I just had my mind elsewhere and wandered around to this part of the castle." While he was still feeling a tad depressed about his current situation with Twilight, Flash didn't mind getting chewed out by Glock; that meant he could keep his space from Twilight, just like she wanted him to do.

"Don't _ever_ tell me your mind was elsewhere, soldier," Glock growled. "I have no use for guards who let their minds wander."

"I apologize Glock, but I've just had a lot going on-"

"Yes, I was with Celestia when Twilight Sparkle's son sent that letter. I understand you're not feeling like yourself, but you worry about your relationship troubles on _your_ time, not while you're on the clock." Feeling like a scolded puppy, Flash bowed his head and nodded at the captain, feeling even worse that he was being berated at his own job for his mare troubles. "Now tell me, how much did hear in there? And _don't_ lie," the white pegasus grabbed Flash's chin and quickly whipped it up so Flash could look him in the eye. Even dating the princess for several months couldn't extinguish that fire that Glock had burning in his eyes.

"E-everything, sir," Flash gulped again as Glock released his chin. Now that he had nothing to hide, Flash decided to start asking questions of his own. "Captain, what the tartarus is going on here!?" He exclaimed much louder than Glock would've appreciated. The orange pegasus lowered the volume of his voice in case there were more guards or servants around. "_Princess Luna is pregnant?"_ He whispered.

"And kidnapped, yes," Glock nodded. "Spike and Cougar found a red scale under Luna's bed. Spike claimed it to be from a dragon he's had an encounter with before; Tia, Bat Fang, Venom, and I were just coming up with a plan on what to do," he explained.

"Glock, have you found- oh, Flash Sentry," Celestia appeared from her chamber door. Both pegasus guards stood at attention as she poked her head out and into the hallway. "Is there anything I can help you with, Flash?" She questioned.

"No, not really your highness," Flash gave the alicorn a quick yet professional bow. "I was just uh, trying to clear my head," he explained. Celestia squinted her eyes, studying the orange guard.

"How much do you know about what's happened?" Celestia pressed on with her questioning. Glock may not have been too displeased that Flash overheard what had happened, but since it was _Luna_ that was kidnapped and pregnant, Flash was a little concerned about Celestia's possible anger for his knowing.

"He overheard practically everything, Tia," Glock cut in before Flash could even think. "I just confirmed that everything he heard was true." Flash's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "And that while on the clock, he should be focused on doing his duties rather than thinking about his ex-marefriend," Glock added, casting a glare toward Flash.

"Captain!" Flash exclaimed. "I didn't do it on purpose sir!"

"Oh, leave him alone, Glock," Celestia rolled her eyes in defense of Flash Sentry. Glock's face fell in surprise as Celestia exited her chambers to approach the two guards. "I trust you weren't looking to talk to me about your recent mishaps?"

"Of course not," Flash rose an eyebrow in puzzlement. "I wouldn't waste your time with something like that, princess," he assured her. "I just tried to talk to her not too long ago, but she didn't want anything to do with me," he sighed sadly.

"Well, in my opinion you shouldn't give up that-" Celestia attempted to give the stallion some advice, but he held his hoof up, silencing her.

"I-I'm sorry for wasting your time and sort of barging in on your meeting, Princess Celestia," Flash apologized. "If it helps, I won't say anything to anypony else I see about Princess Luna's situation," he swore. Flash felt bad about interrupting Celestia like that, especially when he knew she was going to give him some encouragement, but he truly didn't want to waste her time on something completely trivial. Especially when she had something _far_ more important to occupy her mind with. The orange pegasus stood at proper attention and spun around to march the other way and resume his guard duties. "Hey!" Only to have some invisible force yanking on his tail. Flash turned to see Celestia's horn and his tail glowing gold as Celestia had a soft look of sympathy on her face.

"Please, don't leave just yet, Flash Sentry," Celestia requested. Seeing no other option, he sputtered and ceased resisting against Celestia's pull. "You caught us at a perfect time; I already have a plan set up to rescue Luna. Glock was just expressing his opinion about me going as well."

"I still don't want to waste your time, Celestia," Flash countered.

"Hmph," Celestia shook her head. "I may be able to help you out, Flash. Only if you'll allow me, however," she offered.

"What?" Both Flash and Glock asked at the exact same time.

"While I have our rescue mission planned out, there is still a few elements I require in order to execute it. I must speak with our friends in the dining hall and would like you to come with myself, Glock, Venom, and Bat Fang please," Celestia explained to Flash.

"And why is that, princess?" Flash wiggled his tail around after the alicorn's magic let him go.

"Well, while we are gone to rescue Luna, I would like you to try and at least return to a friendship level with Twilight Sparkle." Flash's eyes shot open and he immediately shook his head.

"But princess, why? I mean, Twilight doesn't want anything to do with me since I broke things off with her!" Flash exclaimed. This was a bit strange for Celestia. She knew a few things about love from her niece, but she would admit to anypony that she was definitely no expert. But if one of her loyal guards was depressed and distracted from his duties, and her favorite former student was in the same boat, she couldn't stand aside and let them suffer from their feelings.

"Because that's an _order_, soldier," Celestia ordered sternly like Luna would have. Flash did not expect that reaction whatsoever from Celestia who was normally a very sweet and understanding ruler. He took note that even Glock seemed a bit intimidated by her tone of voice and her hard stare. "I'm not ordering you to get back together, but at least try and return to a friendship level; I feel it would be very beneficial for the both of you," she explained. "Now follow me," she quickly added, trotting in between both Glock and Flash. Venom and Bat Fang emerged from Celestia's chambers, shutting the door behind them as the two other guards exchanged fearful looks with one another.

If the last time Flash Sentry had scoured this corridor seemed quick, then this time his journey would pass quicker than a heartbeat. Even under Celestia's orders, knowing that he was going to face Twilight again, and more than likely face rejection for even attempting to talk to her, was making him shake in his armor. What scared him the most was he believed Twilight's sarcasm to be a defense for her so she couldn't start crying in front of him, thus humiliating herself once again. He didn't _want_ to have her humiliated for a second time in his presence.

Flash did want to at least be friends with Twilight, and maybe even apologize for dumping her so abruptly. But the actual thought of her getting so worked up to tears frightened him. He didn't feel he was even _worthy_ to cry over, yet their breakup had been bad for the both of them apparently. Flash didn't even know of Twilight's condition until he was with standing guard in the throne room when Spike's letter appeared. The knowledge that his actions caused her to literally fall apart and become a hollow shell hurt him. And yet…..there was a very little chance of him checking in on her. Today felt like his one and only chance to at least apologize to the mare; she deserved that more than anything.

With every step he took closer to the dining hall door with Celestia and his fellow guards, Flash's heart rate increased, sweat started mat the fur on his body, and his breathing became more and more shallow. Would Twilight do the complete opposite of what he expected and yell at him? Calling him a no good jerk for just breaking up with her without giving her some time to decompress? Would Shining Armor even go the big brother route and prevent him from even looking in Twilight's direction?

"Flash Sentry, please calm yourself," Celestia's comforting voice shattered Flash's stress induced vision. Just like he thought, the trip was over in no time at all. Before the group of five ponies was indeed the large set of doors that led into the dining hall. "You're just trying to face Twilight Sparkle," she tried assure him, "not Tirek."

"_At least I know what to expect of Tirek," _Flash muttered under his breath, taking a deep breath to calm himself. However, it seemed as if none of the ponies around him had heard what he'd muttered, leaving the stallion alone with his thoughts for at least a few seconds before they'd have to enter the dining hall. Flash knew what his true feelings were. If he still didn't have a soft spot for Twilight, he wouldn't care whatsoever that she didn't want to talk to him. The stallion was fine if she didn't want to go back to what their relationship was; if she at least wanted to remain friends, he'd be overjoyed. All he really wanted was to apologize and acknowledge to her that he'd bucked up. Despite the dread of her response crawling under his fur, despite the shame he felt for what he'd done hanging over his head, despite guilt weighing his heart down, and just despite his fear of the unknown answers before him, all Flash wanted was to face Twilight Sparkle again and tell her he was sorry for acting too quickly to her problem.

"Good evening, everypony. I trust your dinner was satisfying?" Celestia greeted the members of the dining hall as she swung the doors open for her and the four guards.

* * *

**(Ivan's POV)**

"A-AJ!" I groaned as the mare's lips continuously grazed across my neck. My breathing was shallow and rapid as sparks of pleasure coursed through the skin. Nothing _too_ intense had occurred since AJ had wanted to give me a special goodbye. At least I believe that's what she was going for. I could tell she was so built up with emotion knowing I was going to one of the most dangerous places in her world that she sort of snapped and used her energy to show me some love. Not that I was complaining about it.

"Ivan, just, just a lil longer, please!" She begged, holding her head up to look in my eyes. Her own emerald spheres were begging me to let this go on. Oh Christ I wanted to stay like this for eternity, but I didn't want to miss the boat when Celestia was ready to leave. I gingerly touched my palm to her cheek, just holding her face.

"I'm sorry Applejack, but….." That was all I could come up with. I didn't really know how to apologize for telling my girlfriend we needed to stop kissing like this. Applejack crawled up my body a little bit, allowing our faces to be completely even with each other. I could tell just by the look in her eyes that a big part of her still wanted me to stay where I wouldn't be harmed. Really, I couldn't get too angry at her for that; with the exception of Applebloom, she's never really had to fear for someone's life like this. Her friends were a different story. "AJ," I continued, holding her face in my hand, "I know you don't want to let me go, and I hate to stop, but I'm sure everyone's a little worried about us."

"_Eeyup," _she strained softly, trying to fight her stubbornness.

"And I'm positive you'd like to give Celestia a proper farewell and blessing for the mission?" I suggested, beginning to rub my thumb along her freckles. The mare whined just slightly as she rubbed her cheek against my palm.

"Ah know, Ivan. Ah just-" she tried to explain her position again until I kissed her forehead. The mare gasped from the ticklish contact, silencing her for but a brief moment.

"I love you too Applejack. And believe me, knowing that you'll be waiting for me gives me more of an incentive to come back. I've never really had anything to come back to when I was in the Air Force. Which is why," I put my other hand on her face, cupping it completely, "I promise I _am_ coming back to everyone; especially you, Applejack." The mare didn't even move her eyes as I held her head. She just laid there on my stomach, staring straight at me. "But," I added, leaning forward. "I'll make up for lost time." AJ leaned forward as well, but she gasped sharply when I moved my head up and gently nibbled on her sensitive ear. "_Only for you," _I whispered after pausing for a second.

"Ah t-trust y-ya, Sugarcube," she moaned before I let go of her ear with my teeth. Knowing that there was no other alternatives to try and make me stay, Applejack climbed off of me and the bed, landing on the marble flooring with a light thud. I groaned as I sat up and stretched my muscles, eyeballing my girlfriend as she picked up our hats that had fallen to the floor when she tackled me onto the bed. She flipped her stetson onto her head and picked up my ball cap with her muzzled, setting it in my lap.

"Thanks," I scratched under her chin as I put the hat on, formulating an idea. The two of us stood side by side as we exited the spare room of the castle, shielding our eyes from the much brighter corridor on the other side. One look to the left made my jaw drop. "Wow, I didn't really get as far as I thought," I pointed out. The door to the dining hall was only thirty, _maybe_ forty steps away. Then again, my head was so cluttered before that I thought I'd walked the length of five football fields before coming to a room.

"Yeah, Ah know. Ah ran out after ya and barely caught a glimpse 'o ya hustlin' in there," AJ agreed as we began our walk. "Ah knew where ya went; Ah just thought Ah'd give ya few minutes ta gather yer thoughts 'fore Ah tried ta help," she explained, digging her head under my hand so I was forced to pet the back of her mane. Again, no complaints came from me. "So how do ya plan ta get ta Ponyville 'n back so Celestia don't have ta wait too long?"

"Well, I want Celestia to keep as much magic in reserve as possible so she can have some at the ready for Draconia," I replied. "And I don't want Cadence exert too much stress since she's pregnant, so hopefully Twilight can give me a hand zapping me to Ponyville to grab my gear."

"Are ya sure ya have enough practice flyin'?"

"Uh, I haven't been practicing lately," I admitted, biting my lower lip. "But in the Air Force I had to eventually move from simulators only to the real deal. This is like the ultimate test flight," I explained, continuing to pet her mane. We didn't really have anything else to talk about while the dining hall grew closer. I could feel AJ shaking just a bit, still fearing for what could happen to all of us when something made us stop cold.

_"NO!" _A loud shriek emitted from behind the door. Without even thinking, I ran forward and threw the doors open like a maniac, searching for whatever was wrong as AJ followed closely. Celestia, Glock, Bat Fang, Venom, and Flash Sentry were now present in the dining hall. Yet the weird part was Rainbow Dash was mysteriously gone, and no one noticed AJ and I enter the room. What really grabbed my attention was Twilight squeezing Spike and seemingly holding him away from Celestia. "You can't take him there!" Twilight exclaimed, sprouting her wings to act as a protective barrier around her son.

"What the hell is going on?" I demanded in a concerned voice. It wasn't loud enough to be a yell, but it was enough to get everyone's attention.

"Cougar!" Twilight turned her attention to me. "Thank goodness. Please! Please tell Celestia how asinine it is for her to take Spike to Draconia! She'll listen to somepony with a military background." The purple pony squeezed the poor dragon even more. His eyes looked about ready to burst from their sockets.

_'Gee, thanks a fucking lot Twilight!'_ My inner voice cursed. I hated just being put on the spot, especially when I just arrived somewhere. I couldn't say a word as I shifted my gaze over to Celestia. The white alicorn didn't seem upset that Twilight accused her of being asinine, but she still held a stern look on her face.

"I am glad you are back as well, Cougar," Celestia greeted me. "I have just sent Rainbow Dash to Cloudsdale to retrieve Soarin and one other Wonderbolt for the trip," she briefly explained.

"Okay," I nodded slowly as AJ and I approached the large dining table. _'Looks like AJ and I got here just in time,' _I thought.

"And I was just trying to explain to Twilight Sparkle that I wish for Spike to accompany myself, Glock, Bat Fang, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and whichever Wonderbolt they choose."

"Princess Celestia! Why are you acting like you're just sending my son to get milk? The last time Spike was around other dragons he was almost pressured into becoming something he's not!" Twilight was struggling hard to not only hold back some tears, but from cursing and yelling at her former mentor.

"I _must_ agree with Twilight, princess Celestia," Rarity stood on her hind legs, bracing herself against the table. "No offense to Spike whatsoever, but he has no training on how to deal with other dragons should the worst happen. And besides, _how_ will he even get there? The poor thing has no wings."

"Well Twilight," Applejack cleared her throat, "have y'all even given princess Celestia a chance ta explain why she wants Spike ta go?" Both Twilight and Rarity shook their heads in response, yet still didn't falter in their reasonings for Spike not to go. I'm glad the attention shifted around from me; I understood why Twilight didn't want him to go, but I also had an understanding why Celestia wanted him to go. Applejack turned her head to Celestia, "Well then yer highness, why do ya want Spike ta go?" Celestia gave a little sigh, probably feeling like a weight was lifted from her shoulders after being allowed to explain herself.

"Twilight Sparkle, I know you fear for your son's safety, but as you know I did give Spike a few lessons as well when I was mentoring you," Twilight nodded slowly in agreement. "And he managed to take over your spot briefly over the past two weeks," Celestia continued. "I wish for Spike to go because he could make a great asset in returning Princess Luna home. Relations between dragons and ponies are certainly not all too well. If Spike can go and speak alongside myself to King Horntail, I pray that the dragon king can see if our species gives one another a chance, our kingdoms can unite and flourish. And it may even earn us some sympathy from Horntail, which could lead to a better chance of him helping us in our search," Celestia softly explained.

I wanted to praise Celestia and give her a standing ovation for that reasoning. It was not only to help get Luna back, but to soften relations between two different countries. Celestia was an even better ruler than King Odin in my opinion. "But…..but," Twilight's lower lip quivered.

"Do you not trust Spike to make mature decisions if he is pressured again?" Celestia questioned.

"I trust him!" Twilight blurted out, rocking back and forth as she clutched Spike to her body.

"Well, do you not trust me to keep him safe?"

"Please don't make me feel guilty!" The purple alicorn begged. Celestia gave her former student an apologetic look and cautiously walked over to where she was clinging to her dragon son. With her large wing, Celestia ran the feathers down Twilight's mane, trying to comfort her.

"I am not attempting to guilt you. I am simply seeking to set your mind at ease Twilight Sparkle," the larger pony soothed. Twilight clenched her eyes shut and rested her chin on Spike's head, rubbing back and forth.

"Well...I have faith Spike will stay safe," Twilight swallowed roughly. I saw her position where she didn't want her son to face a possible danger without her going, but I was a little surprised she didn't try to volunteer to take his place. I could only speculate that she was aware that having three princesses in danger like that would set Equestria back possibly hundreds of years, especially if _Blueblood_ were to take over as leader.

"I will be there should anything happen," Celestia continued to placate the smaller pony, going as far as sitting on her own haunches to be eye level with her former protege.

"But if you're focused on speaking with King Horntail and trying to find Luna, how will you be able to watch over Spike?" Twilight continued to challenge Celestia, trying to find _any_ logical excuse.

"Princess Twilight, don't forget we'll still be there as well. It's our duty," Glock cut in, approaching Twilight as well and stood at attention next to her. Twilight lifted her head off the top of Spike's and looked to her side at the pegasus guard.

"Except you're supposed to be watching over Celestia. Even with Rainbow Dash, Soarin and another Wonderbolt there, I just want somepony to make sure Spike is ok," Twilight quickly shot down Glock's explanation.

"Mom, I'll stick with Celestia and the guards. Besides, like you said, Rainbow Dash will be there. I have a good feeling I'll be ok," Spike tapped Twilight's shoulder.

"I-I know Spike. But they'll all be busy guarding Celestia….." she trailed off, sounding like she was running out of ideas to discredit Celestia's idea. However, while I could clearly see Twilight's argument, I felt that she might have been acting a little _too_ clingy. Spike would have the best guards, and myself hopefully, and even Princess Celestia to protect him from harm. Having Spike go could even help Twilight learn how to let her son go once in awhile without her help. "I just don't want anything to happen to anypony, especially you, Spike," Twilight groaned as it appeared a migraine was starting to form within her head.

"Nothing will happen to him, princess," a voice spoke out. Everyone looked over to the pony that had inserted themselves into the conversation and headed over to Twilight. "Because I'll watch over him for you. While Celestia has two guards and three Wonderbolts to keep an eye out for her, I can personally keep an eye out for your son," Flash Sentry announced.

"Flash?" Spike and Twilight reacted the way I'm sure everyone was thinking. After their breakup, I was honestly shocked that Flash would be the one to volunteer. He wasn't a bad pony by any means, but it's not too often something like this happens. AJ and I even gave unsure glances toward one another.

"Since you, and practically all of us accept your claim that Spike the Dragon is your son, therefore he is technically a royal prince because of your status," Flash explained in the most guard-like voice I'd heard from him. "Add that to the fact that he is important politically to Equestria, he could stand to have his own personal guard on the trip. I am more than willing take on the role, your highness," the orange pegasus bowed to Twilight.

"Are you feeling okay, Flash?" Pinkie Pie cocked her head.

"Well, I do happen to have a, um, prior connection," Flash sounded a bit nervous, "with Spike. So perhaps an acquaintance would be the best choice to guard him," he explained. Silence flooded the room whilst we gave Twilight some brief time to ponder what answer she would choose. Nobody wanted to put her on the spot, but she chose that path herself.

_"O-okay," _Twilight squeaked just like Fluttershy. Celestia's face was washed over with a look of relief, glad that she had gotten Twilight to agree.

"You have my word that Spike will come back just as he left," Flash bowed again to Twilight. The two ponies locked eyes shortly before succumbing to pained expressions on their faces, forcing the duo to look away shamefully from each other.

"There is but one more thing left to do before Rainbow Dash returns," Celestia announced. It wasn't hard to get everyone's attention, so Celestia didn't pause for too long. "Cougar," she turned to me, catching me by surprise. "You mentioned that you have experience speaking with leaders both domestic and foreign, correct?" Was this really happening? Did I really not even need to ask her for permission to join the rescue team?

"Uh, yeah?" was the only answer I could think of. "But I never initiated the meetings; I always my commanding officer present," I quickly added.

"Good enough; you can be a temporary royal advisor for the trip," the alicorn revealed. "Should you agree to go of course," she added, "I will not force you if you do not wish to go." Needless to say, everyone else was hit by shock. Of course I didn't blame them for not thinking I could do anything for the mission.

"That's actually what Applejack and I have been discussing, Celestia," I replied, standing up from my seat. "I can't just say no and stay here while a friend is in need, so to make this short, yes I agree to go," I accepted her invitation. "But just so you know, I'll let you do most of the talking since as Applejack pointed out to me, Spike is the only dragon I've ever been in contact with."

"Luna always believed you could make a good guard; we'll see if her beliefs were indeed correct," Celestia shot me a smile. "Besides, having somepony with your background of joining alliances with foreign kingdoms could prove valuable to us."

"Yeah," I had to hide the fact that I've only really 'joined alliances' with fighter squadrons of Great Britain, Australia, Israel, and France. Not too many, but it was better than nothing. "One problem though. My gear is back in Ponyville; I don't think the train is fast enough," I tried to explain. "And to be honest, I don't want Cadence to stress herself too much," I pointed to the pink alicorn that was trying to comfort Twilight. Celestia just smirked at me.

"No problem Cougar," she assured me. _'She's not gonna Deus-Ex-Machina my stuff here is she?' _I thought to myself. "Twilight Sparkle, I am in need of your service," Celestia politely barked. Slowly, Spike, Cadence, and Shining Armor peeled away from Twilight, allowing the semi-depressed alicorn to make her way over to myself and Celestia.

"Y-yes princess? I-I'm sorry I called you asinine!" She stuttered and quickly apologized.

"It's quite all right Twilight. You were just thinking about Spike's safety. However, Cougar here is in need of your help," Celestia turned Twilight's head toward me.

**(Ten Minutes Later)**

"All right Sugarcube, ya seem ta be all, strapped, _in!i" _Applejack grunted as she helped tighten the straps on my jetpack. It didn't hurt me whatsoever; I had to be just as tightly strapped in my F-15 before I had to fly. AJ circled around me a few more times, checking every inch of the straps to make sure they wouldn't come apart while I was hundreds of feet in the air. Slipping back into my flight suit took some getting used to after not using it for nearly a year. I never used it when Rainbow Dash would help train me at the Wonderbolts Academy since I would fly for brief bursts rather than a sustained period of time. "Looks like yer all set Ivan," Applejack patted my side with her hoof.

With Twilight's help, I was able to grab everything I needed from my shack at Sweet Apple Acres in no time. Everything including my combat knife and revolver; I didn't want to risk being caught without them should defense be necessary. When Twilight and I returned to the castle, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and Misty Fly had arrived to receive further instruction from Celestia. Since they didn't mention it, I'm guessing neither Celestia nor Rainbow clued in Soarin and Misty Fly that Luna was actually carrying a foal. Whether or not they should know was up to Celestia in my book. "Are ya 100% positive Ah can't talk ya outta this?" Applejack nudged me lovingly. I knew she was teasing me; it seemed to be her natural defense against facing a serious issue like this.

"Nope," I knelt down and hugged her tightly. "Sorry Applejack, but protecting others is what I was born to do," I tapped my callsign on my purple and gold helmet that was sitting on the floor next to me. Only a few feet away, Twilight was busy saying goodbye to Spike. Celestia was kind enough to grant all of us time to bid farewell to our friends before our journey began. Myself, Rainbow, and Spike and already said our goodbyes to our regular friends, but Spike and I wanted to have a special goodbye for Twilight and Applejack.

"I'm so proud of the young dragon you are Spike," Twilight smoothed out the spines atop Spike's purple head with her hoof. "And I'm sorry I'm so worrisome, but-"

"I'm still your little Spike, I know mom," I heard Spike chuckle as he shifted his position to hug his mom. "And yes, I know to keep my manners in check and represent Equestria like you've raised me too. _And_ I promise to write whenever we stop to take a break and when we arrive in Draconia," he added when Twilight opened her mouth to speak again.

"That's my boy," Twilight held back a sniffle as she let Spike go out of her forelegs. I peered over to them as Flash cleared his throat from behind Twilight. "And you be good for Flash too," she added, pursing her lips as she tried to keep her cool around Flash.

"Don't worry mom; I will," Spike assured her.

"I'll bake you a three-layer gem cake when you get back," she gave the dragon a sad smile.

"So," I looked back at AJ who was sitting on her haunches in front of me. "Should we have told Granny Smith, Big Mac, or Bloom that I'm going to Draconia?" I asked my girlfriend. I didn't want the three to worry about me, but I couldn't even imagine the pain they would feel should the worst happen and I wasn't around to say goodbye. Especially little Applebloom who was practically a surrogate little sister to me now.

"Ah'm sure one 'o Celestia or Luna's guards wouldn't mind flyin' a quick message ta the farm," she replied, giving me an encouraging smile. "This was just so sudden ya know?"

"Yeah, I know," I nodded in agreement. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" Applejack stood up from her haunches and wrapped her forelegs around my shoulders.

"Ah will after this," she said before pulling me in tight, smashing our mouths together. Despite our little session earlier, I wasn't going to pass up kissing her goodbye again. It was just a straight albeit rough closed mouth kiss that seemed to stretch on before we were interrupted.

"Spike, Cougar? Princess Celestia is ready to go," Misty Fly announced to the five of us. Twilight looked as if she wanted to get something else in, but went for a classic forehead kiss to Spike as he hugged her one last time. AJ and I separated from our kiss as I stood up, double checking that the knife holsters that Glock loaned me were still securing my weapons properly. I breathed in deeply and swiftly scooped my helmet off the ground, holding it under my arm as AJ and I trekked over to the large balcony where everyone was waiting for us. Celestia, Glock, Bat Fang, Rainbow Dash, and Soarin all stood near the end of the balcony, ready for takeoff.

"Yeah! It's time to save Princess Luna!" Soarin cheered, trying to have an upbeat attitude about all this. With a sigh, I, Spike, Flash Sentry, and Misty Fly marched our way across the balcony to join the others that would be going on the mission. Most were waving goodbye, but Pinkie was the only one saluting all of us as she had a military helmet strapped to her head. Rarity even gave Spike a special kiss on the cheek for luck before he would take off on Celestia's back. Before I could go any further, I stopped about halfway to Celestia, turning around to face Applejack.

"Cougar, we must go," Celestia softly reminded me as a light breeze whipped past us.

"This'll just take a second, Celestia," I assured her. Before she could answer, I pulled my ball cap off my head and quickly strapped my helmet on.

"Applejack," I announced, handing her my Drive to End Hunger hat, "I can't really take this with me to Draconia, so do you think you could keep an eye on it for me?" I requested of her. She already knew how much the hat meant to me; there was no need to remind her. The mare took a brief glimpse of my hat before nodding, lightly taking the bill in her teeth. "Thanks," I added as I stood up and tightened the chinstrap of my helmet, giving the thumbs up to Celestia.

"Hey, Celestia?" A soft voice called out. Checkered Flag, the poor stallion, emerged from within the group and stood in front of the alicorn. "_When_ you find Luna, can you please tell her I'm sorry for not being able to protect her?"

"Checkered Flag, you know my sister won't hear of that nonsense!" Celestia retorted. "I can and will tell her that you'll be waiting with a special hug for her," she stated firmly. The earth pony nodded before quickly hugging Celestia. She had no qualms with hugging her future brother-in-law. "Now, we must bid you all farewell," she looked up and spoke to those who were staying. I pushed the button on one of my straps to turn my jetpack on. "We will return as soon as possible, but my baby sister awaits us, my little ponies." She announced, flaring her wings and hovering above us all. "Goodbye to you all!" She sounded off with her royal canterlot voice as Spike hopped onto her back before she took flight away from the castle. One by one, Glock, Bat Fang, Flash Sentry, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and Misty Fly took off from the balcony.

I looked back behind me to see Applejack giving me a huge smile as she waved her foreleg back and forth. I took a deep breath, pumped my arms back to activate the wings of my jetpack, and leapt off the balcony railing. I free-fell for a second or two before sweeping my arms back, gaining speed and altitude as I joined up the rear of the flight group as Celestia briefly lowered the sun for us. As we all set a comfortable speed, I focused directly on what was ahead. Not the horizon that seemed to just be in reach, but finding and rescuing Luna and her unborn foal, and returning to my only love. I had a promise to keep.

_Out along the edges_

_Always where I burn to be_

_The further on the edge_

_The hotter the intensity_

_Highway to the danger zone_

_Gonna take you_

_Right into the danger zone_

**(Third Person POV)**

As the group of nine left, everyone else stood or sat, if that was their preference, staring at the far off sunset that swallowed up the bodies that had flown in its direction. Everyone trotted forward and placed their hooves on the railing of the balcony, waiting. The sunset soon disappeared, giving way to a moon and night sky that paled in comparison to Princess Luna's. Eventually, everyone turned in for the night with Luna and the rescue party in their prayers. All except for four.

Applejack removed her stetson and tossed it behind her, acting like it never existed. She held Ivan's hat within her hooves, refusing to let it go. The mare looked down at the red and black object, catching the faint aroma of her colt friend's scent on the inside. Without second guessing herself, Applejack put the hat on her head and stared off in the direction he had gone in.

Twilight, having learned a thing or two from Pinkie Pie, reached into her own mane and pulled out a piece of paper. It was a drawing Spike had made while Twilight was still a little filly under Celestia's guidance. The alicorn traced her hoof over the crudely drawn dragon and purple unicorn on the paper as she nuzzled the drawing of the dragon with her nose. It was still the most beautiful drawing she'd ever seen in her life. _'Please, come back safe,' _she thought to herself.

As for Rarity, the unicorn couldn't even think of beauty sleep as her friends were off trying to save Princess Luna. The mare cupped the large fire ruby that was hanging around her neck. She lifted it up to see her own reflection, only able to think about her Spikey-Wikey growing up and facing something as dangerous as dragons without her or Twilight to help him this time. The little dragon who grew up before her very eyes was making her think vastly different.

In between both Twilight and Applejack sat Checkered Flag. The stallion was the only one of the trio who could say anything. However, there was but one word he was able to utter again and again as he hung his forelegs over the railing, looking up at the sky. _"Lulu." _

**End Chapter 51**

* * *

_Next time: We get to see Draconia and King Horntail! But will our rescue squadron find Luna?_

_Once again, THANK YOU to everyone for their patience. That makes a huge amount of difference when I'm trying to update. I know it's not easy waiting awhile for a chapter to update, but you guys deserve the best that I can come up with. I won't throw something together in just three or four days and call it good. _

_And speaking of which, I have the next chapter all planned out and ready to type, but I don't know how long it will take. Yet if you guys show the same patience you did with this chapter, you will be in for such a treat._

_One more thing, reading Ivan's scenes may seem a bit rushed to some readers, but I intended for that. I wanted you guys to feel how quickly the realization was setting in; how Ivan's emotions were quickly pointing him into what he should be doing. _


	53. Chapter 52: Royal Reclamation Part 1

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 52: Royal Reclamation Part 1**

_HELLO AND WELCOME BACK EVERYONE! God I missed all of you so much the past three weeks. I do believe an explanation is in order; I had to do one big final project for college WHILE doing a week-long internship for college. I'd go to the internship from 9-5 Monday through Friday, then come home and work on the project, leaving me literally NO time to work on the story. But once I graduated from college last Thursday, I cracked down and worked my butt off to get Part 1 of this arc completed. _

_Part 1...yes I originally had this as one long chapter, but since I lost a whole week I didn't want to leave you guys hanging for any longer than you needed. So Part 2 will be in the works shortly. Out of all this however, I want to thank each and every single one of you readers for being unbelievably patient. You guys are so awesome and I'm thankful to have loyal readers such as you. _

_Speaking of loyal readers, there are so many other things I want to thank you guys for. The story has climbed to nearly 200 favorites, (as of now) the story is only two reviews away from having 600 reviews, and the story has now surpassed **100,000**_ _views. I thought having 200+ subs to the story was awesome, but the thought that the whole story has been clicked on over 100,000 times is just mind blowing. _

_And also, my mom is doing better now. She's still trooping along with a broken foot, but she manages._

_I have a harsh confession to make, and this is embarrassing for me as an author. Originally Flash breaking this off with Twilight was going to be a stepping stone for her to get together with Dr. Whooves. I know, it was nothing more than a plot device to jumpstart a couple. Having Flash decide to go to Draconia was my way of correcting my potential mistake. And I'm glad some of you are happy to see Flash get some development. _

**SkullCrusher550: **_And thank you for sticking by for so long!_

**Nostalgia Cop: **_Wow, that actually sounds like a potential pretty cool short story. I'd write that down if I were you._

**Ussu1832: **_Yes, thank you. _

**SquirtlePwn: **_Once I saw I had an opportunity to actually give Flash some character (which the EQG films never did) I took it in a heartbeat._

**Sassymouse: **_It was supposed to be a highly emotional chapter...just like a season finale...;)_

**Jarius Black:** _Thank you so much for your understanding_

**Monkeyboy0118: **_My family is doing much better now, thank you. And once I saw that episode with Pinkie, Cadence, and Shining Armor, I knew THAT was going to be in the story and that would also be where the Luna's pregnant twist would come in_

**headreviewer mk2: **_Nope, just some metal shrapnel, a part of the fuselage, and a piece of the tail are all that's left_

**Dixie: **_All of that emotion is what Luna loves about Checkered_

**Srey: **_Thanks for alerting me to all those; I still need to fix them, but as you can see I've been completely strapped for time_

**RazorManic: **_I'm really sorry, but I RARELY do OCs mainly because I'm afraid I'll fuck them up or something. And I don't think this story needs anymore. But thanks for the inquiry_

**NoOne:** _Well yeah...but the journey towards the destination is often the most memorable._

**Gracie Ghost: **_Thank you for your support! _

* * *

**(Ivan's POV)**

My limbs and back were completely stiff. We'd been traveling for about a day and a half by now and had left the limits of Equestria long ago. _'How did Iron Man and Falcon do this?' _I wondered internally as I tried my best to loosen up my legs and arms without throwing myself off course. Misty Fly and I were the ones bringing up the rear of the nine member squad while Celestia and Spike were at the front with Glock and Bat Fang taking protective flanking positions behind Celestia. Flash Sentry flew in the middle of the group, and Rainbow Dash and Soarin took the far left and right positions.

Luckily Celestia allowed us to stop and rest every now and then, but my body still wasn't used to keeping a plank-like position for so long. The night we left, we traveled as far as what Celestia called the Hayseed Swamps before we unanimously decided to crash for the night. Misty Fly wanted to stay in Baltimare since the Hayseed Swamps were a few miles south of the city, but the princess wanted to keep Luna's kidnapping a classified situation to avoid a panic within Equestria, so we had to lay low. Thankfully we found a nice flat piece of bug-free land to sleep, though sleeping without Applejack in my arms was a difficult concept to deal with.

In military fashion, Celestia woke us all up just as she had lowered the moon and raised the sun since we had no clue if Luna was able to do so. Spike, as promised to Twilight, wrote letters every time we stopped to take a break and right before we would start up again. But no matter how stiff my limbs were growing, and no matter how long our trip was taking, we all just wanted Luna back. Just the thought of her reuniting with both Celestia and Checkered Flag was more than enough motivation to keep me going.

And yet, the closer and closer we drew to Draconia, the more my heart rate continuously increased. Yes, part of it was a happy thought that Luna and Checkered Flag could properly prepare to become a family without hiding away in the shadows, but even the second after we took off from Canterlot, I was terrified. Like Applejack was, I was never one to admit or show when I was frightened; that all came about while I was still in the Air Force. If I showed even one shred of a fear to any of my squad mates, then their confidence levels of a mission would possibly drop. So far however, we all were able to keep our composures about this. How long that would last with dealing with dragons was anyone's guess.

The smell of brimstone and sulfur began to fill the air before we could even see the smoke. There wasn't enough in the air to make us cough or gag, but it was enough to make my eyes begin to sting. I mentally cursed, turning my head slightly to the side to get the water out of my eyes. _'I wish I remembered my sunglasses,'_ I thought, catching a glimpse of Rainbow Dash as she had her Wonderbolt goggles strapped to her head. I was not one to complain about something trivial, though, so I kept it to myself. At least when we landed it would be easier to keep my eyes open as the smoke would rise.

A sudden nudge to my right arm drew my attention away from keep my eyes clear. Misty Fly had shifted her aerial position over to me and was the one who'd gotten my attention. I hadn't spoken to her much before, even the times I'd gone to the academy with Rainbow Dash and Soarin. Though from what Rainbow had told me, Misty Fly was the 'goody horseshoes' of the academy, but not to the extent that Twilight was in our circle of friends. In fact, had she not been chosen as the third Wonderbolt for the mission, Soarin told me that he would've left her in charge instead of Silver Lining. "Hey! You might want to pay attention, Cougar!" She exclaimed over the roar of my jetpack. The roar wasn't deafening at all, but it would drown out about half the volume of a normal speaking voice. "You don't want to crash into those rocks down below!" She pointed her hoof down.

I wasn't afraid of heights at all, but seeing the jagged volcanic rocks down below caught the breath in my throat. That, and the giant pools of lava as well made my heart sink. I looked up at the yellow pegasus and gave her a quick thumbs up before straightening up and focusing straight ahead. Unfortunately, that little moment of peace was interrupted by Celestia alerting us that King Horntail's castle was approaching and that we'd be landing shortly. She explained that we weren't in Draconia _just_ yet, but we'd need to find a larger area to land in so none of us would get cut up.

Landing, the part that gave me the most trouble when practicing. Having to land in a place with nothing but jagged rocks, lava, and dragons everywhere was just the icing on the cake. Speaking of dragons, we'd seen a few flying in the distance, but none had yet approached us. While it wasn't probable, I crossed my fingers that the first dragons we would encounter were Horntail's guards, if he had any at all. "There!" We suddenly heard Celestia shout. She pointed a hoof at a clear area about an acre big and began her descent with the others following her. A whole acre, hell, it could've been the size of Talladega SuperSpeedway and I'd still feel a little uneasy.

"Do you want a little help?" Misty Fly questioned as she stuck with me. "I know you're still a…a rookie!" She hesitated with her words. I rolled my eyes and held up a hand to get some of the smoke to deflect from my face.

"I suck at landing, just say it!" I snapped back, but she didn't seem hurt by it. The mare put her hoof on the back of my jetpack (which thankfully kept the heat insulated so my back or no one around me would get burned) and gave me a quick pat as she helped me to descend. My muscles came close to seizing up as I felt our bodies lower toward the ground.

"I can guide you if you want!" Misty Fly tried to lift my spirits. "If it makes you feel any better, I hold the record at the academy for consecutive landings without crashing!" The pegasus added with a proud grin.

"Did you ever land near jagged rocks and lava?" I shot back with a smart-aleck tone. The pony's smile instantly vanished as she looked back down at the ground before shaking her head. "Didn't think so!" I added with a gulp. I clenched my eyes shut and turned my head as we passed through another cloud of smoke. My eyes stung slightly, but I did my best to keep them open. If I was going to crash land, I'd at least wanted to keep surprises out of the question.

"You're doing great!" Misty Fly encouraged me as she let go of my jetpack and moved about a foot away. "Try and put your…whatever that is," she paused and pointed to my arm, "out to keep your balance!" She advised and adjusted her flight goggles. With the ground getting closer with each passing second, I could only look ahead to see the front of the group kicking up dirt and dust as they landed in the clearing with the others following close behind.

"At least you can land on your legs and keep running!"

"Don't think about it too much!" Misty shut me up. "Pull up and turn that thing off on my mark!" I licked my lips a few times and took a deep breath, feeling exactly like Cougar and Merlin when they had to land with low fuel in Top Gun. The heat of the lava pits that circled our chosen landing pad only made the sweat coming off my forehead pour down my face even faster. And for the time being, all I could hear was my own heartbeat, my own breathing, and the sound of the wind as we whistled through it. "NOW!" Misty pushed her wings out to slow her momentum before touching down on the ground, running to slow down even more.

"GYAH!" I exclaimed as I swept my arms forward and up, decreasing my speed and pulling up a few feet. I hung in the air for a second or two before falling straight down to the ground. I landed a little harder than I expected on my feet, yet I stuck my arm out and fell forward, attempting to soften the landing and look a little like Iron Man. "FUCK!" I cursed loudly as I failed yet again. I was still carrying a little too much speed; my knees couldn't hold me up, and I ended up falling over my arm and into the ground as the wings retracted into the pack.

"Cougar!" Rainbow shouted as she and Misty ran over to help me up. Thankfully nothing was broken, but I ended up skinning a knuckle a little bit, and I wound up with a slight cut on my forearm through my flight suit. No blood came out from my knuckle, but I'd have to be cautious and not let it get infected. "At least you wore your helmet," she chuckled whilst dusting off the bottom of my flight suit with her wing. I felt around my waist in case anything had fallen out when I landed. _'One gun and one knife,'_ I thought as my hands brushed over the two objects on opposite sides of my body.

"It's no cloud, but it'll do," I groaned and popped all my tightened muscles from hours of flying. I kept my eyes peeled and scanned the surrounding area in case any dragons tried to sneak up on us. Celestia announced that we could take a few minutes to rest after traveling for so long, but the journey to Horntail's castle shouldn't be too far. Spike took the chance to write a quick letter to his mom that we had all made it perfectly safe and that she shouldn't worry about anything, but something was on my mind that I wanted to ask Rainbow and Soarin earlier. I didn't want to ask while we were flying so we could all stay focused.

"Hey Rainbow, Soar," I called out while unbuckling my purple and gold helmet.

"What's up bro?" Soarin gave me a playful smack on my side. Rainbow raised an eyebrow, letting me know that she was listening. Sighing contently, I took my helmet off and ran a hand through my sweat soaked hair. "Hehe, you look like you just got out of the shower, Cougar."

"Yeah," I rolled my eyes, sticking my helmet under my arm. "Guys, did you let Scootaloo know what was going on?" I questioned. Since they were living together and Rainbow had officially adopted Scootaloo as a little sister, there was no way in my eyes that Rainbow or Soarin had not told Scoots about what happened. The two pegasi looked at each other, apparently waiting for one or the other to explain.

"We didn't really have much of a choice Coug," Rainbow finally spat out after rolling her eyes at Soarin. "He was letting Scootaloo hang around the academy when I showed up, and it would've been really shitty of us to just ditch her with a lie."

"After Dashie told me what happened, we decided to tell Squirt that there was an emergency with Princess Celestia that required the two of us and Misty Fly," Soarin cut in, lacing his wing over his girlfriend's back. "Obviously she had about a million questions, but we promised her we'd tell her everything when we got back." I was actually starting to feel a little guilty. Although there was no time for me to try and explain this to Applebloom when Twilight zapped me to the farm, I knew the filly wasn't going to be happy that I'd left on a dangerous mission with Celestia without at least saying goodbye to her.

"At least you left Scootaloo in good hooves guys!" Misty Fly chimed in. Soarin mentioned something about Silver Lining having kids of his own, but I wasn't paying too much attention to that. Rainbow noticed that something was amiss with me and asked me about it.

"I just have a _lot_ to do when we get back to make this up to Applebloom; AJ and I never got the chance to tell her or Granny Smith or Big Mac that I had to go," I clicked my tongue shamefully.

"Pfft, just keep doing what you've always done with her," Rainbow blew a raspberry and smacked my leg. "She might be a little miffed, but trust me, it'll pass when she realizes you helped save Princess Luna _and_ her foal," she bragged for me.

"Yeah well she's probably going to knock me in the head again like the last time I left without telling her," I sighed letting my helmet fall to my side as I held it upside down. I looked around to see what everyone else was doing, but I couldn't look for long as Celestia requested my presence.

"Cougar, may I speak with you before we trek toward King Horntail's castle?" The alicorn kindly asked me. Without hesitation, I nodded and departed from the three Wonderbolts as Celestia approached me with Glock and Bat Fang following behind her. Spike had finished his letter to Twilight and was kneeling down near a pool of lava and _splashing _some on his face for some reason. Flash stood right next to Spike, keeping his eyes peeled for any imminent danger. At least he was upholding his promise to Twilight.

I had a feeling that maybe Celestia was going to give me a quick warning about being cautious around here, but I didn't mind that. Any information she could give me about Draconia would be helpful. Then again, she might be telling me to stay quiet and talk only when she or King Horntail addressed me; that I was perfectly fine with. "Firstly," she cleared her throat as we met, "are you okay? That spill you took wasn't too nasty, but it didn't look too pleasant either."

"Heh," I snickered, "yeah I'm fine Celestia," a small grin spread across my face. "A little fall isn't going to kill me," I raised my hand to show where my knuckle was skinned.

"Well, it certainly makes me happy that you're uninjured and that you took your first long flight fairly well," Celestia lightly touched her horn to my knuckle, completely healing it in seconds. She gave me a warm smile as she lifted her head back up. "I know you're not used to keeping your body in that position for very long," she continued.

"Don't worry about that; I may need to get used to this in the future," I assured her. "And besides, I want to help get Luna back just as much as you do, especially since you have a niece or nephew on the way," I tried to give her a confident look, but even now I was still feeling a little uneasy about being here. It seemed to work, however, as Celestia appeared to be thinking of playing with her future niece or nephew. "But anyway, we're burning time," I took a quick look around again, "what did you need to talk to me about?"

"You are aware of the fact that ponies and dragons don't get along very well, correct?" Bat Fang asked me, snapping my attention to the bat-pony standing to Celestia's left.

"Mainly the fact that dragons _hate_ ponies," Glock corrected for his fellow guard. I nodded with a shrug, knowing the tale that Twilight told of Spike trying to join the Dragon migration a few years ago.

"Well Cougar, I was fearing a bit for your safety in particular on the journey here," Celestia cut in, placing a worried wing upon my shoulder. "I know that some ponies didn't take too warmly to you when you first arrived in Equestria. And even now, as Hearts and Hooves Day proved, some ponies still do not enjoy your presence in Equestria."

"Yeah?" I turned my head, trying to decipher the alicorn's point.

"The dragons already do not have fond feelings for us equine; seeing you may register the same feelings or even worse," she warned me.

"What? You don't think they'll….." I swallowed, unable to say the word as the realization hit me, "just for seeing me?" I finished. Bat Fang and Glock looked down at the stony ground below as Celestia sighed sadly.

"I am not one-hundred percent sure," she admitted. "King Horntail may be a very fair dragon compared to the rest of his subjects, but you may draw a lot of curiosity out of him. I just want you, and everypony else here, to be safe. So I think it would be best if you stuck by my side the entire time like Spike, Glock, and Bat Fang," Celestia explained. If I could only describe one thing I admired about Celestia, it would be how with just the simplest of words, she always sounded like a caring mother. Even if she was talking about a dangerous situation, her voice just dripped with care and concern.

"I don't think that's a bad idea; I did practically the same thing when my CO and I would meet with foreign leaders or foreign military leaders," I replied, giving the princess an understanding nod. Celestia's wing slipped away from my shoulder and she gave me thankful smile when there was a shout from behind us.

"HEY!" Flash Sentry exclaimed loudly, followed by a loud splash and grunt from Spike. We all snapped to the commotion just in time to see a few droplets of lava landing on the ground before us. I jumped back without hesitation, fearing losing a toe or two.

"SPIKE!" Rainbow flapped her wings and zipped over to the lava pond. Flash currently had his hooves intertwined with another dragon's claws, trying to keep it away from Spike. The dragon looked to be maybe as tall or a little bit taller than myself. They were also decked out with charcoal colored armor, turquoise scales, and their hands, feet, and tail were exposed. The orange pegasus wasn't backing down; his face was permanently cemented into a snarl as he pushed against the dragon.

"FLASH!" I exclaimed, dropping my helmet onto the ground. Flash had lost his footing on the rocks from the force of the dragon's push; the dragon guard took advantage, releasing their grip on his hoof and grasped their claws around his throat before slamming him to the ground. I broke into a full-on sprint, charging over to get Flash away from his attacker. Of course every nerve in my body wanted to beat the dragon's face in, but I mainly wanted to separate the two before Flash could get injured.

"Leave our friends alone asshole!" Rainbow Dash screeched as she extended a hoof out to punch the dragon. Time seemed be going at quarter-speed; Rainbow got within a few inches of the dragon's helmet before she was snatched by her tail. She cried out in pain and shock as she was flung by her tail into a nearby rock. Her body left an indent as dust and pebbles erupted from the impact on the rock. At this point, I could only hear my heartbeat and my breathing whilst sprinting as fast as my legs could carry me.

A blur of blue flashed by me, coming to the aid of Rainbow Dash and Flash Sentry. Soarin attempted to wrap his forelegs around the enemy and tackle them. Unfortunately, the dragon had spider-like reflexes and punched him in the jaw, sending the Wonderbolt captain flying backwards and landing at the foot of Rainbow's rock. I raised my hands up, attempting to grab the dragon's throat with one hand and punch them with the other as I leapt over Flash's body.

"AHHH!" I screamed loudly until I felt a large lump come in contact with my ankles, tripping me up and onto my back. I landed with a hard thud on the rocky surface, coughing from the hard collision. A turquoise tail flew over my fallen body while the dragon readied in a fighting stance again. Since I dropped my helmet, I hit my head on the ground as well. All I could hear now was an intense ringing in my ear as my vision blurred slightly. The only things I could make out were the fur colors of Glock and Misty Fly while they both landed blows on the dragon's armor, the bright orange of the lava pool, and the blue hands, tail, and feet of our attacker.

I grimaced when Misty Fly was flung into Bat Fang and Glock, sending them into rough contacts with the ground as well. Trying to sit up only made me feel dizzy, so I could do nothing at the moment as the dragon stalked closer and closer with their claws extended. Suddenly, my vision was blocked when a tall white figure stood in front of the light of the lava. Squinting my eyes, I could make out Celestia standing defensively in front of me and the others with her wings outstretched. A bright flash of light intensified the headache radiating through my cranium, forcing me to look away.

"Stand….down," my hearing returned for the briefest of moments. Grunting, I turned back around to see Celestia clad in golden armor with flames going down the sides, her cutie mark on the flank, and her hair was tied up in a ponytail. She bent down in a more defensive stance, ready to fight the assailant. With a guttural growl, the dragon leapt forward at Celestia, her hand extending outward to claw more of Celestia. Without thinking, Celestia's gold-plated hoof shot upward, immediately stopping the the dragon's punch. The alicorn's eyes narrowed before turning completely white. The dragon attempted to use their other fist, but Celestia twisted their arm around, forcing a scream of pain from the reptile's throat. "I warned you," Celestia muttered before flipping the dragon onto its back.

Gathering as much strength as I could, I stood up as well to join Celestia. My hand grasped the wooden handle of my .44, yanking it out of its holster. We couldn't see the eyes of the dragon from behind the mask, but my best guess was it was stunned after what Celestia was able to do. Then, a golden aura surrounded the body of the fallen reptile before levitating and trapping it in the air. Spike emerged from the lava pond unscathed yet shocked. Amidst groaning and coughing, everyone else peeled or picked themselves up from where they'd landed and approached their princess, sticking close to her for safety. "What is the meaning of this attack?" Celestia questioned softly, trying to keep as much peace as possible between us. "The nine of us only came here in search of speaking with King Horntail."

"What happened to Spike?" Bat Fang questioned, noticing the purple and green dragon wiping lava from his scales.

"He pushed me in," Spike pointed the floating dragon before us. "All I was doing was-"

"Using King Horntail's _private_ lava pool," the dragon guard interrupted in a breathless voice. '_Celestia's defense must've knocked the wind out of this guy,' _I thought, still holding my gun, yet I didn't cock back the hammer.

"Hmm, I thought it was a pond," Soarin shrugged as he rubbed Rainbow's back and wings for her. She groaned in appreciation but let him know that she'd be okay.

"So, beating up my subjects, my _friends_," Celestia specified, "was justified for Spike using your King's personal lava pool?" The alicorn's magic brought the dragon closer to us. The dragon cocked its head the eyes of the helmet lined up with me. It let out a scoff or a chuckle (I couldn't tell which) before shifting its gaze back to Celestia.

"I was doing you ponies and whatever the Tartarus you are a favor. If King Horntail caught a dragon using this, he'd just tail whip them into the flame-cano. But a _pony-loving_ dragon? I don't think you'd want to know what would happen…"

"Are you expecting a _thank you_?" I said hoarsely, taking a step closer.

"I expect all of you to _leave_ and never come back; ponies aren't welcome in Draconia. Just like you stuck up prissy ponies don't want us dragons in Equestria."

"Don't talk to my friends like that!" Spike exclaimed, standing as tall as he could to look intimidating. "_They_ don't mind having me live with them in Equestria."

"Please, I could smell the pony scent off you from across Draconia," the dragon guard scoffed. "What did you even get the guts to come to our kingdom for anyway?" They folded their arms across their armor. "I know ponies don't come waltzing into Draconia for nothing, unless they want to be eaten," they seemed to joke.

"We _demand_ to speak to your king!" Glock shouted, losing his patience. "Now!" He added. Celestia extended her right wing, gently pushing against Glock's chest to calm him down. The dragon seemed surprised by the gall Glock had to speak to them like that. With another cock of their head, the dragon raised their hands up, grasping the underside of the charcoal-colored helmet. We all held our breath as the dragon's claws curled under the helmet and lifted it up before letting it fall to the ground with a loud clang. I lowered my gun to my side in surprise.

"Woah," Spike exclaimed. The face of a female dragon stared back at us with a glare as some smoke rose from her nostrils. Her voice was pretty distorted from the mask, so I didn't really know what to expect from the guard.

"And why should my father waste his time with the likes of ponies and that thing?" She pointed toward me.

**(King Horntail's Castle; Ivan's POV)**

The ten of us stood behind the large stone doors of King Horntail's massive castle. Myself and seven others of our group made sure to stick by Celestia after Horntail's daughter made us all look like minimum wage mall cops in less than ten seconds. We also huddled close to the alicorn because of the giant lava-filled moat that encircled the castle, though Spike wasn't scared at all of the molten liquid. Two other dragon guards stared intently at us, as if we were chew toys, while Horntail's daughter (who refused to reveal her name to us) turned around. Luckily she was a little more understanding that we'd expected. At least enough to escort us to Horntail. Whether or not he'd choose to speak with us was up to him. "Stay here," the female dragon ordered, glaring at all of us, "I'll see if my dad will humor you," she opened a door and slipped halfway inside. "And you two, _don't_ even think about harming them," she looked between the other two guards before slamming the door shut. The dragon guard to our right looked us over one more time before sneering and rolling his eyes.

"Are you quite certain that you're all right Cougar?" Celestia asked me sweetly, still sporting her golden and flaming armor. I groaned, moving my hand behind my head and rubbing the small welt that was forming above the bottom of my head. Once we knew that Horntail's daughter was going to at least try and get us an audience with the king, we all took a minute to rest from the attack. I realized then that putting on my helmet wasn't going to be as smooth as before.

"Heh," I scoffed rudely, clutching my helmet tightly in my other hand, "you're more concerned about me when Flash Sentry was throat-slammed into the ground, and Rainbow was partially imbedded into a fucking rock?" I seethed as the welt on the back of my head throbbed as my fingers left it.

"Well, Flash at least has armor on," Misty Fly pointed out to me, tapping on my leg. Still feeling pissed about getting my ass handed to me, I glared down at the yellow pegasus, forcing her to gulp and look away.

"And I'm naturally tough," Rainbow bragged, "being in the Wonderbolts only made me tougher, so it didn't hurt too bad," she added shifting around a bit to show she was still maneuverable.

"Still gave you one hell of a wake-up call didn't it?" I growled under my breath.

"You hit your head extremely hard on rock," Celestia said sternly, looking back at me with a small glare of her own. "I am just worried you could possibly have a concussion. That's all," she explained before snapping her head back forward toward the door.

"I appreciate the concern Celestia, but all of us except you and Spike took a sort of beating. I just don't like being singled out," I felt a little bad for my sour reaction to her worry about my health. "And I didn't throw up, so I think a concussion can be ruled out," I tried to offer the princess a smile, but she didn't look back in my direction. The smile quickly faded into a questionable frown as I peered to my left to look at the river of lava below. As soon as my head cleared from getting my ass kicked, the part of me that was questioning my very presence here was now screaming that I may have made the wrong decision. I wanted more than anything to be back with Applejack and the rest of our friends, but I'd already made my bet; I couldn't back out now. "Hey Spike," I called out to our dragon friend.

"Yeah?" Spike turned around.

"When you promised Twilight you'd write to her-"

"No I won't mention our welcome to Draconia," he winked at me and gave me a thumbs up, filling me with a sense of relief.

"Afraid of looking bad to Applejack, huh?" Soarin patted the back of my jetpack. "I didn't really see anything if that helps."

"I just don't want to give her a heart attack," I snapped, "not after what I went through just telling her I wanted to come here," I grumbled. Just thinking of what AJ's reaction to this would be made me feel sick to my stomach. As long as nothing else too exciting happened, it was okay I guess.

"Princess?" Flash spoke up, taking a few steps forward to get within Celestia's field of vision. "Not that I don't trust your word," he assured her as she looked down at him. "But are you positive King Horntail will at least listen to us?" Celestia groaned, drooping her head so low to the ground that her horn nearly touched.

"It's been nearly twenty-four years since I've spoken to him, Flash Sentry. Considering how he's trained his daughter to be a fighter, I am uncertain at this point," she admitted. "Though I can only pray that with the knowledge of Luna's kidnapping, he'll let a softer side slip through and lend us some assistance."

"And what if he _doesn't_ want to help us?" Bat Fang cut in, garnering my attention with the sharpness of his voice. "Then what do we do?" Celestia gently licked her lips and opened and closed her mouth, contemplating Bat Fang's question. I had thought about that as well a few times on our journey. The only answer I could come up with is search as much as we can without alerting our position to the rest of Draconia.

"I am _not_ leaving this place without answers or my baby sister, Bat Fang!" Celestia exclaimed. "We came here for one reason and one reason only. I will not let Luna down," she swore. A flash of light and a flicking noise occurred to my right, gathering my attention. With one wing Misty Fly tossed a spent match into the lava river below, and she held a cigarette in the other wing, taking a large puff at once before blowing the smoke into the air. She sighed happily and sniffed the smoke she had just blown out.

"You're smoking _now?_" I asked in disbelief. The pegasus shot me a look of '_Why the hell do you care?'_ And took another drag.

"What? It calms me okay?" She rolled her eyes. "Besides, it's not like anything here will catch _fire_." I truthfully had no qualms with smoking, but I had no idea Misty smoked, or that she would light one up in a situation like this. Without warning, all of us had our skin crawl as a loud bellowing laugh penetrated the stone walls of the castle.

_"Celestia wishes to _see_ me?!" _A voice that sounded suspiciously British questioned. "_Send her and her friends in at once, Ember!" _

"So that's her name!" Soarin nudged Rainbow Dash excitedly. The mare cocked her eyebrow at her colt friend's strange excitement as the doors swung open to reveal Ember standing in the doorway. The dragoness had somewhat of a scowl on her face as smoke flowed from her nostrils. I had to think that the scowl came with the job just like Glock, Flash and Bat Fang's stoic faces while they were on duty. She scoffed before turning to the side, gesturing for us to enter the hellish castle. All of us stood in place, waiting for Celestia to move first since we weren't going to do anything _too_ rash without her say so. She thanked Ember and bowed her head regally before trotting inside with us following close behind. Even Rainbow Dash decided to walk alongside us rather than fly above.

Once Misty Fly, the tail end of our group, entered the castle, Ember slammed the doors shut. I could only describe the sound that accompanied the door slam as akin to a jail cell door or a cemetery gate shutting. That really didn't help the situation at all. There were about a half dozen other guards lining the pathway in the throne room. Each one was taller than Ember, and they all had dark green armor and helmets on their bodies. Just like Ember's helmet did, the only features we could see of their faces were their glowing eyes that followed us slowly. "You and my dad must know each other better than I thought," Ember's voice shattered the quiet sounds of our footsteps. She'd flown past our group and landed next to the white alicorn, yet kept her gaze pointed forward.

"We've spoken to each other, but not for quite awhile," Celestia replied, at least having the decency to look at Ember as she spoke.

"Well he certainly sounds _eager_ to see you, princess," Spike cut in from the other side of Celestia. "And to be honest, that's the opposite of what I was expecting," he added.

"Did you mention to him what I told you, Ember?" Celestia ignored what Spike had to say, getting right to the point so she'd hopefully not have to repeat herself. Ember went on to explain that she barely mentioned the fact that we were all waiting outside the castle before Horntail granted us permission to enter. I wasn't really paying attention anymore; I was feeling really uncomfortable. Even more uncomfortable than when I first had to meet the populous of Ponyville nearly a year ago. Every dragon guard during our march to Horntail's throne couldn't keep their eyes off me. At least I didn't have to worry about becoming a snack when the ponies of Ponyville were staring at me.

Now I had no clue whether or not they _wanted_ to eat me, but it wasn't very pleasant to have something three feet taller than myself gawking at me like a chew toy. Looking ahead didn't help much; we could see King Horntail sitting on his massive stone throne the moment Ember flung the doors open. The huge dark green dragon grew with every step we took. I tried desperately to keep my composure, but I was feeling pretty nervous about having to stand in front of a twenty-five foot fire-breathing dragon that could crush us just for amusement. "Halt!" Ember exclaimed, snapping her wings out to stop our momentum. We all ceased walking the second she commanded, only to find ourselves about fifteen feet from King Horntail himself. "Kneel before the great dragon king, Horntail!" Ember announced, kneeling down on knee with her helmet on the ground.

"You heard my daughter!" Horntail bellowed, "KNEEL!" He shouted so loud that it felt as if the Thunderbirds had just flown about five feet above our heads, making our bodies shake. Celestia, the most graceful of our group, knelt regally while Spike, Flash, and Soarin dropped to the ground without hesitation. Misty Fly first dropped her cigarette on the ground and crushed it with her hoof before kneeling as well while myself, Rainbow, Glock, and Bat Fang took a little longer to obey the command.

"King Horntail!" Celestia exclaimed loudly from the front of our group. "Please let me say we are grateful for this audience with you!" The horned and orange eyed dragon hummed, studying all nine of us intently. He raised his right hand and began to scratch at his chin with his machete-length claws. The king suddenly let out a quick, "HA!" before slamming his hand onto the handle of his throne.

"You all look _much_ punier than normal," he mocked us. "But it _is_ rather nice to have guests once in awhile," he continued as Ember stood up and flapped her wings, joining him at his side. "AGREE WITH ME!" Horntail shouted loudly again, this time it was meant for his other guards who instantly agreed with their king.

_"What's with this guy?" _I heard Soarin whisper to Rainbow Dash who promptly shushed him.

"Especially my old friend Princess Celestia," Horntail grinned, never missing a beat as the guards stopped verbally agreeing with him. Celestia didn't even try to correct him about being an old friend.

"We haven't spoken in over two decades," Celestia replied, standing up from kneeling.

"And it has been about _500_ years since you've even been in my land as well," Horntail watched on as Celestia bravely stood up and looked him in the eye. "What, do you assume you're too good to see me once awhile?" We all held our breath, uncertain of what he would do. "I kid, I kid," Horntail waved his hand. _'Okay, so he's passive-aggressive, just great,' _I rolled my eyes at this guy. "I can't put my claw on it, but it is rather nice to at least have some new company," the king admitted. "And that you even have a dragon of your own! What is your name, _little_ dragon?" All of us looked over at Spike simultaneously.

"Uh, Spike, your worshipfulness?" Spike gulped, uncertain of what to call Horntail. "I was hatched by my mom, a unicorn, and she raised me," he explained.

"A dragon raised by a pony?!" Horntail bellowed before laughing loudly. "What, are you going to suggest we have a tea party next?" Spike shot smoke from his nose after being insulted by King Horntail. None of us dared to keep him from having fun, however. Then, just as quickly as he began, Horntail ceased laughing, wiping a tear from his orange eye. "So tell me Celestia, what _did_ provoke you and your friends to grow the courage to visit my land? You weren't hoping to-" he stopped mid-sentence. My heart sank as his eyes settled directly on me. "Hmm?" He remarked curiously.

_STOMP, STOMP, STOMP_

King Horntail had risen from his throne and took a few steps toward us. He knelt down onto his hands and knees, lowering his head to get a much closer look at me. Misty Fly reached over with her hoof and patted my arm, at least trying to give me some peace. "What in the name of Tartarus _are_ you?" The vibrations from his voice almost made me fall over. I bit my lower lip to only be able to breath through my nose; I didn't want to show any sign of weakness to the giant kneeling before me. His eye was only about six inches away from my face as he squinted and cocked his head from side to side, sizing me up just like the T-Rex from Jurassic Park.

"His name is Cougar and-" Rainbow Dash tried to explain, standing up on all fours before King Horntail shot her a nasty look.

"I do believe I asked _him_," he growled, "not _you_, rainbow pony," Horntail sneered. From the corner of my eye, I could see Rainbow's face contort into that of anger, but Soarin and Bat Fang helped to calm her. "Now," Horntail turned back to me.

"Cougar sir!" I announced proudly after taking a deep breath through my nose. "I am a human who's been taken in by my friends here."

"As a pet?"

"As an equal, your highness," I said through gritted teeth. What happened next freaked me out more than scared me. King Horntail put his nostrils only a few centimeters away and _sniffed_ me. With his size, it almost felt like I was being sucked up by a vacuum.

"Hmm," he muttered after finishing. "You wouldn't even make a decent midnight snack, hoo-man," he got up from all fours and returned to his throne as I shook from what just happened. Misty Fly once again sympathetically patted my leg as I reeled back from being sniffed like a piece of meat.

"Dad!" Ember shouted, groaning in disgust. "Stop sniffing them and let them get to the point already!"

"With all due respect King Horntail," Bat Fang's gruff voice announced, "I must agree with your daughter! We are already strapped for time as it is." Horntail looked between his daughter and Bat Fang, looking a bit impressed that Bat Fang had the balls to talk to him like that, though Celestia visibly showed she wasn't pleased with Bat Fang's tone. He sat back in this throne, intertwining his fingers on his hands together.

"Apologies for being a bit curious," he apologized, "but there's nothing wrong with being curious…..RIGHT!?" He suddenly blurted out again. This time our group combined with his own guards agreed with him, just to speed things up. "But forgive my interruptions Celestia, what _are_ you here for? I can sense it isn't just to say hello." After having to explain it to Ember, Celestia didn't want to have to talk about her sister's kidnapping again, so she allowed Spike to take the job, especially since he was a dragon as well.

"King Horntail, we've traveled across Equestria and to your kingdom in search of Princess Luna, Celestia's sister. She was kidnapped from her own bedroom in Canterlot; we have reason _and_ evidence to believe that one of your dragon subjects took her," Spike quickly gave Horntail the abridged version. I truthfully expected Horntail to launch into a rant about how dare we have the gall to immediately point blame to one of his own subjects for such a crime. But surprisingly, he took it pretty well. The dark green king untangled his fingers and placed his hands on the handles of his throne, leaning forward.

"Come again? Your sister was kidnapped right out from under you, Celestia?"

"Yes," the princess replied sternly. I could tell that she was struggling to keep from losing her cool. Being so close, yet constantly being held back from searching must have been aggravating as all Hell for the mare. "And to make things even worse, she's pregnant with her first foal."

"So you can see _why_ we're a little desperate to see you!" Rainbow Dash yelled to the king. "Have you heard anything from anyone?" The king blinked a few times before shaking his head at Rainbow Dash.

"This is a mighty big accusation," Horntail sat up straight in his throne. "Would you be so kind as to provide me with any evidence?" He requested. For the second time today, Celestia's body was enshrouded with magic. A pair of saddlebags appeared on both sides of her body that Spike reached into and produced the red dragon scale. Ember flew over from her spot next to her father and snatched the scale from Spike's claws, peering at it closely.

"I can tell you that I could smell a dragon's scent the moment my friend Cougar found it in Luna's room," Spike pointed to me. "I don't know about you, but to me it seems like a dragon _had_ to have something to do with Luna's vanishment," he added, folding his arms across his chest.

_'Like father like daughter,' _I thought as Ember took a quick whiff of the scale before turning to her dad.

"It's got a pony's scent on it, but I can definitely tell this came from a dragon," she announced to Horntail. "And one around my age," she added with another whiff. Her dad grumbled, putting his head into his hand before rubbing his face and sighing.

"How could one of my subjects, in broad daylight as you claimed, get into your castle without causing any sort of ruckus, and take Princess Luna as she napped? I'm not trying to disbelieve any of you, but it is rather puzzling," Horntail admitted.

"That's what we came here to find out!" Celestia blurted through a strained voice, trying to keep from choking. Glock and Soarin inched toward her in case she needed calming down. "I don't even care _who_ did this, nor do I care about making them pay for what they've done. I just want my baby sister back," Celestia explained. "Please Horntail, please help us!" She begged. Now all of us stood at full attention, surrounding Celestia to both calm her, and show Horntail how serious we were taking this.

"I understand that most dragons don't care about the feelings of others, sir," I called out. "But-" I stopped talking as Horntail slowly held up a hand. The great king sighed audibly, drumming his claws on his throne.

"This may be surprising to all of you," he began as one of his claws started to scratch against the stone, "yet I do feel something odd growing within me. Almost like a heaviness," he monologued.

"It's pity," Flash Sentry called out. The giant dragon ceased tracing his claw on his throne and shifted his gaze over to the orange guard. Flash gulped but still maintained his statue-like pose. Considering Horntail appeared to be quick to anger with his sporadic outbursts, I couldn't help but shoot my eyes open as Flash attempted to tell the king just what he was feeling.

"Pity you say, orange one?" The dark green reptile cocked an eyebrow. Flash nodded his head slowly several times, gathering the courage to take a few steps forward. The king didn't object to the guard approaching his throne, but Flash was still wary about it.

"Y-yes," he stammered, "I-I think you feel sorry for both princesses."

"Well then, I've never 'pitied' a pony before," Horntail air-quoted.

"Dragons don't really do pity, Celestia's guard," I noticed Ember cross her arms over her chest. I think she was trying to cover up the pity she was feeling for us; after all, she did lead us to the castle after Celestia spilled the reason why we even came here. "We mostly live by every dragon for themselves," she added.

"Um if I may?" Misty Fly raised a hoof politely, waving it to get Horntail's attention. "I think it's because Princess Luna is expecting her first child," she guessed. "I don't mean to sound rude, but I don't think you'd care all that much if it were just Luna that was gone."

"I truthfully cannot argue with you on that one," Horntail admitted solemnly after several moments of contemplation. The king was actually starting to sound more and more rational the longer we talked to him. I was still pretty wary of him, especially after what he did to me, but I guess this just proved everyone has a soft spot. It just needs to be hit in the right place. Now I wasn't expecting he and Celestia to become pen pals or anything, but just like Celestia had hoped before we left, maybe this _could_ allow the friction between Draconia and Equestria to settle.

"Maybe because deep down you know that a baby, an unborn one at that, is one of the most innocent things in the world, and you don't want to even think about what could happen to Luna or it," I covered my mouth when I realized it was _me_ who had just said that. I was more worried that I'd talked out of turn with Horntail, but he seemed to be fine with it. In fact, he looked over to his left where Ember was standing and quickly yet softly patted her back with his claw, grinding it against her armor. The dragoness was caught off guard by this and nearly jumped in her spot, but allowed (albeit uncomfortably) her dad to pat her back.

Unfortunately, not everyone agreed with this direction for King Horntail as we were about to find out. "Hey!" I shouted as the brown dragon guard standing close to me tail whipped my back. It wasn't enough to hurt, but it sure got my attention. Without Horntail's acknowledgement, the nine foot tall reptile stomped his way over to the king's throne, ripping off his helmet and holding it under his arm.

"King Horntail, you can't be serious!" He hollered. Our whole group failed to keep breathing as we awaited the king's reactions to being spoken to like that. "Don't tell me you're going soft over a sob story like that!" Ember seemed to take more offense than her father. Her wings snapped open, and she let out a guttural growl. I slowly put an arm in front of Misty Fly, taking a few steps forward to stay in front of her. We've already seen what she could do to us, and she was just holding back. I had no clue what kind of damage she could do to her own kind.

"You believe my decision to lend a little sympathy to these ponies is a decision of…..weakness?" Horntail asked with a hint of sarcasm and condescension. "DOES IT SOUND LIKE WEAKNESS TO ANY OF YOU!?" He screamed to the other guards. Horntail was met with a sea of disagreement from the other guards as they feared his wrath. Sadly for the one dragon guard, he was too stupid to understand his king's tone.

"Of course; they're just a bunch of ponies and a freak!" Horntail raised both of his eyebrows in reply, studying the guard's actions. "So what if their princess was kidnapped? It's just one pathetic pony out of thousands that's gone." Celestia nearly chipped a tooth from grinding her jaws together.

"A pregnant pony I might add since you're apparently deaf," Horntail rolled his eyes.

"And? Two ponies in one shot sounds like good riddance to me," the brown dragon crossed his arms. While all of us were beyond pissed, myself, Glock, Bat Fang, and Soarin all had to grab ahold of Celestia to keep her from murdering the dragon. "If they can't look after themselves, why should we have-" The reptile's eyes nearly burst from his skull as Horntail's boulder sized hand squeezed his body. The king swiftly brought the guard's face up to his and looked as if he were possessed.

"Dragons like _you_ are the reason ponies believe dragons to be monsters!" Horntail's mouth erupted in a ball of fire, completely melting the armor on the guard's body. Misty Fly and Soarin covered their own eyes as myself, Flash, Bat Fang, Glock, and Celestia dropped our mouths open. Rainbow and Spike simultaneously exclaimed, "_Sweet!"_ under their breath.

When it was all said and done, the guard had liquid armor dripping off his scales, and he was shaking violently. "Your services are no longer required to me, runt," Horntail then slipped the guard in between his claws and flicked him out the door of the throne room like a paper ball. The dragon king breathed heavily as he sat back down in his throne, darting his eyes around. "I apologize for that display; you don't deserve to have your sister spoken of in that manner, Celestia."

"I…..thank you?" The alicorn replied uncomfortably, unsure of how to react.

"So, are you saying you'll help us sir?" I stood up and asked the giant dragon.

"I'd be at a loss as well if my daughter were taken before she was born," Horntail continued as if I never spoke. "However, what can I do to help you, Celestia? I can allow you permission to search Draconia if you wish," he offered.

"Well, that is a nice start. However, I wouldn't even begin to know where to look," Celestia admitted. "Your kingdom is vast, and all the rocks look identical; I don't want to take too long in locating my sister." I hadn't asked Celestia exactly what her plan was, but after that little admittance, I think she was banking on Horntail assigning us a guide to find Garble and start asking questions.

"Hmm, too right you are," the king scratched his chin.

"Spike," Ember piped up, holding the red scale in her claws. "Do you know the name of the dragon this scale belonged to?" The face of our purple dragon friend immediately turned into a scowl as he snorted.

"Of course I do; his name's Garble. He's a real prick too," Spike explained, "he tried to get me to kill a phoenix egg a few years back during the migration. Luckily I came to my senses and refused."

"Garble eh?" Horntail asked curiously. "That name does sound familiar."

"He tried to enlist as a guard, dad," Ember replied quickly. "I kicked him out of the corps because he failed to listen to command," she grabbed her helmet and slipped her head inside. "I know where he spends most of his time in Draconia."

"Very well Ember. Go fetch him so our friends may have a chat with him," Horntail ordered. Ember gave a quick bow to her dad before spreading her wings and launching out through one of the large windows of the throne room, leaving a trail of dust and dirt behind. "I will put out an order that no subject of mine shall inflict any pain upon any of you," Horntail's announcement caused all of us to look at him. "Or else they will have to deal with me," he picked up a skull of an animal and crushed it into dust.

* * *

**(In another part of Draconia)**

In a hidden cave somewhere in Draconia lay Princess Luna herself. The dark blue alicorn's mane and tail were tangled messes and still, her fur had scuff marks plastered all over her body, her horn was scratched up, and she had dried tear streaks on her cheeks. The mare weakly opened her teal eye, letting more tears fall out as she stroked a hoof over her spell covered baby bump. Unless they were purposely not mentioning it, Luna guessed that her kidnappers hadn't a clue she was pregnant. She whimpered softly as she attempted to move, but her body was so stiff from being stuck in the same position for two days that her muscles were nearly unresponsive. _"T-Tia," _Luna whimpered, "_Checkered."_ Luna cried out a little as she felt a tiny kick from within her womb. "_M-mommy c-can't wa-wait to meet you….."_

**End Part 1**

* * *

_So again, THANK YOU to everyone for your patience on the wait for this chapter. I know most of you may not like a cliffhanger after waiting so long, but I can guarantee that what the next chapter has to offer will be well worth the wait. _

_As for Ember, I absolutely LOVED her character in The Gauntlet of Fire. So I decided to have her be in my story as Horntail's daughter. Though I thought she would make one hell of a guard as well. And as for her kicking everyone but Celestia's ass in the beginning, I kind of put in a Winter Soldier vibe: Just come in and kick some ass without breaking a sweat. Plus it also proves to Ivan that he MAY have finally gotten in too far over his head for once. _


	54. Chapter 53: Royal Reclamation Part 2

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 53: Royal Reclamation Part 2**

_Hello my loyal readers! It's so good to see you return! I know this is out past my normal two week schedule, but I really wanted to focus on the tension in this chapter so as to get you guys warmed up for the finale to this story arc. And I really wanted to thank you guys for helping me surpass 200 faves on this story! Not only that, but we've also surpassed 600 reviews! Thank you guys so much for helping me pass that mark. _

_Before I get to replying to reviews, I just want to remind everyone that if you're at all interested in my thoughts for new episodes for Season 6, there is a link to my YouTube channel on my profile here. _

**SkullRabbit775: **_Nice to meet you!_

**Srey: **_Thanks for that; I was hoping I could channel a bit of the Winter Soldier into Ember with how fast she could clean house like that. When she had her appearance in Gauntlet of Fire, I knew that she would be entering my story's universe. And to answer your question, Ember is a highly trained dragon guard; a normal dragon wouldn't be able to take down ponies that stealthily. _

**Monkeyboy0118: **_From what another author told me, Ember has quickly become a fan favorite of the show; and for damn good reason. Although possibly a one time appearance, Ember was extremely memorable and a strong character that learned having friends or not acting tough 24/7 doesn't make you weak. I'm also glad that she had a good purpose in the episode for wanting to be the new Dragon Lord: She would actually be an intellectual leader and not a leader based solely on strength. And I loved her line, "Please don't make me talk about my feelings!"_

**The Sleeping Library: **_I hope this one was worth the wait as it focuses more on tension building for the finale of the arc rather than just action. For the finale chapter of the arc, I don't plan for it to have a cliffhanger because everything WILL be resolved and then some in the next chapter. _

**Nostalgia Cop: **_I'm not sure Garble is anywhere near that intelligent to be honest_

**CreepyTamer20: **_I honestly have no clue. I can tell you there's maybe 11 more chapters after this before the final arc of the story begins. And even then I'm gonna need a pretty good break to be able to map the final arc out so there's no plot holes within the story. _

**headreviewermk2: **_Eh, even if more of the jet was intact, I doubt the electronics would still be working in order for a missile to be launched_

**Uss71832: **_Yes, this is 100% true_

**Furi-S-Poi****:**_Haha, no dude. That was Luna weakly saying she was looking forward to meeting her foal. Despite the hole she is in, she's remaining very optimistic about returning home. And it hasn't been two years yet. Not until October 15th at least. Also I'm not sure if Wattpad will work on here. _

**NoOne: **_Unless I'm absolutely exhausted from the chapter, I respond to reviews 99% of the time_

**Glugthorn:** _Plot hole eh? No a plot hole is like where the hell did the giant pit in the T-Rex paddock come from in Jurassic Park? Let's see, and the Air Force isn't a part of the military? Hmm, well it's included in the Five branches of the military. And while I could've had Ivan as a Naval Aviator, (That's a pilot for the Navy just in case you couldn't figure that out) I chose the Air Force for one reason: Because my grandfather served in the Air Force in a little war called VIETNAM. _

_I hope you guys enjoy this one. After this arc is complete, the chapters will begin to skip forward in time a bit; they won't take place like the day after the next, like the episodes do on the show. And there will be a TON of chapters coming up that I've been itching to write for a LONG time. The story will also be introducing a new character shortly..._

* * *

**(Horntail's Castle; Ivan's POV)**

In contempt of the fact that Horntail claimed to be on our side, and that he'd personally deal with any dragon that dared to interfere or harm us, it didn't change the amount of skepticism I was feeling. Or possibly a bit of fear and anxiety considering he could crush any one of us with even his smallest claw. I didn't feel completely distrustful of the dragon king, but I could sort of identify with Sarah Connor's feelings of the Terminator in T2. Yet, since Celestia seemed to trust his word, that was good enough for me to at least hold a sense of relief that we _were_ receiving some assistance.

"Is Ember fast enough to find Garble and come back before we lose too much time?" Rainbow Dash called up to Horntail. In the few minutes that Ember was gone, Horntail had suggested (shouted) that we relax just for a little bit before we resume our rescue mission. He also had a few servants bring some drinks out which turned out to be boiling water.

"Ha! My daughter is plenty fast enough little pony," Horntail chortled. "She may not be the strongest dragon in Draconia, but she is sufficiently agile and resilient," he bragged, sipping his 55 gallon barrel of boiling water. All of us except Spike simply set our water goblets on the ground and let Celestia cool them down with a spell. Surprisingly, it was pretty refreshing.

"Yeah, we kinda know that first hand your highness," I sighed as I pulled my drink away from my mouth and brushed my fingers against the welt on my head. "I'll give Ember that, she's exceptionally trained." Horntail responded with a beam of pride on his face.

"Well, she _did_ really catch you guys with your armor down," Spike shrugged before covering his mouth to belch. Flash Sentry rolled his eyes and used his wing to hold his goblet that he shook back and forth to pass the time.

"It doesn't matter Spike," Bat Fang chimed in with his raspy voice. "We're supposed to be Equestria's elite; we shouldn't be beaten that quickly or easily," the bat pony protested. A few of the dragon guards shared a chuckle at his objection, causing him to growl.

"Don't let a loss in battle get to you Bat Fang," Celestia calmly advised the guard. "We must all keep our emotions in check at a time such as this," she added. If there was one of us that had a right to say that now, it was Celestia. I've noticed her trying her damnedest to keep from getting choked up and exploding at us. All of us were pissed off to some degree and a little saddened, but there was no way I'd want to trade places with the sun alicorn now; her chest must feel like it's on fire.

"And technically Cougar's a volunteer," Misty Fly corrected the bat guard.

"SILENCE!" Horntail suddenly blurted, causing Soarin to accidentally spill his water onto Rainbow Dash. "If you are all so concerned about this, I shall assign my daughter and one other guard to escort you throughout my kingdom for extra protection," the king offered. That actually didn't sound too bad an idea. It was sort of like getting a personal police escort in a different city or even country back at home. And luckily no one really objected to the idea. Rainbow Dash, Glock, and Bat Fang didn't appear to like it all to well after their first encounter with Ember, but they put those personal feelings aside.

"Well, does Ember actually _like_ us all that much?" Flash Sentry retorted, setting his empty water goblet onto a window sill next to him.

"She hasn't killed any of you yet," Horntail darkly joked, "so I'd say she _may_ have a tiny soft spot for some of you." I could hear Misty Fly audibly gulp from the king's grim joke, not that I could blame her for that. _'Possibly just respect for Celestia,' _I kept my thoughts to myself as I studied the alicorn I was thinking of. It was such an oddity to see her in armor in person. I'd seen a few portraits of her and Luna in battle armor in their castle, but in the ten months I've known them, I'd never seen them in anything other than their gala dresses or their normal royal attire. "PURPLE ONE!" Horntail abruptly blurted. "Spike was it?" He added more softly.

"Uh, yes your highness?" Spike spun around from facing Flash. The dragon king had somewhat of a smirk on his face as he appeared to be sizing Spike up for whatever reason. I'm pretty sure if Twilight were here, she wouldn't like the way her son was being stared at by someone like Horntail.

"Tell me young one, do you have a mate yet?"

"WHAT?!" Spike screamed in response. Soarin began to sip whatever was left of his water, clearly hooked for someone reason at Horntail's inquiry to Spike. It was definitely a surprising question, but it wasn't that interesting since we knew of his feelings for Rarity.

"Oh please, it's just a simple question," the king rolled his orange eyes in annoyance. "It isn't like I asked if you'd killed or eaten a pony before. Have you?"

"Ahem," Celestia cleared her throat as Flash swooped in to catch Spike's falling water goblet. "I don't think that's an appropriate question considering the circumstances, King Horntail," she advised with a strained voice.

"My apologies." His apology sounded completely half-assed to me. His second question sort of hit home for me since I was in the military. "I simply wished to know if he'd consider my daughter as a potential mate," Horntail explained. Rainbow Dash's jaw nearly hit the floor as Flash lost grip on Spike's water goblet.

"Spike and Ember?" I asked aloud, shuddering just a bit since I could never picture anyone other than Rarity at his side, even if it hadn't yet happened.

"Of course. Normally I'd prefer a taller and much more stronger dragon than Spike, but considering the dragons in this kingdom who meet those qualifications are completely worthless, I do believe your friend would be a sufficient candidate," Horntail explained. Before anything else could be said, the stone doors to the throne room opened swiftly with a bang to the stone walls. Right as I turned, I could notice Spike breathing a huge sigh of relief at being saved from denying Ember to her father.

"Here he is father, Garble!" Ember announced as another pair of dragon guards shut the doors. The female dragon removed her helmet once more, putting it under her arm as she marched side by side with a red dragon a few inches taller than her. Right away, just from Garble's walk, I could tell the dragon was the jock-type that believed he was God's personal gift to the world. I instantly disliked him.

"Ah very good Ember!" Her father praised Ember's work. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Spike and Rainbow shaking with rage just from seeing Garble while the others except Celestia were trying to stare him down. Celestia on the other hand was sporting a look that could turn a dementor into ice. She believed Spike's every word that it was indeed Garble who was connected with Luna's disappearance. The alicorn even stretched her left wing, trying to cover Spike from Garble's gaze.

"_Ponies!?"_ Garble blurted, snorting smoke out of his nose and furrowing his eyebrows. He darted his eyes around each and every one of my friends, only to be seething with hatred with every passing glance. He snorted loudly again, this time causing orange flames to shoot out of his nose. "Your lordship, please tell me these ponies are here to be eaten!" Garble begged. "We don't want their namby-pambyness to infect us."

"You're going to be sorely dissatisfied Garble," Horntail announced, bending down in his throne to get a closer look at the crimson reptile. Letting out a growl akin to a pissed grizzly bear, Garble turned his head to face us, squinting his eyes.

"_You_ I recognize," he pointed a dark claw toward Rainbow Dash and began stalking toward her. Not one to just shy away, Rainbow Dash defensively spread her wings, leaning forward in a somewhat demonstration stance. Misty Fly and Soarin stood on either side behind her for backup, eyes glaring and jaws clenched. "Then that means," Garble shifted his yellow eyes over to Celestia, grinning evilly when he saw Spike step out from behind the alicorn's wing.

"Watch it Garble," Spike warned, "these are all of my friends, and we're not here for fun." The red dragon's eyes widened upon seeing Spike in full view.

"Woah, so the baby pony dragon ain't such a baby anymore, huh?" Garble moved toward Spike, extending his claw out to bop Spike's nose. "But I bet you're still a baby where it _really_ counts." Spike snorted, hitting Garble's claw with his green fire. "Heh, but you're still pretty weak, pussy," the bigger dragon mocked, grabbing Spike in his arm and digging into his head with his knuckles.

"Let him go you big red prick!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, raising a hoof like a fist.

"Do not harm him!" Celestia threatened as Ember flapped her wings into the air. Picking up my water goblet, I chucked it right at Garble, hitting him square in the back of the head. He instantly released Spike from his grip, jerking his head to the side to face me.

"You know, I can see why Horntail thinks the majority of his subjects are worthless idiots," I tormented the bully, furrowing my eyebrows and shooting him a death glare. "If they all act like you of course," I added, barely grasping the handle of my knife.

"And I thought ponies were ugly!" Garble exclaimed, looking repulsed by my presence. I didn't know whether or not he actually was sickened by me or if he was just being an asshole. "I guess ugly sticks together huh?" He flapped his wings several times, flying over and landing directly in front of me. Not moving a muscle, our gazes met as Garble looked a few inches down at me while Glock and Bat Fang snuck up behind Garble, ready to attack him if he harmed me.

"Then I suppose you don't know what a mirror is?" I replied, leaning a bit closer to try and intimidate him.

"Well, I knew ponies like to be friends with freaks, but what-"

"I'm a human you dick," I sneered, growing tired of explaining what I was to every new pony we met. Garble bared his fangs at me, growling as he put a claw to my chest and poked me.

"You better learn to keep your mouth shut, human, or else I may want to try something new for dinner," the dragon leaned down, putting his nostrils close to my shoulder. Before he could even get the first whiff in, I grabbed his muzzle, squeezing it like a vice and shoving him backward where Glock and Bat Fang flew back. "AH! ASSHOLE!" Garble spat.

"I've already been sniffed today; not a big fan of it," I growled. The reptile growled again, flaring his wings, baring his fangs, and opening his fingers, ready to pounce on me. I'll admit I was pretty scared by what was happening, but luckily Ember shot in between us, punching Garble away before he could attack me like a Velociraptor.

"That's enough you numbskulls," she insulted the two of us, tightening her grip on Garble's arm. "You stop trying to egg him on!" Ember shouted at me, causing me to nod uneasily and walk away to be with Rainbow, Soarin, and Misty Fly. "And you, you're going to listen to what our guests and your king has to say, or else I'll use you as my personal training dummy," she threatened, twisting Garble's arm behind his back until his complied with her command.

"Ugh, thank you daughter," Horntail sighed, rubbing the side of his head. "I didn't want to get a mess all over my clean throne room," he darkly joked again before clearing his throat. "Now Garble, Princess Celestia has an important issue that she and her friends have come to our kingdom for. Apparently her little sister, Princess Luna, has vanished without a trace. They've come here for assistance in her return home," Horntail explained. With the exception of the crackling flames of the throne room's torches, silence followed what the king had to say to his dragon subject. All of us were waiting to see what the self-caring cunt would have to say with further information. I continued to glare at him along with Spike, Celestia, Glock, Rainbow, and Bat Fang, not having much faith that Garble would sing a different tune.

A smile, more of a smirk, cut itself across Garble's scaled muzzle. A snort, followed by a short burst of flame, escaped his nostrils as the dragon shook his head in disbelief. "That?" He questioned incredulously. "That's why you drug me here to see these losers?"

"Grrr," I could hear both Bat Fang and Rainbow Dash growling behind me.

"Why should I, or you for that matter your highness," Garble spread his wings and took flight to get closer to King Horntail, "care that one stupid pony is missing?" He folded his arms.

_Clank_, an odd metal on stone sound caught my attention. Quickly turning my head, I could see a few sparks flying at Celestia's right front hoof as she pawed at the ground. I could see much strain in her face as she attempted to keep calm and collected.

"Maybe if you'd-" Ember attempted to speak, yet she was interrupted by the colossal prick himself.

"It's just one pony out of what, thousands Crustia?" Garble shifted his hovering body around to face Celestia. While it was more than likely he fucked up her name on accident, I wouldn't put it past Garble to say the wrong name purposefully. "Pfft, far as I'm concerned anyway, the fewer ponies around, the better."

"Princess Luna is pregnant you dickhole!" I heard Rainbow screech. She flew into my field of vision before being yanked back hard. I snapped my head back to see her scrambling to get to Garble as Soarin and Misty Fly held onto her tail and one of her back legs, begging her to calm down. It was easy to tell that the two of them were also pissed off at Garble's comments, but they were much better than Rainbow at staying calm like this.

"Tia…" Glock said cautiously, trying to put a foreleg around one of Celestia's forelegs. The alicorn was beginning to snort angrily as hard a bull; I didn't think she'd last much longer.

"Can't you put your speciesism aside for five bucking minutes and grow a conscience?!" Spike shouted at his former tormentor. As if by some stroke of luck, Garble's expression actually softened. His toothy smirk, eyes, and expression softened into that of someone being told some harsh news. The dragon even lowered himself to the ground, folding his wings onto his back. Rainbow Dash ceased struggling at this turn of events and Celestia's snorting quieted.

"Oh….." Garble managed to squeak out, lowering his head so far that his chin touched his chest. "I'm sorry. _Two _less ponies?" The smirk and hardened expressions returned. "FANTASTIC!" He exclaimed loudly, sticking his snake-like tongue out of his mouth at Celestia. At that moment, Princess Celestia actually screamed in anger. A feat that I _never_ even contemplated before was happening. The alicorn flared her wings out and stamped her hooves on the floor, ready to charge the dragon.

"TIA!" Glock exclaimed, jumping in front of his princess and marefriend to prevent her from letting her emotions run wild. Right away, Bat Fang and I saw that she was too strong to be held back by one pony. The two of us jumped in front of Celestia; Bat Fang grabbed ahold of her other foreleg while I wrapped my arms around her torso, holding her right wing down. The mare was fucking _strong_; she still managed to take a few steps even with all three of us holding her. She thrashed around a bit as Garble laughed and pointed mockingly at us.

"Awww, they're so cute when they're pissed!" Garble teased.

"LET ME GO!" Rainbow demanded, trying to kick at Soarin and Misty Fly. While Celestia was flailing myself, Bat Fang, and Glock around, I managed to catch a glimpse of Flash Sentry pinning Spike to the stony ground. He had his foreleg digging into Spike's back as his wings flapped furiously, trying to keep pressure on the purple dragon.

"Spike, you know your mom wouldn't let you waste your energy on that slime ball!" I could barely hear Flash attempting to coerce Spike out of attacking Garble as well. "I'm not gonna let you get hurt!" He added. There was a part of me that was literally praying for Garble to be the one behind Luna's kidnapping, just so I can have an excuse to beat his face into the back of his skull.

"**_ENOUGH!" _**King Horntail's voice boomed so loudly that dust and a few chunks of rock clattered to the floor. The near earthquake-like vibrations were enough to make all of us fall over to the ground. Just like before, a flash of turquoise flew overhead. Princess Ember, like a bat of out Hell, shot out to Garble and pinned him to the wall.

"_Stop_ antagonizing them," Ember ordered. An ear-splitting screech was heard as her claws scraped against the wall she'd pinned Garble to as she tried to bring his arms down.

"Why do you even care Ember?" Garble sounded as if he didn't give a shit he was trapped. "They're just a bunch of namby-pamby ponies and a butt-ugly human." As Bat Fang and myself managed to stand up, making sure that Celestia wasn't going to attack Garble, I caught a side view glimpse of Ember's eyes narrowing at Garble. The red dragon then yelped in surprise as the king's daughter flipped him over and onto his head with his back still to the wall.

"Because unlike you, I actually care for the safety of an innocent unborn youngling. That's what is at stake here. You're right, dragons don't normally give a shit about ponies or their well-beings, but I nor my father are monsters," she said darkly into Garble's face as she knelt down. His face contorted into that of disgust, completely put off by warm sentiments. "Now, stand here and keep your mouth shut until we have all the information we need," Ember let go of Garble's arms, only to grab onto his tail and flip him back right side up. The dragon was plopped down onto his butt, shaking his head as the blood rushed back down through his body.

Garble blinked a few times, moving his eyes around to each and every one of us before grunting as he stood up. "Yeah, I got it _princess,"_ he spat at Ember before trading his way over to Spike. Flash let Spike up from the ground, yet he kept a wing on Spike's front, ready to push him back. "What exactly do you want from me Spike?" Garble demanded. The son of Twilight glowered toward Garble before looking right at Ember, motioning with his head for her to come over.

Seeming to know what he wanted, Ember was over to Spike, Garble, and Flash in no time. The turquoise dragoness dropped the scale into Spike's awaiting hand before taking a step back, allowing Spike to handle Garble. "This is why we wanted to see you, Garble," Spike held the scale up to Garble's face in between his purple claws.

"Pfft, so?" Garble took one quick look at what Spike was holding before shoving Spike's hand out of his face. "It's just a scale."

"Well, do you want to tell us _why_ your scale was in Princess Luna's bedroom?" Spike flicked the scale into Garble's face. Flash swiftly took a pretty big step back with Spike, fearing that Garble would retaliate. Myself, Bat Fang, and Glock were wary when Celestia stepped forward, eyes still glaring toward Garble. We didn't hold her down this time; we just gently touched a hoof/hand to her. The shaking from her body only furthered my worry.

"Back off!" Flash warned as Garble chuckled before reaching out to Spike with his arm. All of us took a cautious step forward as the bigger dragon quickly scraped his knuckles across Spike's head several times, giving him a noogie.

"Aww," Garble chortled as Spike growled in anger. "You disappoint me Spike buddy! You see one red scale and assume it's _mine_! I thought we were pals!"

"I'd rather have Cerberus use me as a chew toy than be friends with a dick like you," Spike snarled through his jaw. Snorting once again, Garble ceased tormenting Spike, an unhappy expression carved into his face.

"Okay leave him alone!" Flash gave Garble a quick slap to the gut with his wing, using the other wing to push Spike further away from his aggressor. Something struck me as odd, however. Spike's eyes widened in surprise realization for only about a quarter of a second before they returned to glaring.

"King Horntail!" Garble announced, shoving his way past Spike and Flash Sentry with Ember trailing behind. "Out of all of us, _you_ should know that there are hundreds of other red dragons here in Draconia." Horntail raised his eyebrows, interested in what Garble had to say. Since he wasn't paying attention to what was behind him, all nine of us slowly stalked forward until we were no more than six inches behind Garble. There was no doubt he'd try to deny his innocence, but all we were going on was a scale that matched the color of his own. "And any one of those dragons could have done it, your highness."

"I _have_ considered that," Horntail replied quickly, scratching under his chin. "However, our guests called you out by name. You must admit that those odds are not favorable in your case." The giant king peered down at Garble, trailing off at the end of his sentence. Scoffing, the scarlet reptile turned to make a motion toward us, only to recoil for how close we'd gotten without his knowledge.

"Yeah well, what reasons do you have for accusing me of your stupid princess's disappearance?" He pointed a claw towards Spike. Celestia let out another growl but didn't attempt to lunge at the dragon again.

"Because you tried to get Spike to break a phoenix egg and then tried to attack him when he refused," Soarin replied so as-a-matter-of-factly.

"So we really wouldn't put this past you, _Garble_," Rainbow agreed, saying the dragon's name as if it were poison.

"Not to mention he and his goons also threatened to hurt you, Rarity, and _my mom!_" Spike joined in the conversation as well. Garble's reaction revealed that he knew he was in a losing battle already. All of this negative information about him surely wouldn't help his case with Horntail and Ember. It honestly brought a little smirk to my face to see him a little uneasy.

"Your mom? You actually call one of these-"

"_Don't_ say it," Flash warned the dragon, shaking his head slowly back and forth. I couldn't tell if he said that in regards to keeping his promise to Twilight, or if he was also doing because he maybe still felt a bit of a spark for the purple alicorn.

"How do we know they didn't just single me out because Spike and his friends here hate me?" Garble pointed out, trying to fight back from the hole everyone had dug him into. "If it matters to anyone here, do you have anything else to pin me to the crime besides one little scale you found in Ponyland?" Dammit, I was hoping he wouldn't be smart enough to piece that together.

"No we don't," I replied, taking a few brave steps toward him. "But it was the only place for us to start."

"Okay then," Garble threw his arms into the air. "So if none of you ponies actually saw me do it, and all you have to go off of is one red scale when there's hundreds of other red dragons in Draconia…." He trailed off smugly.

"We found a red scale in Luna's personal chambers; you're the first red dragon who explicitly stated he hates ponies we've dealt with recently," Spike quick cut in. "Don't you think that's _too big_ of a coincidence?"

"Last I checked, coincidence isn't evidence Spike," Garble gave a quick smack under Spike's chin. "Though I can tell you this," he added, shifting his gaze over to where Celestia and I were standing with Bat Fang and Glock. "I wish I _could_ meet the dragon that did this; he's a true hero," the dragon stuck his reptilian tongue out again. Celestia snorted rudely again, this time causing even Ember to slip over and just huddle close to the alicorn. "Your highness, can I go now?" Garble took flight, hovering at eye level with his giant king. "These ponies don't have anything on me; I think they just want to get back at me or something."

"Ugh, very well," Horntail sighed exhaustedly, "you are free to go, Garble," he waved his giant hand to the door. Chortling, Garble flew overhead, even going so far as to blowing a raspberry at Spike and Celestia. As the huge stone doors slammed shut again, all of us felt a little empty. Our only lead was a dead end so far; since there are no houses in Draconia, (at least as far as I knew) there was really no place for us to search that Garble lived. He could live practically anywhere in Draconia every day.

"I….I am sorry for nearly losing my temper," Celestia gravely apologized, sounding completely dejected.

"Hey, you handled yourself extraordinary well, princess," Misty Fly offered some encouraging words in reply. "And I don't think any of us would hold ill will if one of us _did_ lose our cool."

"But I shouldn't let my personal feelings cloud my judgement; that's not a sign of a good ruler," Celestia replied, still sounding disappointed in herself.

"Celestia, bottling up your emotions, especially anger, isn't healthy; I've seen what it can do first hand. It's not pretty," I replied, placing a hand on Celestia's neck that wasn't covered in armor and gave it a little pat.

"Princess Celestia," Horntail's voice boomed over our conversation. "As much as my subject's words angered you, I unfortunately have to agree with him. None of you saw your Princess Luna being taken, correct?" All nine of our heads simultaneously nodded no, only making the king sigh.

"I understand we didn't really have much King Horntail," Soarin took flight and flew as close to Horntail as he dared. "But we had to start somewhere, even if it was just a hunch on who did it. At least we _know_ it _was_ a dragon that did it."

"Yeah, but with so many red dragons to search, where do we even begin to find all of them?" Rainbow Dash joined her coltfriend in the air.

"Besides, who even said the dragon responsible is even _in_ Draconia right now?" Ember shrugged.

"WHAT!?" Celestia barked, making the three of us surround her jump at the surprise burst of noise.

"Sorry, sorry, bad choice of words," Ember held her hands up defensively. Celestia's breathing became ragged until Glock managed to calm her down, gently bringing her head down with his hoof to hug her.

"So what's our next step Celestia?" I questioned the alicorn after her breathing returned to normal. The alicorn didn't answer; she looked upward at the dragon king instead. I wasn't expecting an answer from Horntail whatsoever; I more or less thought he'd send us out after that little scene with Garble.

"I do apologize for your first lead bringing you to a dead end, princess," he replied as kindly as he could. "However, this setback does not mean your journey is at an end. As I promised before, you have my full permission to search Draconia for your sister." He announced proudly. Well, at least this guy holds up on his promises, but thankfully we had at least two allies with us in Ember and Horntail. Unfortunately, Spike was clearly not on the same page as the rest of us. Just as Celestia was about ready to agree to Horntail's orders, the purple dragon cut off Horntail from his speech.

"Um, your highness, can we just have a quick moment outside to discuss this?" He requested, already trying to push Flash and Misty Fly.

"Discuss it? Most of you seemed content with the idea earlier. DID YOU NOT!?"

"Well, um, yes sir," Spike stumbled over his words. "But you know we may uh want to split up to cover more ground or something, so bye!" Spike exclaimed before grabbing Soarin and Misty by their tails, dragging them behind him.

"Wait up Spike!" Flash called whilst the rest of us jogged after him. None of the other dragon guards followed us outside, though we could easily make out Horntail's confused rambling. Spike was hiding something, there was no doubt about that. Was it Ember? Sure she handed everyone except him and Celestia an ass kicking we wouldn't forget, but Spike didn't seem too off put by her. And his talk about splitting up made no sense; we discussed last night when we slept in the Hayseed Swamps that we would all stick together of our own accord and not stray away from the group. Spike pushed with all his might against the doors of the throne room before remembering the two guards.

"Hey, your king needs you inside," Spike turned to the two dragon guards outside the main doors. "He said get in there if you don't want the same fate as the last guard he fired." Both guards gave each other a nervous stare before slipping through the narrow opening between the doors. Without wasting time, Spike slammed his body against the doors, shutting them with a loud squeak.

"Why did you drag us away from Horntail's offer?" Rainbow demanded. "It may be a surprise to you Spike, but even _I_ think we could use all the help we could get here!" She exclaimed right in the dragon's face.

"I don't think Spike would drag us out here for something stupid, Dash," I cut in in defense of our scaly friend.

"Please do not bicker!" Celestia exclaimed, stepping in between Rainbow and I, probably in case we'd challenge each other's position on the matter. "Spike, if you have something important to say, please do make haste." Spike nodded, licking his slithery tongue along his lips.

"Look guys, please don't take this as sole evidence," he begged at first with a pleading look in his reptilian green eyes. "But when Garble kept giving me that noogie, I _swear_ I could smell Luna's scent right on him," he revealed, biting his lips hard enough that he actually did draw a little bit of blood. Almost like an electric shock, the hairs all over my body stood up at his admittance.

"Spike….." Glock remarked, urging the dragon to continue when it appeared he lost the ability to speak.

"A-are you certain Spike?" Celestia dropped to her knees to be at eye level with him.

"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't even bring it up," Spike replied with a nod. Celestia sighed, slowly stepping back up to her hooves.

"Why didn't you mention that in there?" Flash questioned, tapping the stone door with his hoof.

"Because Garble could easily make an excuse that I was lying or that because you guys are here with me, that's what I was smelling," Spike explained, scratching his claws on the side of the castle. Spike was right; even picking up Luna's scent wouldn't be enough to for Horntail to send out a search party with Garble in custody. Besides, even if the scale and Luna's scent were enough evidence for Horntail, then how would we get Garble to show us where he was hiding her?

"Can you track the scent?" Soarin asked Spike as Celestia waded in between us, standing on the bridge suspended above the lava moat.

"He's not a dog, Soarin," Rainbow Dash snapped as she hovered above our heads and paced about.

"Well, Ember said she found him where he usually hangs out," Flash quipped. "Maybe we can ask her where that is?"

"Eh, even Garble's not stupid enough to go back there," Spike shook his head. "That'd just be the first place we would look for him."

"I say we try to find Luna before we find Garble again," Bat Fang cut in. "If we find him first, he could just lead us further away from the princess, and then we'd probably never find her. If we at least find Luna first, then we can take her to safety before confronting Garble about his crime," he cast a glare toward us, grinding a spear upon the ground.

"That's a fine idea Bat Fang," Rainbow Dash replied, slowly descending to his eye level. "Just how can we find her though? Even if Ember helps us, we have no idea where to begin looking!" She exclaimed loudly into his face. During this time, I'd stood back with my back to the cold wall of the castle, arms folded across my torso. I wasn't saying much, but that's because we all had the same general consensus; what I had to say would just be redundant. Though I wasn't wasting this time away; I was trying to think of ways to locate Luna. We all couldn't just fly out into Draconia without a plan, hoping to spot Luna trapped in some rocks or whatever.

"Celestia," I called out. The princess turned around from her stance on the bridge, an exhausted expression on her face. "Do you think maybe you could give your mental link another try?" I suggested. She hadn't tried since that morning when we left the Hayseed Swamps. Celestia attempted it before we slept last night as well, but both times ended the same way: nothing except for Celestia feeling drained. I could tell Celestia was a bit afraid of trying it this morning. With how long Luna had been gone, and with no signs that she was at least awake…..

"O-one more try," Celestia slowly paced back over to our group.

"Well, are you sure you can handle summoning that much magic?" I questioned. I didn't want to force Celestia into trying this in case it made her pass out or possibly do some damage to her.

"I have not used any magic whatsoever since this morning," she replied, casting a look in my direction. "But still….."

"Tia," Glock stepped in, his slightly agape. We all knew exactly what she was thinking, but didn't want to mention anything that could possibly prevent Celestia from being there when we rescued her sister.

"I want more than anything to find Luna," Celestia said, sprouting her wings, "but….._I also want to be there to protect her_," she whispered, allowing her wings to lower from self doubt.

"Celestia, please," Glock took another step closer, removing his helmet from his head and set it on the ground. Considering that Glock knew Celestia longer than any us, he was the best one to talk to her about this. "I….I hate to tell you this, but it's our only chance," he apologized profusely, lightly rubbing the parts of Celestia's foreleg that was not armored. "And believe me, I don't want to see you exert yourself beyond your limits either," he said in the softest voice I've ever heard him use.

"Wait, are you saying you could hurt yourself, princess?" Misty Fly questioned in a distressed tone. Now that really got everyone's attention. The unwanted possibility that Luna was injured, and the slight possibility Celestia could magic herself unconscious didn't sit well with any of us.

"You all already know I had to wait a little bit for my stamina to rebuild after trying to mentally link up with Luna this morning," Celestia sighed, lifting up her foreleg to be closer with Glock. "And after that I have used as little magic as possible, but even then I may pass out from how much magic I must summon, or I may too debilitated to be of any help. Yet that's still considering the link even works," she added gloomily. "I don't care whatsoever if I exhaust myself to the point of collapse, I'm worried that I won't be able to help her," Celestia explained, squeezing her eyes tightly and resting her head upon Glock's.

"If I may your majesty?" Soarin raised a hoof like a little kid would to a teacher in class. The alicorn looked up from where she was resting her head and gave the Wonderbolt Captain permission to speak. "You do understand that you won't actually help Princess Luna if you don't even try right? I mean if you trying to see into her mind is our only chance of finding where she is, shouldn't we at least try?"

"Y-yes, I do understand, Soarin," Celestia softly nodded. "I just know Lulu must be frightened, but not being able to be there for her scares me as well," she explained.

"But you will be there for her," I chimed in. Everyone turned their gazes over to me, probably shocked at hearing my voice since I barely used it outside the castle. "_When_ you make contact with her, she'll know you're looking for her," I said with a little enthusiasm.

"Yes, that part I get Cougar. But you know how much doing that takes a toll on me," Celestia attempted to debate me.

"Flying like this for the first time sure took a toll on me as well," I countered, patting the jetpack on my back, "yet I did it because a close friend of mine is in trouble. Now I know mental exhaustion is more dangerous than physical exhaustion, Celestia, but you yourself said you'd do anything to get Luna back."

"Of course I would; whether or not she was pregnant," the princess replied with a stern nod.

"Then do it," I took a step forward, clenching my fist tightly to help instill her with confidence. "Forget about the negative consequences. Just think how happy you'll be when you can trace where Luna is; your mind will be too occupied with seeing your sister again that it won't have time to be exhausted." The alicorn's eyes widened only slightly, but it was enough. She raised her head from Glock's own, looking back and out at vastness of Draconia.

"We believe in you, Tia," Glock said, garnering Celestia's attention. The pegasus let go of his alicorn marefriend and picked up his golden helmet, returning it to his head. We all nodded in unison, gathering closer to Celestia until we were mere inches away and took a respectful knee, bowing before her.

"I know I can trust each and every one of you to find my baby sister should I succumb to the strain," she announced.

"We're with you and Luna until the end of the line, princess!" Spike shouted triumphantly, sticking his own fist in the air.

"Thank you all," Celestia replied gently, taking in a deep breath. None of us moved from our circle of encouragement as Celestia began to perform the ritual. Her horn glowed a brilliant light of gold as her wings snapped outwards, nearly smacking Bat Fang and Misty Fly in the head. With the amount of magic she was using, her body actually began to hum a little, sending the slightest vibrations through the rocky ground.

Her eyes clenched tightly as she began to summon every ounce of magic within her. Celestia's head lowered until her chin touched her gold plated chest; her body began to vibrate itself. The golden light from her horn shone even brighter, forcing all of us to look away when her head rose from her chest and her eyes snapped open, only to be glowing a bright white. I even had to cover my shut eyes with my hand from the light of all this bouncing off the walls of the enclosed entry way of the castle. "Ngh ah!" Celestia began to groan at the strain she was under. "_Luna," _she said like an elephant had sat upon her. _"H-hear….me!" _She cried out in stress.

The vibrations suddenly stopped, but the humming continued. Peeking in between my fingers, I could barely make out through the light that Celestia actually rose an inch or two off the ground. I couldn't look for long, but I prayed that it meant it was working.

"LUNA!" Celestia suddenly shrieked. The glowing lights and humming stopped immediately; Celestia's eyes returned to their normal magenta color, but she didn't land on her hooves. "Oof!" The alicorn landed with a thud and a clang to the ground.

"Princess Celestia!" Misty Fly exclaimed in fear, rising up from her knee and immediately holding her princess' head off the ground.

"Tia!" Glock cried at about the same time as Misty Fly, sitting opposite the yellow Wonderbolt, helping her hold Celestia's head. I rushed over, yet remained on one knee as I placed my fingers upon her neck, checking for a pulse.

"Got a pulse!" I declared while Bat Fang put his ear up to Celestia's mouth.

"She's breathing," he added, taking a step back to help Celestia get more air. Having three of us surround her was more than enough; I got up as well. The alicorn lay motionless at our feet and hooves, even her hair and tail weren't flowing freely.

"Tia, please say something," Glock begged, removing the alicorn's helmet. "Come on Celestia, Luna needs you!" He pleaded again, hoping that Luna's name would awaken his fallen princess. What seemed like hours took only about twenty seconds, but we got a little bit of movement. Celestia's left ear twitched several times, making all of us hold our breath for the time being.

"Princess?" Soarin called out. The alicorn suddenly inhaled sharply, snapping her eyes open again. She coughed several times before placing a hoof upon her head. "Yes!" The Wonderbolt Captain cheered as Misty Fly, Glock, and Bat Fang helped to steady Celestia. It took her awhile, but she was able to brace herself on her forelegs, looking around. She was near hyperventilating, but not enough to require a bag or anything.

"_Cave,"_ was all she was able to squeak out. It may take her a little bit to recuperate, but I think she'd be ready to get her sister at the drop of a helmet.

"Say it again Celestia?" Spike requested, leaning in closer to hear her. The rainbow maned alicorn weakly rose her chin up and looked over at the purple dragon.

"_Lulu, she's being held in a cave,"_ Celestia replied weakly, "_out there!" _She managed to point her left wing behind us, seeming to point beyond the horizon.

**(Ivan's POV)**

"Are you sure about this Celestia?" I asked hesitantly. After the princess revealed where she'd made a mental contact with Luna, she _demanded_ that we head out now to find her sister. Even with the rest of us unanimously believing we should at least have Ember go with us in case any other dragons had a problem with us, Celestia was determined to not waste anymore time. So determined that she tried to fly by herself, only to get about four feet off the ground before collapsing on the bridge above Horntail's moat. It took myself, Rainbow Dash, and Glock holding Celestia to get her in the air as Soarin, Flash, Bat Fang, Misty Fly and Spike took protective positions around us. Luckily Flash was strong enough to hold Spike without any signs of fatigue.

"_She's here!"_ Celestia snapped, still sounding drained. She'd recovered about halfway on the flight over here, but she was still a little ways off from at least being 'awake' enough to fly. Performing magic higher than possibly levitation and teleportation of objects was out of the question for at least an hour so it could regenerate. Then again, I had no idea what other magic she _could_ perform at the moment. "_Luna's weak too; I could barely see her field of vision for a few seconds, but I could see she was trapped in a cave,"_ the alicorn repeated.

"But in a volcano?!" Rainbow called out what I was referring to. About three quarters of a mile across a bay of water sat a volcano that Celestia claimed her magic connection with Luna was made. "Come on princess, we all want to get Luna back, but I think we need Ember with us!" She tried to persuade the princess.

"We could easily get lost in there or trapped too!" Misty Fly concurred with her fellow Wonderbolt. While I agreed with Misty Fly's concerns, I was mainly worried about the fucking thing erupting with all of us inside. Then Equestria would be in deep shit with both princesses gone. Maybe everyone else had the same fear, but like me, didn't want to call out the elephant in the room and instill more doubt within us.

"How can you be sure where to find Luna once we get inside?" I asked, turning away from the volcanic island in the water. All of us were standing on the edge of a huge cliff; even though nearly all of us could fly, none of us were too sure if there were any other hazards waiting below the watery surface. "If there's one cave in there, there's bound to be a whole network of them," I added.

"_I am strong enough to at least sense another magical presence, Cougar," _Celestia gave me a sly smirk, trying to assure me. "_Hopefully by the time we've gotten her, I'll be well enough to fly again and I shall carry her home," _she continued, taking in deep breaths.

"I don't want you to strain yourself again, Tia!" Glock replied sternly, slamming the blunt end of his spear into the ground. "You could cause more damage to yourself than just exhaustions," he warned. He couldn't stay too stern for long however; Celestia gently placed a wing on his back and stroked it lovingly.

"_Flying won't be an issue Glock; it'll be any dragon that dares get in the way of rescuing my baby sister," _she claimed, sprouting her wings to full extension. _"You have my word that I won't use _any_ magic until we enter the volcano. Even then, sensing other forms of magic doesn't put any strain on me." _Glock gave a reluctant sigh and a quick nuzzle to Celestia before standing beneath her left wing, flapping his own. _"I believe in you my friends; otherwise I wouldn't have asked you to come on this mission," _Celestia concluded as I took the cue. Pumping my arms back, my pack activated, shooting the wings outward as the gentle roar of the engines came to life.

"Careful now," Glock warned me as I hovered above Celestia, wrapping my arms around her torso as Rainbow Dash took her position under Celestia's right wing. Spike hopped aboard Flash's back while they and the rest of the rescue group took off to resume their protective positions ahead of us.

_"Now!" _Celestia ordered. All at once, myself, Glock, and Rainbow Dash lifted Celestia up into the air as gently as possible before moving forward. Because of her size, there was no way I could carry Celestia all alone; thankfully Glock and Rainbow Dash took some of the weight themselves. I did one last look behind us just to be sure we weren't being stalked. Once I saw nothing unusual, I refocused my eyes on the volcano ahead and the alicorn in my arms. Rainbow and Glock pumped their wings furiously to support Celestia and move forward at the same time. We weren't moving fast, but we'd get there at a reasonable pace. I increased my speed just slightly, making sure it wasn't too fast and that I'd accidentally lose my grip.

"We gotcha princess!" Rainbow Dash cheered as our speed as a whole increased. The alicorn couldn't move her wings too much to be very effective, but she had sort of a glider effect, allowing us to fly smoothly. It didn't take us too long, but with nothing preventing us from getting to our destination, we reached the entrance to the side of the volcano in roughly three minutes with our relaxed pace. Softly, we lowered Celestia to the platform that extended about ten feet past the entrance.

"Thank you, my friends," Celestia thanked us as I released her torso from my grip and flew to the side, deactivating my pack. The wings retreated into the body of the jetpack as I kept an eye on Celestia just in case her knees buckled or she lost her balance.

"You're sounding a little better, princess," Bat Fang took note as he stood opposite of Glock in front of Celestia.

"All in due time, I should be back to normal within the hour," her mane and tail even began to move of their own accord once again, though not as swiftly as usual. I looked forward to the rest of the group, only to become rather curious. None of them had even stepped foot into the cave yet, and I could tell why. Sure, there were the normal stalagmites and stalactites as I expected, et the mouth of the cave entrance looked like giant mouth with fangs. Misty Fly was shaking like a leaf just from looking inside.

"It doesn't look too narrow," I attempted to lighten the mood just in case anyone here was claustrophobic. Stepping forward, I placed a hand on the Wonderbolt's head and softly patted her.

"Still, it doesn't mean we have to _like_ walking into this death trap," Misty gulped, shifting her gaze away from the cave.

"I thought you were supposed be the positive one," my hand retreated from the yellow pony and furrowed my eyebrows in puzzlement. Misty Fly took one look back at me and rolled her eyes. We couldn't hesitate anymore; Celestia announced that she'd rested long enough and that it was time to move. She even attempted to take the lead of the party, strolling past everyone before Flash, Spike, and Glock blocked her path.

"Please don't waste what time we have," Celestia requested.

"Your highness, no matter what, we will _not_ let you head this rescue party in your condition," Flash replied sternly, crossing his wing with Glock's. The other pegasus guard simply shook his head at Celestia, not even second guessing his move.

"Come on Celestia, we can't do anything too rash now," I advised from my position next to Misty Fly and behind Celestia. I didn't mind taking the rear position again since it was one of the most important duties when escorting someone or something important. With a frustrated sigh, the alicorn agreed, letting Glock and Bat Fang take positions on her left side; Rainbow Dash and Soarin on her right side, and Flash Sentry and Spike at the front of the group. We all seemed to take a collective breath simultaneously before one by one we all were swallowed up by the mouth of the cave. The stalagmites and stalactites looked even more morbid as they became nothing but black figures against the orange hue outside. Lava, caves, rocks, fire, and brimstone; the only thing missing was a sign that read _'Abandon Hope All Ye who Enter Here.'_

I was right about one thing though, the tunnel we'd entered was actually pretty wide, but that didn't really help anything though. All nine of us were slammed with a wall of hot air; my flight suit was beginning to become even more sticky than before. I couldn't imagine what my friends were going through having to wear armor or a uniform over fur. "Oh colt!" Rainbow Dash groaned, flapping a wing over her face and trying to keep alert. Celestia gave a pretty sizable flap of her wings, sending a rush of cooling air all around her. "Whew, thanks princess!" Rainbow Dash sighed in relief.

"Do you think any dragons actually live here?" Flash Sentry questioned Spike up ahead.

"Hard to tell, Flash," Spike retorted, peering his head all around at the walls and ceiling. "I mean the heat won't bother any dragon, and it looks like a good hiding place for jewels and gold and junk, but I can't tell if there are any dragons here right now," he explained. Through the trotting of hooves on the rocky floor, I could barely make out a rock rolling down a wall and clattering across the ground somewhere up ahead. Unsure if anyone else heard, I grasped the handle of my magic gun and slowly slipped it out of its holster.

"Hey, you okay there, Cougar?" Misty asked with concern. "You seem a little…..jumpy?" She tried to guess, squinting her left eye in confusion. Feeling like I was caught, I kept my gun to my side and swallowed as gently as I could, looking at every angle of the tunnel. "And jumpy doesn't come to mind when I think of you."

"I'm not jumpy, I'm alert," I lied to Misty, walking just a step or two ahead of her pace. "And it's better to be prepared," I tapped the barrel against my leg, making sure to keep my finger off the trigger.

"If you say so," Misty sounded like she didn't believe my bull-shit, but she didn't press further or try to dig down to get me to admit that I was actually pretty scared. It wasn't the tunnel that had me frightened and on edge as my breathing proved. It was what I couldn't _see_ in the tunnel that was scaring me. With every passing foot, I tried to keep a close eye on the ceiling and the walls in particular. The paranoia part of my mind was tricking me into thinking that something far worse than a dragon was going to drop down from above or burst through the wall. Yeah, watching _'Aliens' _as an eight year old was definitely a dumb move on my part. It was mainly the surprise of something appearing without warning that got my heart rate up.

"Hey princess?" Soarin squeaked, sounding uncertain whether or not he should be talking to Celestia right now.

"Yes Soarin?" She answered in her still tired yet motherly-like voice. I guess since we started moving, she was a little less irritable. I paused scanning every inch of the walls and ceiling of the tunnel, taking a quick glance up ahead to see Soarin looking halfway at Celestia and halfway at the floor. "You aren't claustrophobic are you?" Celestia questioned.

"Uh no, I'm not," the pale blue captain replied out of the corner of his mouth. Even Rainbow Dash had an eyebrow raised, piqued at how unsure her coltfriend sounded. "I was just wondering what happens if we find Luna before we run into Garble?" Celestia's pace slowed just enough that both Misty Fly and I bumped into her. The alicorn quickly resumed her speed as everyone except Spike and Flash slowed as well, continuing to forge ahead. We allowed the princess to walk a few paces ahead before counting at our previous speed; I still kept my eyes peeled to the walls and ceiling.

"Well," Celestia began, sounding as if she were guessing along the way. "We know our primary goal is to get Luna home; that's the sole reason we came here," she explained. "King Horntail gave us permission to search his kingdom, not to detain Garble," she added. "We must focus on rescuing my sister; but alerting Horntail and Ember is important as well. They have the authority to deal with a criminal of their own kingdom."

"Okay, then how do we convince them that Garble was behind this? Remember what Spike said, Tia?" Glock replied with a rough swallow.

"Luna should be all the evidence we need Glock," Celestia rubbed a wing on Glock's back. "Once we find Luna, we can take her back to Horntail's castle to tell him and Ember to be on the lookout for Garble; then we take my baby sister back home and put this awful incident behind us," the princess finished with a bit of hope in her voice. It sounded like the perfect plan to me. Nice and swift to get back home to Equestria and hopefully get things back to normal. Yet I couldn't shake the feeling that it wouldn't be that simple; nothing is ever as simple as it sounds.

"Princess!" Spike's voice bounced off the stone walls from up around a bend in the tunnel. It sounded a little concerned but not frightened or angry.

"We have a slight problem!" Flash chimed in, his voice sounding a little more worried than Spike's. Still determined, Celestia's brisk walking turned into a light trotting, making all of us feel a little nervous since she was still recovering from her magic bender. We all started jogging, hurrying around the turn, only to stop in our tracks once we came upon a disheartening sight. The arm that was holding my gun dropped lazily to my side. We stood behind Spike and Flash who had stopped at the start of a stone bridge that spanned maybe thirty or forty feet across to another tunnel.

"Oh shit," Bat Fang cursed. The bridge to the other tunnel wasn't the issue; it was the _dozens_ of other tunnels to the left, right, above, and below the giant crater our bridge was suspended over. We were stuck in a labyrinth with no way of knowing where to even start.

"Celestia…." I said before trailing off, hoping she may be able to provide an answer on what to do.

"We're in the belly of the beast now," Flash Sentry remarked softly, his ears falling limp to the sides of his head.

"Cut the poetry crap!" Glock snapped to his orange counterpart. "We need to figure out just where to _start_ in this damn place." Having little time was awful, but have no clue how much time we had to save Luna was Hellish to say the least. This wasn't just a setback, it was like restarting a whole game back at level 1.

"If anyone is thinking of splitting up, just keep your thoughts to yourself," Rainbow Dash craned her neck around. No matter what, she was right. If we split up, then several of us could get lost and be right back at the beginning again, possibly never getting out of this Hell hole. While all of us were trying to think of ways to just even begin our search, Celestia took several steps forward, stepping onto the volcanic rock bridge. She stretched her head up, peering up at the hole at the top of the volcano.

"Tia!" Glock flapped his wings furiously, darting forward to stand side by side with the alicorn. "Be careful!" He took a quick look down below. The rest of us joined up with the princess and guard captain, standing on the edge of the crater. I took a look down myself; luckily there was no lava on the surface of the ground, but a fall would kill any of us should we not be able to take flight. Several plumes of smoke seeped out of the cracks in the ground, indicating that there was indeed a pool of lava below the ground, waiting to erupt at possibly any moment.

"Do not fret my loyal bodyguard," the princess said softly, refocusing upon the white pegasus. "I have a way to figure out where to start," she revealed. "It may not lead us directly to her, but it will give us a path. And a path is much better than nothing."

"No!" Glock barked, shaking his head profusely. "Celestia, you're not one-hundred percent recovered yet!"

"What's she talking about, Glock?" I asked, not feeling comfortable about Celestia's tone of voice.

"It's similar to the mental link spell," Celestia explained, looking over at me. "However, it requires _far_ less magic than the mental link. Alicorns and advanced unicorns can perform a special spell that allows them to detect other magic signatures around them."

"Celestia, please listen to me," Glock pleaded.

"All I must do is cast the spell, and if I am able to detect Luna's magic aura, all we have to do is follow it until the signature gets strong enough and we'll be able to find her," Celestia ignored her coltfriend's plea.

"Tia you could pass out again!"

"I shall be fine, Glock," Celestia quickly shut down the guard.

"But if you _do_ pass out again, not only could it be hours you'll be unconscious, but then we'll never be able to find Luna."

"We can't just blindly pick any tunnel and follow it; it could be a trap or we could be lead to multiple dead ends. At least with this spell we'll have a chance." It was odd to see Celestia actually arguing with someone like this, even if she was managing to hold her gentle composure. "Glock, I am forever grateful you care this much about my safety, but please tell me," she continued, "do you trust me?"

"Of course I do Tia," Glock admitted begrudgingly.

"Then please, allow me to do this. I promise you I will be all right," Celestia lifted the guard's chin with her wing. None of us were protesting Celestia's idea since it really _was_ all we had to go on, so everyone except me gave Glock the encouragement to trust in the princess' idea. I was still busy trying to keep an eye out for any form of danger the could compromise us. Finally, after a moment or two of consideration, the captain of the royal guard sighed and gave a heavy nod to the princess, giving in to her wishes.

Celestia wrapped a foreleg around her coltfriend, gifting him with a quick hug. Once they were done, the pegasus guard took a few steps back, allowing some space for Celestia to complete the spell. Like last time, her horn glowed with her golden aura, but unlike last time, her eyes didn't turn white. This had to be a sign that Celestia really wasn't using as much magic as the mental link spell, so that instilled at least myself and Glock with some sense of relief. Yet that didn't mean it was going smoothly. With her eyes open, Celestia looked to be in a little bit of pain. Her eyes squinted as she clenched her jaws together, grunting as she strained to keep her magic working and herself awake. "Princess?" Spike asked with caution, not wanting her to push herself over the edge.

While her horn fizzled and sparked from trying to summon the right amount of magic, another noise caught my attention. It sounded close, but through Celestia's grunting and the hum from her horn, I could hear dirt and rocks crumbling from what seemed to be behind us. As much as I wanted to keep my eyes on Celestia should anything happen to her, my natural survival and protective instincts kicked in. Keeping a firm grip on the wooden handle of my revolver, I turned around, facing away from the group. "Hmm," I groaned as I found nothing of interest. Taking a glance back toward my friends to make sure they were okay, I re-entered the tunnel we came in, just to double-check there was nothing here. I didn't go far, just enough to poke my head around the bend, only to find the same thing as before: An empty tunnel.

"Stop being so fucking paranoid," I berated myself, turning around to rejoin the rescue group.

"Tia, don't strain yourself!" Glock exclaimed. Misty Fly gave me a confused raise of her eyebrow, silently asking me what was wrong. I shrugged and shook my head in response, letting her know there wasn't really anything wrong and to forget it. However, I heard it again. The sound of dirt scraping against the wall and rocks crumbling to the ground. Now I expected something like that to be the norm in a volcano of all things, but none of us could feel any microquakes occurring. These noises sounded as if some outside force was causing them to happen. I looked back again, and as expected, I didn't see anything. Glaring, I took a look up in case some parts of the ceiling were just cracked; my heart instantly stopped. About five feet above us, and staring me right in the face, was a fat brown dragon with a hungry look on his face.

"DRAGON!" I shouted as loud as I could as time seemed to slow. Not even a microsecond later, the monster shot a large fireball out of its mouth that was aimed straight at Celestia. I straightened out my arm as quickly as could while Bat Fang and Glock collided with Celestia, trying to shove her to the ground on the bridge.

**_BOOM!_**

I pulled the trigger on my revolver, causing a near cannon-like explosion to emit from the barrel of the gun. A large silver ball of magic shot out and hit the dragon in the stomach. The force of the hit dislodged him from the ceiling, causing him and some bits of the rock to fall. Looking behind me, I saw chaos. The three Wonderbolts, Spike, and Flash Sentry were diving out of the way of the fireball as Celestia actually shoved Glock and Bat Fang back toward me, leaving her alone on the bridge.

"AHHHH!" Celestia screamed as she fell to her back, but not in time. The fireball engulfed her horn as a bloodcurdling scream of agony emitting from her mouth. Her horn then started to spark violently, shooting off little streams of magic. The pain was making it impossible for her to control what she was doing!

"TIA!" Glock shouted. All of a sudden, Celestia's head snapped back up at us from the force of slamming into the ground. Almost sounding like a blast from a Star Wars blaster, a beam of golden magic shot out from Celestia's horn directly at us. I had to have been Quicksilver to dodge what was happening. Before I could even blink, the cannonball-like blast of golden magic hit me in the middle of my torso. I felt my body being flung back as a bright golden light engulfed my body, blinding me from seeing my friends again.

**_SLAM!_**

I groaned in pain as my back slammed full force from the blast into the wall behind me. The hit was more than enough to knock the wind out of me as I found breathing a little difficult. "Ohhhhh," I moaned as my body peeled itself from the wall and I fell back onto the ground. Wheezing and coughing, I lifted my now sore arms up and braced them against the ground, pushing myself up. I coughed a few times, gathering air back into my lungs and looked up. A few bright splotches blocked my vision, but at least I could make out a few parts of the volcano, so I wasn't blind. I might have been sore, but nothing felt numb, so I wasn't paralyzed either. Yet as I looked around, something was wrong. "M-Misty Fly?" I called out to the pony that stuck by me the whole time as I shook my head, trying to clear my vision. "Rainbow Dash? Spike?" I barked, hoping to God that someone would answer me.

With more labored breathing, I managed to sit up on my ass and prop my back against the stone wall, holding my helmeted head in my hands. Blinking for what felt like a thousand times, I attempted to get a bearing on my surroundings, only to come to a horrifying discovery. "_Guys_?" I was completely alone…

**End Chapter 53**

* * *

_The next chapter will hold the thrilling conclusion and the aftermath of the Royal Reclamation story arc. _

_I thought it'd be cool to reference some famous movies in this chapter since there's a sense of impending action and a lot of tension. Just in case you guys missed it, Ivan referenced his fear of the James Cameron classic _Aliens _while in the tunnel. And Spike quoted the line that Steve Rogers and James "Bucky" Barnes said to each other in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. _

_I honestly can't wait to get the next chapter done; I hope you guys are ready for some dragon fighting!_


	55. Chapter 54: Royal Reclamation Part 3

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 54: Royal Reclamation Part 3**

_Wow guys. Firstly I'd like to apologize for this chapter taking an extra week to come out. Due to the length of the chapter and the fact that this chapter has four different scenes of nothing but action, I had no choice but to take the extra time in making this chapter as best as I could make it. Trust me, I had a LOT of fun writing this chapter, but I hope it was worth the extra week wait. I'd really like to thank you all for your patience; that made a huge difference in my attitude for this chapter._

**SkullRabbit775:** _You got it! Here ya go! :P_

**Gracie Ghost: **_Quite honestly, thanks for that, and I'll fix that soon. _

**Nostalgia Cop: **_Gotta love the play by play. And I mean that seriously_

**Sassymouse: **_So, you may have some lukewarm feelings for this particular arc? And thanks; I tried to not only put in tension, but some action and drama as well. Drama that's NOT contrived I might add_

**Monkeyboy0118: **_Thanks bro, hope you enjoy this chapter_

**headreviewermk2: **_Mirror dimension? Nah, Ivan's already traveled to enough different dimensions :P _

**Dixie: **_Horntail is a brutally honest guy. Emphasis on 'brutally.' Even though yeah he's a dragon king, he can have set standards for his daughter, especially when she's an exceptionally trained guard._

**ChiffonShock: **_Thanks man_

**DarkPonySoldier: **_I honestly don't even know man! Once I reached the Gala arc of this story, it just TOOK OFF. I have a strive to finish this story; I have a lot left to do with it as well. _

_Okay guys, I really want to get something clear. These dragons that our heroes face are NOT, I repeat, **NOT**__ trained to fight like Ember. They're just regular every day dragons while Ember is pretty much for all intents and purposes a dragon version of the Winter Soldier minus the robot arm and super serum. Just remember this as you read the chapter. _

* * *

**(With the rescue team; 3rd Person POV)**

No one could even breathe from what had just transpired in the last ten seconds. As the fat brown dragon collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, everyone except Glock and Bat Fang stared at the spot that their human friend occupied but a few seconds ago, horrified that he was just…_gone._ The aforementioned guards quickly flew over to their fallen princess, frantically assisting her to her hooves after what she had done. "Tia, what were you thinking?" Glock demanded, confused and concerned for his marefriend's actions.

"I-I didn't want either of you to get-AHH!" She attempted to explain before recoiling in pain as she barely touched a hoof to her horn. "_Hurt,"_ she managed to squeak out whilst fighting back tears.

"Are you all right, princess?" Bat Fang asked, taking a look at the alicorn's horn as she sat on her haunches, her breathing labored. The bat-pony grimaced and nearly had to cover his mouth. Despite being unable to perform magic, the state of Celestia's magic horn wasn't exactly easy on the eyes.

"I believe so; but my horn….." Celestia trailed off, trying to get as much of a look as she could by looking upward. The appendage itself didn't look like it belonged on Celestia at all. In fact, it looked like it would fit perfectly as Queen Chrysalis' horn if it were normal and not jagged. Neither Bat Fang nor Glock could even think of what to say to Celestia. The princess tried to touch it again but was stopped by her bodyguard.

"Tia, I think it's out for this round," Glock tried to word it as gently as he could, knowing full well what a horn meant to not just unicorns, but Celestia herself. While it may look like just a sharp or dull piece of bone, a unicorn or alicorn's horn was actually extremely sensitive and packed with nerve endings. Any bump or smack would be enough to catch a pony's attention, but having a dragon breathe fire upon it?

As her lower lip quivered, Celestia attempted to try a simple levitation spell on a rock sitting next to her flank. Needless to say, nothing happened to the rock. "AHHH!" She screamed yet again, seething from the white hot prickling pain vibrating through her horn. Glock quickly rubbed a hoof on her back in between her wings, doing whatever he could to calm her.

"Don't hurt yourself Tia, _please_," Glock begged in a whisper. "At least you're not out physically," he tapped the armor wrapped around her body. Though trying to suck up her tears of pain and sadness, Celestia managed a small smile to give to her coltfriend. Nearby with the other members of the group, the brown dragon stirred, groaning in pain from what felt like a cannonball punching him square in the stomach.

"Oh no you don't!" Rainbow Dash and Soarin slammed their forelegs into the back of the dragon's skull, trying to keep it from fully regaining consciousness. As the Wonderbolt couple kept a close watch on the evil reptile, Misty Fly, Spike, and Flash Sentry scouted around the area where Ivan had vanished, looking for any sign of the human. There was not even a smoking burn mark on the ground from where he last stood. "Princess?" Rainbow Dash called out to the alicorn. "What happened to Cougar?" Blinking the remaining tears from her eyes, Celestia managed to stand up with Glock and Bat Fang assisting her. "W-where is he?!" The element of loyalty frantically asked in a near screech as Celestia took cautious steps toward the group.

"Rainbow Dash, I haven't a clue," the princess responded tenderly, doing what she could to stay level-headed and taking careful steps around the body of the dragon. "He-he could be _anywhere_ in Draconia as we speak," she confessed, lowering her head shamefully. Glock and Bat Fang's eyes widened as they craned their heads up at Celestia; everyone else looked like they had just been apple-bucked in the stomach. All that could be heard was the low rumble below the volcano and rocks and dust hitting the ground.

"Y-you didn't…..?" Misty Fly choked in with a cracking voice, fearing the worst for her acquaintance.

"No," Celestia shook her head in defiance, "_at least I hope not,"_ she squeaked under breath. "I truthfully don't know exactly what spell my horn cast at Cougar; I can only hope that it was a teleportation spell." Hating to see her upset, Glock lifted his wing up and intertwined it within Celestia's.

"Well, now we've got somepony else to find!" Soarin declared heroically, trying his damnedest to keep the mood from going permanently sour. No matter how hard he tried, Glock's attempts seemed all for naught as Celestia's wing dropped Glock's like a lead balloon, snapping back to her torso.

"It appears so," Celestia remarked in a lower voice and starting to slowly pace around. Everyone cleared a path for the princess, not wanting to disrupt her. She clenched her eyes and mouth shut, beginning to breathe through her nose. Bat Fang and Flash exchanged an unnerved glance toward Glock, uncomfortable with their princess's change in attitude. "So, now we have _two _that we must find," the alicorn remarked, unable to unclench her jaws as she spoke. Her frustrations were now appearing from her words as well as the annoyed look on her face.

Glock said not a word as his head slowly followed his marefriend's path around the area before the bridge, actually feeling scared at what Celestia might do. Of all the years he'd known and guarded her, the pegasus had seen her become miffed or just slightly annoyed from time to time, but things didn't sit well in the pit of his stomach with what he could feel radiating from Celestia.

"Uh princess?" Misty Fly squeaked.

"_Yes?" _Celestia ceased her pacing, opening an eye at the yellow pegasus. While normally cool under pressure, Misty Fly felt like a little filly lost in the woods at the glare shooting at her from Celestia's magenta eye. Shaking, Misty Fly retracted her question before she could even ask. Scoffing, Celestia took a look at the dragon lying underneath Rainbow Dash and Soarin before turning her head back to the network of tunnels lining the wall across the volcano.

"Your highness?" Glock mustered up the guts to interrupt the princess as she stressed ideas on what to do now. The guard didn't even wait long at all for the alicorn to look in his direction, taking a quick flight over to stand in front of Celestia. "Tia," he said gently, making the conversation more personal.

"Hmm?" Celestia responded with an irked hum, still not looking at Glock.

"Is there anything we or I can do? You seem troubled, and we want to help," he pointed out. Finally looking at him, Celestia gradually adjusted her attention back onto her coltfriend, but it wasn't exactly relieving for Glock. He could make out just the most minute twitch developing under the alicorn's eye.

"_Troubled?"_ Glock gulped at the tone she spoke to him in. In twenty years, he was always ready at a seconds beckon to protect the highest ruler in Equestria; now she scared him even more than Luna's death glare ever could. The stallion could only nod, confirming to Celestia that she'd heard him correctly. "I'm not troubled, _Glock_," the princess lightly patted his cheek with her wing, giving him a faux smile.

"Look, princess," Spike attempted to step in before he was shot down.

"What's there to be troubled about?" The alicorn asked sarcastically. Rainbow Dash's jaw slowly sank down from her top jaw, shocked that the princess was speaking like this. She'd been used to Celestia teasing others before, but this wasn't a harmless sarcasm, oh no; this was a malice sarcasm. "I mean my baby sister, who we recently found out is carrying a foal, was only _stolen_ from the sanctuary of her bedroom in our castle by a vile creature."

"Uh, _your majesty?"_ Flash chimed in, taking one small step forward. The poor orange pegasus actually fell backward at the scowl he was met with.

"We had to visit the second most dangerous kingdom in the world just to find her," Celestia continued, rolling her eyes. "Now one of our newest and closest friends has vanished before our eyes because we were ambushed by that monster!" She rose her voice, pointing at the reptile's still unconscious body. "Which just so happens to coincide with my horn being burnt to a near crisp by the same dragon, leaving me without magic for who knows how long," Celestia paused, sending the same scowl to Glock.

"We just want to help you, Celestia," Glock retorted, making sure not to snap back from his marefriend's ridicule speech.

"But no, nothing is troubling me, Glock," the alicorn continued to speak, her voice turning into a near growl as her eyebrows furrowed until they could no more. "Just the stress that's gnawing at my conscience that if I fail I lose a good friend, a baby sister, and a niece or nephew!" She shouted at the pegasus, shooting her wings out in anger as a few tears pooled in her eyes before streaming down her white cheeks.

"Uhhh," Glock mumbled, taking a few steps back away from Celestia. Now that she was angry _and_ fighting back tears, Glock was really up a creek. A blind pony had a much better chance of describing a suspect to a police sketch artist! Everyone else, even Rainbow and Soarin who were still holding the dragon down, took a step back as well, completely flabbergasted at this new attitude from Princess Celestia. With his eyes widened, the captain of the royal guards searched around the alicorn's wings at Spike and his fellow ponies, hoping to get some form of help from any of them.

"Celestia?" Bat Fang coughed, trying to help his fellow guard.

"What is it?!" The alicorn snapped, spinning around in the blink of an eye to the bat-pony.

"Look, I hate lecture you, especially when you're stressed out," the guard confessed, politely removing his helmet. "But Glock is just trying to help you alleviate you of your worries; I don't think yelling at him for offering assistance is going to help find Luna or Cougar any faster," he delineated, placing a front hoof on top of his silver helmet. "Don't you trust him? He _has_ been your bodyguard for two decades," Bat Fang quickly added. Glock's jaw dropped at the expedited speech Bat Fang had just given. Still feeling anger within, Celestia rose an eyebrow at her sister's guard. She studied Bat Fang before switching her attention back and forth between he and Glock. Each time she focused on her personal bodyguard, a little bit of the anger melted away, only to be replaced with guilt.

"_Glock," _she said as gentle as a summer breeze, recalling some of the fondest moments with the pegasus guard once they had started to court one another. She was finally happy to have some time to be a _normal_ mare with a coltfriend to spend time with. And yet here she was, treating him as if he was an idiot just for caring about her feelings. In defeat, her wings slumped to the ground with a pathetic thud. "I…I'm so sorry Glock," she apologized in a quivering voice.

"Holy crap!" Soarin exclaimed in shock, jolted that Celestia managed to snap out of her funk that quickly. Then again, Celestia _was_ one of the most understanding ponies in Equestria, so maybe she could let go of some grievances with a few kind words. Unfortunately for the Wonderbolt captain, Rainbow knocked him on the side of his head for his exclamation to shut him up.

Glock attempted to reply to Celestia, but the alicorn princess had more to say. "I just…..I don't mean to expel my frustrations onto you, or anypony else," she explained, placing a wing atop Glock's head, stroking it. No one wanted to say anything for fear of interrupting the princess's moment of opening up. "Truly, I try my best to keep my emotions at a steady level for all those around me, especially in times of crisis so they may feel a sense of security."

"Tia, it's okay," the guard assured the princess. "The fact you've managed to keep it together _this_ long deserves praise," he gifted her with a warm smile as he cautiously approached her with his hoof outstretched.

"Mhmm," everyone else replied and nodded in unison, lending a hoof to Glock to help with their leader's disposition. Taking a glance downward, Celestia studied the outstretched hoof of her loyal bodyguard before smiling herself. She gently placed her own hoof on his, rubbing them together. Although they both hooves were covered in armor, the meaning behind it was more than enough for the alicorn. Yes, she was still stressed out completely, but this was definitely a helpful remedy.

"I'm so sorry, Glock," she repeated, laying her chin on top of his helmet. "It's no excuse, I understand, but-"

"Celestia, you have no reason to be sorry," Glock assured her, moving his hoof up and rubbing it against her armored shoulder.

"I'm just pushed so far to the edge with everything that's taken place in the last few days. It's becoming increasingly difficult to keep my emotions in check," Celestia replied, closing her eyes as she struggled to keep her chin up.

"Do you want to vent a little before we continue looking for Princess Luna?" Glock suggested, removing his hoof from her shoulder. The alicorn's eyes fluttered open as she could no longer hear the pegasus' hoof rubbing against her armor.

"Going about it more logically than emotionally would benefit us," Misty Fly said sheepishly, silently praying that Celestia wouldn't bite her head off for interrupting the moment between she and Glock, and for possibly sending the wrong message to the princess. Staring into her coltfriend's eyes for a brief moment, something popped into Celestia's mind. The princess broke eye contact with the captain of the guard and looked right at Rainbow Dash and Soarin, or so the Wonderbolt duo thought. A somewhat evil look etched its way onto the usually peaceful alicorn.

"Tia?" Glock took a few steps away, trying to follow Celestia's line of sight.

"Rainbow Dash, Soarin Skies," the alicorn announced, walking around her coltfriend and approached the two on top of the dragon.

"Y-yes your highness?" Soarin replied with a gulp, feeling a bit of a chill waft by. Rainbow Dash held a more confident stance, yet was shaking on the inside.

"Please remove yourselves from this dragon," Celestia ordered, her voice drenched in severity. This drastic change in tone from her normal politeness was like a kick to the gut for both Rainbow Dash and Soarin. Despite her now limited magic potential, the look on Celestia's face coupled with her admittance of being pushed to the edge was more than enough for the Wonderbolt couple to jump away from the dragon as Celestia stopped mere inches from the body. "I may have a way that can allow us to find Luna faster so that we may start looking for Cougar as well," she quickly explained, bending her head close to reptile lying prostrate below her.

"Princess!" Spike blurted, reaching a claw out to Celestia. The alicorn shot him a look of strained patience, yet she did not forbid the friendly dragon to speak. Nonetheless, Spike gulped before getting to the point. "Just be careful; that guy hangs out with Garble," Spike advised nervously.

"I _thought_ he looked familiar!" Rainbow blurted before snapping her hooves to cover her mouth.

"Are you certain?" Celestia raised an eyebrow, speaking in a voice that was devoid of any concern. The princess was now speaking in a near monotone-like voice, only further instilling uncertainty within her comrades. Daring not to say another word, Spike only nodded quickly before backing away to give Celestia room. Turning back to the brown dragon before her, Celestia narrowed her eyes before slipping a hoof underneath a blue horn on top of his head. "Rise," She ordered, trying to push the gluttonous reptile up to a sitting position. When nothing but a groan met her ears, the alicorn snorted and retracted her hoof, making the dragon's face flop to the stony ground.

"Ugh," he whined, lifting his head up under his own power.

"Get, up," Celestia ordered once again, this time with a growl under her voice. Whether or not if the dragon was stalling or simply groggy from what Cougar had done to it didn't matter to Celestia. She did not have the time nor the patience to deal with anyone who was uncooperative. With another growl, this one sounding like a pissed off wolverine, the princess braced both of her front hooves against the dragon's blue horns, shoving him as hard as she could to pin him to the wall. "Ahh!" The alicorn roared as the dragon's body finally cooperated with her wishes. There was a fairly loud _crack_ as the dragon's skull collided with the stony wall, causing a few cracks to appear all around his head.

"_Watch it!"_ Came a groggily protest from the brown reptile, his head flopping back down to his chest as he struggled to get out of his daze. Shaking his head a few times did the trick; the dragon's vision came back and he finally took a look around him. "PONIES!" He bellowed, trying to get up, but Celestia slammed a hoof into his chest, pushing him back against the wall. She may not have her magic abilities for some time, but she still had her physicality.

"Don't," was the only word the princess granted. The dragon inhaled deeply, attempting to burn Celestia; yet no fire emitted from his mouth. Soarin and Misty Fly winced at the large, black bruise right in the middle of the dragon's front where Cougar's gun blast had hit him.

"I-I think his fire sac might be damaged," Spike offered an explanation. Growling, the dragon attempted to claw at the alicorn holding him down, yet Glock and Bat Fang galloped over, pinning his claws to the wall with their hooves. They made sure to keep a bit of a distance from the dragon should he try to bite at them.

"_Spike…."_ The dragon narrowed his eyes at the smaller dragon.

"You don't get to speak to him!" Flash yelled, attempting to walk closer. He was met with a large wing from Celestia, gently holding him back. She shook her head at her orange guard, requesting that he step back. Flash reluctantly did so, yet stood mere inches away from Spike.

"Now then," Celestia turned her attention back to their current enemy. "I'll cut this short: We have had a _very_ long trip to find my pregnant sister, and now that you have attacked us, I am _done_ with diplomacy," Celestia said, putting pressure on the dragon's wound. "You are going to give me the location where your leader has stored my sister-" Celestia started to order.

"Let me guess, _pony_," the dragon interrupted in a smart ass voice. Celestia glared at the dragon, unhappy. "You'll let me go I tell you?"

_SLAM!_

Howling in pain, the drake's nose started to drip blood from both nostrils as his head snapped backwards into the wall. Celestia growled, her eyes glowing with rage as her hoof shook in the air from where she had punched him. Needless to say, everyone else was wide eyed at what Celestia had just done. They knew she was teetering on the edge, but the fact she went over for just a brief second still shocked them. A few specks of blood clung to the golden plate covering her hoof. "TELL ME!" Celestia shrieked, lowering her hoof as she breathed deeply. Bat Fang and Glock, still holding down the dragon's claws, shifted their positions a little further away from the angered princess.

Lip quivering, the brown drake let out a little whimper, feeling afraid at the alicorn standing above him. He yelped as his nose felt like it was punched straight through his skull; he couldn't even _smell_ anything anymore from the damage. "G-Garble's got her i-in a ca-cave," the dragon stuttered, finding it a little painful to speak. Snorting, Celestia raised her hoof once more, threatening to deliver another blow to the dragon's face.

"I am _NOT_ in a gaming mood, dragon!" She exclaimed. "Stop stalling!" Wincing back from the quavering hoof, the brown dragon looked from it to Celestia's angered expression several times, swallowing roughly. He couldn't believe it; he, a dragon, was technically a prison to a bunch of ponies. And it was an even bigger sting that one of them was a princess; a princess that had one Tartarus of a punch. The dragon had no choice but to say something unless he wanted to be further injured. It was all because of that creature that hit him; if it wasn't for that disgusting thing, he could have easily taken out at least half of the ponies that had entered the volcano. "TALK!" Celestia roared again.

"O-okay," the dragon nodded, stumbling around his words. He looked back in the pissed off alicorn's face again and opened his mouth. Hoping they would buy whatever he said, the dragon was going to spit a wrong location to buy Garble more time. "Garble has her in-"

"CELESTIA!" Soarin and Misty Fly screamed at the top of their lungs. Everyone else snapped around to see what was happening; out from under the bridge flew another dragon at top speed with his claws extended. Soarin, Misty Fly, and Rainbow Dash leapt up at the dragon hurtling towards them, a skinny and dark purple one with a golden underbelly and hair. Despite their attempts, and even Misty Fly trying to hang onto the dragon's neck, the skinny drake plowed through the Wonderbolt trio like a bowling ball, reaching his claws out at Celestia.

Glock released his hold on the brown dragon, launching from the ground with a tremendous burst of speed to protect the mare he loved. "GAH!" He exclaimed as he wrapped all four legs around the head of the dragon which rammed into his stomach like a train. The velocity of the dragon didn't slow down enough; he reached out and grasped Celestia's burnt horn as tight as he could, shooting intense vibrations of pain into Celestia's skull.

"AHHHH!" The alicorn roared in pain as she was yanked down and drug along the stony ground.

"NO!" Bat Fang screamed as all of this unfolded. Seeing a chance, the fat brown dragon grabbed the bat pony by the neck and whirled him around, slamming his body into the rocky wall. Luna's guard flailed around, grasping at his neck for oxygen.

"HEY!" Spike shouted, sprinting toward Bat Fang's assailant. Still moving a bit slower from the injuries to his gut and face, the fat dragon didn't react in time as Spike leapt on top of him, clawing at his face. "LET HIM GO!" Spike screamed, trying to dig his claws as deep as he could through the brown scales. The fat dragon dropped Bat Fang immediately as one of Spike's claws scratched his eye, causing him to howl in pain again. He grasped his own claws around the torso of the struggling Spike, desperately trying to pry him off. Bat Fang collapsed to the ground, momentarily fazed from lack of oxygen and being slammed into a wall. As the dragon attempted to push Spike off of him, there was a loud screeching sound of Spike's claws grinding against his brown scales.

"GET….OFF!" The dragon screeched. Spike suddenly opened his mouth as wide as he could and clamped his jaws around the broken nose of his opponent. Screaming in pain again, the dragon grabbed Spike's tail, yanking him off as hard as he could.

"Spike!" Flash yelled, galloping over and proceeding to kick the dragon's face with his hind legs.

"We've gotta help them!" Soarin declared. "Misty, you help Spike and Flash; Rainbow, you come with me to help Glock and the prince-" Soarin was cut short as a large milky colored dragon landed right in front of the trio with his wings spread out and his claws at the ready. All three Wonderbolts came to a halt, not wanting to be caught by the third dragon.

"Give us a bucking break!" Misty swore as the white dragon licked his chops. Rainbow charged forward, taking the lead point of the smaller group.

"Come on asshole, three on one!" Rainbow announced, shooting her own wings from her torso. The dragon reared his head back, causing Rainbow's face to fall. Inhaling deeply, he exhaled sharply, spitting a massive stream of fire and smoke toward the three pegasus ponies. "Break right!" All three Wonderbolts dove to the right and over the edge of the path, taking flight. Without missing a beat, the white dragon furiously flapped his wings, pursuing after them.

"I've always wondered what pony tasted like!" He chortled, following them through the gorge. Meanwhile, Spike and Flash were still going as hard as they could against the pudgier drake. Spike had released his jaws from the nose of the dragon, spitting out some blood that clung to his fangs. He then wrapped his claws around the blue horns of the dragon, proceeding to smash his head against the wall.

"STOP!" The fat dragon shouted, giving a nasty blow to Spike's cheek. The smaller dragon held on as hard as he could to one of the horns as his body twisted to the side, falling off the brown body. Flash, fearing for Spike's safety, ceased kicking for a brief moment before he felt like his tail was going to be ripped from his flank. Yanking as hard as possible, the brown dragon flung the orange pegasus toward the gorge. His armored body bounced along the ground before rolling over the edge.

"Flash!" Spike exclaimed, still holding onto the horn. Flash's forelegs hung onto the edge of the cliff, keeping him from falling. Taking advantage, the fatter dragon grabbed Spike's neck and squeezed like a vice. Spike could only release his grip on the dragon's horn as he felt his body being lifted into the air. He started to choke, gasping for air that couldn't pass through his constricted neck. Bringing Spike closer, the brown dragon forced him to look into his eyes, one of them now was useless and had a hole from Spike's claws.

"I can get by with one eye, but can you survive without wings?" The brown reptile sneered before holding Spike as high as he could. "Enjoy the trip, pony bucker." And with that, Spike was thrown over the edge, arms flailing around. Spike screamed as loud as he could, hoping one of his winged friends could save him.

"SPIKE!" Flash didn't even think twice about letting go of the cliff. The orange pegasus whirled around as he fell, correcting his body so he could spread his wings and glide toward the falling drake. It wasn't a very long drop; only about 150, maybe 200 feet to the spiked ground below. Even with Spike's protective scales…..Flash didn't even want to think about what could happen. The pegasus guard gave a powerful sweep of wings, giving him a huge burst of speed to his descending friend. Flash knew he wasn't exactly the fastest pegasus in the royal guard, but that didn't stop him from giving it all he had.

Zeroing in on his target, Flash dove lower, attempting to get underneath Spike to swoop in and gently catch him. There was no room for him to slow down the falling dragon, so this was his best opportunity. "I'm almost there, buddy!" Flash yelled, not knowing if Spike could hear him or not. With Spike getting closer to the ground, Flash held out his forelegs, forcing his wings to flap harder than he's ever flapped them before. With precision and haste, Flash reached Spike and slipped his forelegs underneath the drake's torso. "I gotcha!" Flash assured Spike who swiftly grasped around the back of Flash with his arms for support.

Grunting, Flash ceased flapping his wings and spread them out stiff as a board to slow his momentum. The ground grew closer and closer; Flash shut his eyes and tried to pull out of the dive as hard as he could. Spike said not a word, choosing only to hold his breath. Flash groaned in pain as the tip of a stalagmite nicked his orange stomach as he and Spike finally began to pull up and away from the ground. "Oh thank Celestia," Spike swallowed, catching his breath as he and Flash flew over the edge of the cliff and landed roughly.

"Gah!" The pegasus moaned as he just collapsed onto the floor, clutching his stomach. Luckily he wasn't too injured or exhausted, he just wasn't used to landing on his hind legs. "Y-you….o-okay S-Spike?" Flash wheezed, picking himself up. Spike scrambled to his feet, assisting his friend back to his hooves.

"Flash, are _you_ okay?" Spike retorted, taking a look at the trickle of blood forming on Flash's belly. The pegasus nodded, shoving the dragon to the side.

"Y-yeah," he replied before looking back at Spike. The orange pegasus had not a clue how their journey in Draconia would end; he felt like this was the best opportunity to admit to the purple drake. "Sp-Spike, I-I'm sorry for what I did to your mom. I shouldn't have acted too brash; I love her," he quickly got out, wiping the blood that had reached the surface of his fur. Spike's face fell as his eyes narrowed.

"We'll talk later," he put a hand to Flash's shoulder.

"Why can't you ponies just DIE!?" The duo whipped their heads around to see the brown dragon standing a mere few feet away. There was a loud _fwing_ as he extended his claws, pushing his arms out. With a roar, he charged at Spike and Flash Sentry as much as he could with his injured stomach. Without even thinking, Spike leapt onto Flash's back as the pegasus began to charge as well. If this dragon wanted a fight, they'd give it to him. As the three grew closer, Spike jumped from Flash's body, aiming for the dragon's head as Flash aimed for his stomach. A loud smack emitted from the collision between the three bodies; the fatter dragon fell backwards as Spike and Flash were merely slowed down, but they weren't ready to stop yet.

Spike landed on the dragon's chest, slashing at his face with his claws while Flash began to punch at the black bruise on the dragon's stomach. Even though dragons were fireproof, that didn't stop Spike from spitting a large ball of emerald fire into the dragon's face. Roaring from the intense heat on his injured eye, the brown dragon clamped his teeth down on Spike's right hand as hard as he could. "AHHHH!" Spike tried to jerk his hand away from the jaws, but the dragon wouldn't let go. Through twisting his hand to get it out of the dragon's jaws, Spike yelped as he twisted his wrist too far, spraining it.

_BAM, BAM, BAM_

The brown dragon landed another three punches to Spike's face as he held his hand down. Suddenly, the dragon let go of Spike's hand and punched him again, sending him flying toward Flash Sentry, knocking them both to the ground. With his anger and adrenaline taking over, the brown dragon leapt to his feet and advanced quickly toward the fallen two. Despite his hand and face throbbing with pain, Spike stood up with a strained grunt, not ready to give up as Flash stepped in front of him. Flash's wings shot out to the side, providing a temporary barrier for Spike. "Stay behind me, Spike!" Flash ordered, using his wings to scoop rocks off the ground before hurtling them at the advancing dragon. The quicker the dragon closed in, the faster Flash flung rocks at him, trying to keep him at bay.

A few rocks beaned the dragon, but his adrenaline masked the pain radiating through his body. Flash's wing reached down for another rock, but to his horror, he'd run out. Chortling, the brown dragon picked up his pace and was now in a full on charge, bending low with his jaw open. Seeing no other option, Flash pawed at the ground a few times with his hoof and burst away from Spike, heading directly toward the dragon whilst emitting a war cry. Spike yelled for Flash, but the pegasus wasn't going to listen.

"AAHHHH!" Flash screamed as he and the dragon collided, clawing and kicking at each other. Flash landed a few blows on the dragon's broken nose as the dragon tried to claw through Flash's helmet. The dragon's claw ripped the strapped underneath Flash's helmet before throwing it off and over the edge of the cliff. The pegasus responded by kicking the dragon in the gut as hard as he could as the dragon scratched down the side of his face. "OW!" The guard screeched in pain.

"I'm gonna kill you last, pony!" The dragon teased as his claw grazed Flash's cut on his stomach. Flash gasped from the pain and jumped, losing his footing on the rocks and falling back. "You're gonna watch me get back at Spike for what he's done to us!" He added, holding Flash down by the neck. Breathing heavily, Flash looked up at the dragon's face as blood inched its way down his cut cheek and gave the dragon a few more jabs to the face. Spike got up from his spot and tried to stumble his way over, but his left eye was starting to swell from being punched by the brown dragon, and his face felt like it was going to explode.

"HEY!" A voice from behind the brown dragon shouted. With his one good eye, Spike peered around both Flash and the brown dragon, only to see Bat Fang flying like a missile toward the dragon. Bat Fang smacked into the dragon's face, clinging on like a spider and sank his fangs into the dragon's damaged eye while landing a barrage of punches onto his cheek. The dragon released his grip on Flash and squealed in pain, flinging himself around to try and get Bat Fang off of him.

"RAHHH!" He roared as he tried to claw at Bat Fang's back, but the bat pony's armor held up. Even slamming the bat pony into the wall didn't work. All of a sudden, the dragon felt four hooves slam into his back and then an immense amount of pain on the back of his head as Flash began to pummel him.

"LEAVE SPIKE ALONE!" Flash yelled as he wrapped his foreleg around the dragon's blue horn for leverage and punched even harder against the back of his skull. Seeing a chance, Spike dove forward and bit down onto the larger dragon's tail like a T-Rex, not letting go as a loud _bang _echoed throughout the volcano.

* * *

"Break right!" Rainbow shouted as all three Wonderbolts dove to the right and over the edge of the path, taking flight. Without missing a beat, the white dragon furiously flapped his wings, pursuing after them.

"I've always wondered what pony tasted like!" He chortled, following them through the gorge. Being the fastest of the three, Rainbow Dash took the head point with Soarin to her left rear and Misty Fly to her right rear. All three could still feel the heat of the fireball that the dragon shot at them which only made them fly faster as the white dragon wasn't too far behind. Rainbow continued checking behind her, only to gulp with fear as the dragon continued his pursuit, seeming to never blink.

"SPIKE!" Soarin checked his flank when he heard what he thought to be Flash's voice, only to catch a glimpse of Spike being thrown over the edge of the cliff! The captain was about to say something when he saw an orange blur dive off the cliff after Spike.

"Girls! We can't break too far away!" He exclaimed to his marefriend and fellow Wonderbolt. "We could get lost and we need to help Celestia and the others!"

"Easy for you to say, Soarin!" Misty Fly replied. "We just have a monster chasing after us that wants us all dead!" She added, refusing to look back anymore.

"Come on, we're Wonderbolts for Celestia's sake!" Soarin said in reply, trying to think of something to shake the white dragon. Up front, Rainbow Dash's mind was running faster than the speed of a sonic rainboom, trying to calculate _any_ possible idea of what to do. The mare knew that evading it wasn't the only option; they would more than likely have to fight it off if they were to continue their hunt for Princess Luna. The white dragon had a much better understanding of the network of caves within the volcano; they could fly, but they couldn't hide for very long. Luckily they'd just followed the gorge and hadn't made any evasive maneuvers into different caves.

Looking back, Rainbow gasped as she saw the white dragon rearing his head back for another shot. She didn't know how far he could reach with his fire, and she didn't want to find out if they were within range. With her mane and tail whipped back so far they were practically stiff, the mare turned her attention back ahead in case there were any obstructions in their path. "FIRE!" She shouted as the dragon spat out a massive fireball at the trio. All three spread out; Rainbow moved up as Soarin moved to the left, and Misty dodged to the right.

"YOWWW!" Soarin cried as the end of his tail was singed off. The momentary interruption sent Soarin off course where he grazed his left wing along the jagged wall of the gorge. "MY WING!" He howled in pain as his momentum nearly stopped on a dime. His flight pattern started to wobble while he desperately tried to keep up speed. His wing wasn't too badly damaged, but from how sensitive they were, he'd definitely feel the pain in the morning.

"SOARIN!" Rainbow Dash called as she saw the white dragon reach out with his claw, trying to grab at Soarin's tail. Grunting, the captain of the Bolts breathed through the pain, flapping his left wing harder than before to get a burst of acceleration. Dropping back momentarily, Rainbow Dash grabbed ahold of Soarin's foreleg and pulled him ahead.

"Dashie, I have an idea, but it's dangerous to do inside something!"

"He's trying to kill us, Soarin!" Rainbow Dash kept herself from rolling her eyes at her coltfriend. "I'm fine with trying _anything_ right now!" She exclaimed, checking her six 'o clock once again.

"Whatever you guys come up with, I'll try!" Misty Fly agreed, shifting her position closer to the two.

"Okay Dashie, what if Misty and I hold onto you and you try to do a sonic rainboom?" Soarin suggested. "We could all slingshot around and use the momentum to create a sonic rainboom that knocks the motherbucker down to the ground?" Both Rainbow Dash and Misty Fly went wide eyed at the idea.

"B-but I've only ever done a sonic rainboom with other ponies _one_ time!" Rainbow Dash debated, reminding Soarin of the incident at her first Young Fliers competition. "We might not build enough speed and then what? We collide in mid air with that dragon and give him an opportunity to hoof us our flanks on a silver platter?!" She shouted. Misty Fly only shrugged, not knowing how to respond to Soarin's idea or Rainbow's protest.

"Well, splitting up won't do us any good. He'll just follow one of us and then the other two won't be able to help!" Soarin retorted. While the couple started to argue about what to do, Misty Fly gathered up the courage to look back behind to make sure the dragon wasn't catching up. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head at the sight before her; a gasp even made her feel lightheaded.

"Guys!" She exclaimed, tapping Rainbow Dash on her foreleg. "He's gone!" The yellow pegasus didn't even wait for either Rainbow or Soarin to acknowledge her plea. The two blue pegasus ponies cut their argument short in shock at Misty's revelation, whipping their heads back. Just as Misty had announced, there was nothing behind the group with the exception of a few stony bridges, tunnel entrances, and the gorge below. Soarin started to shake, groaning as if he had a bad stomach ache.

"Damn it!" Rainbow cursed, immediately thrusting her wings forward to stop her momentum. The pegasus stopped in about a split second while her two companions continued forward. A low rumble and a burst of wind shot out from Rainbow's position, causing dirt and rocks to trickle down some of the walls. Hovering, Rainbow turned around, her eyes darting all around from her previous path.

"Rainbow!" Soarin shouted as he Misty Fly hit the brakes as well; the two quickly flew back to rejoin Rainbow Dash. "Hey come on, warn us next time you're gonna do that."

"Especially with a practically invisible enemy around here!" Misty chimed in. The Wonderbolts had been taught since their days at boot camp that the most dangerous opponent was one they couldn't see; splitting up in a situation like this was suicide.

"Well we can't just keep flying away!" Rainbow snapped, continuing to look all over for any signs of the white dragon. "He _wants_ us to think he gave up," she added with a squint of her eyes. Was it a possibility that the dragon quit his pursuit and flew back to help the other two dragons? Of course there was, but then again, this could be a trap for them.

"Wait, you mean he might be waiting for us somewhere?" Soarin questioned, taking a good look around as well.

"That's what I'm thinking, Soar," Rainbow Dash bit her lip. She was at a pretty bad crossroad. Helping her other friends, especially Celestia and Spike, was a top priority for the loyal pegasus, yet blindly flying back could leave her, Soarin, and Misty Fly vulnerable to an attack.

"So, should we try to get back to the others so we can help?" Soarin replied. While he _was_ the Captain of the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash could easily come up with solutions like a true leader; he wasn't one to shoot down other ideas.

"No," came Rainbow's flat response. Knowing that either Soarin or Misty Fly would probably have a little moment here, Rainbow didn't give them a chance to reply. "We could fly right into a trap or just lead him back to the group. We're gonna stay here and do what the Wonderbolts were created for," she stated firmly. Peering down, the cyan mare suddenly dropped out of the air, slamming down onto a bridge below and creating another burst of sound.

"Rainbow!" Misty Fly cried, trying to keep up with her adrenaline filled comrade.

"All right you scaly bastard!" Rainbow Dash shouted, her voice resonating off of the walls. "If you want us, then come on! We'll give you a challenge!" She contested, throwing her voice all around to get a better echo. "We're NOT gonna run from you!" Rainbow added, stomping her forelegs onto the bridge.

"Dashie, are you losing it!?" Soarin scolded. "I'm willing to fight this Celestia damned thing, but challenging it head on?!"

"Would you rather stand up to this thing and fight it, or would you rather run and have to defend yourself, Soarin?" Rainbow snapped. Her coltfriend bowed his head, unable to come up with a good rebuttal to the question. The stallion nodded slowly, accepting what Rainbow Dash had told him.

"You stupid ponies!" Came an evil chortle in response. The ears on all three Wonderbolts twitched like they were having a seizure as their bodies stood perfectly still. The dragon's gravelly voice was impossible to locate in the vast volcano.

"Form a triangle!" Misty suddenly blurted. "He won't be able to sneak up on us!" She quickly explained, turning around to face the group's six o' clock. Without even hesitating, Rainbow took the eleven o' clock position while Soarin took the one o' clock position. Then, the chortling ceased; near silence took over as all six ears continuously twitched, searching for any noise they could pick out.

"Show your face!" Rainbow demanded. "Maybe I won't beat your flank _as_ hard if you do!" She threatened, growling under her breath. The mare silenced herself as a more throaty and gravelly growl drowned out her own. Keeping their triangle formation, Rainbow, Soarin, and Misty Fly looked up and all around them, still not seeing any sign of the dragon.

"Hearing the blue pony's screams of pain was fun," the dragon's deep voice cut through the silence. "Let's see what _YOURS,"_ a white clawed hand shot up and over the edge of the bridge, grasping Misty's leg, "sound like!" He shouted as Misty Fly screeched.

"GAHHH!" She tried to punch at the hand with her other hoof, but it only made her stumble forward and over the edge of the bridge.

"MISTY!" Soarin screamed, spinning around at about Mach 50 and diving after his longtime friend. The stallion clasped his front hooves together, barely grasping the end of Misty's tail. "Come on, Misty!" Soarin yelled, trying to pull her back up onto the bridge. Thinking quick on her hooves, Rainbow didn't gallop over to help Soarin pull Misty Fly back up. Instead, the cyan mare dove over the edge herself to see Misty struggling in the grip of the white dragon.

"OWHOWOW!" Misty cried in pain as Soarin was pulling on her tail.

"LET…GO!" Rainbow demanded, zipping over to the dragon and giving him a powerful kick to the side of his head. Rearing back from the quick attack, the dragon released Misty from his claws, shaking his dazed head as Misty flew back onto the bridge from Soarin's powerful pull. Not wasting the open opportunity, Rainbow screamed and unleashed a shower of punches to the dragon's face and torso. "Come on, tough guy!" Rainbow teased, punching the dragon hard enough to make him move back in the air.

"Dashie!" Soarin exclaimed after he and Misty scrambled to their hooves. The yellow mare's flight suit was ripped from where the dragon had grabbed her. The two pegasus ponies leapt over the opposite of the bridge, flapping their wings and appearing behind the white dragon and Rainbow Dash.

"GRRRR," the white dragon snarled, slashing his claws around in an attempt to strike Rainbow. The quick as lightning mare managed to dodge a few of the slashes, though she lost some bits of hair in the process. Rearing his hand back, the dragon prepared for another swipe at the Wonderbolt before he felt a powerful blow to his back, buckling his body forward.

"Heeyah!" Misty Fly cried out as she kicked the dragon's back, performing a mid-air backflip to go for another strike as Soarin landed his own punches to the dragon's back.

"Go for the wings, Soarin!" Rainbow ordered, continuing to keep the dragon focused on her. Listening to his marefriend's suggestion, Soarin aimed his hooves directly at the base of the dragon's wings, slamming into them as fast he could.

"YAH!" The dragon yelped as his wings seized flapping for a few seconds. The white reptilian immediately succumbed to gravity, falling from underneath the bridge to the ground below. Rather than watching him fall, Rainbow Dash furiously flapped her wings and took off after him.

"I'm not done kicking your flank yet!" She collided with the dragon, pushing him to the ground faster. The dragon attempted to squirm and regain control of his wings, but Rainbow firmly planted her hooves on the base of his wings, holding them down to prevent them from moving. The dragon roared as the ground grew nearer; he slashed his claws at the pony riding his back in an attempt to maul her. Soarin and Misty Fly took off from their positions soon after Rainbow did, following her closely should anything go wrong.

_Snap_

One of the dragon's claws ripped Rainbow's goggles from her head, causing the band to snap back into her face. The band struck her in the cheek; a burning stinging sensation radiated through the left side of her face. "OW!" Rainbow leapt off the back of the dragon just as they were about to hit the ground. Both Misty and Soarin hooked their their forelegs around Rainbow's in case her wings couldn't catch her in time. A rock cracking _thud_ met the three Wonderbolt's ears as the dragon collided with the ground, shooting up dirt and a few rocks into the air before clattering to the ground. "Set us down!" Rainbow snapped.

"He's down, Dashie," Soarin protested, taking a long look at the stiff dragon below. "We've gotta get back to the others while we have a chance," he explained. Misty nodded in agreement, grimacing at the torn uniform around her right hoof. There were a few scratches on her hoof, but nothing too serious.

"No!" Rainbow refused, wriggling out of their grasp and used her wings to gently touch down on the ground. "I'm not going back until I know this monster will be out for _hours_," she growled, stepping toward the dragon. Soarin and Misty Fly landed right alongside her, trying to talk her out of it.

"Look Rainbow, he hit his head pretty hard from a good distance," Misty pointed to the bridge about two hundred feet in the air. "I think it's safe to say he'll be out cold for a good while," she tried to sway her friend's opinion.

"I'm just double checking guys!" Rainbow exclaimed. "He could be faking, or he might wake up literally five seconds after we leave; then he'd have an advantage on us. I'm not taking that chance!" She snapped, slapping her wings at both Soarin and Misty Fly to keep them away. The others bit their lips, feeling the tension rise as Rainbow Dash rounded the front of the dragon and stopped in front of him. The mare bent her head down almost eye level with the dragon, glaring.

"Okay, he's not trying to bite you," Soarin gulped, zipping over to his marefriend and placing a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "Is….is he breathing?" He questioned, not wanting to go against Rainbow's point of checking to see if the dragon was faking. Nervously, Misty Fly tip-hoofed around the opposite side of the dragon, gingerly lowering her head to the dragon's.

"I don't see any smoke coming out of his mouth or nostrils," she replied, biting her lip. The mare's eyes drifted downward to the dragon's salmon colored neck when a thought popped into her head. Although she was scared, Misty gulped and reached a shaky hoof out to the neck of the dragon, holding her breath in order to keep from shaking too hard. Ever so gingerly, and with Rainbow Dash and Soarin catching on to what she was doing, Misty Fly touched the base of the dragon's throat. The yellow pegasus gave a little whine from the tension she was feeling.

"_Anything_?" Soarin asked in a whisper, pursing his lips and squeezing Rainbow Dash tighter than before. The trio stayed silent for what seemed like an hour, but in reality was a mere ten seconds before Misty gave a response. She looked up to her fellow fliers and gave a slow nod.

"He's got a slight pulse," Misty replied quickly, yanking her hoof back away from the body. "I don't know how long he'll be unconscious, but I'd _love_ to get back to Princess Celestia and the others!" She squeaked, walking around the dragon to regroup.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Soarin nodded in agreement. Both he and Misty Fly turned and flapped their wings, preparing to take flight before Rainbow's wings snapped out, blocking their paths.

"Hold on," she glared, looking at the ground below. "I'm gonna _make_ sure he's gonna stay unconscious, at least until we can get some of Horntail's guards here to pick him up."

"Uhh, what are you gonna do, Dashie?"

Rainbow didn't answer Soarin's question; instead the daredevil scanned the ground before them, hovering a hoof over a few rocks. "Ooh," a noise slipped from her mouth as she tapped a good sized rock. It wasn't too large whatsoever, but it'd work for her. Rainbow slipped her hooves underneath the rock and scooped it into her forelegs, flapping her wings to help deal with the weight.

"Rainbow!" Soarin exclaimed, zipping in front of her. "You're not gonna…..are you?" The stallion's face turned green for a split second as he trailed off.

"What? No!" Rainbow shook her head with her mouth agape. "I'm just gonna hit him with it to make sure we'll be out of this Tartarus hole before he finds out what happened to him," she explained, trying fly around her coltfriend. "You know I wouldn't go _that_ far Soarin," she added.

"What's wrong with just kicking him the head?" Soarin replied, putting his forelegs on Rainbow's chest to keep her away from the dragon. "I know he tried to attack us and would go back to attack Celestia, but he's already down; we should let Horntail's guards take care of him," he protested. "But if you want to just kick him in the head for a little insurance," he turned around to prove his point. While the two debated on what to do, something caught Misty Fly's attention.

"Hmm?" She turned away from her wingponies, hoping that the stress of the situation was playing tricks on her brain. Misty Fly gradually took steps toward the back of the dragon, more specifically to his tail. She could've sworn she saw it move. However, it could've been her imagination or an involuntary muscle spasm from hitting his head. Nevertheless, it didn't ease the situation for her. The mare removed her goggles from her eyes and sat them on her forehead to get a closer look at the dragon's white tail. She missed a breath and nearly squeaked when the tail just barely twitched. She snapped her head to the side, studying the dragon's wings, feet and hands for any other signs of spasms, twitching, or movement.

"Okay fine," Rainbow Dash dumped the rock back to the ground, "just a little kick," she agreed to Soarin's idea of keeping the dragon unconscious.

"_Guys,"_ Misty said in a stressed whisper, "the tail's twitching!" She pointed with both her foreleg and wing at the dragon's longest limb. The hairs on the necks of both blue ponies stood at attention as they whirled around to see if what Misty was saying was true.

"Do it now, Rainbow!" Soarin ordered. The mare galloped into position and raised her rear legs, ready to strike the dragon's head when it happened. The dragon's hand shot out and grabbed Rainbow's left rear leg while his tail quickly snaked its way around Misty's now exposed right front foreleg. Suddenly, the dragon's eyes snapped open as well as a vicious frown curled onto his face.

"AHHH!" Misty Fly shrieked as the tail's grip tightened around her leg and strung her up into the air. Rainbow then felt a great tug on her leg before her face met the ground and a clawed hand met her back.

"LET THEM GO!" Soarin launched from the ground like he were shot out of a cannon toward the dragon. Smirking, the dragon whipped his tail around and used Misty as a battering ram, hitting Soarin as hard as he could. Both ponies yelped in pain from the contact while Soarin was sent flying about fifty feet away headfirst into a pile of rocks.

"Soarin!" Rainbow cried as her coltfriend attempted to get up but collapsed with a pained groan. Quickly releasing his grip on Rainbow's rear leg, the dragon moved his hand around her neck and lifted her up in the air as well. He wasn't squeezing hard enough to cut off oxygen, but his claws were so sharp that Rainbow couldn't help but struggle at the burning sensation of them breaking the skin.

Growling, the dragon brought both Rainbow and Misty Fly near his face, a sinister grin slowly inching its way on as smoke poured from his nostrils. "Now comes the hardest part; which of you do I eat first?" He slipped his snake-like tongue out and lathered it on both Rainbow and Misty's faces.

"Ugh!" Rainbow moaned, unable to move her head back with the dragon's claws around her neck.

"Haha," the dragon cackled when Rainbow attempted to take a swing at him with one of her forelegs. "You're a scrappy little runt aren't you?"

"_I'll show, ugh, you, ugh, scrappy!" _Rainbow managed to choke out through the pain of the dragon's claws cutting her skin. Chuckling, the dragon dragged his tongue all along Rainbow's face yet again, getting as much of a taste as he could.

"Hmm, yes," the dragon licked his lips, "You'll be the most satisfying, especially for that shit you and Spike tried to pull a few years ago!" He roared into her face before lowering her and bringing Misty Fly closer to his own face. "And as for you-" he began before Misty thrusted forward with her wings and punched the dragon across the jaw. Rainbow managed to gasp as Misty's face faltered a bit yet stayed full of malice. "GRRRR," came a vicious growl from the dragon's throat. Suddenly, the dragon whipped his tail to the side, releasing its grip from her rear leg. Rainbow Dash could only watch in horror as the mare was flung upside down and backwards towards the rock wall of the volcano, impacting it with a horrifying thud.

The impact was hard enough to send Misty's goggles flying off her head and onto the ground below. The mare's body shook from the shock and force of the impact before sliding down the wall where it rested upon the ground. Pained gasps erupted from her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes. "YOU BASTARD!" Rainbow screeched, not caring about the dragon's claws anymore.

"Quit crying you little pussy," the dragon nonchalantly rolled his eyes. Roughly, the dragon threw Rainbow to the ground and knelt down with his other hand raised in the air. "Keep struggling if you want; it only makes this better," the dragon purred, purposefully making Rainbow even more uncomfortable. Beating her hooves against his arm, Rainbow ignored the dragon's infuriating remarks and continued to try to get away. Fighting this thing with both Soarin and Misty out of commission for the time being was going to be a scary moment, but she would never give up on anyone.

The mare gasped as she felt a claw run across her neck, forcing her body to go stiff for a brief moment. He didn't slice her throat open, but he managed to tear her Wonderbolt uniform even more until with one swift slice, he ripped it all the way down her belly. "Stupid coverings," the dragon muttered as he proceeded to rip the uniform from Rainbow's body. "_Now_ you look like a meal," he grinned after ripping the entire uniform off her body, casting it aside. "I'd prefer it if you were cooked, but your screams should make up for that," he slowly inched his fangs close to Rainbow's chest, barely scraping them against her fur and flesh. The mare whined from the alien sensation running through her nerves as one fang pierced her skin, causing some blood to pool at the top of her cyan fur.

She had to think of something quick as the dragon continued to try and mentally torture her. With her forelegs free, Rainbow felt around for any rock that she could bash against the dragon's skull, but her heart rate only increased as she felt nothing but dirt and a few measly pebbles lying on the floor. "GAH!" She yelped as the dragon bit down a little harder.

"Scream!" The dragon ordered, moving his jaws over her stomach. Deciding that she'd have to work with what she had, the mare grasped dirt in both of her hooves and slowly slid them to the sides of her body to hide them. She could feel that there were some pebbles scattered about in the dirt clods, giving her slight ray of hope.

"You want a scream?" Rainbow asked, curling her legs. The white reptile looked up at her with his pink beady eyes, glaring at her. "Then YOU scream!" She shouted, thrusting the dirt clods into the dragon's face. The dragon immediately roared in pain, releasing both hands from her throat and rear legs to cover his eyes. It wasn't enough that the dirt irritated his eyes, but he could feel sharp rock fragments getting stuck under his eyelids.

"YOU MAGGOT!" The dragon yelped, rubbing his eyes profusely. Now that she was free and with the dragon temporarily blinded, Rainbow grit her teeth and launched from the ground with her foreleg extended. Hovering in the air, Rainbow landed blow after blow upon the dragon's face and jaw, throwing any ounce of mercy within her out the window.

"Come on!" Rainbow taunted, managing to force the dragon backwards from Rainbow's blows. "Fight back, tough guy!" She taunted, landing a kick to the dragon's gut. The dragon snarled as he squinted his eyes open, trying to slash the pony raining Tartarus down upon him, but with how hard he was being hit and the pain within his eyes made it too hard to focus in on the mare. Getting an idea, the dragon deeply inhaled, ready to burn Rainbow Dash to a crisp in order to stop her. "Nice try!" Rainbow gave a powerful kick in between his chest and stomach, causing the dragon to sputter and cough.

"Ahh!" The dragon yelped as he tripped over a rock and fell backwards. He stuck his right arm out to break the fall, but he didn't react quick enough. The dragon's right arm was now pinned in between his body and the wall behind him near where Misty Fly was still lying on the ground. The dragon started to call out a series of grunts and yelps, unable to do anything as Rainbow Dash bit her lip and began to punch at his head faster and harder than before. Her forelegs started to become nothing but a cyan blur as she grunted as well with every blow. Finally, Rainbow slammed the dragon's head sideways to the wall, leaving his left side perfectly exposed. She held his head against the wall with her left foreleg whilst continuing her onslaught with her right foreleg. With how fast and hard her punches were coming in, the dragon was unable to move forward to release his right arm.

"WHERE'S LUNA!?" Rainbow demanded, screaming right into his ear. The dragon's cheek was starting to turn purple and swell up from her assault. Slowly, the dragon raised his left arm and moved it in front of his face, blocking Rainbow's punch. She attempted to shake it away and continue punching him, but once the dragon got a grip, he only tightened it with a guttural growl. Rainbow had not choice but to continue hitting him with her left foreleg now, trying to keep his head against the wall so he could set her on fire.

"Grrr," the dragon peeked his now puffy red left eye open, barely able to make out Rainbow threw his blurry vision. Using his strength, he began to push against the mare's leg in an attempt to remove her from his body. Suddenly losing his grip, he grasped it again just below her knee and pushed out to the side. Rainbow grunted as she tried to use all the strength in her body and mind to resist the dragon's push, but to no avail. The harder he pushed, the more it strained on Rainbow. Her leg shook, unable to push back.

"HEY! OW!" Rainbow exclaimed as the dragon bent her leg as far back as her bones allowed. "ST-STOP!" She cried as the dragon didn't let up at all. "AHHHHHHHH!" Rainbow screamed in absolute horror as the dragon pushed even further until there was a sickening _SNAP_. Rainbow's right foreleg was now bent completely backwards at an impossible angle. She released her left foreleg from the dragon, allowing him to punch her in her face with his now free right arm, sending her flying back with a now noodle-like foreleg.

Rainbow quietly sobbed as the pain was the worst she'd felt in her entire life. She rolled over to keep any weight or pressure off her leg, but it didn't help at all. "Owhowhow," she wailed as she found that one of her wings was now crumpled from landing hard on a rock.

"_Rainbow…."_ Misty Fly whispered from her upside down position. She'd watched the whole thing, feeling ashamed that she could still barely move from the impact on the wall. Luckily she could still move all her legs, but it hurt to try to get up. As the dragon stood up himself and cracked his back, he began to slowly stalk towards the fallen pegasus mare, his eyes still nearly unable to stay open. Feeling the anger overflowing, Misty Fly forced herself to roll back onto her stomach, breathing through the pain with her nose. With Rainbow defenseless and Soarin unconscious, she was their only chance of survival. Biting her lip so hard she could taste the metallic flavor of blood, she stood up onto her legs and flapped her wings, finding out they were still working and did't hurt _as_ bad as her back.

The mare hovered a mere two feet off the ground, yet took advantage and hovered herself behind the dragon, picking up a rock with a pained squeal that she couldn't mask. Hearing this, the dragon spun around to try and see what was going on. "Hmm?" He questioned as Misty thrusted the rock up, lifting herself above the dragon's head. Seeing only one way to perform this, Misty snapped her wings back onto her torso, allowing gravity to take over. The nearly blind dragon was struck hard in the head with the medium sized rock. The force slowly made the reptile sink to his knees as an other worldly and sickly groan escaped his mouth. He collapsed with a thud as Misty bounced off his body and onto the ground beside him.

Breathing heavily, the yellow mare turned her head to the side to see a tear stained Rainbow Dash still crying, but looking at her friend in awe. "_I never….leave…my wingponies,"_ Misty managed to croak out as a loud explosion rang out through the volcano.

* * *

"AHHHH!" Celestia roared in pain as she was yanked down and drug along the stony ground by her burnt horn. She wanted to fight back, at least enough to make the skinny dragon release his death grip. Thankfully, she was wearing her armor so the rocks weren't cutting into her body, but that was the last thing on her mind. She couldn't even open her eyes due to the immense pain shooting down into her head. As she was drug further along, she could hear the Wonderbolts taking flight away from a third dragon while Spike, Bat Fang, and Flash Sentry dealt with the fat brown one.

"RELEASE HER!" Glock demanded, slipping around the Dragon's head and wrapping his forelegs around its neck. He repeated the command a second time, squeezing his forelegs even harder, causing the dragon to choke and gasp for air. Before he could, the dragon shifted directions and let go of Celestia's horn. The alicorn's body tumbled along the stony path towards the edge of a cliff leading to the ground two hundred feet below. "NO!" Glock screeched, letting go of the dragon's neck. The dragon gasped, inhaling as much air as he could and hovered in mid air to see the outcome of what he'd done.

Despite it being too painful to even open her eyes, Celestia tried to grab ahold of something, anything to stop tumbling over the rocks. Each time a rock scraped her horn, the alicorn felt as if her head would explode. Glock took off after her, landing in front of the tumbling princess. "I've got you!" He declared, pushing against her as hard as he could to slow down her momentum before she tumbled over the edge. The stallion flapped his wings as well, trying anything at all save his princess. Finally, Celestia's body stopped on her back; Glock's rear hooves stopped about half a foot away from the cliff's rim. Taking a quick look up, Glock gave the dragon a glare before galloping up to and kneeling beside Celestia's head, propping it up in his forelegs. Knowing he had perhaps only a few precious seconds, Glock scraped together some dirt and made a little mound out of the pile, gently setting Celestia's head upon it to keep her horn elevated.

"Glock?" Celestia called, trying to open her eyes.

"Try not to move too much Tia," he replied, nuzzling her cheek. "I'll do what I have to to keep him away," Glock said, gingerly tracing his hoof along the back of her neck.

"Wait!" The alicorn tried to protest before Glock stood up. The stallion took a step forward, sprouting his wings and pawing at the ground toward the dragon.

"You're not going to touch her again!" He snarled as the dragon landed in front of him, sprouting his claws and his own wings. The dragon didn't say anything or snarl in return. Rather, he looked down upon Glock and hissed, emitting smoke from in between his fangs. Glock cocked his head to the side, keeping his cold glare on the reptilian. The two stared each other down until the dragon took a few steps forward, prompting Glock to place a firm hoof forward, planting himself in place. Suddenly, the dragon swiped his claw down at the pegasus, making Glock block his claws with his armored shoulder.

_Clink!_

The claws made a high pitched clinging noise after making contact with Glock's golden armor. The guard smirked, urging the dragon to try again. The dragon raised his other claw, appearing to try the same move again. That is until Glock noticed the dragon inhaling through his nostrils; smoke began to billow out of the corners of his mouth. "SHIT!" Glock swore as a large stream of flame shot out of the dragon's mouth. The guard swatted the clawed hand away, spinning around to make sure his armor took the brunt of the assault and that none of it touched Celestia.

At first, the armor did its job, shielding both Glock and Celestia from the fire. Unfortunately, the armor could only do so much as the dragon marched forward, still exhaling his attack. Glock began yell in pain as the armor heated up and began to burn his fur and skin whenever the armor would rub against him. "AHHH!" The guard screamed as the heat became too much and even began to singe his wings. Jumping back toward the dragon, Glock kicked its jaw, making it stumble back and stop breathing fire. Glock was both hyperventilating and yelping simultaneously as he proceeded to rip the armor from his body.

"GLOCK!" Celestia exclaimed, trying to stand up to assist her coltfriend.

"Stay down!" Glock snapped, giving the princess an order for a change. His armor clanked and banged as it bounced off the ground, leaving the pegasus unrecognizable as a member of Celestia's guard with the exception of his helmet. Celestia covered her mouth as she saw the burn marks and sizzling patches of fur from the white hot armor. "GAH!" Glock grunted as the dragon tackled him, sending them both flying over the alicorn's body and tumbling down the way.

Glock attempted to stand up, only to have the dragon hold his body down with one of his hands. His claws dug right into his flesh between his wings, drawing blood to his white fur. The guard howled in pain, spreading his wings so the dragon's claws couldn't dig at them. Groaning, Glock soon found his helmeted head forced onto the ground and loud scraping sounds assaulting his ears. The dragon used his other hand, taking hard swings at Glock's head. The stallion struggled to get up, but he was well subdued and worried about permanent damage from the claws digging into his back. He didn't even dare to turn his head for fear of having an eye clawed out of his head.

And yet, the guard knew he had to try something lest the dragon finishes him off and and goes after Celestia. With his head pinned to the ground, Glock couldn't see what he was doing, but it was his only choice. Carefully, he moved his rear legs (which were not pinned down) around ever so carefully to not alert the dragon to his plan. Should he accidentally touch the dragon prematurely, he prayed that the dragon wouldn't feel it, or he would think his leg brushed up against a rock.

Softly, Glock raised his left rear leg and felt around as his ears continued to ring and his back continued to burn. He bit his lower lip to hide the grunts and groans from the dragon, nearly drawing blood. He was expecting a little twinge from the injury to his back, but as high as he raised his leg, no pain came shooting from his lower back muscles. Finally, his eyes popped when his leg made contact with something, making him freeze momentarily in case the dragon was aware of what was going on. When Glock didn't feel the dragon stop digging into his back or swiping at his helmet, Glock reared his leg up, building up as much power to his kick as possible and unleashed it.

_CRACK_

There was a sickening crack as Glock's left rear leg connected with the dragon's left knee, shattering the knee cap. Immediately, Glock felt the dragon stop swiping at his helmet, but he also roared in pain as he felt the dragon's claws drag along his back before ripping them out of him. "STUPID PONY!" The dragon yelled, clutching his knee as his wings kept him hovering in the air.

"Glock, get up!" Celestia called out, still trying to stand up through the pain. The alicorn managed to prop herself up, but she could still barely focus on what she was stepping around. The pain was starting to go away however, so she took it slow as she watched the scene unfold. The guard whipped himself around, propping himself on his forelegs to keep his back from touching the ground. Thrusting with his wings, he leapt up and landed on his hooves, ready to face the dragon once again.

"COME ON!" Glock growled, challenging the dragon. In response, the dragon growled back, opening up his claws and showing off his fangs to the guard. Suddenly, in a flash of purple and gold, the drake was taking swipes at Glock. The pegasus found himself taking a few hops backward to avoid getting his throat slashed. With each slash however, Glock threw up his still armor plated hooves, blocking the dragon's blows. He even took flight himself to try and push back the dragon's advancement.

When throwing a punch at him, Glock managed to catch the dragon's hand in his hoof. Taking a more offensive shot than a defensive shot, Glock held the dragon's arm down and kicked him in the jaw. The blow forced the drake to stumble backwards, nearly losing his balance on the rocks. Knowing that he could _not_ let a chance go to waste, Glock unleashed all of his anger and fury upon his and Celestia's attacker. He didn't attack the same places in succession; the guard went for the head, the chest, the stomach and even the dragon's injured knee cap. Nothing was out of bounds in war, especially to something that dared to go after his fellow ponies and princess.

The dragon was being attacked so fast that he could barely react except with squeals of pain. Every time he tried to breathe fire on the pegasus, his head would get knocked to the side. He tried to swipe at Glock, but again, it was all happening too fast for him to do anything. Finally, with another blow to his injured knee, the dragon's leg gave out, snapping and forcing him onto his back. "AAAAAGGGHHH!" He roared in agony, trying to keep his leg from moving. But Glock wasn't done yet; he landed on the dragon's stomach, continuing his rampage. Meanwhile, Celestia was able to stand and rid herself of her hazy vision, but still had quite the migraine. She of course wanted to help her twenty year body guards and now coltfriend, but there was little she could do since Glock took hold of the situation.

"Hmm?" Celestia blinked furiously as she squinted her eyes. Whilst Glock was going to town on the dragon's head, the alicorn noticed that its tail was slowly seeping up towards Glock! "GLOCK!" She screamed, starting to gallop over to help him. The guard ceased pummeling the dragon and turned around, only to see the spaded edge of the dragon's tail in his face before it shot at him, wrapping around his neck.

"Grrr," the dragon growled happily as he squeezed his tail like an anaconda, turning the pony's face blue. Glock gasped for air, repeatedly hitting the tail to make it let go of his throat. His eyes widened as he felt the tail pushing him forward to the dragon's face. The dragon brought him as close as possible, peering into Glock's eyes to instill fear into the guard. Reaching up, the dragon flicked Glock's helmet off of his head before grinning at him.

"No…." Celestia muttered as she saw Glock's body becoming more limp. All of a sudden, the alicorn felt something just snap within her. Everything that had happened; the revelation of Luna's pregnancy, her kidnapping, being taunted about Luna by Garble, her friend Cougar disappearing because of her magic, her horn being burnt, and the attack on her friends, and her coltfriend all started to boil. Centuries of being the poster child for a calm and collected regal pony was about to go down the drain. Celestia's body began to shake with rage, and her eyes seemed to have fire shooting out of them.

Chortling, the dragon flapped his wings, picking himself off the ground while still holding Glock in his tail, unaware of the angered alicorn standing about fifteen feet away. Celestia then stomped her hoof on the ground, alerting the dragon to her presence. "Is this one special to you, pony?" The dragon taunted, waving Glock around like a rag doll. Celestia pawed at the ground again, kicking up dust. "Awe, are you angry?" The dragon taunted again.

"PUT….HIM….DOWN!" Celestia roared as loud as she could before taking off like a Wonderbolt. The dragon's face completely fell; changing to one of pure terror as the pissed off princess lumbered toward him as fast as she could run. And with her long legs, she could build up some speed. "RAAAAHHH!" Celestia screamed as she leapt off the ground at the dragon. The drake couldn't move; he was frozen in mid air at what was happening as the alicorn hit him as hard as a lava bomb. Letting out a pained grunt, the dragon's tail released Glock's neck, dropping him onto the ground.

Celestia firmly planted her hooves on the dragon's chest as her velocity knocked the dragon up and over the edge of the cliff toward the ground. The dragon flailed his arms and legs about, trying to get away from Celestia. "YOU CRAZY BITCH!" He screamed, trying to claw at her armor. Celestia only flapped her wings harder, increasing their speed.

_BOOM_

A loud explosion rang out as Celestia and the dragon for all intense and purposes slammed into the ground. Dirt and rocks flew up about fifty feet around the crater that Celestia and the dragon had created. Pain was the only thing the dragon could feel. His back was spasming and he could no longer feel either leg in his body. And yet, those weren't the only things that were hurting. Celestia didn't miss a beat and began to pulverize the dragon's face with her armored hoof, punching him over and over again as hard as she could.

"UNH, UNH, UNH!" She grunted with each contact her hoof made to the dragon's face. With each blow, the dragon's muzzle continued to get shorter and his jaws became unhinged. Teeth and fangs were starting to fly from his mouth from the sheer ferocity of the alicorn. The dragon managed to reach an arm up and scratch at Celestia's armor, but the alicorn had none of it. "YAHH!" She growled, slamming her hoof so hard onto the dragon's arm that it snapped like a spaghetti noodle. Soon, the alicorn's attack slowed until sweat was dripping off her face. She breathed heavily and glared down at the bruised and bloody mess of the purple drake. He was completely unrecognizable with two broken jaws, a broken nose, swelled cheeks, and multiple face contusions.

Celestia stood up and stepped away, satisfied that she had given the dragon what he deserved yet did not kill him. She did her job as a ruler and protector of her subjects; these dragons had not yet killed anypony, so she felt beating them was satisfactory. "Where's my sister?" She demanded, kneeling down next to his head.

* * *

**(Ivan's POV)**

I'd sat in silence by my lonesome for a few minutes. Mainly it was to catch my breath after being sucker punched by Celestia's magic in between my chest and stomach, and after hitting a wall with my back wasn't too pleasant of a feeling. I had also accepted the fact that I was alone, and probably nowhere close to where my friends were. I wasn't going to BS to myself and pretend I'd find them right away, but I was scared for them because of the dragon that had tried to sneak up on us. It didn't take me long to make the decision to continue the search for Luna rather than try and find my way back to the group. I had the opportunity of having no dragons to deal with at the moment, and finding Luna was the sole reason to even come to Draconia. It'd be a waste of time to _not_ try and find her; at least I could cover more ground for everyone should we meet back up sooner than expected.

After a few minutes of catching my breath and firmly making my decision, I set off in search of the Princess of the Night. Since I was alone, I removed my helmet from my head in order to hear quieter sounds in case I happened upon Luna's cave or Garble tried to sneak up on me. I looped the helmet strap around the strap for my jetpack, buckling it in so it wouldn't fall off. And with that, I started walking. Just like before, there were a number of different tunnels and bridges to choose from in this labyrinth, but I soon found out that there were not as many as before, and the ground was much closer. "Must be near the heart," I muttered, craning my neck around.

All of a sudden, my heart stopped beating, and my veins turned to ice. With my helmet off, I could certainly hear better, but I could just barely make out a voice echoing off the walls of the volcano. It wasn't feminine, so I ruled out Celestia, Misty Fly, and Rainbow Dash; it was gruff and not high pitched, so I ruled out Soarin. I couldn't discern any words that the voice was saying, but if I had to guess, it was either Bat Fang or Glock. "Best shot," I exclaimed, taking a careful look around to interpret where the voice was coming from.

Looking from side to side didn't really help me; the voice seemed to be drowned out. I gasped when I couldn't hear the voice anymore. Fearing that I'd lost my only chance, I dropped to my knees and leaned my head over the edge of the cliff, holding my breath in case the voice came from a tunnel below me. Seconds ticked by; my heart beat faster and faster as I bit my lip to keep from breathing. All of a sudden, the voice started talking again, only this time I could barely make out one word in the muffled speaking. "_Ponies." _

A scowl appeared on my face as I realized whose voice was speaking. I could feel the anger welling up within me, especially since the voice sounded more distant and muffled than before. I quickly stood up, grunting as I inhaled a few breaths before I'd get too lightheaded. The stifled voice continued to talk, but I still couldn't place the location. "Come on," I mumbled to myself, taking a look up. My heart jumped as Garble's gruff voice came in just a little bit clearer, but still hard to distinguish. I pressed my back against the wall and, like James Bond, gently taking steps to the closest bridge that lead to where I believed the voice to be coming from.

_"Please," _I heard a second voice begging. I ceased walking against the wall, straining my ears as I heard Luna's pleading voice. She sounded terrified; her voice carried a hint of shakiness. I looked up, seeing that I was a mere few feet from the bridge and made a decision. I whirled around and leapt up at the wall, clinging to the rocks that jutted out. I'd never scaled a wall like this before, but I wasn't about to think too hard about it. Using my jetpack would've alerted Garble that I was nearby; I had to keep the element of surprise alive.

Grunting as quietly as a mouse I climbed up the thirty foot wall as fast as possible without losing my grip or scraping my helmet against the rocks. It wasn't easy having hunch outward as I climbed, but couldn't nitpick anything at the moment. Soon enough, I crested the top of the wall, speedily unbuckling my helmet from my jetpack strap with one hand. I gently set it on the ground so I could pull myself up without it making any noise against the rocks. Taking a second to catch my breath through my nose, I clung to the ground with my arms hooked over the wall, resting my feet on rocks.

_SLAP_

The noise made my head snap up, looking into side of the cave. I could only see shadows on the wall of the cave in the distance, but I could clearly hear what was going on in there. Through the shadows of stalactites and stalagmites, I made out a dragon's shadow with his hand raised at a lump on the ground. _"P-please," _I heard amidst Luna's soft crying, "_I'm c-carrying a f-foal." _My body began to shake so hard that I wouldn't be surprised if a crack formed in the rocky wall. _"I promise th-that I won't s-send after you if y-you r-release me!" _She cried.

"But it's too fun seeing you ponies in the pain you deserve," Garble bent down chortling. "And two for the price of one just makes it BETTER!" He exclaimed at the end, bringing his hand down again.

_SLAP_

His hand made contact with Luna's body once again. The alicorn emitted a yelp of pain; her sobbing grew slightly louder. I bit my lip so hard that I could feel a little trickle of blood racing down my chin. I had to bite my lip so I wouldn't be tempted to run in there like an idiot and give away my position, but I _had_ to do something quick. Looking around for something to cause a distraction, my eyes rested on my purple and gold helmet. The helmet that served me for nearly a decade. A twinge of sadness pelted my chest, but a rock wouldn't be good enough. With a sad sigh, I picked it up with my hand and chucked it against the wall next to the cave entrance. The safety device ricocheted off the rocks before bouncing off the ground and over the edge of the cliff on the other side of the bridge.

Garble's shadow whipped around, alerted to my distraction. I quickly pushed myself away from the wall, dropping below the edge of the cliff and climbing under the bridge to hide. Firmly pressing my body against the wall, I silently prayed that the shadows of the bridge would disguise me well enough. The next thing I heard was the flapping of Garble's wings growing closer. I gulped as he landed with a hard thud directly above me on the bridge. He snorted several times, presumably looking around.

"Hmm," he grumbled, sniffing loudly a few times. A few specs of dirt landed and ran over my head as he stomped around a few times. Suddenly, I heard his body whooshing through air before I spotted his shadow on the ground below flying in the opposite direction. A brief smile curled onto my lips before vanishing. I slipped out from my hiding spot and yanked myself up from the face of the cliff. Without wasting any time, I darted into the cave just in case Garble turned around.

"What the?" I came across a crooked bridge that spanned about fifty feet across and above a sixty foot gorge. At the far end of the cave stood some sort of giant pillar that met the end of the bridge. It was set up almost like_ Raiders of the Lost Ark_. I gulped as a dark thought crossed my mind about it being a sacrificial shrine. "_Luna!" _I exclaimed as I saw her dark blue body lying as limp as a towel on the pillar. Although running would be quieter, time was of the essence. I took flight and landed before Luna's body in no time, deactivating my pack as quickly as I could. I jogged over to her body and knelt down before gasping at her condition. A large red claw print stained her left cheek; her main, tail, and coat were disheveled and covered in dirt; and her sides and legs were tattooed in bruises.

Reaching out, I tenderly placed my hand on her neck and rubbed it. _"N-No! Please!" _Luna begged, cringing at just my slightest touch. She kept her eyes shut as tears matted the fur on her face. Despite the anger I was feeling, my heart was breaking at what Luna looked and acted like before me. Slowly, I bent my head down and whispered as kindly as I could.

_"Luna, the night sky hasn't been the same without you," _I said the first thing that crossed my mind. I wanted to mention something about Celestia or Checkered, but I didn't want to put further stress on her. The alicorn gasped and shakily opened her eyes, looking up at me. I managed a tiny smile, continuing to stroke her neck.

"C-Cougar?" She questioned, blinking a few times as I moved my hand to her cheek, gingerly brushing at the claw print.

"We're getting _both_ of you," I motioned to her stomach with my eyes, "out of here," I said in a promising voice. I suddenly groaned as the alicorn pushed herself up and threw her forelegs around my torso, nuzzling her cheek against my chest as she sobbed.

"Th-thank you!" She sobbed into my chest. Being unable to help myself, I wrapped my arms around the princess' body and hugged her as softly as I could without squeezing her bruises. Luna then removed her head from my chest and looked into my eyes with her wet ones. "H-how did you get here?"

"Long story short: Celestia accidentally sent me here after a dragon breathed fire on her horn," I quickly explained.

"What?!" Luna croaked out in her strained voice.

"Don't talk too much," I advised, lightly rubbing in between her wings. "We've gotta get out of here before more of Garble's cronies show up. Are you able to fly?" I asked. Warily, the princess removed herself from my torso and stood up like a newborn fawn. She spread her wings, but they didn't look too aerodynamic considering the circumstances.

"Possibly?" She guessed, trying to flap them.

"Forget it, I'll just guide you," I exclaimed. The princess didn't have any qualms against the idea. She kept her wings sprouted to glide through the air while I would keep one arm wrapped around her chest. I asked her if anything in her chest hurt too much to have my arm wrapped around it. She told me Garble had not yet harmed her there, so it shouldn't be an issue. I'd never flown like that before, but we didn't have much of a choice. Yet as we prepared to leave this hellhole and find our friends, my blood turned to ice.

"You're just as predicable as your pathetic pony friends, human." The two of us spun around to see Garble blocking the entrance to the cave. I began to breathe heavily; my mouth curled into a frown as my eyes widened and my eyebrows furrowed. Neither I or Luna said anything in response to the dragon. "Did you _really_ think I couldn't smell your pussy pony friends' scent off of you?" He asked.

"_Shit,"_ I muttered.

"You don't have your stupid friends or King Horntail to protect you this time!" Garble growled, opening up his clawed fingers and wings. With a powerful thrust, Garble took flight and launched toward us.

"Luna, stay behind me!" I ordered, curling my fingers around the handle of my gun. Knowing that she wouldn't be too helpful in her state, Luna did as I said, not moving an inch while behind me. Garble was going to try and have fun with us; he wasn't advancing as quickly as he could. I knew he didn't just want to make myself and Luna suffer; he wanted to _enjoy_ making us suffer. Like Clint Eastwood, I ripped my gun from its holster and aimed at the dragon heading toward us.

There was no way in Hell he could've known what this was or what it was for; Garble was in for a painful surprise.

_BOOM_

I squeezed off a round of silver magic. I heard Luna yelp behind me from the volume of the blast, though I could understand why. The dragon was in fact caught off guard by what I shot at him, but it whizzed right past him as he dodged it. The magic bolt collided with a stalactite, breaking half of it into dust. "Fair enough," I closed my left eye, squeezing off several more rounds in succession.

_BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM_

My right arm dropped lazily to my leg after I fired four more shots at Garble. I glared, hoping one of the four shots would hit that mother fucker square between the eyes. All four shots spread out a bit, making it easier to hit their target. Garble's eyes widened at the projectiles heading in his direction, unsure of what they would do to him should he be hit. The dragon quickly snapped his wings, arms, and legs onto his body, performing a barrel roll while shaped like a bullet. "Fuck," I muttered as all four silver bolts whizzed past the dragon, missing him by mere centimeters. "GET DOWN!" I shouted out of the corner of my mouth at Luna as Garble spread his arms and wings out again, baring his fangs at me.

I wanted to try and shoot him again, but he was closing even faster now and pissed off even more. I tried to jam my gun back into its holster so I could be ready for his strike, but I ended up hitting the edge of the holster and losing grip on the handle. The gun clattered to the ground as I cursed yet again, looking back up. With no time to get any other shots off, I pumped my arms back and leapt up into the air. The pack roared to life, helping me fight against gravity as Garble hit me square in the torso like a missile.

We both grunted as we made contact, punching at each other as we rotated through the air before tumbling onto the ground and rolling near the edge of the pillar. I scarcely make out Luna's frightened gasps as Garble and I fought one another. He wasn't as skilled or agile as Ember, but he was putting up one hell of a fight. We'd both landed on our sides, splitting up from the impact on the ground. Garble was the first to scramble upwards, grabbing my arm and yanking me toward him. I wound up my fist and slugged him in the jaw before he could take a swipe at me with his claws. Spit flew out of his mouth from the force of the punch; he roared in response.

"Gah!" I cried as he brought down his claws as hard as he could. I swung my forearm up just in time, stopping his swipe about half a foot above my face. My arm trembled, working overtime as Garble pushed against me. The scarlet reptile then released my other arm and tried to take a swipe at me with his free hand. I shot my right hand up, snatching his left wrist before he could cut at me. Now with both of his arms blocked, there was only one thing left he could do. My eyes widened as Garble, still trying to push against my arms, reared his head back, inhaling deeply. Before he could even exhale a single spark, I quickly pulled my right leg up to my chest and kicked him in the stomach as hard as I could.

"OOOH!" The dragon groaned as a huge fireball leapt from his mouth, flying above my head. The force of my kick momentarily released his arms from mine; I used the opportunity to uppercut him in the jaw, slamming his mouth shout. I then pulled both legs up to my chest and kicked him again, sending him stumbling backwards as he tripped over a rock. I rushed up and tackled him back to the ground. Rocks and dirt scattered as we slammed to the ground with me on top of the dragon. His head was lying over the edge of the cliff.

Taking my thumbs, I jammed them at his eyes, trying to blind him. He howled as I pressed hard into his yellow eyeballs. "AHHH!" I yelped when he scratched at my arm, leaving a pretty good cut on my bicep. I gasped when I felt something coiling around my ankle before I was ripped from Garble's face and slammed back down to the ground on my front. My arms instantly shot out to break my fall, causing some dirt to enter the cut and me to seethe. I also felt a little bit of pressure on my ribs, but they didn't hurt too bad. I coughed a little, but I was still ready to keep it up.

"HA!" Garble cheered as he landed with his legs straddled around my body. He then began to swipe his claws at my jetpack, forcing me to stay on the ground. However, a smirk formed on my mouth as he couldn't reach my back. My jetpack was coated with Russian titanium. Even dragon claws wouldn't be able to cut through it; all that Garble was doing was creating sparks. Suddenly, the scratching ceased.

"S-stay back!" I heard Luna demand. Horrified, I whirled around to see her with her wings spread and a glare on her face as Garble stalked towards her. But I saw right through her facade; she was terrified.

"NO!" I screamed, jumping to my feet and sprinting toward the dragon. Garble didn't have time to pay me any attention before I hopped up and wrapped my legs around his torso and my arms around his neck. The dragon began to choke as I squeezed my arms like a boa constrictor to keep him away from an already hurt Luna. Garble began to jerk his head around in an attempt to fling me off of his neck. He couldn't speak, but a loud gurgling sound came from his mouth. He opened and closed his mouth several times, snapping his jaws. He nearly threw me off at one point, but I still clung around his neck, hoping he'd at least pass out.

Suddenly, he shot both hands up to my arms. My blood ran cold as I feared what he was about to do. I tried to let go of his neck and jump off of him, but I wasn't fast enough. A scream of agony erupted from my mouth as his claws scratched at my forearms. Feeling like they were on fire, I loosened my grip a bit to try and get away from the dragon, but his fingers curled around my arms. Before I knew it, Garble had flung me off of his body and about ten feet away where my body bounced off the rocky ground. "COUGAR!" I heard Luna screech.

Groaning, I managed to lift my head as my ribs were starting to hurt even more, my arms were burning from the cuts, and I had landed face down on the ground near my eye. I could actually feel it beginning to swell as I looked back behind me at Garble. "I'll deal with you in a minute," Garble sneered at Luna as he shoved her to the ground before setting his sights back on me.

"Hmm?" I questioned to myself, feeling something lumpy that was digging into my ribs. I rolled over slightly to find that I had landed right on my revolver. Feeling a twinge of hope, I quickly snatched the weapon and held it within my hand as Garble grew closer, hoping he hadn't seen it yet. The beast stomped over to me, coughing from my choke attack and growling in anger. Looking behind me again, I saw Luna getting back up onto her hooves. Her eyes were welling up in tears at the pain I was putting myself through to protect her.

Garble's figure suddenly blocked my view of the alicorn as he towered over me. "No, more, games," he snarled, grabbing my left arm and flipping me onto my back. With my gun now exposed, I squeezed off another round as fast as I could before the dragon could either snatch it from me or smack it away and over the edge of the bridge.

_BOOM_

The sound of the shot ricocheted off the walls of the cave in a sickening way. Accompanying the explosion of the magic was the sound of cracking bones and ripping flesh. Luna gasped sharply as my jaw dropped and my eyes squinted in disbelief. "What the?" Garble didn't realize it right away. The dragon turned his head and looked at his right hand before his face contorted into that of shock. I cringed as small geysers of blood erupted from where Garble's right pinkie and ring fingers used to be. "W-WHAT DID YOU DO YOU FREAK!?" Garble shrieked, now holding his right hand in pain. Even though my chest hurt like Hell to bend, I got up and off the ground, ready to shoot at the dragon again. "RAHHH!" Garble roared, snatching the gun right from my hand and tossing it behind him. The weapon clattered along the ground before landing right at Luna's hooves.

"Ah!" I exclaimed as the dragon reared back. I leapt to the side just in time as he spat out some fire. It missed me, but he was more or less cauterizing his wounds before he bled out. With my gun too far away, my knife made a _fwing_ noise as I unsheathed it from its holster, tightly gripping its handle in my right hand. I made several swipes at the dragon; he dodged every one. He in turn tried to swipe at me with his claws again, but I blocked them with my forearms, ignoring the painful burns of the cuts.

"I'm gonna eat you alive!" Garble shouted as we began to encircle each other, still taking swings with our weapons literally every second. I dared not to say a single word to this fucker; he didn't deserve it. Finally, I leapt forward, giving the dragon another kick to the chest. He stumbled back; I took my shot. With as powerful as a swing I could summon, I sliced at his neck with my knife.

_CLINK_

I stared in horror as my knife completely broke in half after it hit Garble's scales which were much tougher than I had thought. The blade clanged to the ground, pathetically resting in front of Garble's feet. I looked up at the dragon, only to see his fist invading my face. Grunting in pain as he punched me square in the jaw, I was sent flying back and over the edge of the bridge! My arms reached out, barely grabbing ahold of the bridge in time before I fell, not thinking I'd be able to activate my pack in time to save me. I yelped as Garble flew up and landed with his feet on my hands, trapping me where I was. No matter how hard I tugged, I couldn't escape his feet's grip.

"NO!" I could hear Luna galloping as fast as she could over to us. Garble ignored her, however. The reptilian smirked at me and blew a fair sized ball of fire onto the remaining claws on his right hand. I shook my head, trying to pull it back as far as I could.

"Hehehe," Garble chortled, moving his now white hot claws toward my face.

"AHHHHHHH!" I screamed bloody murder. Garble slowly sank his white hot index claw into my forehead, dragging his claw down the left side of my face. It literally felt like my skin was melting off my skull. I could even hear my skin singeing from the heat of his claw. His claw reached the bottom of my chin before he stopped. I suddenly felt his feet hop off my hands before he grabbed me around my neck and lifted me in the air with his left claws. He squeezed his hand as hard as I'd squeezed my arms around his own neck; all I could do was sputter and kick my feet.

_SLAM_

The dragon slammed me onto the ground on my back. Luckily my jetpack broke my fall, but that was the least of my worries. The dragon picked his leg up and stomped directly on the right side of my rib cage. I felt the pressure intensify as I could also hear my ribs straining to stay intact. Coughing, my arm clutched my chest when he released his foot. "Ohh," I groaned, continuing to cough as my arms, face, and now chest were in excruciating pain. "Ah!" I yelped as Garble flipped me over onto my front and grabbed my left arm. "NnnnnAAAAHHH!" Came a gurgled yell. Garble had put my arm against my back and pushed it up, dislocating my shoulder from its socket. He released my arm, only to grab my left foot and twist it, spraining my ankle.

The timberwolf attack now felt like playing with a puppy considering what Garble was putting me through. I suddenly felt him grab the back of my hair before slamming my face down onto the ground, only making my eye swell up even more. I wanted this pain to be over; I wanted this to be nothing but a nightmare. As Garble continued to put me through Hell, one thing came across my mind. I would've traded anything just to be in AJ's loving embrace again. I shut my eyes as tight as possible, just thinking about lying in bed with her; my arms around her body and her forelegs around mine as we snuggled. _"Applejack," _I croaked, sputtering. _"I-I'm sorry_."

Then, just as quick as Garble's true onslaught had started, something happened. Like a laser blast from an X-Wing, I heard a huge blast of magic shoot in our direction. The weight of Garble left my body almost immediately after. Groaning, I lifted my head up to see Luna standing only a few feet away with a smoking horn and a glare on her face. "Cougar!" She exclaimed, trotting toward me before dropping to her knees. "P-Please sp-speak to me!" She begged, placing a hoof on my left cheek. I cried out in pain, forcing her to retract her hoof. "S-sorry!" She apologized.

"Wh-where-" I tried to ask before I coughed once more. Luna gingerly helped me sit up, her wing was laced softly on my back for support. Breathing heavily, I turned around to see an unconscious Garble lying a few feet away with his head amidst a small pile of stalagmites that decorated the bridge. Somehow, I had enough energy left to reach up with a trembling hand and touch Luna's cheek in return.

"_I think it's this one!" _A gruff female voice echoed from outside the cave. Both Luna and I looked over to see Princess Ember, clad in her battle armor, jog into the cave with Spike, Celestia, and Glock right behind her.

"I-It's over," Luna said gently into my ear as she cradled my injured body.

**End Chapter 54**

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_What, did you expect the heroes to defeat the dragons without a scratch?_

_Next time: Our heroes return to Equestria to their loved ones with Princess Luna and her unborn foal rescued! We have three very important scenes next chapter; I very much look forward to them!_

_And just in case anyone is wondering, next chapter Luna WILL explain how Garble was able to kidnap her, but she won't be giving birth to her foal for a few more chapters. As for Garble and his cronies, their fate will be revealed in a few chapters as well. _


	56. Chapter 55: The Most Important Things

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 55: The Most Important Things**

_Hello all my loyal readers, and hello to the new ones as well! So, after writing an action-packed chapter last time, I was more than looking forward to writing a straight up emotional chapter to follow it up. And boy, I was so thrilled that you guys enjoyed the last chapter so much after I had to push it back to three weeks before I updated. I had a lot of fun with this chapter, and I hope you guys have fun reading it. There is one scene in particular, specifically talking about Ivan and Applejack, that I've been dying to get to, and I'm crossing my fingers you guys will enjoy it as much as I did writing it. _

_Also, before I reply to any reviews, I'd just like to say that if anyone wants to hear what my voice sounds like, you can follow the link to my YouTube channel on my FanFiction profile. The newest video is of me narrating a story from one of my favorite authors, Dixie Darlin._

**Nostalgia Cop: **_That about sums it up_

**WarHusky2000: **_Haha! No way! I've still got a lot left in this story!_

**The Sleeping Library: **_Glad to hear it! It was a lot of fun writing an action chapter_

**Silver25: **_Thanks for the encouragement, especially about taking my time. And I hope this chapter is as good_

**Furi Poi: **_Really? Hmm, are you subbed to the story?_

**NoOne: **_Hmm? _

**headreviewermk2: **_Well, I don't blame you for thinking that, but I can assure you that it's not going to be like that_

**SquirtlePWN: **_Yeah, I'll admit that it wasn't a very smart decision, but I'm glad that it wasn't chapter destroying_

**ShiningShadow1965: **_Well yeah, but his scar on his left face is forever. Pony magic can heal little cuts and black eyes, but not scars of that calibre_

**Druid of Mist: **_Well, you'll have to see her reaction_

**JadenYuuki: **_Oh, just wait until we get back to Garble!_

**Srey: **_Ever since I envisioned this arc, I was DYING to write Celestia beating the shit out of a dragon. I know on the show she's a sweet and more articulate mare that solves problems with logic and reasoning before resorting to a warrior's answer, kind of like Odin from Thor! But I knew this was a time she had to throw diplomacy out the window and show she's not screwing around or to be messed with when her baby sister is on the line. _

**Sassymouse: **_Haha! I knew YOU would love seeing Celestia kick some dragon ass. I had a feeling this would be the scene that would steal the chapter. We all know Celestia is a diplomatic mare, but with her baby sister in danger, her newest friend gone, and her horn burnt, diplomacy gets shot up and it's time for some ass kicking! I've always imagined Celestia as a great warrior along with being a great princess; I saw a chance to let that part of her surface. And I'm glad you understood that Ivan couldn't always save the day; and Luna wasn't necessarily out for the count. It'd be pretty Gary Stu-ish if Ivan didn't get a scratch while protecting Luna._

**Monkeyboy0118: **_Thanks!_

**Dixie: **_Whoo! So glad you loved the four battles! As for Ivan, well, he couldn't just swoop in and kick Garble's ass. That wouldn't make him very interesting to be able to solve every little problem. Besides, this a great way for him to grow as a character. _

_Well that's it for review replies. Please R&amp;R as always! _

* * *

**(Ivan's POV; 1.5 days later)**

Things didn't exactly turn into a walk in the park after Ember and Celestia discovered myself and Luna in the cave. Sure, we both felt a sense of security with several of Horntail's guards offering us assistance back to his castle. But we still had the physical injuries to deal with. ALL of us did. It didn't matter if Horntail himself personally escorted us back to his castle; all ten of us had some sort of injury hindering us. Needless to say, Celestia was overjoyed to see Luna once again, going so far as to try and hug her. While Luna too was happy, she made it her duty to make sure I was taken care of before she and Celestia had any sort of reunion.

Garble and his three cronies, as expected, were deposited into Horntail's dungeon without much thought. Ember claimed her father would deal with them in the following few days while she attempted to find some medical attention for us. While I knew my injuries were bad, Rainbow's right foreleg came close to making me vomit on sight. It was bent backwards at a right angle, and I could see the bone barely bulging at her skin. The majority of everyone else's injuries consisted of black eyes, swollen faces, and cuts which at least the castle healer could clean up. Unfortunately, they could do nothing about Rainbow's leg or my left shoulder being out of socket due to their lack of knowledge on pony anatomy. Luckily Luna could still cast a few spells, so she put an immobilization spell on Rainbow's leg and my shoulder, though the pain was still there for the both of us. Soarin and Bat Fang complained about horrible headaches which more than likely meant they had concussions, but again, there was nothing the dragon healer could do for them.

We all rested in Horntail's massive chambers for a few hours after having our cuts cleaned up by the healer. The swelling and black eyes would go away eventually, but Celestia and Luna's royal infirmary would be working overtime when we all returned, especially for myself, Luna, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and Bat Fang. And, even though she was still a little weak in the legs, Luna would check on every single one of us with Celestia as we rested. Though the Princess of the Night kept a closer eye on me. Eventually though, we had to leave and return home. I could hobble on my good foot, but I could only bend down so far before my ribs felt like they would explode. There was _no_ way I could fly with my shoulder out of socket and immobilized, but Celestia offered me to lie down on her back to carry me home. At first I felt a little uneasy for her considering we were both nearly the same size, but she assured me that her horn was her only injury and that it'd be no issue at all. And with some spare chains provided by Ember, I was strapped in on Celestia's back so I wouldn't fall off during the flight. With Celestia's back now occupied by me, Flash stepped up and offered to carry Spike on his own back for the trip home while Misty Fly, Bat Fang, and Glock all supported Luna on the flight back since she still couldn't fly fairly well.

And after Horntail and Ember bid us all farewell, we took off away from Draconia for our journey home. Despite this journey mirroring our trip to Draconia by being nearly silent, it felt a little more calming. We were heading back to a place of love and comfort, not one of mystery, hate, and fear. Still, from time to time Celestia would try to talk to me and ask if I was somewhat comfortable considering my injuries. Each time I would reply that I was feeling somewhat comfortable physically, but mentally I was a train wreck, just like I suspected everyone else was. All of our friends would no doubt react with jubilation of our return, but that would quickly be stolen by a reaction of horror once they got an up-close look. Applejack's reaction scared me the most, and it was not because I was afraid of her becoming angry, but because of the look of fear for my life that would constantly be on her face. I didn't want to put her through fear and heartache, but that was the hole I dug myself in; I had to live with it just like the scar on my face.

I remembered leaving Draconia, and the journey home afterwards, but right now all I could hear was the sound of muffled voices. I tried opening my eyes, but my eyelids felt so heavy that it felt physically exhausting just trying to open them. "Ugh," I groaned, feeling my body twitch a bit.

_"Oh, I think he's coming to," _a stallion's voice called out that sounded like a distorted Bane mask. I tried to sit up, but a shooting pain below my chest kept my back flat against whatever I was laying on. My hands began to move around, feeling a soft, warm cottony fabric that my fingers squeezed. I strained to open my eyes again; this time I got them open about halfway, but my vision was so clouded that all I could see was a white light.

"Don't exert yourself too much," a mare's voice that sounded _much_ clearer than the stallion's voice politely advised. I looked over for the source of the voice when I felt a gentle hoof touch my non-injured shoulder, giving it a quick pat.

"W-what the hell happened?" I almost sounded like a zombie, continuing to try and open my eyes. I managed to open them a little more; my vision was starting to gradually get better. I could faintly make out the white coat and salmon mane of an earth pony mare that still had her hoof on my shoulder. With my right arm, I rubbed my eyes a few times to speed up the vision process.

"Careful!" The nurse moved her hoof and prevented movement of my arm. "You don't want to rip the IV tubes from your arm," she warned. IV tubes?

"When did we get to a hospital?" I asked the nurse, doing as I was told and settled my arm back down on what I now assumed was a hospital bed. The creaking of a door opening caught my attention, forcing me to open my eyes all the way. I groaned again as my eyes were exposed to light, but I could still see sitting in a bed across the room. The dragon noticed I was awake and gave me a little wave as I my body shook just a bit.

"Oh good, he's up," an all too familiar heavenly voice spoke up. I looked around to one of the two main doorways of the infirmary room to find Princess Celestia with a look of relief on her face and a bandage wrapped around her horn.

"Princess!" The nurse beside me dropped her hoof from my shoulder, presumably to give the princess a short bow. I tried to sit up again, but I had to settle for raising my head off the pillow.

"Rise, Nurse Redheart," Celestia politely ordered with a humble chuckle as she approaching my bed. I followed the alicorn's walk as she took a seat in a little white stool, placing her own hoof on top my head, stroking my hair. I had to crane my head to the side to be polite and look her in the eyes. I slightly jolted when Nurse Redheart fumbled around a bit with the needle of IV fluid in my right arm. "Thirsty?" Was the only thing the alicorn princess said to me. She reached next to her and picked up a cup of water with a straw, shaking it for me to see.

"Uh, y-yeah," I mumbled. With no use of my left arm, Celestia had to guide the cup closer to me until my lips wrapped around the straw, sucking down the ice cold liquid. "Ah, thanks," I licked my lips, having quenched a thirst I never knew I had.

"Would you like to sit up a bit more?" Celestia sat the cup back down on the table beside her.

"Sure," I replied before Celestia had Nurse Redheart raise the back of my bed so I was comfortably seated without putting pressure on my ribs. "How are you doing, Spike?" I called out to the dragon after I'd adjusted.

"My face and wrist hurt, but nothing I can't recover from," he gave me a thumbs up.

"Celestia, h-how long was I out?" I blinked a few times, looking back to the princess.

"Oh I'd speculate maybe 15-20 minutes. You fell asleep right as we passed over the Everfree Forest."

"And how long have we all been in the infirmary?"

"About five minutes," Celestia explained. "We were afraid we would have to disturb your slumber so the doctor could evaluate your condition and pop your shoulder back into place. Luckily you woke up on your own; don't worry though, you can go back to sleep shortly. It'll at least help the doctors get you fixed up," she offered me a smile. Just as she mentioned the doctors fixing me up, a mocha colored unicorn with a white lab coat, glasses, a stethoscope around his neck, a blood pressure cuff cutie mark, and a jet-black mane and tail trotted into the room with a tired yet genuine smile on his face.

"Hello Mr. Cougar," he greeted, "I trust you had a good short nap?" he questioned as he stopped next to my bed in front of Celestia.

"Yeah," I replied with a quick nod and a shrug. Not that I wasn't grateful to be in the presence of medical care, but I still had a few things I wanted to talk about with Celestia first. The unicorn doctor nodded, looking from me to Celestia.

"Well fret not," he gave me an assuring chuckle as something in his lab coat pocket glowed with his gray magic. "I'll just give you a quick look through so you can talk with the princess; then you can catch up on your sleep while we get to work on you," he grinned, adjusting his glasses with his hoof. I tried to protest, but if it _was_ just a normal look through like checking my ears, throat, heart rate, and breathing, then I guess it wouldn't be too bad.

"Ah!" I yelped as the doctor clicked on a pencil flashlight, pointing it right in my eyes. I snapped my eyes shut and looked away as my vision still wasn't too well adjusted to brighter lights, especially ones pointed _directly_ at me.

"Are you all right, Cougar?" Nurse Redheart asked, placing a hoof on my forehead.

"Oh no, I'm sorry!" I heard the unicorn apologize, followed by the clicking of the light. "I should've waited a little longer for your eyes to adjust. Let me go double check on Princess Twilight's son while the princess and Nurse Redheart keep you company."

"It's okay, doctor," I attempted to placate him of his worries. But before I could even open my eyes again, I heard the sound of his hooves clopping against the floor toward Spike's bed. Finally opening my eyes with a shake of my head, I looked back over at Celestia, still feeling bad about accidentally chasing off the unicorn.

"Would you like some more water?" Nurse Redheart offered, trotting around my bed and hoisting the paper cup in her hoof. I nodded in reply; the parched feeling was starting to come back. Now that I thought about it, that was my first drink in over a day. "And can I get anything for you, Princess?"

"Oh no, I'm fine thank you," Celestia politely refused. The nurse pony trotted out of the little infirmary room, leaving Celestia and I by each other. "We should probably get that thing and your flight suit off you," Celestia suddenly chimed in after I was alone with my thoughts for a few seconds.

"Hmm?"

"Just so you can dress properly for the infirmary," the alicorn gestured to the mint colored hospital gown. "Besides, I'm sure it can't be that comfortable for your back to lie like that," she added. I gulped, knowing that getting my flight suit off wasn't going to be pretty. With the alicorn's assistance, I was able to slip the straps of my jetpack around both of my arms without agitating my left shoulder at all, but my flight suit was a different story. I couldn't even adjust my body enough to get my right arm out of the suit. Eventually I had no choice but to ask Nurse Redheart to cut the left sleeve off so I could peel it off my body. We also had to cut the left leg off to avoid hurting my ankle further as well.

I felt a little embarrassed to be lying in front of two mares in nothing but boxers, but luckily Nurse Redheart laced the hospital gown over my body, helping my embarrassment die down a little. After that chore was over, I turned to Celestia to ask her a question. "Celestia, where is Luna?" I questioned. The princess looked up and over at me once she knew I was covered. "In fact, where's everyone else?" It just dawned on me that I had yet to see anyone else that had accompanied us on our rescue mission.

"Calm down, Cougar," she said softly, raising a hoof in the air. "I was just checking on everypony when I entered your and Spike's room; they are either asleep or resting while other doctors look at them," Celestia explained. I opened my mouth, but the alicorn beat me to the punch. "And my sister is among those that are sleeping," she assured me. "All that the doctors have told me is she has bruising along her sides, back, and face. They need to run more tests on her, but they don't believe she has any internal injuries."

"And the foal?" It wasn't my original next response, but if Celestia was giving me a run down on Luna's status, then I definitely wanted to know about her unborn baby.

"That's what they were going to look at when Luna fell asleep. The doctors said that her being asleep shouldn't be an issue for the sonogram." I sighed in content, feeling a small ping of relief that Luna was more than likely the least injured among us. Yet as long as she and her and Checkerd's foal was okay, that's all that mattered. "Uh, Celestia?" I asked when in my moment of relief, Celestia snaked her foreleg around my neck and rested her cheek against my forehead.

"Thank you, thank you so much for all that you did in saving Luna," Celestia thanked me softly. I'll admit that her warm fur felt good against my forehead, but this wasn't nearly as awkward as the last time she thanked me for saving someone. "None of you deserved any of the injuries you received, especially you," she pulled away from the hug. Technically Rainbow Dash had the worst injury with her broken leg, but it wasn't a contest and it wasn't important enough for me to bring up.

"Wait," I called back as she stood up from the side of my bed. "Where's Applejack?" I asked quickly before the alicorn could leave the room to be with either Luna or Glock. Just saying my girlfriend's name put me a little more at ease. "Or Twilight, Checkered, anybody?" I added. Celestia took a look at the wall above my bed before looking back down at me.

"We have not yet alerted anypony of our return," Celestia replied. My expression said more than words could have, so Celestia reacted to that instead of waiting for me to verbally answer her. "I know you might not be too understanding of my choice, and believe me when I say that I'm not too thrilled about it either," she explained, only fueling my puzzlement. "I've decided to keep Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Checkered Flag in the dark about our return just so everypony can get comfortable in the infirmary. Again, I'm not too happy with my decision, but you, Luna, Soarin Skies, Rainbow Dash, and Bat Fang do not need any unnecessary stress at the moment." Celestia explained further.

"But, they deserve to know we're back," I quietly protested.

"In time they will," Celestia promised me. "I understand that they and everypony else has a right to know, but that cannot happen until you and the others get acclimated to the infirmary and evaluated by our hospital staff," she reiterated firmly yet calmly. "Besides, my little sister is asleep; I don't believe Checkered would want to awaken her."

"S-sorry," I apologized, chewing on my tongue. "I hate to sound selfish; I just want to see Applejack more than anything. And I'm sure Spike wants to see his mom." Celestia sighed softly, yet as I looked at her, the princess didn't seem annoyed by my persistence. In fact, she seemed rather pleased with it if the smile on her face was evidence enough.

"Well, I'll make you and Spike a deal," Celestia spoke up, garnering Spike's attention as it appeared the doctor was about done doing a quick check up on the dragon. "If you two are still awake after the doctor is done with their normal check ups, I shall go and retrieve both Applejack and Twilight Sparkle," she looked between the two of us with a smile.

"Sounds great, princess!" Spike exclaimed from across the room. I was about to agree as well when the unicorn doctor trotted back over with the same reassuring smile.

"Ah, I hope your eyes have conformed well enough," he grinned, levitating the pen light out of his pocket again. I turned to look at Celestia who just giggled softly at me before standing up from the stool.

"I'll just let the doctor do his work; then I'll go and fetch Twilight Sparkle and Applejack for the both of you," Celestia then trotted out of the room. I had no clue if she left the infirmary or just entered a different room, but I didn't have time to think about that right now.

"I promise this won't hurt," the doctor spoke to me in his gentle voice that melted away a little bit of my tension. I laid my head back as his magic lifted up my left eyelid and he pointed the pen light directly into my eye. This time my eyes were ready, and I didn't yelp or attempt to look away. He swiftly moved between my eyes, saying things like, "Good," and, "Mhmm," a few times. "Breathe in and out please," he requested, putting his stethoscope in his ears and placing the silver plate on my chest. I did as he requested while he attempted to strike up a conversation. "So, I understand you and Ms. Applejack are courting one another?"

"Uh, yeah?" I was completely unprepared for that question. I expected him to at least ask me about what fighting a dragon was like or if maybe I hurt my head on something while in Draconia. "Is that a problem?" I questioned.

"No, no of course not," the doctor grinned. "Quite honestly, I do believe Ms. Applejack is rather lucky to have a male of your calibre as her coltfriend, right Nurse Redheart?" The doctor cast a look toward the mare that was refreshing Spike's glass of water.

"Eh, I'd say so, Dr. Shots." The nurse sounded a bit indifferent, but it didn't bother me at all.

"AH!" I yelped as Dr. Shots put a little pressure on the right side of my chest with his stethoscope.

"Oh my, are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?" The unicorn frantically pulled the medical device away from my chest. I seethed as my ribs throbbed in pain.

"A dragon, stomped on my ribs in Draconia," I strained to say. Taking his stethoscope out of his ears, Dr. Shots nodded and pulled out a clipboard and pen, scribbling something down. His horn then glowed grey once again, opening a freezer across the room and levitated a pack of ice onto my chest.

"Hope that helps for the moment," he smiled apologetically. "Once we get your shoulder back into its socket," he pointed to my oddly positioned arm, "I'll perform a few X-rays on your chest to see the extent of the damage," he explained, adjusting his glasses.

"S-sounds good," I shivered from the sudden change in temperature on my chest.

"And while you're under from the painkillers, we'll see if we can tweak your ankle back. But from a quick look," he bent down near my left foot, "it appears to be nothing more than an ordinary sprain," he grinned. "And as for your black eye there, it's nothing too major, but this should help," he levitated a small bag of frozen peas onto my left eye. I honestly forgot about my eye, but since he said it was nothing major, I wasn't worried. He then trotted over to a medicine cabinet and took out a bottle of pills, levitating three of them out of the bottle. "The swelling of your eye should go away before morning even arrives," he assured me.

"Wait a minute," I opposed. "Those painkillers won't make me drowsy will they?" I knew if any pills caused me drowsiness right now, I'd be out considering how tired I still felt.

"Well, yes they will," Dr. Shots blinked confusingly. "Since you do need your rest, _and_ we need to reset your shoulder, I see no reason why _not_ to give you these specific painkillers," he explained. The unicorn set the bottle back in the cabinet before walking back over to me with the three pills floating near his head.

"I can think of a good reason," I pursed my lips, afraid to take the medicine.

"Oh?"

"Celestia promised that if Spike and I were still awake, she'd come back with Twilight and Applejack," I explained. "I just want to see Applejack before I fall back asleep." The unicorn furrowed his eyebrows, pondering my explanation. He looked over at Spike who nodded, confirming that I was indeed correct.

"Hmm, well I can understand that. However, we need to rest your shoulder as soon as possible, Cougar," Dr. Shots killed my hope. "And I cannot stress enough how much you need rest after your ordeal," he repeated.

"Look, you can give me the whole damn bottle if you'd like after I just see her," I swore, reluctantly eyeing the three pills. "That's all I want," I begged. Dr. Shots sighed, lowering his head. Now I could tell he was beginning to be annoyed by me.

"Listen Mr. Cougar," the mocha colored pony lightly placed his hoof on his muzzle. "I know you're afraid of prolonging your absence from Ms. Applejack. But I cannot sit by and have a patient refuse care; your injuries are nowhere near fatal. However, if you're really so concerned, the medication takes a few minutes to work," he assured me. "It's not like you'll pass out the instant you swallow the pills." I groaned, still not wanting to fall asleep before Applejack came into the room.

"I think I can help," Nurse Redheart stepped forward. "Answer me this, Mr. Cougar," she requested, "would you want your marefriend to refuse medical care without seeing you?" Fuck, they got to me. "I believe she'd be sorely disappointed that you're dragging out your pain for this." I looked from Nurse Redheart's stern face to the pills hovering around Dr. Shots.

"Ugh," I groaned, raising my right arm as much as the IV tubes would allow. With my palm open, the unicorn doctor dumped the trio of pills into my hand before I popped them into my mouth.

"Here you go," Nurse Redheart slipped me my water cup, using it to gulp down my pills.

"There, that wasn't so bad was it?" Dr. Shots gave me a comforting smile. When my face fell flat from his comment, the good doctor chuckled. "Sorry, that's just my normal reaction whenever I treat fillies and colts of castle staff," he explained.

_ZAP_

A bright flash of magenta suddenly filled the room, startling everyone. I didn't jump, but I felt my heart racing faster. If I were hooked up to a heart monitor, I'm sure it would've been going crazy. "What in the princess' name!?" Dr. Shots spun around to see who'd infiltrated the room. Though from the color of the magical burst, Spike and I knew exactly who it was, poor Spike. "Mom?" Spike exclaimed, sitting up in his hospital bed.

"SPIKE!" Twilight shrieked, forcing Redheart to shush her. The alicorn, unsurprisingly, didn't listen. She instead galloped over to the dragon's bed, throwing her forelegs around his neck. "I'm so happy you're back!" She exclaimed in a strained voice, squeezing the poor drake like a plush toy.

"_Mom! I…can't…breathe!"_ Spike patted the purple alicorn's back with his hand. He gasped for oxygen as Twilight released him, but that only made things worse.

"SPIKE!" I could only guess Twilight's face was full of horror as she finally got a good look at her dragon son. I looked over at Nurse Redheart who rolled her eyes, not even trying to shush the Princess of Friendship again. "Did Garble do this to you?" She demanded, gasping loudly. She lifted a trembling hoof to his face, gingerly touching around his black eye and puffy cheeks before noticing the bandage around his wrist. "If he gets within fifty miles of Equestria, I'll rip his tail from his body and jam it down his throat!"

"Please princess!" Dr. Shots replied, "I know you're excited to see your son, but we have other patients resting," he said under his breath.

"Mom, I'm fine," Spike tried to assure her. "And it wasn't Garble; he's responsible for Cougar's injuries," Spike pointed to me. Twilight cast me a quick glance, gave me an apologetic look, and turned back to her son. "One of Garble's goons gave me the black eye."

"Are you sure you're okay? Do you need ice? Do you want your pillow fluffed? Can I bake you a gemstone cake in the castle kitchen!?" She rose her voice, wanting to make sure Spike was comfortable.

"Princess Twilight, Spike will be 100% okay in a few days. He can be released from the infirmary as early as mid-morning tomorrow," Dr. Shots explained. "The worse injury he has is just a sprained wrist, nothing to be overly worried-"

"You try being a mother whose son just got beaten in Draconia!" Twilight snapped at the good doctor. Nurse Redheart and I exchanged uneasy glances because of Twilight's current situation. I thought it was sweet she cared so much for the drake, but it was starting to get a little creepy.

"Actually, a gemstone cake sounds good," Spike's snake tongue licked his lips. "But you don't have to bake it now, mom. It can wait for when we get back home," Spike smiled.

"A-a-are you sure?" Twilight stuttered. "It'd be no trouble," she assured him.

"I'm just glad to see you again, mom," Spike added, wrapping his arms around the alicorn's torso. "Ugh, mom!" Spike whined when Twilight wriggled from his grasp, only to gently pepper his swollen cheeks and eye with multiple kisses.

"I-I'm s-so happy y-you're s-safe!" She exclaimed. "Oh, and you too, Cougar," she gave me a blushing glance for nearly forgetting me. "How's everyone else; where's Princess Luna?" She asked Spike.

"Hmm?" something touching my right arm grabbed my attention. I looked over to see Nurse Redheart wrapping a blood pressure cuff around my bicep, sticking the velcro together.

"Ahem, now that that interruption has quieted down," Dr. Shots cleared his throat, "we just need your blood pressure before we proceed," he explained. "Are you feeling drowsy yet, Mr. Cougar?" He clicked the end of the pen floating in his magic.

"Uh, I can't really tell yet, Doc." I was already half awake to begin with; the only way to find out if the medicine was working is if I were knocked out.

"Well, no matter," Dr. Shots gave a nod to Nurse Redheart. "Shouldn't be too much longer now," he added right as the white earth pony began to squeeze the pump for the blood pressure cuff.

"W-wait!" I exclaimed while the cuff tightened around my bicep. "Twilight, do you know if Celestia told AJ that we were back?" I questioned the alicorn across the room. With her right ear twitching at the mention of her name, Twilight looked behind her and right at me in between Dr. Shots and Nurse Redheart.

"Hehe," she giggled nervously before pecking Spike on the cheek and trotting over my way.

"Please try not to talk," Redheart advised me as she gave the pump a final squeeze. "We need an accurate reading as we can get," she added. Scoffing under my breath, I lazily rolled my head over to meet Twilight's eyes to at least be polite.

"Oh my Celestia," Twilight suddenly threw a hoof over her mouth as the bag of frozen peas accidentally slipped off my eye. I didn't even bother asking her what was wrong; I knew exactly what had startled her. Though Twilight was still Twilight; she apologized for her reaction, lowering her hoof back to the floor. Redheart removed the cuff from my bicep, relaying the information to Dr. Shots.

"W-was AJ with you when Celestia told you we were back?" I suddenly found that my words were starting to slur. Not only that, but I could barely keep my eyes open. Even though my left one was bruised from Garble's assault, I could still see out of it, but it felt like something was trying to pull it closed. My head even collapsed onto the pillow no matter how hard I tried to keep it up.

"Ah good, the pills are starting to take effect," Dr. Shots noted on his clipboard, taking several rolls of bandages and a syringe out of a nearby cupboard. "We're just going to be safe and give you a little Lidocaine when these pills knock you out," he explained.

"No!" I exclaimed, feeling my heart rate slightly increasing from fear. Trying not to waste the rest of my energy that was rapidly depleting, I allowed my right eye to finally shut, though that just made my head feel lighter.

"Well," Twilight started once she knew the doctor was done talking. "P-please don't be mad at me," the alicorn begged, placing her hooves on the edge of my bed. "Checkered, Applejack, and myself were all waiting in the same foyer that all of you left," she explained. "Rarity waited up too, but she fell asleep and one of the guards helped her to a room to sleep."

"Applejack," was the only thing I said, hoping to get her mind back on track.

"Right, sorry! The three of us were asleep too, but I'd ordered the guards to leave us be if we fell asleep after Rarity was escorted to a room. Celestia woke us all up at the same time; Checkered was the most vocal about your return. She told us that all of you were in the infirmary getting treated for injuries, so I just uh….teleported myself so I could see Spike," she bit her lower lip as a blush fluctuated on her purple cheeks.

"So, at least she knows?" I questioned. Twilight nodded, even offering an apology for not thinking of taking Applejack with her. I told her that it was okay since she had a son to see. "How far away are we from the foyer?" I questioned, hoping at least the doctor would know.

"Cougar!" Twilight called out as my vision in my left eye went black for a brief second. I snapped both eyes open, blinking them rapidly. "You almost fell asleep," she alerted me.

"N-not without seeing her!" I wanted to declare as loud as possible, but I could barely make any words out.

"Okay, I'm sorry princess, but we must proceed to fix his shoulder," Dr. Shots shooed Twilight away from my bedside. Levitating within his grey magic was the syringe full of numbing medication. "Don't worry; your drowsiness should block most of this little pinch," he rubbed an alcoholic pad on my left bicep, cleaning an area until he could see a vein.

"_No!"_ I slurred, trying to protest. I was starting to drift in and out now. No matter how hard I tried, my eyes would only stay open for a few seconds before shutting themselves.

"I'm sorry Mr. Cougar, but you will be able to see Ms. Applejack as much as you want tom-" the unicorn tried to placate me when the infirmary door burst open. Thankfully, the needle wasn't anywhere near my arm, so there was no chance he would accidentally slice my vein. Although my vision was blurred as hell, I could see a blob of light grey and black shoot through the room, hooves clacking hard against the flooring.

"Checkered?" Spike questioned.

"Go make sure he doesn't disturb anypony, please," Dr. Shots said to Nurse Redheart. I heard the nurse's hooves clacking against the floor as well, giving chase to the racing pony.

"Ivan?" Came a soft southern accent. My eyes lit up as much as they could, turning back to face the door. Through squinted eyes, I could see a silhouette of a pony wearing a baseball cap gallop into the room, coming to a screeching halt as soon as it entered. The figure turned their head in my direction. "Ivan!" Applejack exclaimed in shock and happiness.

"Ms. Applejack, you must let us work on him!" Dr. Shots was starting to sound a little miffed at being constantly interrupted from working on me. "I'm sorry, but your mate here has taken powerful pain medication that causes drowsiness."

"_Let her through,"_ I said weakly, "_that's all I want."_

"Sugarcube?" AJ ignored the doctor's pleas. I could hear a twinge of fear in her voice as her figure approached the right side of my bed. I forced my eyes open, no matter how hard they tried to stay closed, and got a good look at the mare I loved. Her eyes had enormous bags underneath them, and her ears were drooping over the side of her face. "Please tell me he's gonna be okay!" She snapped to the unicorn.

"He will be, I promise! You can stay in the infirmary while we work on him, but you MUST let me inject this numbing agent into his body so we can fix his dislocated shoulder."

"His what?!" Applejack didn't screech loud at all, she was just fearful.

"_Let her through," _I repeated.

"I will ask you again, please back away so we can get to work on him," Dr. Shots ordered. At this point with how tired I was, I could barely discern if this was a dream or real life. I had to make a choice and fast.

"_LET HER THROUGH!" _I snarled as loud as I could, my body shaking as it tried to stay awake. Both ponies gave me a scared look before Dr. Shots took a quick step away, still levitating the syringe in his magic. Gasping loudly, Applejack trotted over to my right side as fast as she could, lacing a hoof onto my left cheek. Her lower lip quivered as her emerald eyes darted around, trying to focus on me. Shakily, I raised up my right hand and placed it upon her cheek, softly massaging my thumb under her eye. I was surprised to feel a little tiny drop of moisture that escaped her eye and my thumb ran over.

_"S-Sugarcube?"_ She sounded a mile away as my vision finally faded to black.

**(2:00 A.M. With Twilight)**

Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship of Equestria, snorted as she softly snored away in the Royal Infirmary. The alicorn was curled up in a chair, sitting next to the hospital bed that held her slumbering dragon son. Although she was awake and alert when Princess Celestia told her of the rescue party's return, Twilight wasn't able to fight off the nagging sensation of sleep. She and her country loving friend Applejack had fallen under its clutches a mere ten minutes after the doctor began to work on her human friend, Cougar.

Applejack was indeed upset that she barely missed having a true reunion with her special somepony, but she mimicked Twilight, plopping down in a chair next to his bed and held his free hand in her hoof. Princess Celestia in fact wished both mares a good night's rest before going to check on Princess Luna as they were nodding off. Twilight wanted to go check on the Princess of the Night, but her motherly side wouldn't allow her to leave Spike's bedside as long as he was awake.

"Mhmm," Twilight mumbled in her sleep, smacking her lips as she rotated her head to another side of the chair. The purple mare's leg twitched as she slept, kicking out while she subconsciously attempted to shift her position. Unfortunately, as her slumbering form twisted around in the chair, she pushed too hard against the back, pushing herself right off and onto the hard floor of the medical room. "AH!" She let out a split-second yelp while her body _thudded_ against the floor. Twilight groaned, rubbing a hoof against her head as she stretched out her back. She then shook her head, trying to focus her blurred eyes on the clock above Cougar's bed. She groaned again as the clock only read 2:00 A.M.; there was still a long time to go before everyone could wake up and reunite. And she certainly wasn't going to wake up a sleeping Spike just to check on him.

"Hello?" Twilight heard somepony call out while she tried to pick herself up. She turned her attention to the next room over where the door was wide open; the sound of hooves drew nearer to her position. Amidst the dim blue light of the room, Twilight could make out the orange fur and wings of Flash Sentry as he softly strolled into the room. "Is everything okay-" the pegasus guard cut himself off when he saw that Twilight Sparkle was awake. "Your highness!" He exclaimed as quietly as he could to avoid waking anypony else up. Twilight opened her mouth once, but she couldn't say anything. The guard stopped before her, leaning forward to offer her a hoof. Not wanting to seem stuck up or that she was ignoring him, the princess graciously took the offer, standing up onto her four hooves.

"Thank you, Flash," she acknowledged the guard with a polite smile, stretching her back out a bit more. The chair definitely wasn't comfortable to sleep in, but she wasn't going to complain about something so minute.

"Ahem, you're welcome…." Flash paused, concerned with how he should address his majesty before him. He wished more than anything to refer to her by name, but was unsure if their current rift would make that inappropriate. "Princess Twilight," he technically circumvented his concern to sound more professional. "Are you all right?" Flash quickly added; he was still a royal guard after all, and he had a responsibility.

"Mmm, yes, it was just a fall," Twilight groaned as she popped her back before sighing in relief. "But thank you for your concern."

"Is there anything I can get you?" He didn't wish to sound too overbearing, but this was still the mare he had affections for. Of course he was hiding his guilt for their breakup behind his royal guard duties, yet Flash still wanted to make sure she was at least somewhat happy with her situation.

"Uh, no, I can't think of anything," Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof, looking in the other direction. The alicorn certainly wasn't annoyed by Flash's constant questions; she was honestly just happy that he protected Spike as best he could and brought him home. And although she could never admit it, she was secretly thrilled that she and Flash were speaking again albeit for a conversation as guard and princess. However, her ear twitched when a sad sigh escaped the orange guard's mouth. Despite the low light making it difficult to really see Flash's facial features, Twilight could still make out at least the shadows on his face. He looked rather down as his ears drooped, and seemed to be looking around the alicorn. Confused, the alicorn followed Flash's line of sight to see he was looking at her sleeping son. "Is there something _you_ need, Flash?" Twilight asked politely, reiterating Flash's own question.

Flash's silhouette shifted position until he was looking at Twilight. There was a small groan as Flash attempted to say something to Twilight, but he just couldn't muster up the words. "I, uh," were the only two coherent words Twilight could understand. She cocked her head and raised a hoof to simply place on the pegasus' shoulder in an attempt to placate him so he could speak. Sure, right now their relationship was strained, but Twilight couldn't ignore anypony in grief, especially the one that saved her son.

"Flash?" Twilight said in a hushed tone.

"I'm sorry!" The pegasus exclaimed, stepping away from Twilight's hoof before turning around, heading back to the other room from whence he came. Twilight blinked, puzzled at Flash's sudden exit attempt. She could clearly tell something was plaguing his mind; she was at least going to repay him for the promise he kept.

"Wait!" Twilight called out, yet still watched her volume to not disrupt Applejack or Cougar. Her face became briefly illuminated as her horn charged up with her magenta magic. She was prepared to gently hold the pegasus back just to figure out what was eating at him. "Flash, please tell me what you're sorry about," Twilight gently requested, taking two small steps forward. To her astonishment, Flash Sentry slowed to a stop, just a few feet before the exit. "Flash?" Twilight repeated his name, hoping to get a response out of him.

"_Huhhh," _Flash sighed sadly, seeing it pointless to apologize to Twilight and just up and leave. Sucking in a deep breath, the orange guard slowly spun around in place until he locked eyes with the purple alicorn. The two ponies could see each other a little better with Twilight's glowing horn illuminating their faces. And yet, as Twilight finally got Flash to look at her, she couldn't hold back the gasp that shot from her mouth. Her eyes went wide as she threw her hoof up at her mouth, ceasing any other noises until she was ready to speak. "What?" Flash asked confusingly.

"Y-y-your face!" Twilight squeaked. "Are _you_ okay Flash?" She questioned worriedly. The orange guard's face was decorated with fresh injuries. Even though he had a day and a half, and a few had started to heal, it was still very noticeable. The area around his left eye was blackened and a little puffy, though he could still see out of it; his lips were swollen with a cut in the middle of his lower lip; the end of his nose was swollen as well; and he had a little scar on his left cheek. Flash sighed yet again slumping his wings down in shame to the ground with a thud.

"I-It's nothing, Twilight," he said solemnly. "These," he pointed with his hoof to his face, "don't hurt anymore; I'm just tired is all," he explained, hanging his head low.

"Injuries aren't just 'nothing' Flash," Twilight scolded softly. "Has the doctor given you proper treatment?"

"Yes," Flash lifted his chin up, "but again, it's nothing," he reiterated. "We've all just been through a lot, so you can understand our exhaustion," he explained.

"Well of course I can understand," Twilight followed Flash with her head as he strolled over and sat down next to the chair she'd been sleeping in. "But if you're so exhausted, what were you doing up?" She made sure not to sound like an interrogation officer.

"Just getting a quick drink," Flash quickly replied, holding his head in his hooves. "Then I heard you fall, so I came in to help," he added, rubbing the sides of his head. As he sulked in the chair, Twilight took the opportunity just to study the poor stallion. Other than the injuries to her face, she did spot some light bags under his eyes, but his voice didn't sound heavy or low on energy whatsoever. In fact, she couldn't recall Flash yawning or showing any fatigue at all since he came into the room. He did look down, however, as if guilt was holding his head low. The big question still remained: What was he sorry about? Was Flash attempting to apologize for what happened after Hearts and Hooves day?

Twilight couldn't stand by and allow somepony to beat themselves up mentally like nopony cared about their situation. So she decided to do what she was best at, asking questions and studying them to figure out the answer. "Well, you don't have to just leave, Flash," Twilight said politely, trotting over and retaking her seat. Flash looked up and over at the alicorn; he began to uncomfortably chew on his lower lip the moment her flank made contact with the seat. "Look Flash, I don't want to be a invader of your privacy, but something is bothering you and I want to help," she explained, gently placing a hoof on the arm rests of the two chairs, a mere half inch away from one of the feathers on his wing.

"What?" Flash blinked and shook his head, completely flabbergasted at this turn of events.

"You may say you're fine physically speaking, but I don't think you're just exhausted Flash. Please, just tell me what's wrong; what are you sorry about?" Twilight pressed on, hoping to get the pegasus to crack. "I admit I'm not a licensed psychologist, but as the Princess of Friendship, I'm here and willing to listen," she assured him. Ever so slowly, Flash Sentry removed his hooves from his head, placing them on the arm rests of his chair before turning to look at the mare beside him. He uncomfortably cleared his throat when, accidentally, he almost placed his left hoof on top of Twilight's hoof.

He quite honestly couldn't believe what was going on. He thought it was bad enough how he'd cast her aside like rotting garbage on Hearts and Hooves Day, yet with the beating and injuries her adopted son had received on the mission in Draconia, Flash assumed Twilight would never want to speak to him again, let alone be in the castle at the same time. Although it was rather ridiculous to think she'd cause anypony bodily harm, Flash secretly dreaded being in the same room as her with an injured Spike. Flash continued to chew on his bottom lip, gulping at the same time. "I-I tried, Twilight," he scrounged hard enough and found at least some way to reply. This however only led to more questions from the purple princess.

"Tried what?" Twilight rose an eyebrow. Still feeling nervous, Flash looked up and around Twilight for an answer. The alicorn followed his gaze, surprised to see that his line of sight ended right at Spike's sleeping form. "You mean, with Spike?" She turned back to face Flash.

"Yeah," Flash quickly nodded. "I tried my best to keep him from being harmed, Twilight, but I failed," he admitted in a rather shameful tone. "I failed to keep him safe and I failed to keep my promise to you," he added.

"And….how did you fail exactly?" Twilight had to pause mid-sentence, trying to deduce just what the royal guard was trying to say. Spike was back in one piece and still sounded and acted like his old self; she considered that a job well done by both Flash and Spike for doing the jobs they signed up for to go to Draconia._'He's beating himself up,'_ Twilight mentally noted, frowning at the realization.

"How did I fail?" Flash repeated Twilight's question before pointing toward Spike with his hoof. "_Look at Spike!_" He exclaimed in a sharp whisper. Twilight did as he said, taking a good look at her adopted dragon son if only to amuse the downtrodden pegasus. "_I didn't protect him as well as I could have."_ Twilight then turned back to face Flash Sentry.

"Now Flash," Twilight began gently, "even I would think it'd be rather silly to assume anypony would return from Draconia without a scratch," she admitted.

"And bruises, a black eye, swollen cheeks, and a sprained wrist," Flash added angrily, looking away from Twilight. The alicorn frowned again, furrowing her brow at Flash's self terminating attitude.

"Look, as a mother I'm upset that he has wounds, but as an understanding pony, I _know_ he'll heal up soon enough. Just _knowing_ that Spike just has cosmetic injuries and that he even sounds okay is relief enough for me," she raised her hoof from the arm rest, placing it in between Flash's wings and stroking his back gently to calm him. "I mean if we need to worry about anypony's wounds, it'd be Cougar and Rainbow Dash."

"I just….I'm sorry for failing you, again," Flash closed his eyes, still turning his head in Twilight's direction.

"_Hey!"_ Twilight snapped under her breath. "Look at me, Flash Sentry," she ordered rather abrasively. Not wanting to piss her off, Flash obeyed her command albeit with a shiver traveling up his spine as Twilight's hoof ceased rubbing it. "Don't even bring that up; we're not talking about that right now, do you understand me? I want to help you see that you're bringing yourself down when it's not necessary whatsoever." Flash couldn't even blink, afraid to break eye contact with Twilight at all. "Spike and I happened to have a little chat before he fell asleep," she added in a much softer tone.

"What kind of chat?"

"Spike told me that you saved him from falling off a cliff," Twilight replied sternly, making sure it got through Flash's skull. "He said that he was thrown off and you dove off after him without even thinking about it." Flash nodded, seeing no reason to explain it to her if Spike told her the whole thing.

"Uhh," the pegasus froze when Twilight wrapped her forelegs around his torso, giving him the gentlest of squeezes as she hugged him.

"Thank you. You did the best you could and kept him safe; that's all I could ask for." A teensy blush appeared on Flash's face, but it stayed only for a brief moment before Twilight released her hug on his torso, looking at him with glaring eyes.

_'What is going on?!' _Flash's mind was going crazy.

"However," Twilight continued sternly, "while you might feel guilty about the few bruises on Spike's face, I think there's something else on your mind that you're projecting into this situation in order to keep from talking about it," she explained, folding her forelegs across her chest. Now Flash was _really_ puzzled; he'd never came into contact with a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist before, so he couldn't really decipher what Twilight was saying. It didn't help that she didn't even give him the time to think about it. "Flash, I'm not mad at you at all; I'm angry for what those dragons did to you, Spike, and all of my friends, but I have no reason to be angry with you for risking your life to make sure Spike was safe," she said, hinting that that was her final word on the matter. "Now, if there _is_ something else clouding your mind that you want to get off your chest, I'm always here to talk to a friend." That really perked Flash's ears up.

"You still consider me a friend? Even after….." Flash couldn't say it. It was still painful for him, and probably even more painful for Twilight.

"Saving my little Spike is a friend in my book," Twilight's harsh expression softened into a smile. "And you know how much I love books," she giggled softly, easing the tension between the two.

"Hey Twilight?" Flash spoke up after he shared a smirk with Twilight's giggle. The mare gave the stallion her undivided attention, sitting up in her chair. "Did uh, did Spike happen to mention anything I said to him?" He asked. Twilight cocked her head to the side, thinking hard about the conversation she shared with Spike before they all fell asleep. Finally, she pouted her lower lip, giving Flash Sentry an unknowing shrug in return. _'Shit,'_ Flash internally cursed to avoid anything disastrous happening. He knew this had to be treated like stepping into a hot spring. If he dove into this too quickly, both he and Twilight would get burned for being unprepared.

"Is something the matter?" Twilight noticed his scrunched up face as he battled his thoughts.

"Uh, maybe," Flash decided to tell the truth and not sugarcoat it to his ex-marefriend. He had to think of something though, something to help ease their way into this conversation. He knew he couldn't start out with, '_Remember when I was an idiot and dumped you because you weren't acting like yourself?' _When he looked away, his cheek suddenly began to tingle. He blinked several times, looking down only to see a purple hoof holding his cheek and lifting his head back to look Twilight in the eye. She gave him the same look that said he could trust her to tell her anything. And yet, as he looked into her purple eyes, a memory came crawling back to him. A certain memory from a few years ago in the Crystal Empire. It may not have been an original way to start off an apology for breaking up with a mare, but it was all the stallion had. With a gulp, Flash began the road to his apology to Twilight. "Hey Twilight, do you remember when we first met?"

"Hmm?" Twilight couldn't have guessed Flash would start off with that particular question. Even if she had a million guesses, there was a high probability she wouldn't have guessed it. Luckily for her, Flash understood how out of nowhere the question was, so he repeated it.

"Do you remember when and how we first met?" He repeated, raising his own hoof and gently placing it atop Twilight's. As the question finally sunk into Twilight's brain, and she had a chance to analyze it, she couldn't prevent the small smile that was forming on her muzzle, both from the return of the happy memory and the fact that her and Flash's hooves were connected for the first time in weeks. With no pun intended, it in fact felt like magic.

"Well, of course I do," Twilight replied as the two removed their hooves from the other's. "I just haven't thought about it in awhile, honestly," she admitted, still holding her small smile while she briefly looked away from Flash. The memory of that day came swimming back into her mind.

"Same here," Flash conceded as well, letting his mind drift too. Neither of them felt that the day they met was an easily forgettable memory, but with how they lived their relationship and the incident a few weeks prior, it seemed almost like a dream.

"Hehe," Twilight giggled, holding a hoof to her mouth. "How could I forget you colliding into me because you were busy reading the newest Daring Do book?" Her smile turned into a grin as she looked back up at Flash. "AND while you were supposed to be on your hooves standing guard I might add." Flash snorted, trying his best to stifle a chuckle in response. A tiny blush appeared on his face as he struggled to keep from snickering.

"H-Hey, you _know_ I was about to switch shifts!" He remarked defensively, yet his snicker turned into a chuckle as he spoke. The two softly shared a laugh together, feeling the heaviness of the conversation slowly becoming lighter and lighter as they began to break down the barriers around their hearts.

"You were so scared that Shining Armor or Cadence would demote you to sanitation control when you realized who you'd walked into," Twilight sighed as she finally regained control of her laughter, wiping a small tear away with her wing. "I swear you acted like you accidentally stabbed somepony with your spear," she added.

"At least I helped you back to your hooves, _and_ nopony saw what happened," Flash cleared his throat. "Luckily you saw my Daring Do book and allowed me to make it up to you." Twilight raised an eyebrow at this statement, recalling that that's not exactly what happened.

"It was an honest mistake Flash, but I _do_ remember you hoping to make it up to me by showing me the quickest route to the library from the throne room."

"Hey, I'd just knocked a princess over," Flash reminded her, "helping you get to your destination faster felt like the best way to stay on your good side if you were gonna be a regular visitor to the Crystal Empire," he explained, looking down to at Twilight's hoof. With a brave sigh, he gingerly placed his hoof back onto Twilight's, missing holding it. "Hmm-hmm," he chuckled again, "and to think Princess Twilight could get lost somewhere," he managed to tease her just a bit. He thanked his lucky stars that Twilight was still okay with him touching her hoof.

"Well for your information," Twilight replied in her own teasing tone, "I didn't ask for directions from any other guards, Shining Armor, or Cadence yet," she explained. "And I forgot to ask for a map to memorize." And then, like somepony flipped a switch, things became more heavyhearted. They'd gotten past their rather amusing first encounter, but now both the alicorn and pegasus thought about the moment their inaugural interaction blossomed into a relationship. It was still a happy memory nonetheless, but they both knew that that was it, just a memory considering they were still separated.

Flash even lowered his head, looking away from Twilight as he felt his heart becoming heavier. Even when he spoke, his voice was much more monotone than before as the guilt started to rebuild. "And then…then you decided to keep up a conversation to make the trip faster," he continued, lightly tracing his hoof around Twilight's. "Asking me about Daring Do and what my favorite book was, or if I read Harry Trotter or The Starving Trials…." The stallion trailed off. The guilt in his chest was morphing into a pain; his four legs began to tingle with heartache. Flash squeezed his eyes shut, unable to prevent a few tears from slipping out.

"_Flash_?" Twilight whispered worriedly. The alicorn's chest was becoming heavy as well as the memory of what attracted her to Flash in the first place sank in. And now…now the guard was softly sobbing to himself before her.

_'No, no, no!' _Flash whined to himself. Just great, it wasn't bad enough that he broke up with Twilight like she were diseased, now he was crying like a baby in front of her. Yet he couldn't help it. The mistake he'd made combined with the sweet and innocent way the two found each other was becoming too much for the stallion. He wanted more than anything to return to what they had, but deep down he knew there was no way, no how he deserved to receive her affections.

"_Please Flash," _Twilight's voice sounded quieter than Fluttershy's, "_it's okay, just let it out." _Being the mare that she was, Twilight ever so carefully wrapped her forelegs around Flash's torso just to comfort the sobbing stallion. Flash sniffled, trying to stop crying enough to talk. He opened his eyes, allowing a few more tears to roll down his cheeks, matting his fur. The stallion looked to see Twilight Sparkle hugging him, resting her chin on his shoulder, and looking up at him.

_"Twilight," _he sniffled yet again, reaching back behind her with his foreleg and started to lightly stroke down her multi-colored mane. He sucked in a deep breath, blinking his eyes hard, "_I just_," he roughly swallowed, "I just want you to know something," he paused, silently praying that what he was about to say wouldn't ruin the progress he and Twilight made.

"_What is it?"_ Twilight lifted her chin off his shoulder.

"B-back then, I didn't care you were a princess, and that's the truth even right now," Flash continued to stroke the back of her mane as she lifted her head back up to his eye level. "Y-you could just be a plain unicorn bookworm like your friend Moondancer, and I'd still love you." Flash moved his left hoof up, cupping Twilight's right cheek as tears started to form in her own eyes. The stallion sighed, bowing his head down until his forehead grazed against Twilight's, letting out a choked sob as he clenched his eyes shut. "_Y-You're intelligent, warm-hearted, quirky, kind, a great mother, and just...cute," _he admitted in a whisper, opening his eyes to give Twilight a smile. Flash knew full well what he was saying was cheesy and like something out of a cheap romance novel, but it was straight from his heart. The one sentence perfectly described how he felt about the Princess of Friendship.

Twilight shuddered from everything Flash had done. From his admittance on how he felt about her to his forehead touching hers made her shudder from how close they were again. "_Flash."_

"_But, I'm not asking for you to give me a second chance," _he added, pulling his head away from Twilight's. The mare tried to lean forward, loving the feeling of their foreheads touching. She couldn't even say anything before Flash continued speaking, removing his hoof from her cheek. _"I don't deserve one after what I did to you, you did't deserve the way I treated you, and I just don't want to hurt you ever again, Twilight. I was an awful coltfriend." _The stallion grunted when Twilight's grip around his torso tightened.

"_H-Hey now, I wasn't exactly the quintessential marefriend," _Twilight replied through a strained voice. "_When Celestia and Cadence offered to reassign you to Canterlot, I was thrilled. Yet when the Tree of Harmony granted me a castle in Ponyville, I didn't even try to get you reassigned as a guard. I was okay being so far away from you for weeks at a time. W-what does th-that say about me?" _Twilight started to sob herself. "_I treated you m-more l-like a p-pen pal th-than a coltfriend. And you didn't deserve to have me dump all my problems onto you when you were going to treat me to a special night. I was selfish to just expect you to fix it," _she sniffled.

Both ponies were now sobbing and staring into each other's eyes as tears streamed down their cheeks. Neither of them expected for the other to feel responsible for how their relationship failed. _"You're a better stallion than you think, Flash," _Twilight added, laying her head onto his chest and under his chin.

"_Twilight, can I ask you something?"_

"_Mhmm," _Twilight nodded into Flash's orange furry chest.

_"D-do you really still feel that way about me?" _Twilight bit her lower lip, trying to keep it from quivering. She then nodded, allowing a few more tear droplets to fall from her eyes.

"_Y-yes," _she replied hoarsely. Flash felt like he'd been punched by the dragon again.

_'Sh-she still has feelings for me, even after what I did?'_ Flash gulped, his breathing much more audible now. "_B-but Twilight, wh-what about how I-" _Flash's lips tingled when Twilight gently placed her hoof over his muzzle.

"_Don't think about that, please," _she begged. "_We both did things we regret; we both had a hoof in screwing up our relationship. It wasn't just one of us," _she explained, sliding her hoof down Flash's muzzle back down to his chest. "_And remember," _she pulled her head off his chest, "_I-I'm the Princess of Friendship; giving everypony a second chance is what my title is all about," _she cracked a tiny grin.

"_E-even me?" _Flash's voice trembled.

"_Hehe, yes," _Twilight managed another giggle as she used her magic to wipe the tears out of her eyes and Flash's. _"But, only on one condition," _she smiled a quivering smile as the tears pooled at the bottom of her big eyes.

_"A-anything Twilight," _Flash curled his hoof around Twilight's. "_A-anything to make it up to you,"_ he promised, pursing his lips together.

_"You have to give _me_ a second chance too,"_ she stated, leaning closer to Flash and nuzzling her nose against his. Flash's entire body tingled at Twilight's affections. On instinct, the stallion nuzzled the alicorn back, wrapping his forelegs around her torso to return the few hugs she'd given him that night. As the duo hugged each other tightly, Flash began to rock back and forth in his chair as Twilight shifted positions to cuddle up to the pegasus.

"_I-It's a d-deal, T-Twilight,"_ he began to sob quietly again, but this time it was tears of happiness. Twilight smiled, relishing just how soft and warm Flash was. She felt so safe and protected in his grip that she didn't want to let go for fear of losing him again. _"Th-thank you, Twilight!"_ Flash suddenly exclaimed in a whisper to her ear.

_"Thank _you_, Flash,"_ Twilight moved her head up to gaze into Flash's eyes, feeling a surge within her chest. She couldn't fight it; the mare swiftly yet gently leaned in and lightly pressed her purple lips on Flash's orange ones. Both ponies felt sparks shooting from their lips and resonating all throughout their bodies. This wasn't a cheap teenage make up, this was a true make up from two ponies who admitted they both were not perfect, but they saw past each other's rough edges. _"I love you, Flash," _Twilight pulled away from the kiss to run her hoof over the stallion's mane. She then leaned back closer, kissing Flash's black eye.

_"I love you too, Twilight," _Flash chuckled as Twilight's kiss tickled his eye. Despite the surge of love, both ponies were still tired from the late time of night and the exhaustion from stress of pouring their souls out to one another. Twilight once again laid her head onto Flash's chest, nuzzling it affectionally for a pillow. The pegasus then spread his wings out, wrapping them around the purple mare's body as a blanket.

"_I forgot how warm you were,"_ Twilight complimented, sighing as she felt extremely comfortable.

_"Hehe, I forgot how soft you were," _Flash retorted without missing a beat, rubbing his chin on top of her head as they both yawned.

"_First thing tomorrow, I'll put in a request to Princess Celestia to have you transferred to Ponyville," _Twilight said as she shut her eyes.

"_What about Spike?" _Flash managed to ask as their combined body heat was starting to wear him out even more.

_"You and I can sit down and have a talk with him, but I'm sure he'll understand," _Twilight rubbed her cheek on Flash's chest one more time. Flash looked down at Twilight's adorable form before looking over at Spike's sleeping form. He blinked a few times, smiling that what he thought would be a night of anger and heartache turned into a night of love and redemption for both he and Twilight Sparkle. What he said was true, he didn't care that Twilight was a princess, and he certainly didn't care that that was a 'bonus.' He loved the quirky bookworm; he couldn't wait move in with her and be the coltfriend she righteously deserved. He thought about the opportunities to cuddle with her, share a bed, stand by her side all day to guard her, cuddle up together with a good book in her castle's library, and even spend time together with Spike. _"Like a family," _Flash said even quieter than Fluttershy before his eyes refused to stay open. The stallion then fell asleep as he managed to give one last kiss onto Twilight's cheek.

* * *

**(Later; Ivan's POV)**

"Gah!" I exclaimed as my eyes shot open and I sat up. I was quite aware that I was asleep, but I didn't recall any dreams or nightmares invading my mind as I slept. In fact, the whole time I was asleep, all I could see was a black void of emptiness with Applejack saying, "_Sugarcube?" _Over and over again. And although I knew I had been asleep, my mind picked up right where it left off before the sleeping meds took effect. My hand moved around in the air, searching for Applejack's warm cheek, but it found nothing. My breathing was short and shallow as I could feel the hospital gown clinging to my sweat soaked skin. I looked around for any sign of Applejack or anyone for that matter, but a dim blue light was my only help, and I could barely see anyone.

"What the fuck?" I groaned to myself, popping my stiff back muscles. Looking down, I noticed that my left arm was lying across my chest in a white sling, evidence that Dr. Shots successfully relocated my shoulder back into socket as I was out. Feeling curious, I slipped my right hand down the collar of the gown, feeling out the bandages that were wrapped around my chest. _'At least they got everything done on me,' _I thought to myself as I looked around. "AJ?" I called out, hoping that the mare was still at least half awake. When no response came, I squinted my eyes to the right side of my bed, the last place I remember seeing the orange mare. A light snoring caught my attention, the same snoring I've heard from Applejack herself.

"Come on," I whined, feeling my heart drop at the revelation that she had fallen asleep. I couldn't blame her though; it was late, and she'd been put through a lot stress while we were gone. As much as I wanted to reach out and just hold the cheek of her silhouette, I wasn't going to risk waking her up. Sleeping for me, however, wasn't an option. I was too awake to even think of falling back asleep. Besides, lying in bed unable to sleep is one of the worst feelings in the world for me, especially with stiff muscles in my legs and back."Hmm," I rolled my neck around to my right arm. At least I had a small victory; there were no needles or tubes or anything attached to my arm, which meant I didn't have to stay in bed any longer.

"Ngh," I groaned, trying to sit up straight and swing my legs over the side of the bed. I just wanted to walk around a bit to get some of the feeling back into my legs and back. Thankfully, I was lying down on a blanket, or else my sweat stained legs would've clung to the leather mattress below. Although I could still feel the effects of the numbing agent Dr. Shots gave me to relocate my shoulder, it was beginning to wear off. I could feel the slightest pinch in my shoulder, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. But it did feel satisfying to feel my back and legs loosen up as I stretched them while I sat on the edge of the bed. Bracing myself with my good arm, I eased my feet down to the floor, holding myself as I stood up. Immediately I felt my legs going wobbly since I hadn't used them in nearly two days thanks to having to lie like a board on Celestia's back. However, the wobbliness was the least of my concern; I bit my tongue to suppress a yelp from stepping on my left ankle. "_Mother!"_ I shot under my breath as I had forgotten about my sprained ankle. It didn't hurt too much, but it was enough to get my attention if I put too much pressure on it.

I pulled my left foot up, allowing the pain to go away as I breathed sharply in and out of my nose to dull the pain. After a few seconds, the pain went away, so I tried it again. This time however, I barely touched the floor with my foot and limped forward on my right foot. I kept my hand on the bed so my weak legs wouldn't give out on me. As luck would have it, the blood rushed back into my legs rather quickly, but I wasn't about to shrug it off and try walking like normal. I limped forward again, taking extra precaution not to step on my left foot. It took forever, but I finally made it past my hospital bed in the direction of my destination. The first thing I really wanted to do was at least just look at AJ, but I also really wanted to get out of this room. I was feeling extremely warm, and the sweat on my skin was becoming overbearing. It sounded odd, especially given my current situation, but I was really yearning for an ice cold shower, if only to help me cool off and get my thoughts straight. However, as I limped ever closer to the door of the room, I couldn't help but look over at the sleeping Applejack curled up in a hospital chair. _'Leave her be,' _my inner voice warned. My heart sank knowing that it was best to just let her sleep; she had a stressful enough time while I was gone, and from what I remembered before blacking out, the mare looked exhausted.

Unfortunately, the love I had for her was far too strong. Pursing my lips, I limped my way over to the mare, grunting along the way. My pursed lips grew into a little smile as I could finally make out her face as it scrunched up while she snored. I managed to stop myself about two steps away from Applejack, just feeling happy to see her again. Now I _really_ had to fight myself from reaching out and nuzzling my hand against her cheek. _'Soon,'_ my inner voice promised, _'soon.'_ However, something, off, caught my eye.

"Hmm?" I hummed curiously as I noticed in the dim light that she wasn't wearing her stetson, she was wearing my Drive To End Hunger ball cap! I'd never seen her in a hat other than her stetson, so it was pretty damn cute to me, especially whilst she slept. The mare snorted, rolling her head to the opposite side of the chair. I couldn't help but let out a little whine; I knew I didn't want to wake her, and my inner voice was practically yelling at me, but I couldn't stop myself from bending down and gently pressing my lips on her cheek, whispering, "_I love you,"_ to her before sitting back up. With another pained smile that she was still sleeping, I took a few steps back and resumed my original course to find an infirmary bathroom with a shower.

_"Ah love ya…too," _I heard her mumble. The hairs all over my body stood up, fearing that I had accidentally awakened her. Ever so carefully, I looked back behind me to see if she was waking up. The mare mumbled again, though it was some unintelligible sleep talk. She smacked her lips a few times before her snoring resumed. I waited for about fifteen seconds before I could tell I hadn't woken her up, letting out a minimal sigh of relief. I'd heard her mumble in her sleep a few times before, but nothing like answering something I'd said. I had to get out before I did accidentally wake her up.

I pathetically limped my way through the door, holding it so it wouldn't bang against the door frame and ruin everyone's slumber. It was a good thing I wasn't wearing my shoes; I didn't have to worry about taking quieter steps on the floor. Getting a bearing of my surroundings, the first thing I noticed was the rush of air from the _much_ cooler waiting room against my warm skin. I groaned in delight, relishing the relaxing feeling before I caught sight of a hallway in the empty waiting room. A sign on the wall indicated that it lead to a mare's bathroom and a stallion's bathroom, complete with a shower for patients. I held my breath when I caught sight of two silhouettes against the glass windows leading out to the corridor. Not wanting to draw the attention of the pair of unicorn guards, I slipped into the hallway as they strolled, inching forward to the blue tiled wall of the stallion's bathroom.

"Ah," I groaned when walked into a wall of pitch black. My right hand fumbled along the tiled wall, looking for the light switch. I had to close my eyes when I flicked the switch up, immediately flooding the bathroom with a bright yellow light. From what I could see, it was rather nice, though I had to remember this _was_ a hospital bathroom in a castle. On the far wall was a large glass shower that I'm guessing was big enough to fit two Celestia's; a large sink and mirror adorned the left wall; and a toilet stall was a mere few feet next to the sink and mirror. Looking more to my left, I spotted a coat rack with about five white cotton robes hanging from the hooks with a shelf of towels above the coat rack. Without wasting any time, I undid the knots in the minty hospital gown, allowing it to drop around my ankles before I cautiously stepped around it, kicking it to the wall so I wouldn't slip and further injure myself. Since the robes were much too small to appropriately cover me, I grabbed a pair of towels and lumbered over to the shower stall, setting the towels on the towel rack.

I was a little off put that the glass door and walls of the shower weren't frosted at all, so anyone could peek in and see whatever they pleased. Then again, this _was_ a shower in a pony land hospital, so there was little reason for that. Nonetheless, I looked behind me just in case and hopped in the shower, gently shutting the door so the noise wouldn't echo out into the waiting room. Whether or not the sling around my left arm or the bandages around my ribs were waterproof didn't matter to me in the slightest. I quickly hobbled to the other side of the rather large shower and curled my fingers around handle, flicking it over to the blue semi-circle. "Ah!" I shuddered as the rush of ice cold water hit me the face and cascaded down my front and back. Thankfully, the water didn't roar too loud, and my little shriek of surprise wasn't too noticeable. I then braced my hand agains the blue tiled wall, sighing audibly against the roar of the shower with a dumb smile on my face. It was pure heaven, or it would be if Applejack were here. Not to do anything naughty, but just to be close to her.

_"Oh yeah," _I groaned, lifting my face up to get the full blast of cold water. Hell, it even felt damn good on my shoulder! I even twisted and turned a little, making sure every inch of my body was being soothed by the shower. As I ran my right hand through my drenched hair, smoothing it out, I then reached out for the bar of soap sitting on a metallic shelf. However, as I picked up the soap and began to lather my chest up, I did a double take when I saw my reflection in the considerably reflective surface of the shower shelf.

_Thud_ went the bar of soap as it slipped through my fingers. I-I couldn't believe what I saw staring back at me. Hoping it was something on the shelf, I rapidly swiped my hand at its surface, but nothing came off. My black eye was nearly gone thanks to the treatment from Dr. Shots, but something remained on the left side of my face. Something that just by looking at it, I knew it would always be there to remind me of what I did. With a shaky hand, I touched around the noticeably large scar that ran down the left side of my left eye, all the way from my forehead down to my chin from where Garble clawed me. I was never one to care about my looks; this only grabbed my attention because this was a constant reminder of another brush with death I had. Except this time, it was because of my own doing. I recalled older pilots and soldiers of the military bragging about scars they'd gotten performing heroic acts in the line of duty, but those were mere cuts compared to what I had, and this one was certainly nothing to brag about. I jumped back when, in my mind, I saw a flash of Garble's face as he jabbed his claw into my skin, slowly tearing down through my face.

I wasn't ashamed for doing what I felt was right, to protect and save Luna. However, I couldn't prevent a choked sob from escaping my mouth. Guilt began to wash through me as I thought of what would happen to Applejack, Applebloom, Big Mac, and Granny Smith if Luna hadn't saved me in time. I loved them all so much; I couldn't stomach the idea of the pain they'd go through if I had died, especially the pain AJ would feel. She'd tried to stop me from going; she would _never_ be the same if I were gone after that. It just broke my heart imagining Applejack being unable to do any more farm work or even get out of bed all because of me. _"I'm sorry I was selfish,"_ I whispered to my reflection. Something struck me as odd, though. While I never got shot down prior to that fateful night, I went into battle with the same mindset as I did in Draconia. I was willing to sacrifice my life for the betterment of others. Yet…..as I told Applejack before I left, I didn't have anyone outside of the military to say goodbye to before going off on a mission like I did in Equestria.

_"No," _I shook my head, putting my forehead against the tiles of the shower stall. It hit me like a bullet in the gut. I'd taken my friendships with Adam, Stinger, Tex, Boa, and Grizz completely for granted. I always went with the mindset of, "_If I die, I die," _for every single mission I was sent on. Never once did it enter my mind how heartbroken all of my friends and adoptive brother would feel if I had been shot down for good. And now with how close Applejack and her family came to being a family minus me again, I realized just how selfish I was back on Earth. _"You stupid asshole," _I said into the reflective shelf as a minute amount of tears fell off my cheeks. I sat there, braced against the wall with water gushing over my body for God knows how long, wallowing in my anger. All of a sudden, my body froze as I felt a pair of furry forelegs wrap around my torso. I jumped up, feeling a warm body brushing against my back.

"Need a lil help, Sugarcube?" AJ's southern drawl asked me sweetly. I shuddered as Applejack's forelegs squeezed my abs while she rubbed her cheek against my right shoulder. She must've been standing on her hind legs in order to reach that far up.

"A-Applejack?" I stammered, keeping myself braced against the wall.

"It's okay, Ivan, just calm down a little," she said soothingly into my ear. "Relax just a bit; it's just us in here." I did as I was told, resting my forehead against the wall underneath my arm, softly breathing in and out while my girlfriend clung to me. As she held me, she would on occasion run her forelegs up around my chest, just trying to further placate me, knowing that I was stressed out. I was curious why the cold water didn't bother her, but that was such a minute detail at the moment.

"W-what are you doing awake?" I lifted my head from the wall, looking back at her to see she _was_ standing on her hind legs and using me for support.

"Ah should ask ya the same thing, Sugarcube," he sweet voice was a little more strict this time. "But before Ah do," she added, removing her forelegs from my torso and moved them around my neck. "Can y'all turn around fer me?" She asked, moving her hoof to my cheek. I groaned, afraid to let her see the ugly scar that was tattooed onto my face for the rest of my life. Yet I knew I couldn't refuse anything she asked of me, and I missed being together too much. With a sigh, I slowly spun around in her loose grip, ready to face the music.

"I-mmph!" I was about to say something when she forced her lips onto my own, pushing my back completely against the wall and both of us under the stream of the shower. Despite having a lot of guilt weighing down my mind, I couldn't resist this. I wrapped my good arm around her back, pulling her closer as we opened our mouths, allowing our tongues to gracefully spar with one another. It was nothing rough, just a loving kiss hello.

"Ah…missed you," AJ huffed when we had to break for air, moving forward a bit so we could breathe easier. I licked my lips, tasting the delicious flavor of apples on my mouth as we pressed our foreheads together, and the ice cold shower pelted at my back.

"_I missed you too,"_ I said quieter than her. _'Didn't she see my scar before I fell asleep?' _I pondered as we held each other. As we stared into each other's eyes, I was sure she would be able to spot it, but she never breathed a word about it which only made me more nervous.

"Ivan, why are ya outta bed?" Applejack pulled her forehead away, causing me to turn my head to shamefully hide my scar. Guilt and shame began to burn within my chest. I didn't _want_ to hide my scar from Applejack, but the fear of her reaction, her disappointment in me, was too strong. I could even feel the little bit of hurt radiating from her body when I turned away. "I-Ivan?" She stammered, puzzled. I'd never done this to her before; being confused and a little hurt should be expected.

"Well," I swallowed, "m-my legs were feeling restless, I was burning up in the infirmary room, and I was covered in sweat," I explained, trying to talk out of the side of my mouth. Unfortunately, no matter how truthful I was being, I knew in my heart it wouldn't matter.

"Hey, what's the matter?" The mare asked as sweet as she could, though I could sense the twinge of pain within her voice. She tried to look around me, collapsing back onto all fours and trotting over to my left side. I pressed the area of my face where the scar resided onto the wall, completely blocking it from her view.

"AJ," I breathed out, "I-I-I'm sorry," came a stammering reply. "I just, can't," I started to breathe much harder in and out of my nose. Out of my right eye, I could see Applejack cock her head, trying to figure out what I was getting at. I couldn't stop myself from taking note how angelic she looked with her mane sopping wet and without the hair tie.

"Y'all….y'all can't look at me?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"_No_," I said in a much sharper whisper, trying to keep from crying again. The mare's eyebrow fell back above her eye as she lowered her head yet still kept eye contact with me. Her ears drooping downward felt like Thor had just bashed me in the chest with his hammer.

"But y'all were just fine with kissin' me," she pointed out. Her voice was starting to become more monotone. I had to explain myself before she got the wrong idea. She was NOT trying guilt me, she was truly hurt that I refused to look at her.

"Y-yeah," I agreed, chewing on my lip, "but please believe me, Applejack. It's not about you; I'd want to look at you for the rest of my life if I could," I tried to throw her a little assurance. She blinked and rose her head up just a little bit, interested in what I had to say. "I-I'm afraid of _you_ looking at _me_," I admitted, squeezing my right eye shut and rubbing my scar against the blue tiles.

"Huh?" Applejack exclaimed. "What's gotten into ya, Sugarcube? Did ya do somethin' in Draconia ya ain't proud of?" I felt her place a hoof on my right arm, rubbing it lovingly. I lazily reopened my eye, looking directly into Applejack's face. My mouth wouldn't obey my command to open, so I shook my head gently. "Well then, what is it?" She pressed further. I knew _precisely _what to say next, but I just couldn't. As an alternative, I reached up and put my hand on her cheek, gently massaging it with my thumb. "Uh-uh," Applejack shook my hand away, "tell me what's got yer stomach in a knot, Ivan," she pleaded.

"I-I don't know how," I replied shamefully, shuddering as I worked hard to suppress even more tears.

"Please Ivan, yer mah special somepony; you can tell me anythin' that's botherin' ya," Applejack reminded me, shuffling her hoof under my hand so I'd hold it. "An' Ah love ya," she just had to add that with a smile. As I stood there, just breathing and darting my eye from object to object in the shower, I still couldn't pull myself together to show her the scar. I clenched my eye shut, finally, and lowered my head until my chin rested upon my chest in remorse. The mare's hoof immediately slipped from my hand, clacking loudly against the floor of the shower.

_'What the-?' _I thought, reopening my eye again. Applejack's eyes were slightly squinted as she shook her head back and forth. Her mouth was slightly ajar, but the lower lip was quivering as her face was carved into that of hurt and confusion. "AJ," I started before she interrupted me.

_"Why can't ya just look at me?" _She asked in a strained whisper. _"D-don't ya love me enough ta at least let me help ya?"_ Sucking in a deep breath, I responded.

"You know I love you more than anything, Applejack," I replied in a serious tone. "But, I can't look at you because it'll just hurt you…." my voice gradually became softer over the course of the sentence. Although I knew it was coming, it simply wasn't a good enough answer for her, not that I could blame her.

"_Please, look at me," _she begged slowly. _"Yer just hurtin' me more by lookin' away, Ivan," _Applejack added, sounding more hurt than she'd been that night. If only to keep her trust within me intact and to keep her heart from breaking, I knew what I had to do. As if time was stuck going frame by frame, I peeled my face from the wall and turned my body to look Applejack in the eye. The mare stared back at me for what seemed like an hour before she gasped like she'd been stabbed. That's all it took for the guilt and shame to make my legs weak.

"I-I'm sorry, Applejack," I shook my head back and forth which only allowed her to see my scar in full view.

_"Ivan,"_ she breathed out, taking a few steps closer to me. "D-does it hurt?" Her voice returned to normal after she gulped. Physically? No. Psychologically? YES. I could feel my whole mouth quivering as Applejack stared at me with concern.

"_N-no!" _I exclaimed, backing myself against the wall as my body began to shake. I let out a choked sob, unable to feel my legs anymore and slowly slid down the shower wall until my naked butt touched the floor. I pulled my knees up and rested my forehead upon them, curling my right arm around my legs and chanting, "I'm sorry," over and over again. My chants turned into pathetic mumbling until I was only able to mouth the two words.

"_Hun!" _Applejack's hooves scrambled against the floor. I still couldn't look up, but that didn't stop the mare from sitting down right next to me and wrapping her forelegs around my neck as she scooted closer and pressed our hips together. "_It's okay Sugarcube," _she whispered, gently nuzzling my neck with her muzzle. Of course I was grateful that she was doing her best to comfort me, but I was too distraught to at least return the hug. That fact alone made me feel worse.

"A-AJ," I managed to say clearly. However, before I could say anything else, she brushed her hoof along my lips, silencing me.

"Don't say anythin' Sugarcube," she advised, "just let out as much as ya can." My cheek tingled as she gave me a tender kiss. I groaned in comfort when she proceeded to lay her head upon my right shoulder, moving her forelegs back around my midsection. With a sigh, I reached up and switched the shower off, quickly making the room nearly silent with the exception of a few water drops. Instead of returning my arm back around my legs, I instead wrapped it around Applejack, pulling her as close as possible.

Finally, after a few minutes of silent groveling and massaging Applejack's back, I picked my head up off my knees and cast my gaze into Applejack's eyes with a sad frown. "Mm," I moaned, lightly pecking my lips onto AJ's. "I love you," I mumbled loud enough for her to hear. Those words carried much more weight on my heart than ever before. I didn't want to leave her side anymore. The thought of neither of us seeing each other again was an eye-opener. AJ responded by smiling and kissing my nose.

"There ya go," she smiled when I failed to stifle a chuckle. "Now then, are ya sure it's not a-hurtin' ya?" She questioned yet again about my scar. Though it did help that this time she sounded more sweet and understanding than shocked and a little fearful. Despite that, however, I still found it difficult to talk so far, so I settled for giving her a sad nod with a quiet, "_Mhmm."_ Thankfully, she was a very patient mare. "Well, that's a good sign!" She attempted to brighten up my spirits with a positive attitude.

"Y-yeah," I croaked, lowering my chin back down to my chest. I wasn't attempting to hide my scar again; I was simply too emotionally exhausted to keep my head up.

"Look hun, Ah'll admit that it _did_ shock me at first," Applejack admitted, sounding a little uneasy about having to tell me. "An' Ah can tell it scares ya, but Ah give ya my word that Ah won't treat ya any different just because of a scar," she moved a hoof to the back of my head and rubbed it in little circles. "Cause yer still the same Ivan on the inside that Ah love."

"I-I never expected you to, A-Applejack," I shakily replied, keeping my head lowered. "It's just," I inhaled deeply, trying to think of how to tell her exactly what was wrong. A sigh of anguish came forth from my mouth instead of an actual answer.

"Ivan, come on," Applejack gingerly shook my body, "if y'all need a little longer, take all the time ya need, hun."

"_I'm sorry,_" I said for what seemed like the millionth time in the span of about ten minutes. I didn't even wait a second after her suggestion to say it.

"Sugarcube, there's no need ta be sorry if yer composure needs a little gatherin'," Applejack patted my knee with an understanding and patient smile.

"No, it's not about that," I corrected her. My voice was becoming more and more shaky as the guilt piled on the longer Applejack was acting so sweet and loving with me. I adored how supportive she was, but considering my reckless attitude about my own life and how close I came to foolishly breaking her heart, nothing could stop me from feeling sick to my stomach. "And the scar is just the surface of my problems," I lifted my head back up, weakly pointing my right index finger at the abrasion on my face, finishing with a sniffle. My throat was starting to become a little bit sore from holding back so many sobs tonight that I had to swallow an upcoming sob instead. "Applejack, I'm sorry for what I did in Draconia to you," I admitted, lifting my head up and looking at her, blinking a few tears away. Her face understandably fell in confusion, but I didn't let her respond. "And Applebloom, Big Mac, Granny Smith, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Rarity," I listed off the names of our friends and the Apple family, realizing that there were many others that would actually miss me beyond the Apple family and the ones that went to Draconia.

"D-did ta us?" Applejack shook her head, trying to wrap it around my apology. "Sugarcube?"

"I-I'm sorry I almost died!" Came a sob. _That_ definitely caught AJ's attention. Her pupils shrank to about the size of a marble as she analyzed my exclamation. "I-if Luna didn't do something, G-Garble would've finished me off," I continued, moving my hand over to her face to stroke her cheek. This thankfully brought her back to reality after zoning out for about fifteen seconds. The mare leaned her cheek into my hand and leaned closer to me.

"Look Ivan," she said, sucking in a deep breath and smacking her lips. "Ah'm so grateful that yer back 'n alive, but please, don't you _ever_ apologize for somethin' like that. It wasn't _you_ who did this to ya," she reminded me softly. She definitely sounded a little more hollow than before; the shock of hearing I was nearly killed was putting a lot of stress on the mare, but she somehow strived on in order to comfort me. She even went a step further, placing a hoof on my left cheek to cradle it.

"B-but you were right," I relied solemnly, shuddering as her hoof lightly grazed against my scar. "I'm sorry I cared more for saving Luna than how you'd feel if I never came back!" I cried, squeezing my eyes shut; my body began to tremble again. "_You were right," _I repeated in a whisper, "_you were right when you said I wasn't ready to face off against dragons," _I leaned my head forward until I felt the warm comfort of her furry forehead.

"Ivan hun," Applejack patted my back, talking in a lower voice due to our faces nearly pressed together. "Ah know exactly what Ah said, 'n that yer sorry 'n scared, but think about it. If it weren't fer you, Luna might've never been saved. Yer a hero, no matter how ya slice it. Ya did what ya told me you were born ta do, 'n Ah'm proud 'o ya. Yes, it certainly scares me at what could've happened, but Ah feel the same way every time the girls 'n Ah have ta leave Ponyville fer a mission; we don't know exactly what we could be facin', 'n we may not come back. We came close ta not escapin' Starlight's village, 'member?"

"_Yeah,"_ I opened my eyes to see Applejack's emerald orbs waiting for me.

"You may see it as an awful reminder 'o what coulda happened, but Ah see it as a reminder 'o how far you'll go ta save 'n protect those that need it, just like how ya did everythin' ya had to ta save us from that timberwolf," she reminded me, giving my lips just a light peck.

"I'm happy you think that highly of me, AJ," the two of us turned our heads so we could cuddle our cheeks. "But….but I just _can't_ do this anymore," I declared. Applejack yanked her head back with a look of bewilderment.

"Huh?"

"With how much I have to live for, and how many friends I have that love and support me, I can't break your heart or Big Mac's heart, Applebloom's, Granny Smith's or any of our friends," I explained. "And I'm ashamed it took me so long to understand this," I added.

"Understand what exactly, Sugarcube?" Applejack's voice forced me to open my eyes.

"H-how f-fucking s-selfish I was," I shuddered in response. "When I decided to leave to help Celestia, and the seven years I spent as a pilot," I explained. Now Applejack cradled both of my cheeks with both of her hooves, not _forcing_ me to look at her, but to help ease me, to help me keep going.

_"Ivan, how in Celestia's name are ya selfish?" _AJ whispered, trying to study me.

"There's a big distinction between not caring about dying, and accepting the fact that what I'm doing COULD kill me, Applejack. When Garble pushed me off the edge, I got a huge dose of reality; I almost died in Draconia. But I went there willing to risk my life because I didn't care if I did die or not." I explained, feeling another dose of shame piling on top of my shoulders. I sighed before continuing, "Before _every_ single flight I took in the Air Force, we'd always have our pre-mission banter about giving the enemy a good wallop, but we'd also carry the air of making the ultimate sacrifice for freedom."

"An' what's wrong with that, Ivan?" Applejack was even more confused now, leaving one hoof on my left cheek and moving the other one to my uninjured shoulder.

"I-Instead of actually embracing my life and all of the good things about my friends, I took their friendships for granted, AJ. "I was _always_ ready to say, _'If I die, I die.'_ Never once did I even think about how all my friends would feel if I never returned from a mission. And that's what I'm sorry about. I was completely selfish. It took until I was knocking on death's door to realize my life DOES matter, and all of my friends Applebloom, Granny Smith, Big Mac, and especially you would be heartbroken. But now I recognize how awful I was truly acting toward my squad mates and Adam about missions, and more recently, _you_." My lip quivered. "I shouldn't be preparing to die every time I go out on a mission like that; I need to embrace every moment I get with my friends, prove how much I love them and just enjoy the chance I've been given to live, especially the moments I get with you. I love you, Applejack."

_"Ivan," _was the only word Applejack could breathe. Beyond that, she was speechless.

"And I'm so sorry for putting you through this; I'm sorry I was selfish…." I trailed off before I silently sobbed, allowing a few tears to roll down my cheeks. My cheek slipped away from Applejack's hoof, allowing my chin to freely fall back to my chest. I extended my legs out, not having the energy to keep them curled up to my chest anymore. I even pulled my arm away from AJ and dropped it onto my leg.

"Shh, shh, shh," Applejack cooed, "it's okay Ivan. Just come here," She curled her forelegs around my stomach and squeezed me tightly, laying her chin on my shoulder. Luckily she avoided my ribs in the process. "Ah love you too, Ivan, An' Ah'll never stop. Sometimes the most complicated things help us see the simplest 'o things," she attempted to put a philosophical spin on me. Despite the fact that I _was_ silently crying while AJ held me close, it didn't necessarily mean that I couldn't talk this time. I just needed to get some of my emotions out first.

"Applejack, I'm not going out of my way to go on dangerous missions like that anymore," I revealed, placing my arm around her back to hold her in return. "I-I just want to live a simple life with friends I cherish and the woman I love; the most important things. I'll still help anyone that needs it, but I'm not gonna jump at the chance to go on dangerous missions like that anymore, AJ. I've got too much to live for now to volunteer myself for just anything." While _yes_ I was ashamed of how little I thought of my friends Applejack's feelings, I still had the urge within me to help others; that was probably never going to go away. But like I just told Applejack, I will _still_ help those that need it or ask for it, but I won't blindly volunteer again.

"Sugarcube, just let me say this," AJ rose her head from my shoulder. "Yer still a young 24 year old man with a long long time left in yer life. If y'all told me you were born ta protect the innocent, then Ah won't stop ya," she smiled. "Maybe you could try enlistin ta be a special guard fer Ponyville. Ah'm positive Twilight would grant ya the authority ta help uphold the law in Ponyville while ya keep on workin on the farm." A whole lot of weight suddenly dissipated from me. Although it was mainly the love I felt due to AJ's love and support, I _was_ intrigued by the idea of sort of being a police officer of Ponyville, especially under Twilight's order. We've obviously grown a lot closer since Hearth's Warming Eve, and I think she makes great decisions as a princess. "Ya know, kinda like that one superhero ya like," Applejack nuzzled my shoulder with her chin.

"Captain America?" I couldn't help but grin like an idiot through my tears that were slowing down.

"Yeah, that's it!" AJ exclaimed, seemingly happier now that I'd stopped crying and feeling sorry for myself. "He always tried ta uphold what was right, an' he was always happy ta help," AJ agreed. "This way, you could still spend time with yer friends, 'n only jump into situations that call for it." I couldn't help but stare into Applejack's loving and trusting eyes after hearing her idea to satiate my desire to help and my desire to try and live a normal life as best as I could. I loved her deeply before, but something was blowing up inside of me, a warming sensation within my chest. AJ must've felt it too; the next thing I knew, I cupped her cheek with my one good hand and planted my mouth on hers.

"Mmph!" She exclaimed as best as she could with her mouth muffled. Her shock, however, wore off immediately as she wrapped her forelegs around my neck and returned the kiss. It started off innocent and loving at first, but it quickly turned a little heated as our tongues started to tango. After a little while of expressing our love in a high PG-13 fashion, the sound of inhaling and exhaling through our noses filled the infirmary bathroom. "Wow," Applejack blushed when we pulled away when the need for oxygen became to great. Both of our faces were pink while our chests heaved in and out, gulping as much air as we needed. I curled my arm around her torso, relishing this feeling of cuddling again. "Y'all didn't miss a beat there, Sugarcube," AJ graciously snuggled right up to me.

"W-what did I do to deserve your love, Applejack?" I wheezed, looking down at her.

"Y'all were just yerself, Ivan," Applejack replied without even having to think about it. I chuckled at the short and to the point answer she'd given me. I was assuming she'd say something about my selflessness, the way I embrace hard work, the way I worked to brighten up anyone's day, or the way I could sweet talk her. But that was the best answer I could ever want. "An' don't you stop bein' yerself, ya hear me?" She playfully poked my nose with her hoof.

"Understood, ma'am," I grinned, sighing happily.

"Now then, let's get ya all dried up 'n back ta bed, mister," Applejack pushed herself away and stood up on all fours. Her mane was still damp, so she flicked it behind her head. She had to have been teasing me. "'Cause _you_ need yer rest, or else Ah'll knock ya out 'n drag ya back ta bed myself," she warned, giving me a playful stink-eye. Grabbing ahold of a shower bar, and with AJ's help, I grunted and pulled myself up. AJ opened the shower door and grabbed both towels, tossing one to me.

"Thanks," I replied, beginning to dry off my head and shoulders as carefully as I could without hurting my left shoulder. "I'll be sure to talk to Twilight as soon as possible about-" I began until something surprised me. "Hmm?!" I shuddered when I felt the other towel barely graze against my lower front area. Removing the towel from my face, I saw AJ with a face as red as the apples on her flank and an innocent smirk. "Hehe, I think I can get that, hun," I chuckled, proceeding to keep drying my body.

"Can't blame a mare fer tryin'," she innocently shrugged and dried off her fur and mane. To no surprise, she helped me back into my hospital gown, going so far as to tie the knots back up for me. Though she _did_ take much longer with the lower knot than the upper one…. We both tossed our towels into the nearby hamper and began our trek back to the infirmary before AJ stopped me in the dimly lit waiting room.

"What's wrong, hun?" I asked when I accidentally walked into her rear. Applejack turned around, and using the receptionist's desk as leverage, stood on her hind legs and leaned into my face. I leaned closer too, not minding another kiss from the mare my heart belonged to. However, instead of our lips making contact, I didn't feel anything on my lips. My body shuddered when Applejack kissed the scar on my face, grazing her lips up and down the abrasion with light pecks all the way. My scar didn't hurt whatsoever, but my face was filled with tingles as the mare showed it as much love as she'd shown me.

"Ah told ya yer still the same Ivan Ah love," AJ said when she pulled away and collapsed back on her hooves. "Welcome back, Sugarcube," I saw her wink before proceeding back to the infirmary. With a shaky hand, I reached up and touched my scar, feeling no more shame or humiliation from the injury. Thanks to Applejack, I got through this, and now not only we were reunited, but tomorrow, all of us friends and family would be together again to celebrate Luna's return and her pregnancy. In fact, I'd dare say that all of us were a family by this point.

_"I love all of you," _I whispered to myself before following the mare.

**End Chapter 55**

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_So yeah, I really hope the fact that Twilight and Flash doesn't turn any of you away from the story. I PROMISE that I won't cram their relationship into every damn scene, but I saw an opportunity to at least try and make Flash an interesting character, and I honestly think he could work good together with Twilight. I remember how they first met in Equestria Girls with Twilight bumping into him, so I took that and twisted it around to what you read. All I can say is: Remember Flash bumping into Twilight; that WILL be used as a base for his personality. _

_Also, for those wishing to see Luna and Checkered together again, the next chapter will be ALL about everyone reuniting again! There's a lot in the next chapter, mainly concerning about Luna discussing her pregnancy with Checkered to Celestia and how Garble was able to kidnap her, plus a lot more!_


	57. Chapter 56: Together Again

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 56: Together Again**

_Hello my friends and loyal readers! It's great to be back! This chapter was originally planned to be a mini-chapter, but once I completed it, I was unhappy with how quickly it ended, so I reworked it to be the length it is now. And I hope the reworking was worth it; we've got to figure out how and why Luna hid her pregnancy, and how Garble was able to kidnap her!_

_Also, I hope everyone is as excited as I am for Season 6 to resume on Saturday. I'm excited for it to return, but I'm REALLY looking forward to next week's episode because it's a RACING EPISODE! And after watching the promo on Discovery Family, I can't wait to watch the writers have cooked up for us!_

**Gracie Ghost: **_LOL! No, I don't think Rarity would say that. Scoundrel or ruffian is more her speed._

**Monkeyboy0118: **_Thank you, good sir!_

**Nostalgia Cop: **_Because I'm the writer, and I saw an opportunity to turn Flash into an actual character which was Taboo in the EQG trilogy for some reason_

**The Sleeping Library: **_Who needs sleep? Read it as late as you want :P But thank you for your positive response about Flash. I knew I took a good risk returning him to the story as Twilight's coltfriend, but I just wanted to give the poor guy a break for how much shit he gets for being in the EQG trilogy. _

**SkullRabbit775: **_Thank you!_

**ShiningShadow1965: **_Ivan's actually almost done being fleshed out. There's one more instance coming up where he discusses his old squad mates. _

**dixie: **_As for Ivan, that will actually come up again fairly soon ;)_

**Guest: **_And please tell me how they can even conceive a baby? No really, ANY ideas? I'm all ears!_

**WarHusky2000: **_Weeeeeelllll, just read this chapter :)_

**Jarius Black:** _Thank you very much! Since he literally has no personality in the EQG trilogy, I wanted to prove to the writers of the trilogy that Flash can be a likable guy. As for him bumping into Twilight, just keep that in mind. That part will be a surprise, but I can tell you he will be a huge fan of adventure and cheesy action books like Daring Do, military stories by Trot Clancy, and stories about Suave Shot, a Trottingham spy that is a spoof of James Bond. Basically, he can talk books with Twilight and challenge her to finish a particular book first. _

**Furi Poi: **_Thank you!_

**SquirtlePWN: **_Thanks for the review and especially for the critique! I tried to take your words into consideration for this chapter. Hopefully it runs a bit more smoothly for you here!_

**headreviewer mk2: **_Haha! That's something like Arnold Schwarzenegger would do! But nah, it's not like a finger out of socket; that would be something Ivan would fix; not a whole shoulder :/_

**Please R&amp;R and watch out for the author's note at the end! Also, I won't restrict your excitement like in the Chapter 'Baby Steps.' Please, go all out on your excitement for the special parts of this chapter. **

* * *

**(Morning; Ivan's POV)**

Unlike the last time I was asleep, I _remembered _falling under the sandman's spell this time. Both AJ and I wanted to cuddle together as we slept, but we knew that it wasn't going to work with my injured ribs and the bed _definitely_ not big enough to support a regular sized mare and a 6' 2" human male. So we settled for AJ pushing her chair right next to my bed while I held her hoof. And unlike last time, I went to sleep under my own will; not because of having to take sleep inducing painkillers, which helped me sleep more comfortably. The thought of everyone reuniting and finally having Luna back safe and sound only fueled my excitement for the next day. It didn't, however, mean I slept for very long.

_"Psst, wakey-wakey!" _Someone whispered into my ear. I could feel someone or something staring at me as I slept in the hospital bed. I groaned and shook my head, turning it to the side and hoping that it was just a dream. I shuddered when something started to tap my shoulder once every few seconds, saying, "_Poke, poke, poke," _every time it touched me. Beyond that, I could hear other voices talking lowly in the background, though it was nothing somber or sad.

"Please, just let him rest; he's done more than enough to earn it," someone's voice stood out from the rest. It sounded commanding and stern, yet kind and somewhat tired, almost like Celestia's voice.

"_But everypony is here!" _The first voice retorted, "_And he's the last one to wake up," _it explained.

"_Pinkie! Applejack won't be happy to see you bothering him!" _I could easily recognize Twilight's stern librarian whisper scolding Pinkie Pie. I began to stir, facing my head forward before I felt a great weight land on my bed. The weight itself didn't land on me, but I could feel the bed sink from the added pressure. _"No!" _Twilight exclaimed. I snapped my eyes open to see nothing but a pink face and giant blue eyes staring into my soul.

"Morning sleepyhead!" Pinkie exclaimed loudly into my face as she pressed her nose against mine. My eyes went wide as I nearly pissed myself from that nightmarish wakeup call. I would've preferred being woken up to an atomic bomb siren! "Hey everypony, Cougar's finally awake!" Pinkie pulled her face away from mine and pointed a hoof at me. All the voices in the room came to a crashing halt as I looked through Pinkie's four legs to see nearly all of my friends crowding the infirmary room, or as much as I could with my blurry vision. I'm sure Nurse Redheart and Dr. Shots had aneurisms from seeing this, though at least they were in the right place.

"Uh, Pinkie?" I uncomfortably gulped from the position she held over me.

"Hiya, Cougar!" She exclaimed, swinging her head back to stare at me. Thankfully, the pink mare wasn't actually standing on me, but she had all four legs straddling either side of my body. "So, how are ya feeling?" She asked me nonchalantly with a curious yet friendly and intrigued smile.

"F-fine, I guess? Nothing hurts right now, and I slept better than I thought I would," I shrugged for the ebullient mare.

"Well, it's good to have you back!" She exclaimed, hopping up once in excitement. "Oh, and if you want _any_ extra sweets from Sugar Cube Corner, I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Cake won't mind throwing some your way!" Pinkie produced a glazed doughnut from her mane and popped it in her mouth. Scrunching my nose in slight disgust, I looked back through her legs and spotted AJ weaving through the crowd of ponies with an annoyed look on her face.

_'Uh-oh,' _I sort of feared for Pinkie at the moment.

"Pinkie!" Applejack barked, causing Pinkie to snap her head back around to look at Applejack. "Get off 'o him!" The country mare ordered.

"Please?" I added more politely, though I understood that Applejack was worried for the state of my injuries. I mainly wanted her to move so I could get up and stretch. I didn't feel as stiff as I did last night, but hey, stretching after sleeping is one of the best things about waking up!

"Oh, don't worry your apple dotted flank, Applejack!" Pinkie giggled and grinned, at least I presumed she did. "I'm not hurting Cougar," she assured my girlfriend, "I'm just straddling him!"

"Uh," my eyes felt like they would pop from my head at her poorly worded explanation. Applejack ground to a halt at the foot of the bed with just about everyone watching what was going on.

"OFF!" Applejack exclaimed again, grabbing Pinkie's tail with her mouth and yanked her off the bed. But as usual, Pinkie hopped up from ground like nothing had happened with a huge grin on her face.

"Okay, you two have your fun!" Pinkie said cheerily with a sing-song voice. "But not too much; _there are fillies here!" _She ended with a whisper and pointed to the three little figures of Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle standing next to Big MacIntosh. AJ and I both blushed from her teasing reminder as she hopped away and landed next to Fluttershy. With a quick groan and stretch, I sat up, feeling quite limber in my back. Though seeing the sling still wrapped around my arm and neck managed to put a little damper on my mood. Nevertheless, one look at a vast majority of my friends and girlfriend lifted my spirits back up. It also felt like heaven to see a few of my friends trotting their way over to me with happy smiles carved into their faces.

"Ugh, mornin' Sugarcube," Applejack rolled her eyes at Pinkie Pie as she approached the side of my bed. Without even having to think about it, we cupped each other's cheeks with a respective hand and hoof before giving each other a morning kiss. It didn't last too long, but it was definitely the best thing to start my day, even better than coffee.

"Morning AJ," I replied after we pulled away from each other. After releasing my hand from her cheek, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, stretching them out and discovering that my ankle too wasn't hurting that much. I couldn't flex it like my other foot, but I wasn't perturbed by it. "Sleep good?" I added, pointing to her chair with my good arm while Big Mac, Fluttershy, Cadence, and Shining Armor stopped at the foot of my bed, standing in a half circle.

"As best as Ah could," Applejack shrugged with a chuckle, straightening out a wrinkle in her stetson. "By the way, Ivan," she continued with a smirk on her face, "Ah've got a surprise fer ya." AJ turned to the side, motioning with her right hoof to come here. I had a pretty good idea of who she was talking about, but the instant I heard the sounds of tiny hooves galloping across the floor, I braced myself for what was to come.

"Cougar!" Applebloom exclaimed excitedly, leaping up as high as she could and landing on my left side before crawling onto my lap. I placed my hand on her back to prevent her from falling off the bed. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo skidded to a halt near my feet, sitting down patiently, yet held a look of excitement in their green and purple eyes.

"Hey there, Bloom!" I said a little louder than I meant as I scratched the back of her red mane. The filly giggled and laid down on my chest, wrapping her forelegs around my torso as best as she could and burying her face into my chest. Luckily she didn't aggravate my ribs, but even if she did I wouldn't care. "I missed you!" I added, quickly giving her a little peck on her forehead. I ignored both Fluttershy and Cadence when they failed to stifle an _'Awww,'_ from the affectionate display between myself and my little buddy.

"Ah missed ya too!" She admitted, pulling her face out of my hospital gown and laid her chin upon it instead to look at me. She still looked as adorable as ever with her bright orange eyes and pink hair bow. "Ah can't believe it, ya actually fought a dragon?" She asked exuberantly.

"And kicked his no good butt?" Scootaloo added with a snicker. I couldn't help but chuckle along with the pegasus filly, continuing to pet Applebloom.

"And saved Princess Luna to boot!" Sweetie Belle grinned as I looked down at the other two Crusaders.

"Now girls," Fluttershy chimed in sweetly, "I'm sure Cougar doesn't want to talk about that just yet," she reminded them politely. While of course what Fluttershy was saying was 100% true, and I'd rather just spend this time with the ponies that I've come to love, it didn't offend me whatsoever. They _were_ just kids after all; kids are curious.

"Eh, it's okay Fluttershy," I shot a wink to the buttery pegasus. "They're just excited." Applebloom began giggling when I snuck my hand onto her belly and began to tickle it.

"Hahahaha! S-st-stop Cougar!" Applebloom got out through her laughter. She started flail her right foreleg around, trying to keep still whilst standing on my lap. I finally stopped after a few seconds, holding her close so she could catch her breath.

"You know Bloom, I thought you said you'd hit me again if I left without saying goodbye?" I pointed out to the yellow filly. She looked up at me with her big orange eyes, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah know what I said Cougar, but yer hurt," Applebloom replied, shaking her head. "Ah can't hit ya when yer hurt; that'd be cheap!" She exclaimed.

"I'm only teasing, Bloom," I winked at her and tickled under her chin. Clearly not amused, Applebloom's face fell, and her eyebrows settled lazily on her eyes.

"Ah wouldn't let yer guard down when yer all healed up though," she warned, poking me gently in the nose. Both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo exchanged glances, shaking their heads whilst giggling as Applejack patted her sister's back.

"Play nice there, Applebloom," she playfully warned. The filly rolled her eyes before spinning around and sitting down on her haunches on my lap, giving AJ her innocent puppy dog face. I chuckled at how cute the filly was and started to ruffle Applebloom's mane again. Lifting my head back up at everyone, I looked past Big Mac, Cadence, Shining Armor, and Fluttershy at everyone else in the room that had resumed mingling for the time being. I wanted to say hi to them all of course, but evidently everyone else was waiting patiently for my current visitors to say hi.

"Hey," I then noticed that two ponies in particular were not present in the infirmary. "Where are Luna and Checkered Flag?" I questioned, looking past the shoulders of Cadence and Shining Armor, unable to see the midnight blue alicorn or the light grey earth pony. "She's still okay, right?" I added with a slight hint of worry. Even though I recalled what Celestia told me last night, Luna'd been through a lot, and no doubt she would've been put through a good amount of stress as well, both physically and mentally. Thankfully, Shining Armor's reassuring chuckle put me at ease.

"Hehe, Princess Luna's doing just fine, Cougar," he shot me a wink. "She and Checkered Flag are just getting a few more words in with the doctor," the white unicorn explained. "But we managed to talk to her before she went in."

"We of course asked if she was okay, but Aunt Luna quickly brushed it off and sounded _very_ eager to greet you when you woke up," Cadence chimed in with her usual warming smile. "She'll be thrilled when she comes back," the Princess of Love added with a quiet giggle. Feeling my back getting a bit tight, I lightly patted Applebloom's side, signaling for her to jump down. The yellow filly gave me another hug before hopping down so I could get up from my bed.

"Here, Cougar," Big Mac exclaimed, taking a few steps over and extending a hoof out as the Crusaders scrambled out of the way. I grasped the red stallion's hoof and pulled myself up, grunting as I stretched forward, popping my back.

"Phew, thanks Big Mac," I politely patted his shoulder before stretching my back once again, relishing in the relief.

"You don't need help walking, do you?" Fluttershy flapped her wings, hovering over to me with a friendly smile on her face. I politely refused the animal lover's assistance; my ankle was just sprained and didn't hurt. I just felt a little twinge on every other step, nothing I couldn't handle.

"Thanks," I remarked as I felt Cadence lightly pet my back with her wing. "Ah!" I exclaimed when the alicorn sneakily and swiftly pecked my cheek with her lips, pulling back with a triumphant smile on her face. Everyone around me, including the sneaky alicorn, shared a laugh while I quickly wiped my cheek, rolling my eyes.

"Hehe," Cadence giggled, "thank you for saving my auntie," she smiled with her big eyes to try and act sweet. Feeling a blush coming on, I gave the alicorn a nod before turning away from her and Shining Armor, only to see Applejack stifling a chuckle while holding a pair of my jeans on her hoof.

"Where'd those come from?"

"Ah had Big Mac grab ya some extra clothes 'fore everypony caught the train ta Canterlot," Applejack explained as I swiped the pair of pants and carefully put them on with one arm.

"Any news on Checkered and Luna's foal?" I questioned before slipping the hospital gown off my body. Looking up to see everyone, even Big Mac, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, shaking their heads, the realization that I might've let the secret out hit me. Big Mac asked me if I was okay before I questioned, "Wait, you guys know?" I pointed to the aforementioned four.

"Cougar," Sweetie Belle poked at my leg, "Princess Celestia broke the news when we woke up this morning," the adorable unicorn explained. "She asked us not to get too excited when we'd get to see Princess Luna." I chuckled in reply, feeling much better that I didn't accidentally ruin Luna's secret in case she herself wanted to announce her pregnancy to the rest of our friends.

"Here ya go Sugarcube," Applejack helped me get a plain T-Shirt around my torso. My shoulder actually didn't hurt, but with my arm in the sling, getting the shirt on was a bit of a pain. "Ah spoke ta the doctor before ya woke up," AJ added once I had my shirt on. "He said yer shoulder should be fine, but he wants ya ta leave that sling on for one more day just ta be safe," she explained before nuzzling my chest.

"Hmm?" I exclaimed once I hugged AJ in return. While embracing my girlfriend, I happened to look in between Cadence and Shining Armor, only to spot a stallion I'd never met before, but looked awfully familiar. The blonde colored pony suddenly locked his green eyes with me, grinned, and started to trot his way over. In my mind, I was running through about half a dozen possibilities of where I've seen this guy before. His outfit certainly seemed familiar; a brown leather vest hugged his back and torso, a cowboy hat twice as big as AJ's sat upon his head, and I caught a brief glimpse of a large red apple on his flank, so he was a relative of AJ, Applebloom, Big Mac, and Granny Smith.

"Everythin' okay Sugarcube?" Applejack pulled away when I stopped hugging her. The stallion slipped in between Big Mac and Fluttershy before I could answer my girlfriend, hoof extended with a grin that took up 90% of his face. AJ looked behind her to follow my line of sight, only to grin. "Oh yeah, y'all haven't met each other yet."

"Howdy there, partner. Ah'm Applejack, Big MacIntosh, 'n Applebloom's cousin Braeburn from AA-" The volume of Braeburn's voice rose as he was about to say something, but he was cut off by a light blue blur. Everyone jumped as the air from Soarin zipping over to us was strong enough to knock the Crusaders on their flanks. Soarin had flown over and jammed his hoof into Braeburn's mouth to keep him from finishing his sentence, and I wouldn't be surprised if he had knocked a few of farm stallion's teeth out.

"Brae, Nurse Redheart is already on edge from how many ponies are in here," Soarin growled, waving his free foreleg around like mad. "Don't ruin it for us!" He snapped as Braeburn nodded fervently before the hoof was removed from his mouth. The cousin of AJ, Applebloom, and Big Mac coughed as he sucked in a few breaths, yet maintained his big grin as much as he could.

"Sorry 'bout that everypony," he apologized, looking around at everyone. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his sunny disposition. "Ah'm from Appleoosa, 'n it's damn nice ta finally meet ya, Mr. Cougar!" Braeburn exclaimed as he re-extended his foreleg for me to shake. With a snicker, I accepted his hoof-shake as the few stories AJ told me about her cousin resurfaced.

"It's nice to meet you too, Braeburn," I smiled, giving the stallion a strong grip. "What brings you all the way from Appleoosa?"

"Well, Ah was just visitin' my Ponyville family when we all got the news 'bout yer rescue mission fer Princess Luna," he explained in his southern accent. "So we hopped a train ta Canterlot right quick," he finished, still shaking my hand. I released my grip from his hoof and shook my arm to get the feeling back in it. "Cousin Applejack'd always mention ya whenever we'd write back 'n forth; Ah was eager ta meet this human that she became involved with," Braeburn shot Applejack a wink. "But, Ah am glad ta see that everypony who went on that there mission is safe," Braeburn added as I began to walk around a bit to get the feeling back in my legs. I hadn't walked that much in the past few days, so I had keep moving to prevent my leg muscles from atrophying.

"Oh shit," I cursed in realization once I reached the end of the bed and stood in front of Big Mac, Fluttershy, Cadence, and Shining Armor.

"Somethin' wrong there, Cougar?" Brae cocked his head to the side.

"How's everyone else that went?!" I asked a little louder than I meant to, earning me a shush from Nurse Redheart. Of course I could see everyone else that went to Draconia was in the infirmary room, but I was unaware of their conditions with the exception of Spike and Celestia. Even though Soarin was up and at it, the bandage around his head looked pretty bad. Thankfully my outburst didn't completely silence the room, but a few others looked in my general direction. I felt slightly guilty that it took me this long to think about my other friends.

"Easy there, Coug," Soarin hovered his way over and put a hoof onto my shoulder, putting me at a bit of an ease. Everyone else that had been standing around me looked a little worried for my outburst as well, but kept their stance. "Everypony's just fine bro," the captain explained, easing himself down until his hooves touched the floor with a clack. "Well," his face fell as he realized his explanation may not have been that true, freaking me out for a second. "Dashie's right foreleg is pretty messed up. She can fly about as good as Fluttershy right now, but she won't be able to fly with the Bolts for maybe two weeks."

"Yeah, DON'T REMIND ME!" Rainbow Dash's voice screeched from the other side of the room.

"SHHH!" Nurse Redheart threatened the daredevil. Though she said no words, her shush was more than enough to warn everyone that Redheart's patience was just about gone.

"Heh," Soarin gulped, "thank Celestia for how physically fit Dashie is; she'll heal faster than a normal pony," he added quickly.

"_Nice save," _I whispered to the light blue stallion. Clearing his throat, Shining Armor raised his right foreleg and pointed out the other ponies in the room, starting with Soarin apparently.

"From what everyone's told us, Soarin here and Bat Fang have light concussions; Misty Fly's got a bit of a sore back; Celestia's horn is burnt; Glock has a pretty gnarly cut and burnt patches of fur down his back, but he can still fly; and Flash Sentry and Spike just have some facial injuries," Shining waved his foreleg around as he pointed everyone out within the room.

"And Flash has a bit of a cut on his abdomen, but nothing too serious," Cadence corrected when Shining Armor was done. Taking a look at everyone myself, I breathed a huge sigh of relief, thankful that everyone was going to eventually be okay with time and patience. I didn't feel the need to ask anyone about Luna; I remembered Celestia's exact words from the night before. But then again, while I _was_ happy for everyone's health and well-being, it still stung that they had gotten injured. No matter how much getting injured was part of the job we volunteered for, it sucked. My heart went out to Rainbow Dash the most; besides Scootaloo, Soarin, and her friends, flying was her _everything_.

"Princess Luna herself should be okay," Fluttershy chimed in softly. "Just a little exhaustion and some bruising," she reiterated precisely what Celestia explained to me. "Though I just can't wait to find out if the sonogram revealed if her foal is a filly or a colt!" Fluttershy exclaimed with a bit of a squeak in her voice.

"Ah think we all feel the same, Fluttershy," AJ smirked at the meek pony's burst of enthusiasm. Smirking along with my girlfriend, I started to scratch at an itch on my left cheek, only to suddenly realize that my scar was out and about for the world to see. I slapped my hand over my cheek, concealing most of the scar.

"You okay there?" Big Mac rolled his head to one side in confusion. I'd hit my cheek a little harder than I meant to; the sound alerted everyone to what I had done. I shook my head in response, feeling a little bit of the same twinge of guilt from the night before.

"Is yer scar a-hurtin' ya, Cougar?" Applebloom asked, reaching up to tap my knee. I looked down to see a look of concern on the filly's adorable yellow face; not a look of shock as I'd feared. I groaned when now Spike, Twilight, Flash, Rarity, and Celestia surrounded my bed, each of them asking what was wrong in their own way.

"Hey now, just give him a little space to breathe," Cadence's right wing snapped out, preventing anyone from getting closer. The pink alicorn pushed some of them back with her wing, even Celestia herself. Moving at about a glacial pace, I removed my hand from my cheek, seeing no reason to hide it if everyone was aware of it.

"Applejack," I swallowed, turning to the side to look at my girlfriend, "did you already-"

"No Sugarcube," Applejack cut me off, wrapping a foreleg around my waist. "Everypony's been in here fer a good while; they've already seen yer scar 'n promised not ta make a big deal outta it," she explained, squeezing my waist in a tight hug. Despite her words of comfort, I darted my eyes back over to everyone that could hear what we were saying, only to see them all nodding in unison, agreeing with what Applejack said.

"It does not change our opinion of you, Cougar," Celestia spoke up softly. "Physical appearances are not what one should be judged by. We all know exactly who your true self is in your heart," she smiled warmly at me.

"An' that's why we love ya!" Applebloom jumped back on the hospital bed and nuzzled her cheek against my abs, wrapping her short forelegs around my torso as much as she could.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac agreed with a big grin. The little touching moment didn't last long, however. Soarin flapped his wings and hovered above everyone else in the group.

"Honestly bro, that thing makes you look like such a badass!" He exclaimed triumphantly. With the exception of me, everyone, even Celestia and Crusaders, looked up slowly at the Wonderbolt Captain, glaring into his soul for his outburst. I didn't mind being called a badass, but still, the scar's gonna take some getting used to, so I uncomfortably shuffled my feet in response. "What?" Soarin shrugged his shoulders.

"Grrrrr." Cadence and Shining Armor parted ways to reveal an angry looking Rainbow Dash trotting on three legs toward her coltfriend. The cyan mare stood on her hind legs, grabbed Soarin's tail with her jaws and yanked his butt down to the floor with a loud thud. Soarin rubbed his sore bum before shooting Rainbow Dash a puzzled look.

"What?!" He exclaimed confusingly. All his marefriend did was touch her nose to his and squint her eyes as she landed back on her good foreleg.

"It's _too early_ Soarin," Rainbow Dash explained, moving her nose away from Soarin's. Braeburn bit down on his cowboy hat to keep from busting a gut at what happened to his high school buddy.

"Uh, thanks guys," I managed to get out when everyone returned their gazes to me. All of a sudden, the room went silent, and Applebloom released her forelegs from my torso. The door to the infirmary had swung open, with Dr. Shots standing in the doorway, a tired smile on his face.

"Good, everypony is awake," he grinned, wiping a wet cloth across his forehead.

"Dr. Shots!" Celestia exclaimed, excitedly turning from the group and trotting over to the medical professional. Naturally, Celestia would be the most excited for the sudden appearance of the unicorn doctor, but the anticipation of just seeing Luna back home could be felt within all of us.

"Heh heh," the mocha colored doctor chuckled, placing a calming hoof on Celestia's shoulder. "Good to see that you got a good night's sleep, your highness," the doctor bowed his head for Celestia. "I'm happy to report that I've conducted my final test on Princess Luna," he announced. Sadly, the doctor couldn't finish his announcement; a particular pink earth pony mare slipped in between he and Princess Celestia, grabbing him by the collar of his lab coat.

"Pinkie!" Cadence, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight all shouted, forcing Nurse Redheart to shush loudly again.

"What, about, the, FOAL!?" Pinkie screamed as she shook the poor doctor like a rag doll. His stethoscope, a few tongue depressors, pens, a pencil flashlight, and his eyeglasses all were flung from his body as he was being tossed around by Pinkie Pie. I knew Pinkie was a little…._out there_, but everyone thought this was a little much for her. I couldn't get over there fast enough to get her to leave Dr. Shots alone, but luckily I wasn't needed. Every pony in the room that could summon magic, with the exception of Celestia and Dr. Shots, all zapped Pinkie, ripping her away from the medical professional and held her in place behind Celestia, though Pinkie didn't stop struggling against the magic.

"That is _enough_, Pinkie!" Twilight scolded her friend, shooting her a disappointed glare.

"We know you're excited, but please let the doctor at least finish his sentence," Cadence chimed in as sweetly as possible to avoid hurting Pinkie's feelings. I limped as fast I could, fighting through the occasional stings of pressure in my ankle, and helped Celestia gather up the equipment for Dr. Shots.

"Ugh, thank you, but you shouldn't exert yourself that much, Mr. Cougar," the unicorn cleaned his eyeglasses, "especially your ribs. Too much stress could damage them even more," he reminded me with a polite pat to the back. "Now then," he cleared his throat as AJ lovingly put her hoof into my free hand, "as for the foal, I do believe the expecting parents would like to be the ones to announce it," he smiled before stepping to the side. By now, everyone had shuffled closer to the doorway; all of us more than eager to see Luna healthy and active once more, despite her being so no more than a week ago.

"Uh, Lulu?" Checkered asked as all of the mares in the room gasped in anticipation once Dr. Shots moved out of the way, the room falling to silence. However, once we got a good look at Luna and Checkered, Twilight and I understood why Checkered was confused.

"Huh?" Twilight hummed to herself when I raised an eyebrow. Levitating in Luna's magic was a manilla envelope. No doubt it contained a picture from her sonogram, but the alicorn held it directly in front of her face, completely covering it.

_'She didn't have _any_ facial scarring when I rescued her,'_ I pondered to myself. All I remembered was that she had some light bruising on her face and sides, that was it. Checkered helped guide Luna into the infirmary without walking into a wall nonetheless, though he was still as confused as anyone.

"Luna, please, they don't look bad at all," the racing pony gently tugged on Luna's flowing mane.

"Wait, is something wrong with the foal?!" Pinkie blurted before Cadence sealed her mouth shut with magic.

"No! Of course not!" Luna exclaimed, lowering the envelope from her face. Well, now I understood why Luna was a little uneasy about looking at all of us, just a bit. The only thing different about her face was a pair of half moon shaped glasses adorning her muzzle. The midnight blue pony's face scrunched in embarrassment, seeing no reason to re-cover her face with the envelope. She honestly didn't look too bad to me; the glasses fit her quite well. "Hello…my friends," she said through a strained voice.

"Luna…." Celestia took one step forward, her voice nearing a hushed whisper.

"Hello, sister," Luna replied in a strained voice, possibly fearing much more than Celestia's opinion on her spectacles. "The uh, the doctor said I require reading glasses from-" the princess of the night attempted to explain before Celestia leapt at her. "Ah!" Luna yelped in surprise when her big sister wrapped her forelegs around her torso in a bear hug. Checkered Flag reached out with his hoof and caught Luna's glasses that were flung off her face from the force of Celestia's hug.

_"I-I missed you, Luna," _Celestia whispered, her wings unfolding form her torso to encompass Luna's tinier body. The larger alicorn began to sniffle, unable to fight the tears that were pooling in her eyes. _"I thought I was going to lose you!"_ she added, laying her head atop Luna's. _"I c-couldn't lead Equestria without you by my side, not again."_

"Awwww," Fluttershy gushed, wiping some tears from her eyes with her buttery wings. Suddenly, Celestia and Luna both plopped onto their flanks, unable to stay standing. Luna couldn't handle her emotions either, copying Celestia's hug with her own wings.

"_I love you so much, Celestia!" _Luna wailed, her emotions finally giving in. "_I-I was s-so sc-scared! That I would never be able to help our citizens to a happier future; that I would never get to see any of my friends or my Checkered Flag," _she added, rubbing her eye on Celestia's coat to dry it. Even _I _was starting to be touched by the tender moment. Applejack grunted when I accidentally squeezed her hoof too hard. I released her hoof from my hand, only to gently place it upon her neck and pull her closer. _"Or…that I would never be able see my foal or my big sister ever again!"_

"Shh," Celestia cooed, opening her reddening eyes to allow the river of tears of flowe forth. "You-you're safe now Lulu; _I_ nor any of our friends will let anypony or any dragon harm you!" Celestia bent down and kissed Luna's forehead.

_"I-I'm sorry, Tia!" _Luna cried after being silent for about half a minute. The mare pulled away from her only sibling, a look of painful heartache, sorrow, and possibly shame etched into her face. _"I'm sorry," _she repeated a few times, each time her voice becoming quieter and quieter.

"Lulu?" Checkered Flag approached the two sisters, reaching out and stroking underneath Luna's wing with his hoof. The expectant mother managed a smile through her tears, reaching out with her own foreleg and pulled her special somepony close to herself and Celestia.

"Luna," Celestia cupped her sister's cheek, tearing her gaze away from Checkered, "don't you even _think_ that it was your fault that Garble took you from our castle. You were not and will never be a burden to me nor anypony here." Luna blinked several times. I couldn't pinpoint if she was trying to think of something to say in reply, or if she was just trying to clear her eyes of her tears.

_"N-no sister, I wasn't referring to that," _Luna said, unable to raise the volume of her voice. Instead, she began to gently massage the much smaller body of her coltfriend, the sound of her hoof rubbing his fur seemed to calm her. "_I'm sorry for….for hiding my p-pregnancy from you, Tia! I-I panicked!" _Luna removed her hoof from Celestia's cheek, afraid to merely touch it anymore.

"Moon Pie, you don't have to talk about that right now," Checkered spoke up, placing his own hoof on Luna's cheek. Even from our distance, I could tell his eyes were welling up with tears.

_"Checkered, now _is_ the time for this," _Luna squeezed Checkered's body tighter. "_If not now, when?" _She added. Although he didn't want Luna's heart to continue under this strain, Checkered reluctantly accepted Luna's explanation. _"It…it was all me, sister." _

"All you?" Celestia pulled her head back, puzzled at Luna's statement.

_"E-e-everything, was me, Celestia," _Luna choked while Checkered wiped as many tears from her cheek as possible. _"All that happened leading up to my kidnapping was my fault…." _Luna's voice became so quiet that it would've made Fluttershy sound like a wrestling announcer. The Princess of the Sun opened her mouth to try and placate her baby sister, tell her that she was overreacting, and that she shouldn't blame herself, at least I think so. And yet, Celestia didn't get that chance. "_It was _me_ that chose for Checkered and I to mate without protection on Nightmare Night, and it was _my_ idea to swear it to secrecy, but that was to protect Checkered Flag," _the midnight blue alicorn sniffled, struggling to keep her sobs down.

"Luna, we both played an equal part in what happened," Checkered cupped Luna's face with his hooves, gently turning her head so she'd look at him in the eye. "Please, don't pin all the blame on yourself, Moon Pie," he leaned forward and kissed her cheek, wiping up a stream of tears in the process.

"Lulu," Celestia remarked softly, beginning to stroke her sister's back with her wing. "Why? Why did you feel the need to keep your foal a secret?" She begged with a hint of hurt in her eye. "You know deep down that you can come to me with any problem plaguing you; that's what big sisters are for," she sniffled. Luna's eyes began to dance back and forth between her sister and her coltfriend, her emotions tugging at her heartstrings. She struggled to breathe in between sobs.

"_B-because I knew how much you valued the sanctity of marriage, Celestia, especially w-when st-starting a f-family," _Luna confessed. "_I panicked," _she repeated, squeezing her eyes shut, "_Checkered and I were not yet ready to take the next step toward marriage, let alone conceive a foal. S-so I-I decided to k-keep it a s-secret to keep Checkered safe from any consequences. I-I kn-know now th-that i-it seems r-ridiculous, b-but I love Checkered too m-much t-to have anything happen t-to him," _Luna formed a tiny smile on her muzzle whilst looking at Checkered Flag. _"__The only thing he's guilty of is standing by my side throughout this and cheering me up when I would become fearful of you finding out. Be angry at me, Sister, but please, do not do anything to my special somepony."_

_"I-I love you too," _Checkered sobbed, rubbing his now wet cheek against Luna's, holding her close. "_We're in this together, Lulu," _he whispered into her ear.

"Oh sister," Celestia's quivering lips formed a smile, "do you know how many foals in Equestria weren't planned? Or how many were conceived before the mother and father read their vows? I _understand_ your fear, but it's nothing to be ashamed of," the alicorn stuck her muzzle in between Luna and Checkered's hug, nuzzling the both of them. "Yes, I'm just a little disappointed that you weren't more cautious, but I'm _thrilled_ that you get to become a mother, and Checkered gets to become a father. I know it in my heart that you two will make fantastic parents to Equestria's newest prince or princess."

"Uh, Luna?" Checkered questioned as the blue pony's wings gently pushed him and Celestia to the side, both latter ponies moving away from Luna. With tears still running down her face, Luna stood up on all four legs and sucked in a deep breath before both her horn and stomach glowed with her magic. Everyone around me and AJ went wide-eyed as Luna's stomach slowly but surely extended outwards, producing an obvious baby bump.

"_That's how she hid it," _I heard Twilight mumble, wiping her eyes with her wings.

"I-I am sorry my friends, and family," Luna swallowed roughly, her voice starting to return to normal. "W-while this w-was not planned, Checkered and I couldn't be happier with what we have both created. But I w-wish I could turn back the clock and share this joyous occasion with all of you," she started to lower her head before Checkered stuck his hoof underneath, cradling it.

"We _can_, Auntie," Cadence took a step forward, trying with all of her might to not shed any tears either. "You and Checkered are here with all of your friends and family, and your foal is healthy. I can't think of a more perfect time to start anticipating the arrival of Equestria's newest royal member."

"Only…..only if you can all forgive me," Luna reached a hoof out to her niece.

"Of course," Celestia said, lacing her own wing over Luna's back. All of a sudden, the entire population of the room, even Dr. Shots and Nurse Redheart, became one mind. Every single one of us slowly approached Luna, giving her a group hug to show our support, though we were all very careful to give her as much room as possible. "I love you, so much little sister."

"Hey, you okay there, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked me after I went up to 'itch' my eye.

"Uh, yeah, yeah," I tried to suck the tears back into my eyes. "It's just….good to have Luna and Checkered back together," I sighed, happy for the couple. Cooing, Applejack reared up on her hind legs and cuddled her cheek against my shoulder.

"Aw, ya big softie," Applejack teased as I held her upright with my arm around her. "Come here, you," she added wrapping both of her forelegs around my waist and squeezed tight.

_"MMM, MMM, MMMM!" _Pinkie screamed through the magic gag around her mouth. Everyone took a step back as she frantically waved her forelegs around, trying to get any of the unicorns or alicorns in the room to free her mouth. She couldn't have been running out of air; Cadence only sealed her mouth shut and left her nose alone.

"Hold still, Pinkie!" Twilight ordered sternly, trying to corral the pink mare. After garnering Pinkie's attention, Twilight zapped her mouth free, only to have Pinkie shove her away, gasping for air. "Hey!" The purple alicorn exclaimed as Spike and Flash helped her up.

"Thank you Twilight! I just wanted to ask Princess Luna one eensy-weensy little question!" Pinkie blurted, shooting a displeased look in Cadence's direction. Surprisingly, Pinkie took the time to dust herself off before politely trotting over to Luna and awaited a turn to speak, rather than getting into Luna's face right away.

"Hehe, what would you like to know, Pinkie Pie?" It warmed my heart that Luna managed to chuckle at Pinkie's antics, her smile growing after being bombarded with heavy emotions, though her eyes were still fairly wet, and her voice still quiet.

"Why'd you get the cool glasses?" Pinkie ripped the spectacles from Checkered's hoof and put them on her own face. Luna seemed to pout at the spectacles, levitating her glasses back over to herself before setting them within her flowing blue mane.

"Oh, well the doctor told me that due to the intense heat from the volcano in Draconia, I require glasses for whenever I read," Luna explained, her voice starting to recover to normal. "And I'm not too particularly pleased about it," she added under her breath.

"Aww, don't be that way, Luna," Checkered reached up and kissed her neck. "I think you look like a sexy librarian with those glasses," he flirted just loud enough for us to hear. Immediately, Luna's blue cheeks flashed red as her mouth curled into an embarrassed smile.

"_Ch-Checkered!_"

"Didn't expect _that_ outta him," Applejack said to me in surprise, snickering somewhat proudly for her fellow Earth Pony.

"You know I'll do anything to cheer you up, Moon Pie," Checkered said, snuggling his cheek against Luna's still red cheek. Her embarrassed smile slowly but surely turned into a loving one whilst embracing her special somepony.

"See sister?" Celestia asked, making Luna and Checkered part from one another, both looking a little happier now that they were close again. "I told you that you and Checkered would make fantastic parents with the love you have for one another," she complimented. "And speaking of which," Celestia bit her lower lip, pointing to the manilla envelope still hovering near Luna and Checkered Flag. It was so strange yet quite sweet to witness Celestia behaving like an excited filly over Luna's baby.

"Oh yeah," I said, momentarily forgetting about the sonogram image with all of the emotions haunting the place. Luna's delight sprang up for a moment; she emitted a gasp as she remembered she still had the important image to share with us. The alicorn's magic engulfed the edge of the envelope, preparing to rip it away when she suddenly stopped. She surveyed the package for a brief moment before smiling, levitating it over to Checkered Flag.

"Checkered, would you like to do the honors?" Luna asked, lowering the envelope enough to let the earth pony reach. "I believe you've earned it for sticking by my side and supporting me through a rash decision to keep our baby a secret," a sad smile spread across Luna's muzzle.

"Are…are you sure, Lulu?" Checkered sounded a bit choked up again. Luna only nodded, assuring her special somepony that she was confident with her idea. Her magical aura evaporated, dropping the sleeve into Checkered's hoof. "I love you, Luna," he gave her cheek one last kiss before sucking in a deep breath. Everyone in the entire room was on edge, excited for the grand reveal. Slowly, Checkered tore away the edge of the envelope with his teeth, spitting it out into a nearby garbage can. "Everypony," he announced, dumping the picture out into his hoof, making sure no one could take a peek, especially Pinkie Pie. "In just a few months, Luna and I will be the proud parents of," the Earth Pony paused, staring at the image that still none of us could yet see. Even _I _was anxious about the reveal; Luna _would_ make a good mother, and Checkered a good father. Checkered began to sniffle as he touched his forehead against the picture, allowing a single tear to fall from his eye from happiness. _"A colt…."_ he breathed out before Luna's wing swiped the tear from his cheek.

"Equestria's getting a new _prince!?" _Pinkie shouted in excitement before slapping her hooves over her mouth.

"I'm going to have a new nephew?" Celestia's muzzle grew into a smile about a mile long.

"Yes," Luna nodded in confirmation, blanketing her Checkered Flag with her wings, nuzzling her chin atop his black and white mane. The stallion then flipped the image around for all of us to see.

"Ooh, we wanna see!" Scootaloo cheered along with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. Luna took the picture from Checkered and levitated it over for everyone to get a better look at it.

"Awwww!" All three fillies gushed until they simultaneously stopped. "Hey," Applebloom squinted at the picture, "where's the colt? Ah can't make out anythin' in this blob," she stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth. A few others got a turn to look at the picture and gush over it before it eventually was passed along to myself and Applejack. I'd never actually seen a sonogram before, or even a picture of one, but I can say without a doubt that it was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen.

"Would ya look at that?" Applejack said sweetly, touching her hoof the colt's image. "Luna 'n Checkered are one lucky couple; Ah can already tell this baby's gonna be one heckuva cutie pie," she gushed before handing it over to Fluttershy.

"Applejack?" I lightly shook her playfully.

"Yeah Ivan?"

"You would make one great mom," I said softly into her ear before gently scratching it. I hadn't a clue where _that_ came from, but it felt like the right thing to say. From the entire time I've known Applejack; how she takes care of Winona, Applebloom, and her farm, and how she can put up with a hardhead like me, I knew that deep down being a mom would come natural to the mare. Applejack wriggled out from my hand, looking at me with a thankful smile.

"Thank ya, Sugarcube," she replied quietly, giving me a good kiss on the lips before returning to all four hooves on the ground. I caught a glimpse of Cadence out of the corner of my eye giving me a knowing wink.

"Ahem," Fluttershy cleared her throat as she continued to hold the picture in her hoof, "I..I just have a question, if you're not too busy that is, uh princess," the meek pony said. "Oh, it can wait," she didn't even wait two seconds before bailing and handing the picture over to Pinkie Pie who was about to explode from being one of the last ones to see the sonogram picture.

"Yes, Fluttershy?" Luna responded politely, still cuddling Checkered with her wings.

"How uh, how did Garble manage to steal you from the castle? When we looked, we didn't see any sign of a break in, and Checkered said he didn't hear anything while he was asleep," Fluttershy asked, shrugging her shoulders in confusion. The passing of the sonogram picture came to a grinding halt; all of us shifted our eyes over to Luna and Checkered, suddenly enthralled by the explanation awaiting us. Luna's eyes seemed to nearly burst from their sockets at the surprise of the question.

"Ah…._that_," Luna chewed on her lip, looking down into Checkered's mane. "Well, to tell all of you the truth, I would be shocked if anypony here understood what happened because _I _don't even know," Luna admitted, casting an unsure look out to all of us.

"What exactly happened, sister?" Celestia questioned, sounding more concerned than curious.

"Uh, let me think. I remember taking a nap with Checkered because I wasn't feeling well at all," she pointed to her rounder tummy. "And because I wanted to rest up and at least try to make it to Cadence and Shining Armor's reveal party. However, I awakened a little while before the reveal party feeling thirsty, so I ventured into my chamber's bathroom to get a quick glass of water when I heard a cry for help. It sounded distant; I knew it could only be somepony having a nightmare," Luna paused, hoping we'd catch on.

"Wait a minute princess, you can enter the dreams of dragons?" Shining Armor asked what was on everyone's minds.

"She's entered a few of my dreams before," Spike chimed in.

"Yes, but you're a dragon that's been raised by ponies Spikey," Rarity corrected, yet didn't sound too confident in her answer. "Princess Luna can only enter the dreams of ponies, right?" She turned to the midnight blue alicorn.

"A dream is dream, Miss Rarity. I am not restricted to only those of ponies," Luna explained. "But I hadn't a clue that this _was_ the dream of a dragon until chose to seek out what was wrong as per my sworn duty. Obviously I was a little hesitant, but I still wished to assist whomever was having a nightmare. Yet once I arrived in the realm of dreams and found this dragon's dreamscape, he suddenly lunged at me, as if it were a trap. Only in extreme circumstances like with the Tantabus can a dream actually harm me, but this was a very special case. With my weak state and his element of surprise, I was unable to put up much of a struggle with this, Garble," Luna air quoted with her wings. "I managed to land a few blows to his torso and ripped off a few of his scales, but once he grabbed ahold of me and forced me to the ground, he awakened and had transported me to Draconia where I was their…_prisoner,"_ Luna squeaked at the harmful memory.

"That….BASTARD!" Rainbow Dash screamed, grinding her one good foreleg against the floor, leaving a nasty scuff mark.

"Watch your language in my infirmary please!" Dr. Shots exclaimed, only to have his order fall upon deaf ears.

"Wait, how was he able to kidnap you to Draconia by waking up?" I questioned, getting flashbacks of watching _A Nightmare on Elm Street. _

_"_I'm able to appear in the exact location of the dreamer should I decide to stay in their dream when they awaken," Luna explained, shaking her head clear of the memory. "Just in case they require comfort afterwards," she said with a small smile.

"Hang on," Twilight cut in, tapping her chin, "how did Garble _know_ that would work? Dragons and ponies barely know a thing about each other to begin with," she pointed out to the rest of us.

"That was my biggest concern whilst being held captive, Twilight Sparkle," Luna replied. "Other than the safety and health of my foal that is."

"Clearly….we must keep our eyes peeled and our ears open," Celestia said grimly. "There is no possible way that the dragons could have done this alone; somepony had to have helped them with this."

"Can't we alert King Horntail about this so Draconia can be on the lookout for anything suspicious?" Spike questioned.

"That would be the wisest course of action for us, Spike," Celestia replied. "However, we _must_ keep Luna's kidnapping between all of us. We do _not_ need a panic within Equestria, especially when we know very little." Everyone in the room nodded in agreement; we all understood that telling the mass populous of the country that a group of dragons managed to kidnap one of their princesses would probably be akin to saying an asteroid was going to hit the planet. "I will alert King Horntail and Princess Ember later today with a letter, but for now we must enjoy being together once again."

"Uh, Princess Celestia, if I may?" Checkered cleared his throat. "I just have something to add to this."

"Yes, Checkered?" Celestia graciously granted the racer a chance to speak.

"Okay, I may not have really prepared for this," Checkered inhaled and exhaled deeply, "but now really is the best time." The Earth Pony bit down on his lower lip and turned around within Luna's wings until he was facing her. "Luna, may I see your hoof, please?" He requested kindly.

"What are you doing Checkered?" Luna couldn't help but feel as confused as the rest of us.

"Just trust me Moon Pie." Luna's face completely melted at the sweet and trusting smile Checkered buttered her up with. She rewarded him with his request, gently placing her silver plated hoof into his own hoof. Checkered's body immediately went tense with anticipation; he inhaled and exhaled deeply yet again, but this time through his nose like he were preparing to dive off a high dive. "Lulu," Checkered finally gathered the courage to say before wrapping his other hoof around Luna's hoof and collapsing onto his rear left knee.

"HUUUUUUUUU!" Pinkie Pie gasped loudly, clawing at her mane with her hooves. If that wasn't enough, Applejack's strong grip with her hoof nearly crushed my hand as she grasped it, tensing up. Luna's eyes went wide; her other foreleg snapped up to her chest.

"Ch-Checkered?" Her voice quivered.

"I love you more than any other pony I've known. Even before I became a professional racer, I've loved you. That night we met at the Crystal Empire Charity Bowl was like a dream come true, and I believed I was the luckiest stallion in Equestria when you agreed to a second dinner with me. And now that we've been through so much together and have conceived a new prince for Equestria, I want to do the right thing and be by your side forever. Will you marry me?" Checkered asked with so much hope in his eyes.

_'Say yes! 'SAY YES!' _Seemed to be what the faces of literally every other mare in the room said. Hell, even Spike and the other stallions in the room seemed to hold the same opinion. And truth be told, the little voice inside of me was saying, "_You damn well better say yes." _

"I-I-I," Luna began to choke again as her eyes regenerated more tears. "YES! YES! YES!" She cheered loudly, letting her tears flow. "With all the burning heat of my sister's sun, YES!" She added, throwing her forelegs around the smaller pony's body. Checkered didn't even get a chance to celebrate yet; Luna flapped her wings and took to the air whist embracing her now fiancee, spinning around in circles as she kissed him passionately.

"YAY!" Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle cheered before dancing around.

"WEDDING!" Both Rarity and Pinkie Pie sang together. I attempted to do a fist pump for the couple, but AJ's death grip prevented that as she whooped and hollered with everyone else. Even Nurse Redheart couldn't keep from cheering in the infirmary.

"Congratulations you two!" Granny Smith exclaimed. Eventually, the now engaged couple gently floated down to the floor, hugging each other for dear life.

"I love you, Checkered," Luna cooed as her wings stroked Checkered's back. Without warning, everyone swarmed the couple to give them their personal congratulations, that is until Celestia forced everyone back with her wings.

"Oh Luna! I'm so happy for you!" The bigger alicorn hugged both Checkered and Luna with her forelegs. "And you too Checkered; I told you that you were my future brother-in-law!" She suddenly gave the Earth Pony a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, Celestia," Checkered blushed, still being crushed by Luna's hug.

"Oh, I can't believe I get to officiate my baby sister's wedding!" Celestia began to tear up again, only for Glock to fly up and dry her eye. She smiled and gently pushed the pegasus guard to the ground, forcing him to join the group hug.

"Ooh, Princess Luna, are you in need of any bridesmaids?" Rarity danced around excitedly.

"Or somepony to host the reception!?" Pinkie blurted.

"And somepony to organize everything?" Twilight grinned widely, conjuring up a notepad and quill.

"Come on guys, give her some room," I called out. I understood why they were all so excited, but still, Luna's going through a lot right now; she didn't need any extra stress weighing her down.

"Hehe, please calm down everypony," Luna laughed, quieting everyone down to a near whisper. "I am happy that you all wish to put forth effort to help, but I just need a little bit to process all of this," she smiled uncomfortably, not wanting to disappoint anyone. "However, before we even talk about wedding planning, I'd like to give some recognition to a certain someone who truly made this possible," Luna turned to me, gesturing for me to come forward with her wing.

_'What's going on?' _I thought, completely surprised that Luna wanted to 'recognize' me in front of everyone. She knew I wasn't one to flaunt my accomplishments.

"The princess needs ya, go on then Sugarcube," Applejack gave me a few taps on my back, trying to edge me forward.

"Uh, okay," I carefully limped forward as the ponies and dragon surrounding Luna, Celestia, and Checkered parted ways, looking as confused as I was. Slowly, I inched forward until Luna released Checkered from her grasp; the Earth Pony whispered a thank you to me as he took a quick step back. With a thankful smile of her own, Luna placed a hoof onto my good shoulder and wrapped her left wing around my back.

"I've been looking forward to seeing you this morning, Cougar," Luna pulled me in closer with her wing. Okay, if it was a hug she wanted, then that was fine with me. I curled my arm around her neck and gently hugged her as well. "For I never got to properly thank you for risking your very life to save myself and my baby," she pulled her head back to look at me.

"Luna, it's nothing really," I couldn't help but blush at her thank you. "I was just happy to save a friend and her baby in-" I tried to brush it off like I usually do, but something cut me off. Something usually Applejack does to me. Luna quickly leaned in and put her lips onto mine, kissing me. Some may claim that I squeaked like Fluttershy would when Luna kissed me, but I stand by my recollection of the event when I say I did nothing more but jump a little in surprise. The mare even placed her hoof on the back of my head when I tried to pull away. I suppose she _really_ admires old customs of thanking someone. Unsurprisingly, a chorus of gasps, some saying, "Wow," and even a wolf whistle from Pinkie Pie filled the room.

"I-I uh," I stammered when Luna finally allowed me to pull back, a bashful look on my face and a cute smirk on her face. "Y-you're welcome?" I nervously scratched the back of my neck.

"Dude," Soarin floated over to me and nudged my shoulder, "you're like the alicorn magnet!" He cheered, reminding me not only of Cadence pecking my cheek earlier, but Celestia kissing my forehead after the timberwolf incident. Luna began chuckling at my reaction as Applejack came to my rescue and held my hand in my hoof to bring me back to reality.

"Hehe, Ah'll _never_ get tired 'o yer flustered face, Ivan," Applejack took the opportunity to tease me. My favorite part about Applejack was I _could_ be a little affectionate with my other friends, but I didn't think she'd be okay with…_that_. I knew I'd saved Luna by risking my life, but I was expecting a pat on the back or at the very most a peck on the cheek like Cadence did.

"_Oh, how precious!" _A new voice took center stage of the room, chortling mischievously.

"Ugh, why now?" Twilight face-hoofed with a frustrated groan. "Just come on out already Discord!" She shouted. Fluttershy and Pinkie seemed to be the only ones in the room other than me to be happy to hear Discord's voice. Hey, at least he took the attention away from me!

"_If you insist, Princess Twilight!" _Discord exclaimed before Luna squeaked. We looked over to see what was wrong, only to witness Discord rising out from the picture of Luna's sonogram. "_Hello everypony! It's been a few chapters hasn't it?" _He questioned, stretching as he fully emerged from the picture. Luna and Checkered had horrified looks on their faces.

"Oh I'd say about six or seven give or take," Pinkie shrugged in agreement with Discord's odd statement.

_"_Oh Luna, I can't tell what's more adorable," Discord tickled under Luna's still horrified chin. "The _much_ closer relationship than any of us thought you have with Cougar, the fact that you have a bun in the oven." The draconequus snapped his eagle talons, conjuring up a cliched baker's outfit and began to feel around Luna's belly. "Or that you and circle jockey here are tying the knot!" Discord teased, snaking his body around both Luna and Checkered until there was a literal knot keeping them together.

"You may be excited across the room!" Luna shouted, zapping herself and Checkered out of Discord's knot.

"Sheesh those mood swings are hitting you hard! Then again, you always _were_ the moody one of you and Celestia," Discord wrapped his lion arm around Celestia nonchalantly. Celestia rolled her eyes and took a step away, allowing Discord to fall to the ground.

"Sorry, I must've slipped," Celestia smirked as Discord picked himself back up.

"Aw, please don't be mad at him, Princess Luna," Fluttershy rushed over and helped Discord dust himself off. "He's just as excited as all of us that Equestria is getting a new prince shortly," she smiled in her friend's defense.

"Well, he doesn't have to be _so _close about it," Luna pouted her lip with a glare.

"Dearest Luna, that's who _I_ am!" Discord chortled. "And now _I _get to be Uncle Discord to your cute little tyke!"

"U-Uncle!?"

"Yes! I cannot wait until he's old enough so that we may go spread some chaos together. Hehe, won't that be fun? Maybe I'll even sneak him out after dark without mommy's permission," Discord goaded, wiggling his eyebrows at Luna.

"Discord, I'd advise against this for your own health," Celestia warned the draconequus. Laughing nervously, Fluttershy flew up and grabbed Discord's eagle talons, pulling him away from Luna who was snorting smoke from her nostrils.

"Hmph, fine," Discord pouted. "But I want an important job for the wedding since I was _so_ rudely uninvited to the last royal wedding."

"You were stuck in stone, dude," Rainbow Dash reminded him.

"So? That's no reason to not invite an old acquaintance!"

"Now Discord, I'm sure the princesses can help fine you to cover an important task for the wedding," Fluttershy smiled sweetly at her secret crush. "Would you like to help me with whatever task I'm assigned?" I noticed a faint blush appear on Fluttershy's cheeks.

"I'm thinking more along the lines of doormat or restroom attendant for you, Discord," Soarin remarked, causing all of us in the room to snicker at Discord's surprised and pissed off face.

"Ahem, speaking of jobs," Luna said after catching her breath from laughing at Discord's embarrassment. "We _should_ assign one in particular as soon as possible. Miss Rarity!" She exclaimed, "May I ask that you make myself and Checkered our wedding attire? Your work on Cadence and Shining Armor's attire was simply exquisite," she offered. Well hot damn, that's like a band asking a fan to draw the cover for their next album!

"I-I-I g-get t-to wo-work o-on the w-wedding d-dress f-for P-Princess L-Luna!?" Rarity stuttered.

"Nice going sister, you broke our friend," Celestia chuckled at Luna. Spike rushed into the other room of the infirmary and rushed back with a paper sack in his hand, giving it to Rarity. The mare breathed in and out rapidly until the bag burst in her face.

"YES! Of course Princess Luna! I'll make you the finest wedding attire in the history of Equestria!" Rarity declared, still hyperventilating. She suddenly turned to the side where Spike was still standing beside her. "Spikey I'll need your assistance for a project this important! We'll have to spend hours together, day after day on this project. I'll buy you lunch and dinner. Are you up to it?" Rarity cupped his face with her hooves like she were asking him to go on a dangerous mission.

"O-of course! I'm always happy to help," Spike nervously replied as Rarity hugged him tightly.

"I knew I could count on my Spikey-Wikey!" Rarity gushed. I cracked a small smile and gave Spike a quick thumbs up with the arm that was in my sling. The purple dragon blushed before Rarity released her crushing hug on her friend.

"Ugh ew!" Discord whined. "All of this mushy gushy nonsense is making me sick!" He poofed himself into a hospital gown with casts around a leg and arm and a thermometer sticking out of his mouth.

"I'm on break!" Nurse Redheart snapped at the draconequus. Discord glared at the nurse pony before sticking his tongue out at her and zapping the hospital attire off his body.

"Oh hush, Discord," Celestia rolled her eyes, "I have something to announce that I've been saving all morning if you don't mind."

"Pfft, whatever flows your mane, Sunny Butt," Discord starkly replied, folding his arms and impatiently tapping his eagle talons on his lion arm. Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle at Discord's remark, even though Celestia cast a displeased look in Discord's direction.

"Anyway, Now that we are all back together, I'm happy to announce that the eight of you," Celestia pointed with her wing to the eight of us that accompanied her to Draconia, "shall be rewarded for your contributions in your rescue of my baby sister." Excited chatter filled the room from members of the rescue party as well as the ones that patiently awaited for us to return. Applebloom hopped up and down, clapping her hooves together for me.

"Nice goin' Cougar!" The little filly cheered, hugging on my leg. "Ah told ya it's okay ta recognize yer accomplishments every now 'n then," she gave me a huge grin. AJ, Big Mac, and Braeburn all agreed, giving me congratulatory pats on the back. No matter how much praise they were giving me, this just wasn't who I was. I'd been trying to prepare myself on the good chance something like this would happen; we'd saved the lives of _two_ royal ponies after all. The praise I'd gotten from my friends was all I really needed, even Luna's special thank you I let slide. It's not that I had stage fright, but I simply loathed making myself look better than everyone. If Celestia was planning exactly what I was thinking, then I probably wasn't going to be looking forward to it.

"Hey, you okay hun?" Applejack nudged my hand with her muzzle, looking up at me with her beautiful emerald eyes. I wasn't going to lie to her nor anyone, but I also wanted to prove that I was getting better at being officially recognized for my contributions.

"I'm gonna do my best for you guys for this," I lifted AJ's chin up before petting her mane, "I promise." Applejack knew what I meant and rewarded me with a smile, shifting her position so I could scratch behind her ear where she liked it.

"That's all we want from ya, Ivan," Applejack replied softly.

"After a few day's rest, we will host a ceremony honoring your acts of selflessness in the preservation of not only the life of an Equestrian Princess, but a future Equestrian Prince!" Celestia continued after the side conversations had died down.

"And Checkered and I can announce both our engagement and our future colt to Equestria as well!" Luna beamed. I wouldn't admit it to Applejack, especially after the promise I'd just given her, but knowing that Luna and Checkered's announcement would more than likely be more newsworthy brought me some relief.

"Wait a minute princess," Twilight interjected. "When did you say the ceremony will be held?" She asked with a bit of worry in her voice.

"I was thinking this Friday afternoon to allow everypony a chance to rest and begin recuperating for those who need it most," Celestia explained, giving Rainbow Dash a sympathetic look. "Is there something wrong, Twilight?"

"Well, uh," Twilight….blushed? What the hell was going on on Friday? "Princess, you _do_ know that the Spring Estrus begins this weekend, right?" Twilight asked bashfully. "And some mares are known to exhibit signs as early the night before the weekend." Now _that_ definitely forced silence into the room. Braeburn and Big Mac distracted Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo by taking them out of the room, saying they're going to grab some breakfast. Applejack and I even exchanged a _really_ awkward glance with each other; I remember her taking me aside at Cadence and Shining Armor's reveal party to talk to me about the Spring Estrus.

"There shouldn't be anything to worry about, Twilight," Celestia giggled. Her laughing about the subject was a little uncomfortable for me. "I wanted to hold it before the Estrus and as soon as possible. Besides, we'd have to wait even _longer_ for ponies to also recharge their energy levels from Estrus weekend," Celestia explained. "We'll hold the ceremony early Friday afternoon, and then I shall have all of you escorted by chariot home back to Ponyville in case any of you do feel early urges," the white alicorn assured us. "And naturally, Spike will stay here in the castle. I'm certain Luna and Checkered Flag wouldn't mind a special guest for the weekend?" Luna and Checkered happily shook their heads, seemingly eager to get a weekend to spend with the dragon.

"That sounds…._fair_," Fluttershy squeaked, her yellow face as red as a tomato.

"I, uh, I agree," Twilight nervously chuckled. "At least with the ceremony, my and Spike's day will be booked," the alicorn smiled, trying to change the subject. Spike, however, shrugged at his mom, lost at what she was talking about. "Remember Spike? I'm supposed to be teaching local schoolponies a lesson about friendship at the Canterlot Public Library Friday morning?"

"Oh yeah," Spike scratched his chin. "Sorry mom, we've just had a lot going on lately."

"Ahem, with all of that out of the way, is there anything else anypony would like to add to this…_enlightening_ and surprise-filled morning?" She asked around. The alicorn paused for about ten seconds, letting the hum of a few hospital machines and the ticking of the clock filled soundless void while no one said a thing. "Well then, I do believe we've all earned some breakfast?" With no objections, Luna opened the door with her magic and let everyone file out of the room. Even though my left ankle still didn't hurt too much, I chose to be one of the last to leave just so I wouldn't slow anyone, _especially Pinkie_, on the way to the dining hall for some food. My stomach was actually starting to beg for food, so it was pretty good timing. At least conversations between all of us started up again as we began our trek for breakfast. Cadence and Shining Armor apologized since they needed to be back in the Crystal Empire by tonight, so they wouldn't be able to make it to the ceremony on Friday; Pinkie was asking Luna and Checkered if they'd come up with any good names for their colt as of yet; Rarity had Spike walk alongside her to start a game plan for Luna's wedding gown and Checkered's tuxedo; and Twilight and Flash looked to be talking something personal.

"What are you cravin' this mornin' Sugarcube?" Applejack asked me once we exited the infirmary. The mare was doing her part in helping me keep my balance as we walked our way down the corridor, following directly behind Twilight and Flash Sentry. She didn't want to risk me tripping over my ankle and screwing up my shoulder any more.

"I don't know, maybe some chocolate chip pancakes, hash…..browns…..and….scrambled…..eggs," my speech slowed down to a snail's pace as my eyes locked onto something shocking.

"Hey, yer not hurtin' at all, are ya?" Applejack eyed me up and down for any signs of discomfort. "Do ya need ta rest yer ankle fer a minute?" With no words to describe it, I nudged AJ with my elbow before pointing ahead of us. The mare followed to where I was pointing before I made a remark.

"Didn't things used to be a little _off_ between those two a few days ago? " I asked. The last time I saw Twilight and Flash together was right before the voyage to Draconia; they could barely speak to each other without sounding guilty. And yet here they were as if their break up never happened. Well, _almost_.

"Oh," Applejack's ears fell in surprise as the both of us realized that Twilight and Flash were closely walking side by side as they journeyed ahead of us, yet seeming to stay a good distance behind everyone else. The only words I could make out from their conversation as they pulled further and further away was, "_We need to tell Spike first." _

**End Chapter 56**

* * *

_Just to clear a few things up. Luna's spell only created an _ILLUSION _that she was not pregnant. She didn't actually force her belly to retain it's normal shape; and her emotions were all over the place, so the spell was removed very slowly, giving her belly the appearance that it was expanding._

_I added in Discord to the chapter because I wanted some humor thrown in so the chapter wasn't too emotional._

_Also, be honest guys, who expected Luna and Checkered's baby to a filly rather than a colt? Well, I chose a colt mainly because 9 times out of 10, when a major character in a FanFiction becomes pregnant, it's usually a girl. So I'm trying to mix it up a little with Luna and Checkered Flag! _

_Another Also: Yes I already have a name chosen for the little guy, but it will NOT be revealed for a few more chapters. _

_Next time: The award ceremony and a little something extra!_


	58. Chapter 57: We Want You to be Happy

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 57: We Want You to be Happy**

_Okay, so yeah, we've got ourselves a mini-chapter here folks. I didn't originally plan for this, but I took a small break from this story to start up on an unrelated story. That story isn't finished yet, but I got back onto the Fallen Eagle train a few days ago and got this scene written down. It was supposed to be the start of the ceremony chapter, but with how long it's been since I've updated, I decided to give you guys this mini chapter. Yeah it's short, but I'd rather let you guys know I'm still working on this story and I have not, and WILL NOT give up. Trust me, the next chapter is in the works and the first scene for that chapter is nearly complete. There are a few surprises in the next chapter, so be on the lookout._

**WarHusky2000: **_Funny how things work out huh? Thanks for being a reader!_

**Gracie Ghost:** _I'm surprised a lot of people like my take on Discord! And I love chances to break the fourth wall, even getting Pinkie Pie in on the joke. _

**Nostalgia Cop: **_Court denies your case! *bangs gavel* _

**Dixie: **_She loves Ivan enough to know he'd never cheat on her. As for the prince, yeah I always wanted to see Luna as a mother to a colt :) The joke about Discord being rudely not invited to the last wedding I felt would work for his character. As for how Spike will react..._

**Monkeyboy0118: **_Thank you sir!_

**headreviewer mk2: **_A doormat can be evil yes. Those damn corners just waiting to trip you up. They're out to get us!_

**SkullReaper790: **_A little humor can make things better :)_

**Guest: **_It's ALWAYS a party when Discord shows up!_

**SquirtlePWN: **_So glad I could improve on making the descriptions not too long._

**Furi-Schtiff-Poi: **_Thank you!_

_As usual, please read and review, even if this is just a mini-chapter._

* * *

**(Later that Night; Castle of Friendship)**

"Spike!" Princess Twilight Sparkle's voice echoed around the empty corridors of her castle, searching for the ears of her dragon son. Spike was snoring peacefully back in his own bed, curled up with a pair of comic books strewn about his body and a Rarity plushie that Cadence had made him nearly a year prior. After the big reunion between everyone and the announcement of Princess Luna and Checkered Flag's colt, the rest of the day was a pretty lazy one for the large party of friends.

Nopony was in a real big rush to return home after breakfast, so Celestia graciously allowed them to stay in Canterlot Castle if only to relax and really just spend a whole day together after being apart for so long. Three and a half days doesn't seem like a long time, but to everyone involved, it felt like three decades. And yet, once the sun began to set thanks to Luna, everyone knew it was time to head home, even Cadence and Shining Armor who had their own kingdom to watch over. They were saddened that they couldn't stay for the ceremony for the rescue party, but the expecting couple promised to send their best wishes and possibly some gifts from the Crystal Empire upon their return.

With Princess Celestia's helping hooves, she bought out every seat for the late evening train ride to Ponyville so everyone returning would have a nice, quiet ride home. Discord offered to just teleport everyone home with a snap of his talons, but it was unanimously decided that a private train ride would help put everyone at ease. Spike and a few others questioned why Flash Sentry would be accompanying both Spike and Twilight back home, but Twilight explained that Princess Celestia wished to have a trustworthy guard to escort the two home safely after such a dangerous affair in Draconia. Spike obviously trusted the pegasus guard after what the two went through, but he was more concerned for his mom's feelings. Nevertheless, it didn't seem to bother her or anyone else after she explained the situation.

Upon entering the castle, Twilight practically ordered Spike to his room for more bedrest, claiming that he deserved a good nap in his own bed for helping bring Princess Luna back. It didn't take too much encouragement from his mom, but once Spike's eyes fell on his bed, it was like seeing an old friend. He tried to read a few comic books to pass the time while Twilight said she would make him a big hero's dinner, but he didn't even get past the first panel in his comic book before falling asleep. "Spike! Dinner's ready!" Twilight's voice called for him once again, this time sounding much closer than before. The purple and green drake stirred a bit, but his tired eyes stayed shut, refusing to obey. Twilight chuckled, knowing how tired Spike had been, and gently pushed open his bedroom door to see his peacefully sleeping form curled up. "Aww," she cooed, gently trotting over to his bed. "Hey, get up sleepyhead," Twilight shook his body gently.

"Mm, no. Spike sleeping," he mumbled, wiggling around and knocking one of his comic books onto the floor.

"Hehe, come on Spike. I made you a three layer gem cake," Twilight bribed. It was true, she had spent the past few hours of Spike's nap baking him a cake like she promised, but she wanted him out of bed as soon as possible. She grimaced a bit when Spike drooled a little at the sound of the sweet treat, but he still didn't wake up. "I know what'll wake you up," she smirked, leaning closer to his ear. "Oh Spiiiiike, Rarity's here with a gem cake," she teased. The alicorn took a step back, knowing what was going to happen.

"Rarity!?" Spike jolted awake, flinging the other comic book across the room. He jammed the Rarity plushie under his pillow on instinct. Spike was aware that Rarity knew of the toy, but she didn't have any problems with it; he was just a little paranoid of her seeing him with it. The only thing he could see, however, was his giggling mom covering her mouth with her hoof. "Oh haha mom," Spike crossed his arms as he climbed out of bed.

"Sorry Spike, but it was the only way I knew how to get you out of bed," Twilight quickly took the opportunity to hug her dragon son. Rolling his eyes, Spike gladly returned the hug, happy to be able to hug Twilight again. "It's good to be home, Spike," Twilight remarked.

"I know what you mean mom," Spike sighed.

"How's your wrist? Do you need any ice?" Twilight released her grip, taking a look at the bandage around her son's wrist that restricted its movement.

"Well I managed to hold my comic book for a few seconds before I fell asleep. So I'd say it's getting better."

"Ok good," Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. "Anyway, now that you're up, how about that cake?" She moved to the side to show Spike the open door. Spike began to drool again once his powerful reptilian nose inhaled the aroma of a freshly baked gem cake. Getting an idea to get back at Twilight for how she woke him up, Spike placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Race you there!" He suddenly blurted, shoving her aside and bolted for the door.

"Hey! Get back here mister!" Twilight laughed, willingly joining in the little race. It wasn't far to the kitchen/dining area from Spike's room, but still, Twilight was just glad to be back home with her baby dragon….even if she had ulterior motives awaiting him in the kitchen.

"No magic or wings!" Spike playfully called out when Twilight appeared out of thin air from a burst of magenta magic, galloping ahead of him.

"Race already started slowpoke!" Twilight turned back to stick her tongue out at the dragon. The two raced along the winding corridors of the castle until they closed in on the swinging door that led to the kitchen area. Spike had pulled up alongside his mom, only to leap onto the wall of the corridor and used his momentum to pull ahead of Twilight before jumping back in front of her.

"Haha! Never count the dragon out!" Spike teased as Twilight slowed her pace a bit at the surprising agility Spike possessed. She'd never really seen him use his newfound strength or speed since he'd grown at the previous year's Grand Galloping Gala. She was a proud mom.

"Careful of your wrist!" Her motherly instincts took over, sounding none to pleased at his reckless abandon to win a friendly little race. Spike simply turned around as he continued forward and stuck his snake-like tongue out at the alicorn, blowing her a raspberry.

"Cake, here I come!" Spike declared, skidding straight through the swinging door into the kitchen, stopping just at the breakfast table which was much smaller than the dining table. "And the winner claims his prize," Spike licked his lips, ogling the three-layer gemstone cake as if it were a mare's flank.

"Oh hey Spike, Twilight got you out of bed?" Spike froze, not remembering seeing anypony when he burst into the kitchen. Stepping back from the baked good, the drake peered around the kitchen, only to see the familiar orange fur of Flash Sentry as he scrubbed at some dishes in the sink. His armor was off as well, piled neatly on the counter close to the sink. The counter space was huge anyway, so it wasn't hurting anything.

"Flash?" Spike blinked, wondering if he was actually still dreaming. The swinging of the kitchen door alerted Spike away from his confusion as his alicorn mom trotted in. The mare was a little winded from the run, but she still held a happy smile on her face.

"Phew, I didn't realize how quick you can move, Spike," Twilight eagerly hugged the dragon. "But don't let me catch you exerting your wrist until it's healed!" She snapped. When he didn't say anything, Twilight looked over to see Flash drying up the last of the dishes. "Uh Flash, why are you washing the dishes?" Twilight asked.

"Well I helped you with the cake for Spike, so I thought I'd at least help out by cleaning everything while you got Spike out of bed," Flash grinned, wringing out the towel and tossing it into a nearby basket.

"Mom? Not that I don't like Flash, but I thought he was just taking us home?" Twilight's ears flatted against her head as a frown spread across her face. Upon hearing the question, the royal guard suddenly turned a little Fluttershy for the moment, averting his gaze from the mother/son duo and swinging his foreleg at the ground. "Woah, I didn't say anything wrong, did I?"

"No, of course not Spike," Twilight rubbed Spike's back with her wing. With a heavy sigh, Twilight pulled a chair out from the table. "Spike, can you please sit down? There's just a little something we need to discuss." Feeling a little worried but respectful of Twilight's wishes, Spike bit his lip and nodded, heading for the open chair while the purple mare cut a large chunk of cake for him and set it down on a plate.

Flash waited patiently until Twilight gave him the okay to join them at the table, not wanting to look too intruding. He and Twilight had discussed pretty much everything what they wanted to tell Spike whilst baking his cake, but Flash understood that it'd be better if Twilight explained the most important parts to the dragon. Nonetheless, he tried to break the ice, "Does the cake taste good?" He tried to muster up a smile despite how awkward he felt.

"Mhmm," Spike nodded slowly, crunching on a few gemstones. Twilight could tell just how uneasy Spike felt from how slowly he was eating gemstones.

"Okay, Spike?" Twilight gently placed a hoof on his good wrist. "We can't afford to sugarcoat this for you, but we weren't truthful with you when we said Princess Celestia ordered Flash to escort us home," she admitted with a shaky voice. The crunching of the gems ceased. "Remember how Celestia said she'd give Glock, Bat Fang, and Flash all a few days off to recuperate?"

"Yeah….."

"Well, Flash and I kind of took advantage of the princess' kindness. In fact, she doesn't even know that Flash is here right now, but I doubt she'd care with all that's happening with Princess Luna," Twilight began to ramble before catching herself. Spike shifted his gaze over the guard in question who was being completely silent at the moment, peeking up at the two. "And I just want to let you know that the cake wasn't a bribery for you. I really wanted to bake you a cake before Flash and I came to this decision."

Spike had a gut feeling at what his mom was getting at, but he stayed silent if only to not worry her by accidentally sounding upset. "Flash came back with us because we both felt like we should tell you together. Last night, we made a decision to give each other another chance at a relationship," Twilight explained, her voice in a bit of a higher pitch as she sped through the reveal. Twilight clenched her entire body, unsure of how Spike would react. She had a safe bet that it wouldn't be anger, but she still didn't want to worry him.

Flash on the other hoof held his head in his hooves. Spike already knew how he felt about wanting to fix things between he and Twilight, but the two never got the chance to have their stallion to dragon talk about it.

"Flash was really the one who wanted to come back with us because he felt you had the right to talk to him about any problems you might have," Twilight explained. "And it'd be better if he were here instead of me telling you alone." Silence befell the room. Spike quietly pushed his plate of half eaten cake away and licked his lips of frosting. Both Flash and Twilight braced themselves, unsure of what the dragon's response would be.

"Look Spike," Flash suddenly spoke up, only to have Spike hold up a hand to silence him.

"I kinda saw this coming," Spike admitted sheepishly. "Flash kind of alluded to it in Draconia that he wanted to do things right," he added. The two ponies exchanged glances before looking back at the dragon.

"Y-yeah, I told your mom of the little chat we had," Flash replied. "But look Spike, if you're not comfortable with this, then we won't try this."

"Exactly," Twilight nodded. "We only want to try this again if you're fine with it. We don't want to put you in an uncomfortable position."

"And we won't hold it against you if don't want this, Spike," Flash swore. "You're really the one who's most affected by this which is why we wanted to consult you before we even tried to get back together."

"Mom, I just have one question," Spike announced, still talking in a somewhat low voice.

"Anything Spike," Twilight squeezed his hand.

"Are _you two_," he emphasized, pointing between the mare and stallion, "comfortable with it?"

"Huh?" Both Twilight and Flash looked puzzled at his question. Both were expecting a little hesitation from the drake, not a question like that.

"I mean, are both of you 100% sure you want to try this again?" Spike turned his hand over and squeezed his mother's hoof.

"Y-yes, we are Spike," Twilight stuttered, still surprised yet a little proud at his inquisitiveness. "We both admitted to each other that we both were pretty bad at putting effort into our relationship." Flash nodded in agreement. "I never once tried to get Flash a transfer here so we could be closer."

"And I rarely came to visit, even though Twilight's related to Luna and Celestia by her brother marrying Cadence and they would've gladly given me some leave time," Flash agreed. "Letters just aren't the same as talking to your special somepony face to face."

"Precisely," Twilight said, conjuring up a tiny smile toward the stallion.

"Okay, but are you guys sure you want to try the long distance thing again? I didn't want to say anything last time, but I think that was a big reason why it didn't work out so well and that a few of our friends even forgot you were dating Flash, mom. I mean, I just want both of you to be happy too." The awkwardness in the room dissipated slightly; Twilight and Flash looked at each other again and shared a good chuckle. "Uh, what's so funny?" Spike asked, puzzled.

"Well, we pretty much didn't take our relationship seriously last time, Spike," Twilight replied.

"Yeah, so we wouldn't blame anypony for not taking it seriously either," Flash added with a shrug.

"But I have a transfer request written up and ready to send to Princess Celestia to allow Flash to stay here," Twilight's horn lit up, retrieving a scroll from her saddle bag near the door. "And if she allows it," Twilight moved her hoof to Spike's face, cupping his cheek, "Flash will be living with us." Spike's emerald eyes widened at the announcement, staring at the rolled up piece of parchment. The orange stallion got up from his seat and moved next to Twilight, wrapping his foreleg around her back.

"But Spike, we still want to know if you're comfortable with this," he reiterated, becoming a bit more talkative. "I promise you that I'm not trying to come in here and take all of Twilight's attention away from you. I don't even expect you to treat me any different, just as a friend is good enough. And I still want you to call me Flash if that's okay." He grinned hopefully. Spike opened his mouth to say something before his mom stepped up from her seat.

"Spike, this WILL be somewhat of an adjustment for all of us, but I give you my word that I will still love you as a son and make you a big part of my life. You were and always have been my little dragon, no force in Equestria will make me forget that." Twilight's eyes began to tear up at her words. Her love for Spike was strong. Being the good son that he was, Spike reached up with his thumb and brushed away a few of the tears falling down Twilight's face.

"I love you mom," he said, hugging her. Twilight cooed and returned the hug, squeezing the poor drake as hard as Pinkie Pie could. Flash stepped away, wanting to respect the mother/son bond between the two, but Spike reached up with his hand, motioning for the stallion to come forward. Hesitantly, Flash obliged, carefully hugging around Twilight as Spike pulled him closer. Spike suddenly grabbed the scroll from Twilight's magic, breathing fire on it before she could react. The scroll burnt up in a wisp of green fire and smoke, traveling directly to the Princess of the Sun.

"You've already adjusted your life to us as a mom and son," Spike pulled away, fighting a few tears of his own. "I think I can adjust to this for you two," he smiled, allowing tear droplets to slide down his scaly cheeks.

"Thank you Spike," Flash reached over and ruffled the spikes and spines on Spike's head. "Now then, when do we tell your friends?" He questioned just as a scroll burst into the room, bouncing off Flash's blue mane. Twilight giggled from Flash's reaction to being hit on the head, taking the scroll from the ground with her magic.

"I think we can tell them tomorrow," the alicorn scanned her eyes across the message from Princess Celestia. "I'd prefer to just spend time with you two tonight," she grinned, slicing up two more pieces of cake for her and Flash Sentry.

"Hey!" Flash exclaimed when Twilight smashed the cake against his muzzle, coating it in white frosting and gemstones. Both Twilight and Spike began laughing as the stallion wiped his nose and mouth clean. Flash grabbed Twilight's slice of cake and quickly smothered it all over her face, smirking at his payback. Soon, the two ponies and dragon were sharing a laugh after Twilight wiped most of her face with a towel and licked her muzzle clean. While Flash living in the castle would be much of an adjustment for all three, they were willing to put forth the effort and looking forward to where this chapter in their lives would take them.

**End Chapter 57**

* * *

_So, I really had fun writing this scene. I love every chance I get to have mother/son moments between Spike and Twilight. But I wanted this scene to be straight and to the point with both Flash and Twilight worrying more for Spike's esteem and feelings toward the situation. And while I know most people don't like FlashLight, I want to just say thank you to all of those who have expressed their distaste for the couple, but have been willing to give them a chance if only for this story. And for those who still don't like FlashLight, I also want to say thank you for at least being mature about your opinions._

_As for the next chapter, I can't reveal what the surprises are, not even a hint. You'll have to wait and read :)_


	59. Chapter 58: Change in the Air

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 58: Change in the Air**

_Hello all my loyal readers! Thankfully I got this chapter done in a more respectful amount of time than three weeks. I don't have much to say in this author's note, except there's a LOT that happens in this chapter, and I hope you guys like everything I've added. Plus, we're only 9 reviews away from 700, can we make it happen this chapter?_

**Nostalgia Cop: **_It's my story, and of course I have a say in the matter. We find you in contempt of court; you're sentenced to reading nothing but Cupcakes and Rainbow Factory for the rest of your life *bangs gavel*_

**WarHusky2000: **_I do try to update at least twice a month if I have time, but since I review new episodes of MLP on my YouTube channel, I lose weekends for writing :/_

**Monkeyboy0118: **_Oh man, sorry to hear about the flooding. Hope everyone's okay bro!_

**SquirtlePWN: **_Thank you very much! Though I didn't want him to automatically be okay with it; he needed to think about it first, mainly because he was concerned for Flash and Twilight's feelings. But I'm glad you liked how I wrote it anyway!_

**Sassymouse: **_PERISH THE THOUGHT! There shall still be Twilight/Spike mother/son moments! And I wanted Twilight and Flash to approach Spike like this because I HATE movies and TV shows that just have the mom butter the son or daughter up and then their new parter just comes right in as if nothing's wrong. _

**SkullCrusher550: **_Thank you!_

**headreviewer mk2: **_Oh trust me, I have HUGE plans for the 4th of July!_

**ShiningShadow1965: **_Well I actually don't hate Flash, but he was just given NO personality whatsoever. He plays the guitar...that's it. When I chose to get Flash and Twilight back together, I wanted to take the opportunity to give Flash a personality and make him a likable and relatable guy. And as for their breakup earlier in the story, I wanted to have it where they BOTH had a part in why their relationship failed. I'm tired of stories where it's all on one member of the party. EVERYONE makes mistakes, and I just wanted to showcase that. _

**Caleb200888: **_If the app finally integrated the PM feature, I'd use that instead of using the internet on my phone._

**Furi-Schtiff-Poi: **_Sometimes I like mini chapters :/_

**Dixie: **_I guess the writers of Season 6 saw how I was using Spike lol_

**uss71832: **_Exactly! I just HATE how in movies/tv shows a single parent butters up their kid so they'll like their 'new parent', and the new parent just waltzes right in like nothing's different._

**OBSERVER01: **_Yes sir!_

_All right guys, please read and review this chapter; a LOT happens, and hopefully some people flip out!_

* * *

**(Friday; Ivan's POV)**

"I wish I had a Delorean," I grumbled, crossing my arms as I stared at the clock in AJ's bedroom. The past few days had thankfully been calm and peaceful so we could get situated back into our normal routines. That's not to say nothing interesting happened; Twilight called all of us over to her castle the day after we returned home to make an announcement. Turns out that she and Flash are giving their relationship another go and that Flash would be living in the castle with her and Spike. Myself, AJ, and Spike were the only ones that weren't surprised. Flash and Twilight told Spike the night before, and AJ and I figured out they were together again back at Celestia's castle.

"A De what?" Applejack asked as she smoothed out her stetson. As for now, myself and the Apple Clan were getting ready to meet up with the rest of our friends to head to Canterlot. Today was the day of the ceremony Celestia planned for those of us that risked our lives to save Luna, and I was _not_ looking forward to it. Although I promised AJ that I'd work at getting better of publicly recognizing my military accomplishments, it wasn't something I could shake away in one day.

"A time machine, hun," I replied, staring at my reflection in her dresser mirror. Rarity had spent yesterday making an 'outfit presentable for such an honor' for me to wear at the ceremony. Thankfully it wasn't anything over the top like a tuxedo; a dark tan colored button shirt and matching colored pants worked enough for me.

"Aw, don't tell me yer gettin' cold feet already Sugarcube?" The mare sat down next to me on the bed, curling a foreleg around my midsection. Ever since my arm was free of its sling, I took every opportunity to hug Applejack with my left arm. "It's not like yer gonna make a grand speech or anythin'. All ya do is listen ta Celestia talk, 'n then she might give ya a medal or somethin', Ah'm actually not quite sure," Applejack snuggled against me.

"Didn't you and the girls get a special ceremony for beating Discord?"

"Yeah, but we got rewarded with our own stained window in Celestia's castle," Applejack explained. "Ah'm not too sure if she'll give you 'n everyone else yer own window; she might wanna give one ta Princess Luna, Checkered, 'n their colt when it's born. Otherwise she might run outta windows," she chuckled. I grimaced at the thought of Celestia rewarding us with that. A constant reminder of how good I was to everyone didn't sit too well with me.

"I think I can live with a medal," I grinned, gently removing AJ's stetson so I could rest my chin on her head. The mare sighed contently, nuzzling her golden blonde mane against my neck.

"There ya go, Ivan. Just one step at a time," AJ's lips lightly grazed against my neck, causing a shiver to run up my spine and all over my body. The mare sensed the tingling in my body and chuckled again. "Sorry there Sugarcube, didn't mean ta get ya all excited."

"Y-yeah," I stammered until the tingling sensation wore off, "w-we should save that for tonight, right?" I winked. I was caught off guard when Applejack pulled away from me, looking like she had something serious on her mind. Sighing, Applejack put a hoof on my shoulder and stared directly in my eye.

"Sugarcube, Ah've been meanin' ta talk ta ya about that…." The fact that she trailed off worried me a little. "But not now," she quickly added before I could even think of a response. "It's best ta talk about this when yer _not_ anxious about receivin' an award in front 'o hundreds 'o ponies."

"….Okay?" I replied, a little confused. I mean I was the one who brought it up, but I was just joking. Did we have to make special accommodations for tonight? If she wanted to talk about it later, then we'll talk about it later.

"Besides, Applebloom might hear if we discuss this now," she added. Just as she finished her sentence, the door swung open, surprising the both of us.

"Applebloom might hear what?" The yellow filly in question cocked her head to the side as she held the door open. "Ah was just wonderin' when we're leavin' is all," she added when AJ nor I could come up with anything to say to Applebloom.

"Uh, nothin Bloom. It was older folk talk," I blatantly lied to the filly. I didn't _want _to, but I was NOT about to admit to her that her older sister and I were talking about having sex. With my arm on AJ's back, I lightly pinched her fur to try and get her to go along with the fib, even if it made her feel worse than I did.

"Y-yeah," Applejack pursed her lips and looked away from her little sister. I wouldn't tell it to her, but good God Applejack had the _worst_ poker face I've ever seen. Although it still looked cute how she tried to keep a straight face whilst lying.

"Hmph!" Applebloom looked extremely frumpy from our bullshit explanation. "Ah _am_ a big pony!" She grumbled under her breath.

"Look Sugarcube, we'll be leavin' once Twilight 'n Spike get back from their little presentation in Canterlot," Applejack cleared her throat.

"Ugh, but when's _that_ gonna be? Aren't we on a tight schedule with the princesses anyway?"

"Just be patient, Bloom," I replied sweetly, standing up just to ruffle her mane. "Twilight and Spike just need to drop off some of their presentation equipment at their castle so they can safely store it for this weekend," I explained precisely what Twilight told all of us the same day she and Flash revealed they were a couple again. "Flash is just gonna stay in Canterlot as extra security for the ceremony."

"Well, Ah guess they can't start the ceremony without ya," Applebloom sighed.

"Trust me, we'll know when it's time ta leave, Applebloom," Applejack reassured her little sister, reaching over and hugging her.

"All right," the filly conceded, returning AJ's hug if only to be released from the older pony's grip. "Y'all just better hope we can wake up Granny Smith when it's time ta leave," She remarked as she trotted away and shut the door. Both Applejack and I breathed a sigh of relief as I returned to the bed, running my hands through my hair.

"That was a lil _too_ close."

"Eh, she seemed to buy it," I held Applejack around her waist and pulled her in close, trying to get adjusted back to our previous position. Though, I couldn't help but think of something that had been bugging me for a good few days. Luna and Checkered, though it was more than likely Luna, announced at breakfast the morning of the reunion that they planned to get married two weeks from Friday. Which meant that it was now two weeks from today that they would become united under Celestia as a married couple. And since AJ wanted a change in the conversation for a more appropriate time, I decided to ask her. "Hey Applejack," I gently shook her to get her attention.

"Whatcha need, Sugarcube?" She looked up at me with her big green eyes.

"I didn't want to question Luna and Checkered's timing, but don't you think she's letting the excitement of marrying Checkered get to her? I mean _two weeks_ from _today? _That's cutting it a bit close don't you think?" I questioned, hoping she might have an answer for me.

"Hmm," she began to chew on her cheek to help her think. "Well, Princess Celestia had all of us pretty much plan Cadence 'n Shinin' Armor's weddin' a few years back. An' back then we only had a few days ta do it," she explained. _'A few _days?!_' _I thought to myself.

"Talk about last minute right?" I snickered, raising an eyebrow at the sheer absurdness of the idea.

"Actually, none of us really minded all that much, Ivan," Applejack shrugged. "Ah had ta cook the food, Pinkie had ta plan the reception, Fluttershy had ta get her bird choir all practiced up fer the weddin' march, Rainbow had ta do a Sonic Rainboom, Rarity had ta make the dresses fer Cadence, us, AND the bridesmaids, 'n Twilight, well she just had ta oversee everythin'," she replied with a smile at the memory. "'Course it wasn't really Cadence that we were plannin' the weddin' for. When we _did_ have ta re-plan everythin' for the real Cadence, _that_ was really last minute, but it all worked out."

"Heh, well, fair enough. I guess two weeks isn't too bad. Back on Earth, engaged couples usually took a year to a year and a half to plan their weddings. Adam and Emma took about a year after they got engaged to plan everything out."

"Well, Ah'm sure Cadence 'n Shinin' Armor were engaged a lil longer than the few days we had ta help with their weddin'," Applejack chuckled at my concern, adjusting her position by shifting up onto her haunches. I suppose it was a little uncomfortable for her to sit with her hind legs hanging over the edge of the bed for a long period of time. Though I didn't mind; she still had her foreleg curled around my torso. "But hey, at least we all got the same jobs as last time, 'n Luna got you a job for the weddin' so yer not left out!" She pecked my cheek, forcing a blush to my skin.

It was true. That same morning at breakfast, Luna requested that everyone take the same jobs as during Cadence and Shining Armor's wedding. Well, all except for Rainbow Dash who'd be grounded from Wonderbolt activities for about three weeks at the least. And due to my taste in music, especially my performance with Vinyl at the Gala, the Princess of the Night and Checkered Flag asked me to take one of the most important jobs. "Hey, at least we get to see Vinyl again, but I'm glad I don't actually have to perform this time."

"An' YOU get ta pick out the song that Luna 'n Checkered get ta dance to for the first time as husband 'n wife. That's a pretty honorable responsibility there, Sugarcube," Applejack exclaimed. "We all trust ya, but Ah hope y'all pick a good one fer them." A cocky smirk spread across my face, confusing my girlfriend.

"Oh, don't worry about that, AJ. I picked it about five minutes after Luna and Checkered asked me," I said teasingly albeit a little hint of smugness.

"Five minutes?!" She pulled away from me in shock. "Ivan, Ah'm not Twilight, but even _Ah_ think that's not really a fair try. Y'all told me that phone thing 'o yers has _hundreds _of songs ta choose from," she reminded me.

"Hey, besides you AJ, Luna's my best friend here," I replied with a smirk, cupping her cheek with my left hand. I could barely feel her cheek tingling from my touch. "Don't you trust me to pick out a good song for her and Checkered to dance to?"

"That depends, hun," AJ snorted, the air from her nose tickled my wrist.

"….On?"

"What song did ya end up pickin'?" AJ narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously. I gently massaged her cheek, knowing she wouldn't be too pleased with my answer.

"Sorry AJ, but that's classified. I want it to be a surprise for everyone; I don't even plan to tell Vinyl or Celestia what it is." I had to bite my tongue to keep a pretty hearty laugh from escaping my mouth at the mare's reaction.

"Really?" She questioned with a deadpanned face.

"Fine. I _can_ tell you that it's a country song at least." Her expression softened up a bit at that nugget of information, but she was still none too pleased that I had to keep the song a secret from her.

"Well….all right then," she paused, still eyeing me suspiciously. I just loved how tough this mare was, both physically and emotionally. She could be loving and playful, but also rugged and serious at the same time. "But," she continued, her hoof poking at my chest ripped me from staring at her, "it'd better be a damned good one for spendin' just five minutes-" Applejack squeaked as I cut her off, gently planting my mouth over hers. It didn't take her long to cup my cheek in return with her hoof and kiss back.

"Did I ever tell you I love it when you talk like that?" I asked when I pulled away from the mare.

"W-what?" She was still blushing.

"When you talk like a boss or a hard nosed cop," I explained, stroking the back of her mane. "It's sexy," I winked and leaned back closer to the mare. I placed my other hand over her chest, feeling her heartbeat rising from the praise I gave about her personality.

"I-Ivan!" She giggled nervously, yet gladly welcomed my lips back to hers.

"Thanks for helping me keep calm today," I thanked her as our lips touched again. AJ moved her forelegs around my neck to pull me in closer while I hugged her torso. Since we weren't alone in the house and we could be leaving any minute now, we made sure things didn't get too heated. Just as we both opened our mouths, there was a terrible crash in the room followed by my pet phoenix freaking out.

_CRASH_

Fawkes began squawking and flapping about like mad, trying to scare off whatever had broken into AJ's room. Thankfully, both of us pulled away and didn't bite down on the other's tongue, jumping up to see what was going on. A mass of pink fur and hair lay sprawled below Applejack's broken window where Fawkes as trying swipe down at the intruder. "PINKIE!" Applejack exclaimed loudly. "What in the good name 'o Celestia are ya doin' sneakin' in like this?!" She demanded, stomping over to her party loving friend.

The party mare looked up at the two of us and shook her head, presumably to clear her eye sight, hopping up to her hooves. "Cougar, AJ! You gotta come back with me!" She grabbed Applejack's shoulders, hyperventilating from running from wherever she came.

"Woah, just slow down Pinkie," AJ advised as I held out my arm for Fawkes to land on so he'd calm himself. "What the Tartarus is going on?" Applejack nodded in agreement, trying to pry Pinkie's hooves from her shoulders. Pinkie then quickly cupped Applejack's cheeks, slamming their faces together so she could stare directly into my girlfriend's eyes.

"It's Twilight and Spike; they might be in trouble! I was just taking a normal stroll around Ponyville with Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity to pass the time when a _huge_ burst magic shot out from the castle!"

"What? Did anyone else notice?" I asked, waiting to see when Pinkie would release Applejack from her hooves.

"I'm not too sure!" Pinkie looked back at me, her face somewhat deranged. "Me and the girls just hightailed it over to get you guys! NOW MOVE IT!" She suddenly slipped behind me and Applejack, shoving us toward the window.

"Hold on there Pinkie!" Applejack dug her rear legs into the floor. "How about the door?" She asked as we could see Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity all waiting for us down below in front of the house.

"We can't waste time using doors, silly! Twilight and Spike might need our help!"

* * *

**(Twilight's Castle; Ivan's POV)**

As soon as Pinkie forced myself and Applejack to jump from the lower roof of the Apple family house, the six of us jogged our way through town to get to Twilight's castle. Well, Fluttershy kept Rainbow Dash company in the air as they flew above us. The latter mare grumbled along the way because of how slow she had to fly due to her leg. We didn't even stop once we reached the main doors of the castle; they were left ajar and we pretty much plowed right through, expecting to see either Twilight and Spike or an intruder. Alas, we were met with the mere emptiness of the castle foyer and no sign of anyone. With adrenaline still pumping through my veins, I kept my eyes and ears peeled, searching for anything out of the ordinary while we journeyed through the corridors. Despite it being early afternoon and the sun was seeping in through the windows, being in a huge and seemingly empty building where every little noise bounced off the walls was unsettling. "Pinkie, are you sure Twilight just wasn't doing an experiment?" Rarity questioned, being the first one of us to speak since we entered the castle.

We were moving at about half the pace that we traveled just to get here. Despite wanting to find Twilight and Spike if only to make sure they were okay, running in without a real plan wouldn't have been smart. The six of us had to pretty much act like police investigators looking for clues and staying quiet for anything suspicious. With Rarity's keen eye for detail, my pilot's alertness and reaction time, and Rainbow's incredible multitasking, the three of us took the lead to look for clues and watch out for danger.

"Uh-uh! I know when Twilight experiments with spells; this was something bigger than Twilight's ever done!" Pinkie shook her head.

"Well, didn't she tell us that she was just dropping some of her presentation junk off before coming to get all of us?" Rainbow Dash replied, looking back.

"Yeah, I don't recall her ever mentioning testing out a new spell or anything," Fluttershy nodded. "Oh, I hope she or Spike aren't hurt." All of this information left a sinking feeling in my gut. If all Twilight was doing was dropping some stuff off, and Pinkie witnessed a huge surge of magic shooting out from the castle, then what if someone was waiting for Twilight and Spike to….I didn't even want to finish that sentence in my head.

"Isn't Flash s'posed ta be livin' here too?" Applejack added as our pace slowed down so we could survey the area better. "He _is_ a guard fer Twilight after all."

"He is, but Twilight told me that Celestia wanted him to stay in Canterlot after Twilight's presentation in the library," Rarity explained. This all started to become weirder and weirder. While the girls talked about what could have happened, I was looking around at everything in the large hallways, scanning for any signs of damage, forced entry, or possible burglary, but the castle was just as pristine as the last time we were here. I've seen some instances where magic will burn some surfaces, but there wasn't a scratch on any of the floors or walls.

"Uh Pinkie, I'm not doubting you at all, but this place looks as neat and orderly as Twilight always leaves it," I remarked, turning around. "It doesn't look like anything happened." The five mares stopped moving and took a look around like I had done. However, upon everyone coming to a halt, something just….tingled in the back of my skull. I whirled around just as Fluttershy screamed, and saw a _huge_ wall of magic surging through the hallway directly at us! "GET DOWN!" I tackled all five mares, holding them down on the ground as magic seeped over us. The wave of magic now sounded like a distant freight train while Fluttershy and Rarity screamed bloody murder from the suddenness of getting tackled to the ground.

"What in Equestria was _that_?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed once the magic was gone. "And let me up!" She snorted in my direction, pushing me away. Somehow her leg wasn't further injured, but she still wasn't pleased that I yanked her to the ground.

"Sorry girls," I apologized, rolling over to let the girls stand up. "Hehe," I nervously chuckled after realizing that Fluttershy was pinned to the ground directly below me. The yellow mare's cheeks blushed from how close we were, so I pushed myself away as quickly as possible. I threw in another apology to the meek pegasus after helping her up, but she didn't mind too much. I quickly helped the others to their hooves, trying to shake off that little embarrassing moment while dealing with some pressure radiating through my ribs.

"I-It's okay Cougar," she squeaked as Rarity fixed up her own mane.

"First 'n foremost, everypony okay?" Applejack questioned. Everyone sounded off that they weren't hurt, just shook up.

"You girls sure I didn't hurt you?" I questioned just to be safe. AJ, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie all assured me they were okay and thankful for my quick reaction. Although Rainbow attempted to remind us of her broken leg again.

"Besides my-"

"Not now Rainbow, please," Rarity rolled her eyes. "We do feel sorry for your injury, but we could do without the constant reminders." The Wonderbolt grumbled and scowled, walking forward as fast as she could on three legs. I could _not_ pinpoint how in the hell I could feel the wall of magic heading for us. As a pilot, having heightened perception to the environment around me was a huge requirement to fly a multimillion dollar jet at twice the speed of sound. Yet, I've never had perception _that_ good in my life.

"You all right there, Sugarcube?" Applejack nudged my elbow when I drifted off into my own little world.

"Yeah, I just didn't want you girls to get hurt."

"Well, it doesn't seem like that did anythin' ta us, but it'd sure be nice ta know where it came from 'n who cast that spell," Applejack muttered, taking another look around the hallway.

"SHHH!" Pinkie Pie loudly silenced all of us, putting her ear to the ground. "I hear voices," Pinkie talked out of the side of her mouth. I tried to listen as best as I could, but even with the vast corridors, I couldn't hear anything. That's not to say no one else could, however.

"Ah hear 'em too," Applejack took a step forward, her right ear twitching like crazy. "Just barely though."

"The throne room!" Rarity gasped.

"You can tell where that's coming from?" I questioned in disbelief. I didn't care how good of hearing these mares have; there should be no way they could tell where the voices were coming from since they could barely hear the voices to begin with.

"Well, the throne room is _the_ pivotal room in any castle, darling," Rarity raised an eyebrow, probably displeased with my tone.

"Not to mention it's where the Cutie Map is," Fluttershy added with a gulp.

"Then there's no time to lose! To the throne room ladies!" Pinkie declared, jumping to her hooves dramatically. "And Cougar," she added with a giggle. Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack all took off ahead of us like race horses bursting from the starting gates, leaving me, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash behind.

"Need some company, Rainbow?" I asked the pegasus, starting off with a jog. The cyan mare mumbled something under her breath, but my best guess was she said, _'Bite me.'_

"Wait up girls," Fluttershy attempted to call out.

"All right then," I shook my head before slipping my arm around Rainbow's torso, lifting her up with ease.

"HEY! PUT ME DOWN!" She fought, trying to squirm around in my grip without hurting her leg.

"I'll put you down when we get to the throne room," I replied, beginning to run as fast as I could to catch up to the other three ponies.

"Oh my, oh my. Don't hurt her!" Fluttershy landed on the ground and ran beside me. We were on the move in no time, playing catch me if you can with our friends. The three mares were pink, white, and orange blobs from how far behind we were, but we were closing in. Rainbow grunted with each hard step I took, but she never yelped or cried out in pain. I swore to her that if she felt pain I would slow down running. We eventually caught up with Pinkie, Rarity, and AJ as they had slowed down once they approached the throne room doors.

I skidded to a halt and nearly slid into Rarity as we reached our destination, gently dropping Rainbow to the ground. "OW!" I seethed when she punched my arm with her good leg.

"Warn me next time you do that!" She growled with a snort.

"Hush up you two!" Applejack snapped. "Okay Pinkie," she took in a deep breath, "one, two, three," she counted off, pushing the doors open with Pinkie Pie. Even with my throbbing arm, my muscles tensed up, preparing for whatever would meet us on the other side. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy all gasped simultaneously the instant we got a clear view into the throne room. Standing next to the Cutie Map, Twilight and Spike whirled around at our sudden appearance, looking stressed and exhausted. And yet, they weren't alone in the throne room.

"Ah!" A purple unicorn mare standing next to Twilight yelped. The unicorn was a lighter shade of purple than Twilight, had a large curled mane and matching tail that was dark purple with a streak of light purple and mint green, and a cutie mark of a purple four cornered star with what appeared to be a mint green colored wisp of smoke or magic coming out of the left side of the star.

"Guys!" Spike exclaimed happily.

"Um, uh, hello," the mare stuttered uncomfortably, looking scared. Even though I had no clue who she was, I didn't blame her for being scared. Everyone in the room besides her, Twilight, Spike and myself were either growling or glaring daggers at the unicorn. Applejack's expression reminded me of Sarah Connor's from T2 when she attempted to kill Miles Dyson. Or the unicorn could've been startled by my presence.

"Woah girls," I called out calmly, taking a step forward and turning around to face them. "Can't we get an introduction before we kill someone with our eyes?" Rainbow Dash proceeded to gingerly fly up so that she was eye level with me, continuing to glare.

"_That," _she spat out, pointing behind me, "is the bitch that stole our cutie marks!" It took me a quick second to understand what she was getting at, but it soon clicked. Turning to the side to give Rainbow another view, I looked between Twilight and the mare. Something was definitely wrong when Rarity didn't try to correct Rainbow's language.

"Sunlight, if I'm not mistaken?" I remarked in a gravelly voice, taking my own step forward.

"S-S-Starlight," she corrected in a heavy sweat. "Starlight Glimmer."

"Are you two okay?" I asked, turning over to Spike and Twilight after glaring at Starlight for a good minute.

"Was she the reason your castle was throwing up magic earlier?" Pinkie Pie added, taking a step closer to Starlight. Before anyone else could say or do anything, Twilight stepped in front of Starlight, even unfurling a wing to block her. Starlight looked uneasily between us and Twilight, looking confused and afraid.

"Look guys, it's kind of a long story," Twilight exhaled, giving us a pleading look to listen to her.

"We're willing to listen darling," Rarity replied, "do go on." Twilight sighed and removed her wing from in front of the timid unicorn. "Starlight, do you mind giving me and my friends some time to talk about this?"

"Uhhh, sure," the mare nodded feverishly once she saw all of our distrustful expressions. I held the door open for the unicorn as she took a walk of shame in between all of us, looking as timid as a Walmart employee on Black Friday. With another exhausted sigh, Twilight trotted to her throne and took a seat, looking relieved to sit down.

"Are you sure you trust her not to run off?" I voiced my concern while everyone copied Twilight, sitting down in their respective thrones. I on the other hand was hesitant to join them at the map, not liking the idea of leaving someone alone who was practically a Nazi and Stalin rolled into one.

"I kind of agree with Cougar here," Rainbow Dash concurred. "What was she even doing here in the first place?" She demanded, slamming her one good foreleg onto the surface of the map.

"Ugh," Twilight rubbed the sides of her head. "If you girls would just let me explain as quickly as I can. We don't have much time before Princess Celestia's ceremony starts. Thank you," she added once none of us had any other oppositions. "Now then, I know and understand all of your concerns, but I don't think Starlight will be our enemy from now on."

"What makes ya say that, Twilight?" Applejack questioned.

"I'll level with all of you," the alicorn replied and spun her yarn. Even with her abridged version, we were all shocked. What she told us would've sounded like a nice time travel film with elements of Back to the Future and The Terminator, but none of us could believe what she told us. Fighting Starlight across different timelines thanks to an old spell she'd resurrected, only to try and get revenge on Twilight for 'taking away her village of equality and tranquility,' sounded like a madman's plot to an insane time travel film. Spike unfortunately was just along for the ride. Surprisingly, everyone took it better than I thought anyone could.

"Wow," Rainbow Dash whistled when Twilight was finished. Spike at one point had to run and get his mom a glass of water so she could finish. I guess traveling through time was more exhausting than Marty McFly made it look. "I mean, I _knew_ my sonic rainboom was awesome, but I didn't know all of Equestria depended on it," she bragged. I found myself narrowing my eyes at Rainbow Dash. Sure, I expected her to brag her ass off about how important her breaking the sound barrier was, but did she not hear that Starlight tried to fucking _alter time?_!

"Or on us!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"I think it's more than that," Twilight corrected. "Friendship connects all of Equestria, and undoing one group of friends made its magic less powerful."

"Ah can't believe y'all were able to travel through _time_ like that," AJ rubbed the back of her head. _'Not you too, Applejack,' _I thought, feeling a twinge of disappointment.

"That Starlight must be _pretty_ magical!" Pinkie pointed out.

"She obviously has more talent for magic than almost anypony I've seen," Twilight admitted. "My magic couldn't stop her; I had to convince her to stop on her own. Once I realized that, everything fell into place."

"But, if she's as powerful as all that, we can't just send her on her way, can we?" Applejack asked hesitantly. Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, I raised my hand if only to show I was willing to keep my manners no matter how bad I felt about this.

"Oh, yes Cougar?" Twilight acknowledged my wish to speak. "Sorry I never really gave you a chance to talk earlier. What's on your mind?" With all eyes turned to me now, I felt a little guilty for thinking what I was thinking, yet I had to say it.

"Guys, before you castrate me for what I'm about to say, I want to remind all of you that I believe everyone deserves a second chance," I announced. "But….."

"But what, darling?" Rarity looked at me quizzically.

"I feel you guys are taking this too easy. I mean look at what she did!" I gestured to the door. "Pretty much brainwashed an entire village and stole their identities; then tried to do the same to you guys! And now she tries to manipulate TIME of all things to ruin each and every one of your lives which almost doomed your homeland for eternity, and you automatically want to offer her forgiveness?" Everyone stared at me, wide-eyed at my outburst. And yet, I wasn't finished. "I feel bad for what happened to her as a filly, I really do. But you all seem a little too eager to have her around you," I admitted.

"Holding grudges aren't healthy Cougar," Fluttershy replied softly, tracing her hoof around the map after a brief moment of silence from everyone.

"Cougar," Twilight stepped up from her throne, "I understand your distrust of Starlight, but she knows the grave mistakes of what she's done. She's just a confused mare who needs the help and wisdom of friendship to set her on the right path. Who knows what she might end up doing if we just send her off."

"Without anypony to hug her!" Pinkie added.

"Or anypony to care about her," Rarity agreed.

"Anypony to cheer her up," Fluttershy said.

"Without somepony to have her back when she's in trouble," Rainbow nodded.

"Or anypony ta talk to 'bout her problems, Sugarcube," Applejack gently laid her hoof onto my hand. To be honest, I was afraid she'd tear me a new one for my opposition to the sudden approval of Starlight entering our circle.

"Guys, I'm not saying we need to toss her out like garbage, but I'm a little uncomfortable just blindly giving her all my trust. I mean if you all automatically want to be her friend and trust her with learning what you know, that's fine. And I'm willing to be her friend too if you guys seriously want to put forth the effort to befriend her. It's just going to take me some time to give her my trust. I hope you understand."

"That's fair enough to me, Cougar," Twilight rewarded me with a smile and a pat on the back. "I suppose it was unfair of me to just assume you'd be okay with this," she sent me an apologetic look. I only nodded in return, letting Twilight know we were on the same page now. "But I am glad you told us how you felt about this now instead of faking your feelings later on." The other five mares and dragon all nodded in unison while AJ lightly squeezed my hand with her hoof. "Now then, Spike!" The purple alicorn exclaimed. The dragon nodded and jogged over to the door, opening it just a crack and motioned for Starlight to come in. The room became eerily silent again as Starlight timidly trotted back inside.

Despite my low levels of trust for the mare, I had to admit I felt a little bad for her; she looked like she was about to vomit everywhere. "Everypony, I know there's no excuse for what I did, but I'm ready for whatever punishment you think is fair," she gulped. Well, at least she had guts to face her consequences head on.

"Well, I've been thinking a lot about how badly Equestria fared without just one group of friends," Twilight began as Spike nodded in agreement. "Because even when one friendship dies, the results can be disastrous."

"I-I know first hoof how true that can," Starlight replied dejectedly, hanging her head low. Twilight sprang from her chair and trotted over to the downtrodden unicorn, lifting her chin up.

"And that's why I've asked you here," she said with a smile. "_If_ you're willing to learn, I'm willing to teach you what I know." Starlight's face suddenly lit up in astonishment. Everyone around me offered up smiles for the former dictator, except for me. I could only give her an uncertain stare for how she could earn my trust for what she did. "You'll have the power to make Equestria an even better place!" Twilight exclaimed happily.

"But uh, how do I start?"

"Starting is easy," Twilight giggled. "All you have to do is make a friend; and you have eight of them right here," Twilight said as everyone surrounded Starlight in a hug. However, the unicorn knew who Twilight had included from that count. Starlight looked over at me with an indiscernible face. I couldn't tell if she was afraid of me or if she was just surprised I was willing to be friendly with her.

"Come on, Sugarcube," AJ waved me over. I thought about it for just a brief second before conceding in. With at least the smallest of smiles on my face, I walked over and extended my hand to Starlight, encouraging her to take it.

"Hey Starlight, I'm Ivan, but most everyone calls me Cougar," I tried to widen my smile, but I couldn't. Starlight blinked a few times, studying the exoticness that was my hand before she snaked her foreleg out of the group hug and placed her hoof in my hand.

"I've uh, actually wanted to meet you since I heard about you on my travels," she revealed. "So what do we do from here, Twilight?" She asked.

"Actually, there's a special pony we were about to go and see, Starlight," Twilight replied with a grin. "And I think it'd do you good to meet her."

* * *

**(Canterlot Castle; Ivan's POV)**

"Oh my, don't all you boys look handsome?" Rarity gushed as she smoothed out a fancy jacket Spike was wearing. Although formal attire wasn't required, all of us who were being honored today felt the need to at least where something presentable. Even Rainbow was wearing her exclusive Wonderbolt's jacket. Flash, Glock, and Bat Fang all were allowed to keep their armor on for the ceremony, so at least they didn't have to change.

"Hehe," Soarin chuckled at Spike's scarlet face from Rarity's praise.

"Eh," Bat Fang shrugged, standing near the throne room doors. He was still so in tune with his job that I'd forgotten he was to be honored as well until Celestia and Luna spoke up about it.

"Ah have ta agree with ya, Rare," Applejack concurred, taking the opportunity nuzzle my side and hold me around my waist.

"Thanks AJ," I smirked, scratching behind her ear. Twilight had already introduced Starlight to Luna and Celestia a few minutes ago; luckily the sisters were extremely supportive of Twilight's desire to teach Starlight about friendship. That's not to say Flash wasn't pleased, but for a different reason.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there, Twily," he apologized for about the fourth time while Twilight inspected his armor for him.

"Flash, I've already told you that it's all right," Twilight sighed. "I had Spike with me, and you had obligations for Princess Celestia."

"Plus she's one of the most powerful ponies in Equestria!" Pinkie exclaimed from behind Flash, startling him.

"Ugh, be that as it may," he straightened his helmet, "I still want to do my best to protect you two." Twilight bent back up to look at Flash in the eyes, an appreciative smile on her face.

"And we're grateful for that, Flash," she kissed his cheek.

"Totally!" Spike patted Flash's armor. Twilight then cupped her hoof around Flash's ear, whispering something to him. The stallion's face suddenly lit up red and his eyes about popped from their sockets as he nodded feverishly.

"Glad to see you're okay with that," the alicorn giggled while Flash gathered his composure. Spike, however, frowned and took a step away from his mother and her coltfriend.

"I _don't_ wanna know what you two are talking about," Spike shuddered. Twilight simply giggled at the dragon and grabbed ahold of him with her magic to hug him.

"So," I said to break up the now awkward conversation, "how do these things usually go, Luna?" I asked. The midnight blue alicorn and her fiancee were waiting with us as well while Celestia and Glock went to fetch a surprise for all of us.

"Oh, it's simple really, Cougar. Once my sister and Glock returns, those that are _not_ being honored, such as myself and Checkered, shall venture to the front of the throne room if they are related or friends with the honored ones," Luna explained. "Then, Celestia will lead all of you inside with the Canterlot Elite watching while she presents you with medals for valor. It shouldn't be too quick," she assured us.

"Don't forget _our_ little announcement, Lulu," Checkered rubbed her baby bump lovingly.

"How could I?" Luna blanketed a wing over his back. "I won't say what it is, but my sister _does_ also have a special gift to bestow upon you personally, Cougar," she added. My hand immediately went up to my forehead, rubbing at it to prevent a headache from forming. "I-Is everything all right?" The alicorn questioned with worry.

"He's fine, princess," Applejack covered for me, squeezing my waist a little tighter. "He's just a lil self conscious 'bout gettin' rewards in front 'o others."

"Oh, I didn't mean to upset you!" Luna exclaimed. "Perhaps when she returns, I can tell Celestia to hold off on the gift for another time?" She looked behind all of us down the hallway. I removed my hand from my forehead, holding it up in the air for her to see.

"No, you don't have to do that, Luna," I inhaled through my nose. "I-I'd hate to disrespect you and your sister by denying her gift. Looking better than everyone just makes me feel bad," I explained with a shrug. "But I promised everyone to work on acknowledging my deeds."

"Come on bro," Soarin shook his head. "You deserve whatever the princess got for you. It's not gonna bother any of us; you _were _the one that found Luna and defended her," he waved it off.

"Mhmm," all of the other honored ones nodded in agreement which honestly did make the idea a little bit better. Though, part of it still didn't sit well that I was getting something that was possibly better than they would get. I thought Rainbow should get her own statue in Celestia's private gardens just for her leg injury.

"I assure you, Cougar," Luna gently touched her hoof to my cheek, "that if you're uncomfortable receiving a special gift, you _won't_ be disrespecting either myself or Celestia if you wish to pass on it."

"Thanks Luna," I smirked. "But it's not necessary to pull it from the ceremony. I _need_ to work on this anyway, so a little something extra could help," I shrugged. The mare slid her hoof off my cheek before throwing her forelegs around my shoulders, hugging me. "Oh, well okay," I reached around and patted her back.

"Sorry, but I am still forever grateful for your actions, and we cannot thank you enough," Luna said sweetly before pulling away as Checkered rejoined her.

"Uh princess," Applejack garnered Luna's attention, "not ta sound impatient or nothin', but do y'all know when Princess Celestia will be back? Ah can't speak fer the majority 'o the ponies in there, but Ah'm pretty sure a few 'o them might be gettin' pretty restless," she explained.

"If you're talking about our sisters, then I can't argue with you there, AJ," Rainbow said, opening the door a crack and taking a peek inside. "And I hate to keep my dad waiting too," she added. While I haven't met the guy yet, he wasn't the only parent of my friends to show up. Twilight's parents lived in Canterlot anyway, so obviously they would show up since Twilight raised Spike; Fluttershy's mom and dad came all the way from Cloudsdale because she and Rainbow were friends as kids, and they liked the rest of Fluttershy's friends; the Cakes and their babies were of course here as well since Pinkie lived with them and worked in their bakery, and Pinkie's family couldn't make it here and back in time for the Estrus; and since Rarity's parents and the Apples all lived in Ponyville as well, they accompanied us on the train ride over. Hell, even Lyra, Bon Bon, and Dr. Whooves wanted to tag along as well. Though, he just wanted a chance to speak with Twilight before she would be preoccupied for the weekend.

"Hmm, she should be just a few more minutes."

"Which reminds me," Pinkie slipped in between myself and Luna, "what _is_ this other surprise you and Princess Celestia have cooked up for us? I mean isn't it amazing that _we_ bring you a surprise and then you drop the ball that _you_ have a surprise for _us?!" _She exclaimed excitedly, holding Luna's neck and my neck with her forelegs.

"Heh, yeah," Checkered snickered, "it really _is_ a great coincidence, Pinkie Pie. It even surprised Lulu and Celestia," he added.

"Oh, can't we at least get the teeniest hint, princess?" Pinkie begged. "I LOVE guessing!" the mare clapped her front hooves together after releasing myself and Luna.

"I hope you're not spoiling anything, dear sister!" A soft voice called from down the hallway. We all looked up to see Celestia and Glock trotting their way down the hallway with a third pony following behind Celestia. Rarity, however, gasped as if she were watching the _Empire Strikes Back _for the first time as soon as the third pony made his appearance.

"Him?" Rainbow whirled around to Luna.

"_Prince Blueblood _is the surprise?" Rarity questioned horrifically. I couldn't blame her; after he attacked her at the Gala just because she wouldn't dance with him, I doubt any of us could trust him again.

"Yeah, what a rip!" Pinkie shouted.

"Uh, what did Celestia's nephew do?" Starlight spoke up for the first time since Celestia left.

"That jerk shoved Rarity to the ground just because she wouldn't accept his offer to dance," Misty Fly explained, flaring her wings angrily. All of us, with the exception of Luna and Checkered, silenced ourselves as the trio grew closer. The only thing we could do now is just send a visual message to the spoiled prince that we wouldn't tolerate _anything_ snobby nor condescending from him.

"Now, now, everypony," Celestia said once she, Glock, and Blueblood arrived, taking note of our soul piercing glares toward the unicorn. Our plan seemed to work, however. Blueblood appeared to be freaked out a little by our eyes which the ponies made scarier since their eyes were about three times bigger than mine. "Please, at least let my nephew explain himself before you wish to string him up the castle flagpole by his tail." Celestia kindly smiled at us. Upon closer inspection, I saw that Blueblood's mane was styled like that of a Marine in boot camp.

"Or we could skip _right to that!_" Rainbow Dash growled. Luna outstretched her wing and gently pushed Rainbow back, allowing Blueblood space to enter our circle. I could tell Rainbow still wanted to rip Blueblood to shreds, but her loyalty to Luna and Celestia held her down.

"Go on, Blueblood," Luna granted. The stallion had a bit of trouble looking at any of us, even his aunts, in the eye. He never even _once _tried to look at Spike. That was to be expected since Spike threatened to eat him if he so much as sneezed in Rarity's general direction. Speaking of which, Spike put his arm around Rarity's shoulder, appearing to shield her from the royal prick.

"M-my aunt's f-friends," Blueblood swallowed, "E-Elements o-of Harmony?"

"Yes, Blueblood?" Twilight looked sideways at her related by marriage cousin.

"These past six months have gifted me the time to contemplate my actions at the Grand Galloping Gala," he admitted, finally gathering the courage to look up at all of us. "Not only insulting my loving aunts, but also treating you like a common wild animal," the stallion pointed to me. "And, without a doubt, the worst act I have ever committed: Striking you, Ms. Rarity because of my selfish and spoiled antics." I was honestly shocked, not because of what he said, which wasn't much, but _how_ he sounded. The snobbiness in his voice was completely nonexistent, he didn't have any condescending attitude, and he didn't have a hint of sarcasm. The stallion didn't sound monotone, but he sounded more…disciplined and respectful.

"And, have you come to any conclusion, nephew?" Celestia gently traced her wing over his back. The white unicorn sighed heavily, looking up to his aunt for possibly encouragement.

"Yes….yes I have, Aunt Celestia," Blueblood nodded, turning his head back to face us. "That I am truly an awful stallion," he admitted shamefully. "I-I wish I could go back to the past with my current knowledge of treating others with the same amount of respect, no matter their status. I just….I just want to take my younger self aside and speak some sense into him. I was nothing more than a spoiled, stupid, selfish brat that treated everypony like garbage. And despite the attitude adjustment that King Gryffindor and his army beat into me, I know that what I've done is close to unforgivable, and I do not blame anypony if you do not forgive me. I'm truly sorry for demanding my aunt's to put you in a zoo, Cougar," Blueblood looked me straight in the eye. "And Ms. Rarity?" The stallion slowly sulked his way over to Rarity.

"Y-yes?" The seamstress replied cautiously. Spike tightened the grip from his arm around Rarity's shoulder, still distrustful of Blueblood.

"Spike, let him through darling," Rarity patted the dragon's side.

"But-"

"Please, Spikey." Hesitantly, Spike slithered his arm off of Rarity's shoulder, straining himself from leaping in between the mare and Blueblood. "Ahem," she cleared her throat once Blueblood stood in front of her.

"Ms. Rarity," the stallion's ears shamefully hung loosely on the side of his head, "I know there is no excuse for how I treated you at either the last Grand Galloping Gala, or the one where we first interacted. However, I now know that I was nothing more than a self-centered monster and not acting like how a nephew of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna should. And I am deeply sorry for using my title as an excuse for my actions back then. I know there isn't much I can do to repent for my actions, but I can offer you a sincere apology," He held out his hoof to Rarity. "I'm not expecting forgiveness, but I can assure you that if you and your friends present me with a chance to redeem myself, I will do whatever I can to make this up to you."

The suspense was getting heavy. All of us were standing there, watching Blueblood standing as still as a statue, waiting to see if Rarity would accept his apology. Truthfully, he acted and sounded like he was really regretful of his actions and truly wanted a chance to prove how sorry he was. Obviously he had a mountain to overcome like Starlight did with me, but I was pretty sure that everyone _would_ give him another chance. Hell, if they gave Starlight one, then giving Blueblood one should be easy!

"Why Prince Blueblood-" Rarity began before the stallion in question held up a hoof.

"Please, I do not deserve that title, Ms. Rarity. Just refer to me as Blueblood," he explained with a soft smile.

"Ahem, _Blueblood_, I did not know you knew what an apology was," she stated with a slow head nod. "Forgive me if I am a little hesitant about this, but I cannot reject an apology such as that," she gladly accepted his hoof and shook it. "However, I cannot speak for my friends, yet I have a good feeling that they too shall accept your apology," she grinned.

"R-really?" The stallion's eyes lit up like a child's in DisneyLand.

"Wwwweeeelllll," Pinkie droned, "you might have a bit of work ahead of you, but _I _forgive you too!" She beamed. Blueblood looked all around at us, his look of surprise growing as each one of us nodded in agreement, though Spike was the one that took the longest to agree. Unsurprising since it _was_ Rarity that Blueblood had shoved to the ground.

"Blueblood, we understand how sorry you are and of your desire to make it up," Twilight started, "and we want to help you like we're helping Starlight make up for her mistakes," she pointed to the light purple unicorn. If you have any questions for us, please don't hesitate to send us a letter or come see us if you have the time," she smiled.

"Oh thank you cousin!" Blueblood shook her hoof.

"We are _so_ proud of your progression, nephew!" Celestia said proudly as she and Luna blanketed a wing over his back. "The first step toward repentance is admitting your mistakes and your willingness to fix them."

"I do believe special thanks are in order for King Gryffindor, sister," Luna added as she nuzzled her nephew. "Welcome back, Prince Blueblood." Even though the unicorn looked happy to be in his aunt's and our good graces again, he wiggled away from them quickly.

"Aunt Celestia, Aunt Luna, please. Like I've stated many times today, I do _not_ deserve my title nor the royal blood within my flesh. I want to apologize to you two as well."

"T-to us?" Celestia did a double take.

"Yes. For _years_ as I roamed this castle, you and eventually Aunt Luna attempted to teach me diplomacy, true leadership, and treating every citizen fairly, but I ignored them in favor of basking in the glory of the royal family, and I am terribly sorry," he wiped away a tear. "I have _much_ to learn; I know that now. A-and if you're still willing to teach me, I-I'm willing to listen to every word."

"Of course, Blueblood," Luna threw a foreleg around his neck and pulled him close.

"You may have made mistakes, nephew, but we so proud that you're willing to admit them and learn from them," Celestia added, laying her chin on top of Blueblood's head. "Even if we had to take extreme measures to get you to listen…."

"I thank the both of you for your help. I love you both," Blueblood replied, taking the opportunity to hug his beloved aunts.

"This is kinda creepy," Rainbow remarked, turning to us uncomfortably.

"It _is_ an odd feeling to witness Blueblood acting so humble and regretful, I admit," Rarity nodded. "However, as Fluttershy stated earlier, holding grudges is not healthy. And the poor stallion had to spend nearly six months with the Griffon army, that cannot be an easy accomplishment."

"Sometimes the military is someone's only option," I added. "It can build up people who want to be stronger, or it can completely turn their lives around. I've gotta commend the guy for coming out on a better path."

"Huh, very inspirational, Cougar," Starlight commented.

"Okay, what's this surprise you have for the kingdom, Aunt Luna?" Blueblood asked once his moment with Celestia and Luna was over. I just now only realized that Luna had her illusion spell on once again, probably to make the reveal even more of a surprise to the Canterlot elite. No doubt with those ponies, the news would spread to all of Equestria by Monday morning, unless the newspapers can miraculously come out during the Estrus.

"You'll just have to wait, Blueblood," Celestia giggled. "Now then everypony, before we go inside I have one important message for you. Since we _still_ have no clue just how Garble and his friends found out about Luna's dream abilities to appear at the location of a dreamer, I _must_ embellish this ceremony." Well, that definitely got all of us confused. Myself and Flash shrugged at each other while Rainbow scratched at her head, and everyone else just stared at Celestia, puzzled.

"What are you talking about, princess?" Spike asked.

"Luna and I came to a decision to change the details of her kidnapping. We fear a panic if we come up with empty answers for how dragons were able to pull Luna from her dream realm. Once we figure out exactly what happened, however, we will announce the full truth. We hate to lie to our citizens, but sometimes it's better to tell a comforting lie rather than a scary truth. Plus, our relations with Draconia have never been stronger; I do not wish to lose that, and I also fear that some ponies may place some of the blame on Spike himself," she explained. Twilight instantly grabbed Spike with a wing and her forelegs, squeezing him close to her body.

"Precisely, Twilight Sparkle," Celestia remarked. "I know it may be hard for some of you, but please go along with our story until the entire truth is uncovered," she requested. I could feel Applejack tensing up at her desire, so I lightly scratched her neck to comfort her. "Now then, one more thing. Once we reach the front of the throne room, please stay single file and peel off to the left," she added. "And if there isn't anything else on the agenda, I do believe we'll begin the ceremony!" She announced, opening the door with her magic with her healed horn.

"Ah'll be waitin' fer ya, Sugarcube," Applejack said once everyone who was not being honored slowly filed into the throne room. My girlfriend stood on her hind legs and braced her forelegs against my shoulders before planting her mouth on mine. I lightly stroked the back of her mane and kissed back, relishing in the comfort. "_Ah know you can do it,"_ she whispered into my ear once our lips disconnected. My cheeks turned pink when Pinkie Pie let out a wolf whistle at our display before being drug inside the throne room by AJ.

"Now there's some encouragement for you, bro!" Soarin nudged at my side. I smirked in reply, allowing the warm feeling in my chest to spread around my body. Soon, the throne room doors shut again, leaving only Celestia, myself, Spike, Flash, Bat Fang, Glock, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and Misty Fly standing before the entrance.

"Everypony ready?" She asked after about half a minute of preparation to allow our friends time to get to the front of the room.

"Yes princess!" all of us replied sharply like a group of soldiers. And then, standing in single file order, Celestia's magic opened the doors to the throne room amidst a cacophonous explosion of royal trumpets. With her leading the way, the nine of us marched our way down the narrow aisle of red carpet with two rows of guards and a sea of Canterlot elite ponies crowding either side. At the front of the room stood all of our families and friends with proud smiles carved onto their faces as they awaited our arrival.

While we trekked down the aisle, I couldn't help but notice one of the giant windows of the throne room was covered up by a golden and midnight blue colored tapestry. My heart sank a little while I feared the 99% possibility that it was a window dedicated completely to us. At first I thought it was the gift Luna mentioned to me, but then I remembered she said it was a gift only for me. Applejack's kiss was still tingling on my lips, so I focused on being close to her to take my mind off things.

_STOMP_

The thunderous sound of hundreds of hooves simultaneously turning to face the front of the room yanked me back to the ceremony. Without knowing it, the end of the march was near; the blowing of the royal trumpets was beginning to quiet. When Celestia reached the end of the red carpet, she hopped up onto the steps where everyone else was waiting and turned around to face the rest of ponies in the room. However, the other seven began to peel off to either side of me one by one until all of us were standing in a straight line side by side with me in the middle. Both Celestia and Luna stood shoulder to shoulder and opened up one wing each, forming a cross. We all came to a stop right in front of the bottom step that lead up to their thrones. I swallowed roughly when the trumpets finally stopped blaring, and the silence that followed suit made me shudder.

"Everypony, my dear sister and I have called forth each and every one of you for several momentous occasions," Celestia announced. She was using just a hint of her royal Canterlot Voice, but nothing like Luna does. "The main priority for this ceremony, however, is to recognize and honor the heroics of the eight Equestrian citizens standing before us," she explained. With our backs turned to the audience, we couldn't see their reactions, but their murmuring was easily heard. I was sure some of them still had issues with me and Spike amongst the group, however. "And their accomplishment of improving Equestria's relations with the dragon kingdom of Draconia to the strongest they've ever been!" She added.

The volume of the murmuring increased with her last statement. "These eight standing before you risked their very lives and endured physical injury to assure the safe return of Princess Luna to Equestria. While dispatched on a mission of peace between our kingdom and King Horntail's land, she was snatched away in her slumber by a pack of rogue dragons," Celestia's voice deepened with the severity of the statement. I couldn't speak for anyone else standing in the line, but the sheer volume of the gasps of hundreds ponies echoing around the room made me flinch.

"When was this!?" A snooty voice demanded.

"And you still wish to be FRIENDS with those monsters?!" Another infuriated voice exclaimed.

"Did _he_ have something to do with this!?" A third voice questioned rudely. I twisted around to see a few ponies pointing accusing hooves toward Spike who was standing to my left. Thankfully though, in the crowd I spotted Fancypants and Fleur-de-lis shaking their heads at their fellow citizens' accusations.

"Please, my little ponies," Celestia replied calmly. "Everything can be explained with a little patience," she assured everyone. Besides Celestia, everyone up at the front of the throne room were glaring daggers toward everyone in the crowd that were believing Spike to some sort of double agent or whatever.

"Just forget them, Spike," I murmured to the dragon. Twilight told me he'd had years of growing a thick skin toward insults, but at some points it would get to him like during our trip to Las Pegasus. As a friend, I raised my hand and placed it on his shoulder for reassurance.

"Thanks Coug," he sighed, squeezing his fists.

"Ahem, if we may continue with our ceremony?" Celestia cleared her throat after giving the crowd a good minute or two to quell. "Thank you. Now I do not blame anypony for thinking the worst since our relations with the dragons have been rocky for centuries, but it is our duty to welcome the idea that the dragons of Draconia are now allies with Equestria," she announced. A unified feeling of uneasiness washed over the eight of us while the murmuring of the crowd resumed. Truth be told, I didn't hold any disdain for them; centuries and even millennia of rocky relations between ponies and dragons wasn't something to be overturned to joy right away, even if a few dragons helped us rescue Luna. "However, these six ponies, this dragon, and this human being standing before you joined forces with members of Horntail's Guard, including his own daughter, Princess Ember, to combat the threat and return Princess Luna home safely," Celestia continued.

Surprisingly, the murmuring died down, but there were no cheers just yet. "Thankfully, nopony nor dragon lost their life in the skirmish, but thanks to members of both of our kingdoms joining forces, we were able to return my baby sister home safe and sound, and struck up a peace deal with King Horntail. Rest assured, those guilty are being dealt a HARSH punishment from their king, and these brave souls being honored today, range from royal guards to close friends of myself and Luna that went to Draconia by their own choice. And it is today, that we honor them for putting their own lives on the line without second thought!" Celestia declared. Her golden magic surrounded the golden and midnight blue tapestry of the covered window, yanking it down.

Suddenly, as the window was revealed to all of us, the stomping of hooves filled the room. On the window was a beautifully crafted image of the Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Misty Fly, Bat Fang, Flash Sentry, and Glock flying in a V-formation in the sky. Below them was Spike crouching low with his claws extended and his emerald fire shooting out of his mouth. And next to him was an image of me wearing my purple and gold helmet, crouching exactly like Iron Man. My jet pack's wings were extended, my left hand was bracing against the ground, and my revolver was clenched in my right hand. Luna was standing behind myself and Spike, looking as if all eight of us were guarding her from the battered bodies of Garble and his goons at the very bottom of the window.

"Sweet Celestia!" Soarin exclaimed.

"Well then," I swallowed, admiring the masterpiece, "that's not….so bad." Even our families and group of friends were stomping their hooves in celebration behind the princesses for the honor. Though, Rainbow seemed extra cheery since there were now _two_ window murals in Celestia's throne room featuring her picture.

"And now," Luna spoke up once the celebrating finally died down, "as a thank you for your heroic services, my sister and I proudly award you all your own medals for valor," the Princess of the Night declared as her horn charged up. A special box engraved with half of Celestia's cutie mark and half of Luna's cutie mark levitated over in front of Luna, opening up to reveal a set of special golden and midnight blue medals. A small twinge of anxiety reared its ugly head, but I managed to push it down with a deep breath while Luna and Celestia hung the medals off of everyone's necks.

"Uh oh," I gulped once I realized they were each heading down from each end of the line, meaning I would be the last one to receive a medal. I then realized it seemed fitting since I pretty much saved Luna alone. I wished that someone, anyone, from the rescue party was with me when I discovered Luna's location in the volcano.

"Cougar? Are you feeling well?" Celestia's silky voice suddenly asked.

"Hmm?" I blinked, failing to realize that both her and Luna were standing before me, having completed handing out medals to everyone else. _'I really need to stop letting my thoughts drift away,'_ I mentally noted. "Uh yeah. J-just a little anxious," I admitted.

"Well fear not," she gave my shoulder a gentle pat, "_this will be over shortly," _she whispered into my ear before taking a step back, leaving Luna standing in front of me. It took me a minute to discern that she didn't have a medal waiting to lace around my neck, or the same box that held the other seven medals. The midnight blue alicorn, however, levitated a medium sized crate from behind her throne and dropped it beside her legs. She was trying her best to contain some excitement, I could tell.

"Luna?"

"Ahem, please kneel," she requested loudly out of the blue.

"Excuse me?" I replied out of pure confusion and surprise. I wasn't offended by the polite order, but I certainly wasn't expecting it.

"Please kneel," she repeated in precisely the same royal tone. Not wanting to disrespect my friend, I did as I was told and kneeled down on my left knee, grunting from some pressure on my ribs. "Thank you," Luna winked at me before one of her other bat pony guards stepped forward, offering her his sword. My eyes widened; having been in England and having a personal audience with the Royal Air Force and the Queen, I knew what was going to happen. Luna exchanged a gracious bow with her guard before taking the sword within her magic and turned back to me. Despite a part of me wanting desperately to get up and decline the offer, my respect and friendship with Luna and Celestia was far too great.

My hands interlocked with each other at the fingers, and I bowed my head as Luna gently brought the sword down upon my right shoulder. "For showing extraordinary bravery, selflessness, loyalty, and honor in the face of danger, and at the risk of thine own life to save a princess of Equestria," Luna announced, gently moving the sword to my other shoulder. "The royal sisters are proud to knight thee Sir Ivan Pearson of Earth, honorary Knight to Celestia and Luna," she paused, removing the sword from around me. I raised my head up to look at the alicorn, only to see a more stern expression on her face. "Do you swear to protect the crowns of the two sisters, no matter the cost?"

"I…swear," I paused, not knowing what else to say.

"And do you swear to uphold the beliefs and laws of the land of Equestria?"

"I swear, princess."

"And do you swear to put the lives of the denizens ahead of yours in moments of great peril, even if it would put your own life on the line?"

"I swear," I repeated, resorting to breathing through my nose.

"Hmm," Luna seemed to chuckle proudly. "Then rise, fair knight," she took a step back to give me room. With another grunt, I stood up and at attention where a special helmet was awaiting me in Celestia's magic.

"I present you with this, to commemorate a most momentous affair," Celestia smiled as I took the helmet in my hands. The cool metallic surface made my hands tingle as I inspected the safety device. It looked just like the golden helmets that Glock, Remington, and the other guards of Celestia wore, except mine was a little different. It was golden too, but there was also a gradient mixture of dark purple at the front of the helmet with a pair of yellow eyes and the name COUGAR written in white letters in the exact same spot as my Air Force helmet. "I knew you would miss your old helmet," Celestia explained when I looked back up at her and Luna.

"Thank you," I replied in a shaky voice, "your highnesses," I added, slipping the helmet on and giving them a polite bow.

"Way ta go, Cougar!" Applebloom's voice blurted out. I shifted my gaze over and chuckled when the filly covered her mouth with her hooves, embarrassed by her outburst. Applejack laughed as well and patted Applebloom's back before shooting me a wink.

"And now, Princess Luna and her coltfriend Checkered Flag have an announcement of their own!" Celestia proclaimed after the eight of us turned around and received applause from the crowd. If I'm being honest with myself, this truly was not bad at all. Sure, I was still a little uncomfortable, but being surrounded by my friends made it all the worth while. And with the opportunity to spend a special weekend alone with Applejack coming up, nothing could ruin this.

* * *

**(Later that night; Applejack's bedroom)**

"Sugarcube," Applejack sighed, turning around in my arms to face me. The two of us were simply cuddling on her bed, enjoying each other's company after a pretty long day. After the ceremony, and more importantly Luna and Checkered's double whammy announcement, all of us stayed with Celestia and Luna in their castle until it was time to come home before the Estrus hit. Surprisingly though, Luna and Checkered wished to take in Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo for the weekend, explaining that they would like _some_ experience with kids before they became parents to the newest prince. Unsurprisingly, the Crusaders were more than thrilled and practically begged their older sisters to stay. And as per the norm, Spike stayed at the castle as well.

Big Mac didn't stay long after we arrived home about an hour ago, wanting to be with Cheerilee as soon as possible. That left just me, AJ, and Granny Smith in the Apple Family house, though I was sure we would move things to my shack when AJ would start feeling the urge. "What is it AJ?" I replied, kissing her forehead and reaching for my phone to lower the volume of the music we were listening to. The mare sighed again, sitting up onto her side.

"We uh...we need ta talk," she said in a _very_ quiet voice. I knew deep down in my heart that Applejack loved me, but that didn't stop a feeling of dread sink my stomach.

"Y-yeah?" I asked nervously, reaching up to touch her cheek. Thankfully, she cuddled against my hand without thinking, but she still had a look of indecisiveness on her face. "Applejack, what's the matter hun?" I asked, gently running my thumb across her freckled cheek. She sighed contently, enjoying my touch to the point she put her hoof on my cheek and rubbed gentle circles around it.

"Ah love ya, so much Ivan," she reminded me before grabbing her stetson off of my head with her teeth and tossing it onto the top of her bedpost.

"I know; I love you too Applejack." To prove it, I leaned up and kissed the end of her nose, eliciting the adorable giggle that always came from kissing her there. The mare sighed again; however, it was more of a sad sigh than a happy one.

"Yer just makin' this harder fer me, Ivan," Applejack looked at me with sad eyes. I stopped massaging her cheek, only to move my hand to the back of her head.

"Hey," I said gently, running my hand through the back of her mane. "What's eating you, hun? A-are you scared?"

"M-maybe just a little," she nodded her head. She then scooted up even further with her back against a pillow, and her forelegs crossed on her hind leg's knees. "An' it's not because 'o last Estrus," she added.

"Well AJ, if something's scaring you, don't be scared to tell me," I sat up with her, wrapping my arm around her tinier body to hold her close.

"Ohhhh, why do ya have ta be so lovin' 'n perfect?" She groaned yet didn't protest my want to cuddle her. I couldn't help but chuckle at her question.

"Because you said you love me, and I want to be the stallion you deserve," I responded quickly. It didn't sound as cheesy in my head, but it was all I could come up with to avoid an awkward silence. The apple farmer in turn laid her head against my bare chest, nuzzling it.

"Ivan, Ah...Ah think we should we forget about the Estrus," she admitted dejectedly.

"What?" I pulled back to look down at her. I wasn't upset, just caught off guard. It hurt, however, to see Applejack's saddened eyes; her expression was so soft and sorrowful. She readjusted herself again until she had her front hooves on top of my shoulders.

"Ah'm sorry Sugarcube. Ah love ya, but it might do ya good ta skip the Estrus," she repeated apologetically.

"But Applejack," I took one of her hooves in my hand, "why?" I had to be _very_ careful here to not sound ungrateful that she was essentially taking sex away. That really didn't upset me at all, but I was more concerned for what she was scared of. I mean, the only time we've ever made love was the best night of my life. What could be so different now?

"Ivan trust me, hun. It's not about yer performance; Ah already know how sweet 'n gentle y'all are," she blushed. "An' believe me, Ah wanna make love to ya again, 'specially since our first Estrus is special, but…" she pursed her lips. Even though she looked visibly upset at her decision, I understood she was more upset disappointing me than she was at losing her one chance this weekend to quell her natural urges.

"Come on," I lightly touched my forehead to hers, "just finish it, AJ. You know I can never be angry at you," I reminded her, softly and quickly pecking her lips. Obviously I was against the idea of her sending me away when she _truly_ needed me to be there for her, but I wanted to hear her argument first.

"Ah….Ah don't wanna hurt ya, Ivan!" She exclaimed softly due to our close proximity. A look of puzzlement took over my face, to which she quickly explained to. "It's yer ribs Sugarcube," Applejack slipped her hoof from my hand and proceeded to gently trace it around my pecs and abs.

"What about them?" I questioned, stifling a chuckle since her hoof tickled my skin.

"Ya might've gotten the bandages off, but remember the doctor said y'all need ta take it easy with yer ribs fer the next few weeks?" Applejack sighed. "Or else ya might aggravate them 'n damage them further?"

"Well, yeah," I looked down at the area of my body Applejack was referring to. The bruising had died down somewhat, but there were still some areas that were dark purple from where Garble stomped on me.

"Don't lie ta me Ivan," her tone suddenly went from soft and worrisome to serious, "it hurts ya ta get up 'n get down 'n lift things, don't it?" A rough gulp confirmed her suspicion, but she allowed me to say it anyway.

"Uh, j-just a little," I stammered. That was a mistake; Applejack's eyes narrowed at my response. I wasn't technically lying, but…."Okay," I sighed, "yes it hurts, but it's getting better!" I explained to the mare. Applejack's expression softened a little, but she still wasn't pleased I tried to dupe her.

"Ah thought as much," she replied before pushing herself off the bed, heading for her saddlebag. "That's why Ah asked Princess Luna ta get ya a special train ticket so y'all can head back ta Canterlot this weekend 'n spend it with her," AJ explained, revealing the ticket in her hoof.

"Applejack-"

"Ivan, Ah'm bein' truthful when Ah say Ah hate havin' ta make ya skip this weekend, but if it hurts yer chest to bend up or down or even pick somethin' up, how are ya gonna handle me sprawled on top 'o ya with my judgement clouded up?" She asked.

"Ah!" I seethed when I swung my legs over the side of the bed and tried to get up. That's just the kind of response I _didn_'_t_ need to give her.

"See? That's exactly what Ah'm talkin' about, Sugarcube!" She exclaimed. I opened my mouth to protest that it looked worse than it felt, but she was determined. "Ivan, what if Ah just lose control over the weekend 'n aggravate yer ribs so much that they break?"

"Okay, I think you're-"

"Ah couldn't live with myself if Ah hurt ya 'cause Ah was usin' ya for my self satisfaction, Ivan. Ah love ya too much," her ears and head lowered at the very thought. The two of us stood in silence for about a minute before I stepped forward and gently lifted her chin up with my finger.

"I love that you're so worried about my health, Applejack," I said with a sweet smile for her. "And I love you, don't forget that, but I'll admit…there's a possibility I could feel some pain." She whimpered at the thought, only cementing she was truly concerned about me, not that I had any doubts.

"B-but Ah don't want _any_ possibility that y'all could get hurt!" She exclaimed, lowering her leg and dropping the ticket to the ground. "W-what's so damn funny?" She growled when I failed to stifle a chuckle. I quickly straightened my face and led her back to the bed, sitting down on the edge with her.

"Sorry Applejack, but doesn't this seem familiar to you at all?"

"Familiar?" She rose an eyebrow.

"Yeah, ahem," I coughed at the memory to hide my blush. "Back when we first made love, do you remember how nervous I was about hurting you because it was the first time for the both of us?"

"'Course Ah do Ivan," she blinked several times in confusion.

"But you kept insisting we keep going because you knew there'd be some pain before it felt good?" I continued.

"Sugarcube, Ah know what yer gettin' at, but this is completely different!" She exclaimed.

"How?" I asked curiously, squeezing AJ's shoulder.

"It's different because my first time havin' sex is _supposed_ ta hurt," she answered.

"But you braved through it," I pointed out.

"Because _Ah love ya_, Ivan," she stressed. "Ah knew you weren't tryin' ta hurt me on purpose…..an' y'all were so gentle," she added with a sigh. "Except here, y'all have an injury," her hoof found my hand. "An' ya already know how a mare can lose a good bit, if not all, 'o her judgement when her heat hits. Ah may hurt ya 'n not even know it till Sunday evenin' or Monday mornin'."

"Hmm," I thought about her answer. "I can certainly see your concerns, AJ," I admitted.

"Ah'm glad ya do, Ivan," she rubbed her hoof over the top of my hand.

"Except one thing." Applejack looked at me incredulously, not too pleased that I was dragging this on. "I'm willing to brave through _any_ pain in my ribs for you, AJ, just like you did for me," my hand flipped over and squeezed her hoof. "I _LOVE_ you, and any pain I have to go through to show you how much I love you is worth it. I was told that the first Estrus weekend for a couple is something special, and I want to do my part to make it special for you and to quell your urges. I can't just leave you in that state of need, Applejack," my other hand reached over and cupped her cheek, pulling her face closer to mine. "And, I, WON'T," I stressed. You're scared of the exact same thing I was, hun, but like you knew, I didn't try to hurt you on purpose. And I know you won't be trying to hurt me on purpose." Applejack's orange body was trembling at my speech.

_"B-but what if Ah _do_ hurt ya, Ivan?" _She whispered as our foreheads touched again. "_An' what if Ah can't stop?"_

"_I trust you,"_ I replied with closed eyes, inching closer until our lips touched. Applejack squeaked, though it was more than likely from the swell of her emotions. And yet, all I was trying to do was comfort her; she was afraid of hurting me, but I loved and trusted her enough to face pain of my own to make her feel good. Eventually, she melted like butter and kissed me back, hugging her forelegs around my neck.

"Ah!" She yelped when I snaked my arms around her torso and picked her up before laying on the bed. "I-Ivan!" She exclaimed, straddling all four of her legs around my body to keep from laying on my chest. "_W__arn_ me when yer gonna try somethin' like that!" She scolded.

"Sorry AJ, I just like this position," I stroked my fingers behind her ear. She groaned, yet managed to pull her head away from my hand, shooting me a displeased glare. "And I know you _love_ being in charge," I added with a growling whisper, softly stroking my hand down her back, stopping right at the top of her rump. The mare gasped at my sudden change from sweet to sensual, trying to keep her straight face from faltering to pleasurable.

"A-Ah kn-know what y-yer doin'!" She moaned.

"Then, why don't you do something about it?" Came my teasing reply as I inched my hand over her cutie mark, giving it a teeny smack. "I'm just showing you this weekend can work," I added innocently before squeezing and massaging her cutie mark. Applejack's body started to shift from the assault of pleasure on her body; her hind legs began to twitch in arousal.

"Oooh, w-why do y'all hafta be s-so g-good w-with yer w-words 'n h-hands?!" She demanded breathlessly. I only chuckled at her fruitless attempts to keep from becoming aroused. I was _not_ doing this solely for my pleasure; she needed to relax a little from worrying so much, and I was the only one who could help her.

"Damn!" I exclaimed when her hoof suddenly slipped down and started to massaging my member through my shorts.

"Don't ya _dare_ think Ah'm gonna let ya off scot free, mister," Applejack bent down and growled into my ear, only turning me on more. "If y'all think you can handle this weekend, then why don't we see how _y'all_ like bein' at the mercy 'o yer lover?" She grinned. I whined when she removed her hoof from the bulge in my shorts, but she wasn't even close to being done. She slipped the hair twist out of her mane, allowing her golden blonde hair to flow free and hang loosely around her shoulders. "_Gotcha," _she licked her lips.

"Wh-what are you gonna do?" I asked wearily.

"Oh nothin'," she said saucily and innocently, taking a few steps backward. "Just somethin' Ah've wanted ta try with ya ever since we made love," AJ winked, stopping right at the band of my shorts. My eyes widened when I realized her motives. _'This...this can't be happening!' _I thought to myself as Applejack clenched her teeth around the top of my shorts, pulling them down slowly.

"A-AH!" A yelp emitted from my mouth when a draft hit my penis, and Applejack's warm furry muzzle drug up and over the top, sending shivers all over my body. My breathing turned sporadic when my member bobbed free at full attention. AJ's eyes glistened hungrily at its appearance; my shorts found the opposite side of the room at the speed of light.

"Think 'o this as a reward, Sugarcube," she announced, dropping onto her belly with her face mere inches away from junior. With a wiggle of her eyebrows, she cupped her hoof around my penis and began stroking it softly, relishing in how much I was yelping and how much the appendage in her hoof was twitching. "Ooh, ya like that?" She peered over the head.

"Mmm...hmm," I replied as my whole body clenched.

"How 'bout this?" AJ added, leaning over and giving the head a kiss, and increasing the speed of her stroking. "Well, junior here seems ta love the attention," she teased before peppering my entire length with kisses, giving it a few licks as well.

"Ngggh," I groaned from the euphoria spreading to my brain.

"This is what happens when ya _tease_ me, buster!" Applejack panted, giving my sac a wet kiss before trailing her tongue all the way up to the head of my penis. "Oh yeah," she licked her lips. "Let's see how long y'all can hold it, Ivan," the mare moved her hoof from my length to my sac, fondling it like there was no tomorrow.

"Fuck!" I shrieked when she gave me another wink and wrapped her lips around the head and bobbed down until it disappeared in the warm wet paradise of her mouth. AJ moaned and swirled her tongue around my entire member as she continued to give me my first blowjob. I never expected her to want to try this, but damn she was good at it. What a way to finish off a great day: Twilight and Spike convinced Starlight to turn to the light side, Blueblood came back and repented for his wrongdoings, and now after convincing her I was willing to brave the pain in my chest for her, Applejack was pleasuring me with her mouth. Nothing could have been better.

* * *

**(Fluttershy's Cottage)**

"There we are, Fluttershy!" Discord sang happily after tucking his favorite pony in Equestria into her bed. Fluttershy had invited him over for the rest of the day just to spend time with him before….._it_ started. Of course Discord wasn't one to be shy about the Estrus Weekend, but talking about it with meek little Fluttershy was a little too awkward for his liking. The fact that he harbored a secret crush for her didn't help that either.

"Oh Discord, you know you don't have to do this," Fluttershy reminded him sweetly as she set down what was a full glass of warm milk.

"Think nothing of it," the draconequus waved his lion paw nonchalantly. "You wanted to make sure that there wasn't a repeat of the last Estrus Weekend, and I aim to help make your wish come true," he tickled under her chin with his eagle talons. "No stallion shall be touching you this weekend, my dear," Discord turned into a buff minotaur with the snap of his lion's paw.

"Don't you mean, _I_ can't kidnap another stallion into my cottage?" She questioned, squeaking at the memory of what happened with her and Caramel when she forgot it was the Fall Estrus. Discord snapped his lion's paw again, transforming himself back to normal.

"Tomato tomato," he shrugged, ruffling her pink heart-shaped mane.

"Where are all my animal friends though? Th-they can get scared when I lose my inhibition and get, _loud_," she whispered.

"Hmm? Oh they're all tied up in the backyard," Discord chuckled and flew his interspecies wings over to the window. Down below in Fluttershy's backyard, all of her animal friends were indeed tied up, but in a net hanging from a tree akin from the Return of the Jedi. "And they look so happy to be out there!" Discord fibbed as Angel tried to gnaw his way through the rope. "I think they'll be fine for the next forty-eight hours," Discord closed the blinds just as Angel kicked at the net, only to fly back and land in the bear's mouth. "I gave them enough food and water, _at least I think so_," he mumbled the last half of the sentence.

"Well, I guess that takes care of everything, Discord," Fluttershy yawned. "Thank you for giving me a last good memory before…._this weekend_," she trembled.

"Anything for somepony as sweet as you, Fluttershy," Discord coughed into his eagle talons and sat on the side of Fluttershy's bed. His body froze when he felt Fluttershy's forelegs hugging around his midsection. "A little affectionate tonight are we?" The Lord of Chaos attempted to mask his nervousness by trying to remain his cheeky self.

"I always make time to say goodbye to my friends, Discord. You know that," Fluttershy giggled. Chuckling himself, Discord picked Fluttershy up and re-tucked her into bed, pulling the blanket over her soft and cuddly body. "Good night, Discord," Fluttershy yawned before the milk took effect and she was out.

"Sleep tight, my fair maiden," Discord replied softly after standing over her for a few moments, listening to her soft snoring. With a sigh, Discord turned out the bedside lamp and proceeded toward the door, but something drew him back. "Ohh, forgive me if this is too far, Fluttershy," he gulped, softly petting her torso through the blanket. Heart pounding, the draconequus bent down and lightly pecked her forehead before fixing a loose strand of her mane. _"May Princess Luna guard over your dreams tonight," _he whispered before he disappeared from her bedroom with the snap of his lion's paw.

Discord reappeared in a flash of white light outside of Fluttershy's cottage, wearing an ensemble that closely resembled that of General Douglas MacArthur. He had turned the outskirts of Fluttershy's land that she owned into a military zone, complete with a crocodile filled moat, sand bags, barbed wire, searchlights, guard dogs, and a whole platoon of other Discords marching to and fro in front of the cottage to the tune of _The Ants go Marching One by One._ Discord chewed on his corncob pipe, keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of brave stallions or even mares looking for an easy lay, but he was also at war with himself over whether or not he should tell Fluttershy how he truly felt about her.

* * *

**(In Draconia...)**

Princess Ember flapped her wings as hard and as fast as physically possible, pushing them to her limit. The female dragon was desperately trying to reach her father as soon as she could. She was performing her new nightly duty of checking on her father's newest prisoners in the dungeon, a pack of four rowdy and evil dragons that had succeeded in kidnapping Princess Luna of Equestria. Thankfully, they were thwarted when the nine Equestrians arrived, or the eight Equestrians and their human friend who proved to be a great fighter in not giving up on protecting his friend. The past few days had become somewhat of a rut for the warrior princess.

Her father King Horntail tasked Ember with 'checking on' the four prisoners twice a day. This was code for '_use their injuries to make them feel pain beyond imagination so we can get the answers Celestia and her puny friends seek.'_ However, when Ember had arrived at their cell tonight, she stumbled upon a horrifying scene. "FATHER!" She exclaimed as she reached a door that lead to Horntail's throne room. "MOVE IT!" She snarled at a pair of Horntail's guards guarding the door, not wanting to slow down for anything. The pair of dragons dove out of the way, allowing Ember to burst through the door at tremendous speed, breaking a chunk off one of them.

"Ember! What is the meaning of this intrusion?" Her father demanded. Despite him being the largest and king of all the dragons, he still didn't take too kindly to anyone barging in on his throne room, even his own daughter. "You're supposed to be trying to get answers from our prisoners by now!" Ember touched her feet down onto the stone floor, skidding so hard that her resilient scales made a rather annoying screeching sound and sent sparks flying from behind her.

"Father..." Ember grabbed a bucket of water next to his throne and doused herself to catch her breath. "G-Garble a-and the others, they-they've _hung themselves!_" Ember exclaimed with a look of confusion and nausea on her face. The scene wasn't grotesque or anything, but Ember had never seen anyone intentionally kill themselves before.

"WHAT?!" Horntail bellowed, standing up from his throne and making his castle shake.

"I was going to do what you asked of me, dad, but they had chains wrapped around their necks, and their necks were broken!" Ember added. The dragon king contemplated this for a moment before turning to a pair of guards standing behind his daughter.

"You two! Go and retrieve the bodies!" He ordered. "Bring them to our healer at once!" The two guards bowed in obedience and hustled their way down into the dungeon. The great dragon king sat back down with a long sigh, holding his head up with one of his hands. "Celestia isn't going to be happy," he muttered.

"Uh, dad? You don't think it was our torture that made them kill themselves, do you?" Ember questioned hesitantly, wishing to avoid pissing off her easily tempered dad.

"Yes and no, Ember."

"Yes and no?" The female dragon rose an eyebrow at her father's response.

"Ember my daughter," Horntail looked down at the young dragoness, "there are three reasons why anyone would want to kill themselves. They either have nothing to live for and have no idea what to do; they're living with an amount of pain that they just cannot tolerate anymore; or they have something to hide and did not want to let it slip out," he explained. "I'm leaning toward the third option. Celestia and her puny friends wished to know how Garble and his band of idiots knew they could kidnap Princess Luna using her dream powers."

"So you think they offed themselves to avoid spilling their secret?" The giant reptile scratched under his chin, contemplating his answer to his daughter.

"Possibly," was the only answer he could come up with. "Though the fact that they _all_ agreed to a fourway suicide is extremely farfetched, especially considering that the dragon that Celestia did a number on was paralyzed from the waist down." Ember flew up, landing on her father's knee.

"What do we do about it, dad?" She asked. Ember hated to admit it, dragon pride and all, but she had a soft spot of respect for the Equestrians for their bravery in their rescue mission. The dragon princess didn't want anything bad to happen to the ponies.

"We tell Celestia what we know, that the four dragons who had a part in kidnapping her sister are dead due to self strangulation," Horntail explained. "And that they offed themselves to keep their knowledge a secret, yet we will keep her posted on any new leads." Ember soaked in the information for a moment before nodding softly and looking out the window next to her father's throne.

"Understood, father. I'll get to that letter right away!" She saluted her dad. Ember didn't show it, but she too was perplexed that not only all four dragons decided to commit a fourway suicide, but that the paralyzed one managed to get the chain noose around his neck despite not being able to stand. Her mind then drifted to the possibility that the four could've been put up to it, or manipulated to do it. And if that were the case...then Equestria had a large problem in the shape of a traitor...

**End Chapter 58**

* * *

_I told you guys a lot happened in this chapter! Join us next time for the aftermath of the Estrus!_


	60. Chapter 59: A Serious Question

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 59: A Serious Question**

_Hello my loyal readers and welcome back! I know you guys have waited quite some time for a new chapter, and as usual, I am really glad for your patience because while this chapter is just simple, I still value quality for you guys. Also, I do lose whole weekends when I make review videos for new episodes on my YouTube channel. Plus, when I first plotted out this chapter, there was something in a recent episode that I just_ **_had _**_to put in here, so hopefully you enjoy that. _

_Also, I want to congratulate __Dixie Darlin for being the 700th reviewer to the story, and I want to thank you guys so much for even getting me to that mark. I don't want to give my hopes up, but a small part of me is hoping that perhaps we may cross over the 1000 review mark. Not sure if it'll happen, but 700 is a huge milestone for me. _

_Before I get into replying to reviews, I want you guys to do me a favor. There's an author by the name of The Sleeping Library. He is absolutely BRILLIANT and talented and simply doesn't get the recognition he deserves. He's written two stories that will really hook you and won't let you stop reading. They are Light of the Moon, and Lunar Legacy with Light of the Moon being the first in the two-part story. Please, go read and review them, and follow and favorite Lunar Legacy since it's still on-going. And please follow and favorite The Sleeping Library while you're their; he deserves every amount of recognition he gets._

**Gracie Ghost: **_No, it's NEVER too late Peridot!_

**headreviewer mk2: **_Nah, a B-17 or a tank would be overkill. Weeeeelllll_

**SkullCrusher550: **_I'll see if I can get to it; I'm very busy with this story, my YouTube channel, and trying to find a job_

**WarHusky2000: **_Ha! Nope, AJ isn't getting pregnant anytime soon, as much as practically everyone would like it. I can't just throw in an AJ pregnancy, not without a legit and uncontrived reason. And no, Ivan isn't Russian, just his name is._

**Iron Man: **_That window display has been in my mind ever since I conceived the story_

**Nostalgia Cop: **_And you'll read BOTH for the rest of your life_

**OBSERVOR01: **_I'm hoping everyone will understand why I had Ivan pick the song in question. As for the magic thing, pilots have to have some of the best reflexes and reactions in order to fly multi-million dollar jets. Ivan just turned around at the right time_

**Dixie: **_It needed everything for everyone! See Zach Snyder!? THIS is how you can have multiple storylines combine into one coherently! Anyway, yeah, the whole knighting thing was a continuation from Ivan and AJ's shower chat from a few chapters ago; now Ivan has the authority to detain any bad ponies in Ponyville! And I'm glad everyone was surprised by practically everything. Had to keep literally everything in this chapter under wraps, especially the Starlight thing. And I'm really happy the FlutterCord scene was cute_

**SquirtlePwn: **_This I think is the last chapter that will be truly "packed." I mean, With Starlight showing up, Blueblood returning, Ivan being Knighted, and the whole Draconia mystery, that's four different story lines in one chapter._

**StacheKing: **_Haven't seen you 'round these parts in a while! But I'm really relieved you've enjoyed what I've cooked up over the summer, especially the Draconia arc which was the most fun I've had with this story. And as for the Season 5 finale twist, ever since that finale concluded, I jotted down that I _had_ to put Starlight into the story because I knew I could make an interesting, "_I don't trust her,"_ kind of story between Ivan and Starlight. But speaking of the whole Draconia suicide, things are just getting started, and they'll start making sense fairly shortly. _

**Derp: **_How' bout no?!_

**Furi Poi: **_Oh you want a twist, that's coming up right after the wedding. _

**Guest: **_I'll take a martini, shaken, not stirred_

**axelialea: **_Not sure yet_

**ShiningShadow1965: **_Eh no, I'm not shipping Starlight with Blueblood. Who I'm shipping Starlight with will be a mystery until the wedding. In fact, I'll also have someone picked out for ole Blueblood_

_So guys, I have some bad news. While I will get to work on the next chapter(s) [the Wedding will be split into two parts. One part for the ceremony and a second part for the reception/dance] I'm heading out to Tacoma with my dad a week from Friday, so I own't be able to get any writing done that whole weekend, plus I'll have to set aside an extra day to review that weekend's episode. But the reason I'm going is I'm finally going to see my favorite band Def Leppard in concert! And if you're interested in seeing that concert, I'll post videos of it on my YouTube Channel!_

_And without further ado, let's get onto a simple chapter!_

* * *

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 59: A Serious Question**

**(Sunday Night; Ivan's POV)**

"AHHHHH!" Both Applejack and I groaned in ecstasy after climaxing for what seemed like the hundredth time that weekend. After AJ's present to me Friday night, we slipped down to my shack and got an early start to the weekend. Luckily though, the Estrus didn't make sleep impossible on Friday and Saturday night, but by God this was the most spectacular weekend of my life. And, as luck would have it, since I was there to satiate my girlfriend's sexual appetite, she actually _could_ think a little more clearly and hold some form of judgement, resulting in no further injury to my chest.

"_Oh sweet Celestia!"_ Applejack cried sensually, hovering above me with her forelegs bracing herself up on other side of my body while our lower regions were still connected. The air inside my shack was muggy with the stench of sweat and sex from our weekend long excursion. The mare huffed and puffed in sync with me as we tried to catch our breath; she eventually collapsed to the side of me, adjusting her position so she was lying on her left side with her foreleg rubbing my pecs gently.

"Have a little fun, did we?" I teased, kissing her nose and snaking my arm around her neck, pulling her closer. She said nothing in response. Rather, she did the same as she did the first time we made love and began to lap at the sweat on my neck as her tail gently rubbed over my crotch.

"_Y-yer amazin'," _she said weakly, yet satisfied. The Estrus was due to complete in a few hours, but we were both exhausted and ready for things to return to normal.

"Hey, don't give me all the credit," I grinned, slipping her ear in my mouth and gently nibbled on it. The mare quietly whinnied in appreciation, allowing me to make her feel good post-coitus. "_I love you," _I whispered into her ear before resting my chin atop her sweat stained mane.

"Ah love ya too, Ivan," Applejack sighed, snuggling her head right into the crook of my neck. "Ah had no clue ya had that much in ya, Sugarcube."

"Well, I make due just for you," I chuckled in reply, gently massaging her back while I used my other arm to sneak down and open the mini fridge next to my bed. I'd stocked the mini fridge with drinks Thursday night for the occasion, and over the weekend, Applejack and I had drank pretty much everything in there to keep us hydrated, all except one drink. "Wanna split the last cider?" I asked, producing the bottle for Applejack to see.

"Oh yeah!" Applejack's head snapped up and she licked her lips at the drink. The two of us stuffed the pillows against the wall so we could sit ourselves up and continue to snuggle. I pulled the cork out of the bottle with my teeth, spitting it across the room before taking a rather large sip.

"Ahhh," I sighed as the ice cold liquid rushed over my tongue and down my throat.

"Don't hog it all!" The mare cried, snatching the bottle from me and taking a huge gulp, sighing relief. She felt like she was roasting from the inside out just sitting next to her fur covered body. I couldn't imagine how hot she had to be feeling right now. "That's the stuff," she smacked her lips before belching, handing the still half full bottle to me. I took another long swig before setting the bottle on top of the fridge just so I could pull AJ closer to me.

"Thanks for letting me participate," I kissed behind her ear, making her whinny.

"Pfft, thank _y'all_ fer helpin' me see that this weekend could work. Now Ah won't be able ta go through an Estrus without ya," she poked me in my stomach with a cute pout on her face.

"I'm sure that's such a tragedy," came the playful rolling of my eyes as Applejack gave my abs a good lick.

"Watch yerself; remember what happened last time ya tried ta tease me?" The mare rose an eyebrow at me.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" I retorted, squinting one eye at her. A sudden shiver shot up through my spine as her tail slipped its way around my member, giving it two quick pumps.

"Exactly!" She smacked my back with her hoof, giggling at my reaction. Having a different question on my mind to change the subject, I opened my mouth, but my girlfriend beat me to the punch. "Sorry Sugarcube, but ya done wore me out. Although, Ah wouldn't mind doin' that fer ya every now 'n then when we're alone," she winked. I had to clench my body extremely tight as her tail released me so I wouldn't moan again.

"A-A-Applejack," I shuddered, still reeling back from the pleasure. "W-what usually happens the day after an Estrus weekend?" I asked with a gulp. No matter how much I tried to think back, I couldn't remember what happened between everyone after the previous Estrus in Equestria. Well, all I _did_ remember was Fluttershy having to be consoled by nearly everyone for what she did to Caramel….and Applejack feeling sick for what she nearly did to me.

"Oh," Applejack blushed for assuming what I was going to ask. She cleared her throat and motioned for me to pass her the cider before she answered, so I obliged, giving her plenty of time to answer. "Let's see," she said after swallowing, "the girls 'n Ah actually talked about this a couple 'o days ago."

"Really?"

"Come on now, Ivan. Ya know how Twilight likes ta plan everythin' ahead 'o time," she chuckled. "We all talked about what we wanted ta do after the Estrus while you were helpin' Applebloom, Scootaloo, 'n Sweetie Belle fix the window in their clubhouse."

"Hmm," I took the bottle from the mare and rehydrated myself. "What are you and the girls gonna do?"

"Well, we talked fer a good bit about it, 'n it was Rarity 'n Fluttershy's idea," she added. "All of us, includin' Cheerilee 'n Starlight are gonna have a girls day at the spa just ta relax ya know?"

"Oh, _this_ wasn't relaxing enough?" I smirked, putting the quarter full bottle back on the fridge before pinching her supple flank. She yelped in pleasure and jumped before glowering a little at me.

"Very funny, Sugarcube," Applejack said out of the corner of her mouth, but didn't swat my hand away as I ceased pinching and just massaged her. "Ya know Ah loved sharin' this weekend with ya, but it still wears just about every mare out, even ones that didn't have a partner ta share it with."

"Rainbow's probably got a lot of rage built up," I remarked offhandedly, clicking my tongue. Soarin was the one who actually put his hoof down and forbade he and Rainbow Dash from participating in the Estrus because of Rainbow's broken leg. Despite his constant assurance that he'd make up for it the instant her leg was healed, the athletic mare was none too happy.

"That was one 'o Twilight's biggest reasons fer the spa trip," Applejack said. "Rainbow though, that hard headed mare tried ta persuade us that a massage 'n a long soak in the hot tub was too girly fer her."

"Even though Soarin told me she fell in love with those deep tissue massages at the academy."

"Mhmm! She didn't try ta deny it fer very long, but she finally agreed as long as nopony touches her hooves," Applejack laughed. "It's just a day ta recoup is all. Plus, us girls haven't really had any 'us time' fer quite awhile. An' Cheerilee's startin' ta feel more like a member 'o the family, plus she's a nice mare."

"And it might be a good idea to help Starlight start off her new journey of friendship with a relaxing day with all of you?" I guessed.

"Ya got it!" The orange mare exclaimed, rewarding me with a kiss to the cheek. "Don't feel left out though," she added, even though I wasn't feeling left out at all. If my friends wanted a girls day, then more power to them. They all work hard at what they do anyway, so I'd say they earned it. And it would be nice if they started inviting Cheerilee along to hang out; inviting Starlight was pretty obvious. "Twilight worked it all out that you boys can have yer own day at the castle."

"What?" I stopped myself from reaching for the cider bottle once again, turning around to face my girlfriend.

"Ya know, Twilight'll talk ta Flash about it, 'n tell Spike when he gets back; Fluttershy'll talk ta Discord; Ah'm tellin' you tonight 'n Big Mac tomorrow; 'n Rainbow is gonna let Soarin know if she hasn't told him yet. We all thought you boys might get lonely without us, so Twilight's lettin' y'all use her castle," AJ explained.

"Lonely? I can sort of see if Spike gets lonely since he's spent more time with you six than anyone else."

"Well, won't ya be lonely without me tomorrow?" Applejack questioned, snuggling up closer to me. "We just didn't want the lot 'o ya stranded by yer lonesomes while us girls had a day together." With a sigh, I wrapped my right arm around her and reached for the cider with the other. I had to fight like hell to suppress my immature side that was coming up with seventh grade level jokes, so I occupied my mouth with the cider.

"Of course I'd miss you, AJ," I downed some more of the cider, offering her what was now left in the bottle. "But I'm pretty sure I'd manage." She happily gulped the rest of the cider, sighing contently before tossing it in the waste basket at the foot of the cot.

"Then what's on yer mind?" She asked with genuine concern. "Ya don't feel like seein' anypony other than me tomorrow?"

"Nah, it's not that," I shook my head, shifting both of our bodies so we were laying down once again. The two of us flipped onto our sides so we were facing one another. "To be fair, I think spending some guy time together with Spike, Soarin, Big Mac, and Discord might do us all some good."

"Plus, you 'n Big Mac haven't really spent quality time together before," AJ reached up and traced her hoof along the five 'o clock shadow that was forming on my cheeks.

"Yeah, there's that," I agreed, snuggling closer until our noses were mere centimeters apart. "But…"

"Are ya feelin' okay, Sugarcube?" Applejack pulled her hoof back.

"I….kind of have a feeling that the both of us might have to explain a few things to our friends tomorrow," I didn't even try to bullshit my way out of an explanation.

"Explain what exactly?" My face fell at her question.

"Come on, Applejack. Estrus weekend? You and I are the most radical couple out of our group of friends?"

"Oh…" Applejack's eyes steadily grew as she put the pieces together. "R-right, Ah actually hadn't thought about that." I cuddled my hand around the back of her neck, pulling her closer until she buried her muzzle into my neck.

"I still remember the first time we made love that we didn't want anyone except Rarity to know," I reminded her, stroking the back of her neck lovingly.

"But that may change," her muzzle tickled my skin.

"They'll be curious obviously, but I don't think we can fault them for that, hun. And I don't want you to have to lie because I'm sure at least Rarity will be able to tell if you slept with me."

"Well Ah don't want ta disrespect our relationship by braggin', Ivan. It's yer personal private matter just like it's _my_ personal private matter," Applejack pulled her head back and placed her chin upon my chest.

"Hmm, as long as you don't sell our weekend as an erotic novel, I won't feel disrespected." My attempt to make light of the situation fell flat when AJ hit my bicep. "Okay, sorry, bad joke," I seethed, rubbing my arm from the punch.

"Be serious, Sugarcube. Y'all brought this up, so ya must feel uneasy about it," she glared.

"Applejack, of course I'll feel uneasy if say Discord asks me about my sex life. I've never been in a sexual relationship before, and I don't want you to feel like I don't care about your feelings if I talk about it. I love you and our relationship, and I want to respect both you and it," I explained, giving her nose a quick peck. "You know, a gentleman never kisses and tells?" I prayed that she'd heard that expression before.

"Huh, Ah _would_ feel kinda sleazy if Ah talked about it like Ah do Applebuckin. Ah love ya too, Ivan; Ah'd hate ta give off the impression Ah care more about the sex than you."

"So….what do we do when someone asks?" The two of us sat in silence, letting the noises of the night serve as our background noise.

"Well, that's a tough one, Ivan," Applejack admitted sheepishly. "Ah mean, Ah _loved_ how gentle y'all were. An' ya made me feel so loved 'n appreciated," the mare blushed. "Ya took care 'o me 'n worried about hurtin' _me_ when yer ribs ain't up ta par."

"I'm fine with you saying that," I replied with a somewhat proud smirk. "Not too graphic and I'm positive most of the girls there will get more out of that explanation than we realize. Heck, it might even make the others talk about their weekend," I shrugged.

"Ah guess the quicker the conversation changes from me ta someone else, the better," AJ chuckled. "Now then, if any 'o the guys ask, what's yer game plan, Ivan?"

"It has to be something that won't make Big Mac throw up," I joked, making the mare chuckle louder. "I'm no philosopher or poet, but how about you made me feel like we were a single being all weekend? And it felt like our souls had merged together?" It was cheesier than a fucking Cheez-It factory, but it was the best that I could come up with on the spot. And since most of the guys in the group were mature, I was sure they'd like a more philosophical answer because it was true!

"_Ivan!"_ Applejack squeaked. "Wh-where did ya come up with that?!"

"I uh….I did pretty well in English class before Adam and I ditched High School. I modified a quote by a Greek philosopher," I explained with a blush.

"Ah know Ah'm not the most book smart pony around," she admitted, "but that was beautiful, Sugarcube," she rewarded me with a passionate kiss.

"I prefer street smart, down to Earth, hands on, and honest people anyway, AJ," I smirked after we pulled apart for air. "Thank God I was blessed to meet someone who's all three of those rolled into one," I cupped her cheek.

"How about y'all go get us some more cider for one last round, Ivan?" Applejack asked seductively, dragging her tongue slowly across my lips and down my neck. My entire body shivered from the erotic pleasure, but I managed to hold back.

"Whatever you say, Applejack," I moaned as she let me go. With a grunt, I stood up from the cot and grabbed my shorts that were lying on the floor.

_SMACK_

I yelped when I felt the hoof of my girlfriend smack me right in the butt about as hard as I'd smacked her flank over the weekend. Not hard enough to hurt, but definitely one that'd make you notice. With my shorts still in hand, I turned around to see her propping her head up with her other hoof as she laid on her side, her eyes scanning over my entire body. "What?" She asked innocently. "Ah _rarely_ get ta see y'all naked; let me enjoy it," she explained, eying me like a fresh apple pie and licking her lips.

**(Ponyville Spa; 3rd Person POV)**

"Oh, this is going to be _soooo_ relaxing!" Rarity cheered once a pair of spa ponies opened up the doors to the main room of the Ponyville Spa. "I'm so glad I managed to book all of us a spa day together," she added, heading the front of the group that were all dressed in fluffy white robes.

"Please just relax," a pink mare insisted, "our masseuses shall be here momentarily, and the hot tub is heated up," she announced. Rarity and Twilight thanked the spa worker before climbing onto a couple of massage tables.

"Thank you so much for inviting me along!" Cheerilee thanked giddily, hanging her robe on a hook before easing herself into the massive hot tub. The maroon educator sighed relaxingly while the hot water soothed her tired back and rear legs.

"Eh, don't think too much about Cheerilee," Applejack grinned.

"Yeah!" Pinkie agreed with a nod, "I think we should invite you to hang out more often. You're banging Applejack's big brother after all, so consider yourself a friend of the group!"

"REALLY PINKIE!?" Applejack barked, coming close to dry heaving at her friend's description. Cheerilee could only blush in reply, sinking down in the tub to cover her cheeks.

"Now now," Rarity spoke out softly, "this is a day of relaxation ladies; let's not get under each other's skin." Applejack simply shook her head and grumbled under her breath, disrobing and climbing onto a massage table next to Twilight while Starlight and Fluttershy laid back in a few chairs, allowing other spa employees to put mud masks and cucumber slices onto their faces. Well, only the cheeks for Fluttershy.

"I uh, thanks for inviting me too," Starlight said sheepishly from under her mask, still feeling like a fish out of water among the seven other mares.

"Oh, you're our friend too Starlight," Fluttershy replied sweetly. "What better way to get a better understanding of each other than a quiet day at the spa?" She smiled, though Starlight couldn't see through her cucumber covered eyes.

"Although, we won't drill you for questions you're not comfortable with," Twilight chimed in, levitating a magazine over to her massage table. "Feel free to join in any conversation though!"

"Hey! Keep away from my hooves unless you want what I got!" Rainbow screeched at a spa worker that assisted her onto a table as well. She growled at the stallion, making him back away.

"Do you really have to threaten bodily harm, Rainbow?" Twilight asked, deadpanned. The Wonderbolt turned to the alicorn princess, eye twitching.

"Easy for you to say, Twilight! At least you got laid! You didn't have to spend all weekend trying to claw into your coltfriend's room because your hormones were in overdrive!" She exclaimed, grinding her teeth.

"Honestly, Rainbow Dash. Not _all_ of us were blessed with the company of a stallion this weekend," Rarity rolled her eyes nonchalantly, having grown an immunity to Rainbow's constant complaining over the past week. "You don't see Starlight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, nor myself complaining do you?" Starlight and Fluttershy dared not to say a word to Rainbow Dash for obvious reasons while Pinkie nodded in agreement.

"Uh huh!" Pinkie popped out from under the water of the hot tub. "I make do when Cheesy can't make it to town!" She bragged. "Though, you've only had one Estrus with Soarin. What did you do _before_ you and him started dating?"

"Let me put it this way, Pinkie. Once I spent an Estrus with Soarin, I _can't_ willingly go back to spending an Estrus alone, _I. Just. Can't!"_ Rainbow stressed.

"Which is precisely why I wanted to bring you along, darling," Rarity added. "You sound stressed out, so why not get a deep tissue massage like you get at the academy?" Before the mare could snap back, the doors to the room opened, making everyone who could see gasp.

"Ah, won't _this_ be a most stress free day?" Princess Celestia asked rhetorically, happy to see all of her friends.

"P-P-Princess Celestia!" Twilight exclaimed, scrambling off her table and onto the floor to bow just as Princess Luna, Lyra, and Bon Bon entered as well.

"Coming here today was _genius_ Lyra!" Bon Bon held back a girlish squeal from being in a relaxing presence with the princesses.

"Hmph, maybe next time you won't want to blow something off that's 'too girly' huh?" The aquamarine unicorn teased, rubbing her cheek upon her earth pony marefriend's own cheek.

"Please rise Twilight Sparkle," Luna giggled, "this is not a regal matter. We are only here to get some down time with our friends if that's all right?"

"O-of course!" Fluttershy squeaked after lifting a cucumber slice off her eye. "But when did you arrive?"

"About a few minutes ago," Celestia explained, taking off her golden horseshoes, crown, and necklace, placing them in a basket for personal accessories. "We stopped by your castle at first, but the boys all said you came here, so we left Glock and Checkered to spend some time with the others while we came here," she added while Luna removed her royal attire as well. "Do you mind if we join you two?" She asked Pinkie and Cheerilee.

"Not at all, princess!" Cheerilee exclaimed, trying to contain her excitement.

"The water's great, princesses!" Pinkie dove below the surface, appearing near the steps where Celestia and Luna were waiting.

"Hehe, very well," Luna giggled at Pinkie Pie's zany nature. With her baby bump still growing, Luna very carefully eased herself into the hot tub, attempting to get used to easing herself up and down for later in her pregnancy. "Ooh, this is lovely!" The midnight blue alicorn slid over to allow her sister access as well.

"Wait Princess Luna, Spike was on his best behavior over the weekend right?" Twilight questioned worriedly. "Oh, I wish I could've been at the castle to welcome him back," she added.

"Oh come on Twilight, even AJ doesn't worry that much about Applebloom anymore!" Lyra chimed in.

"Ugh, Ah overreact ta my little sister _one time_, 'n Ah'm branded fer life," Applejack grumbled just as a male unicorn came over and began to rub her back, melting her worries away.

"You put _pillows_ on a rake, Applejack," Fluttershy pointed out, slapping the cucumber slices back onto her eyes to avoid Applejack's glare. The others in the room, minus Rainbow Dash and Twilight, giggled at the reminder.

"I _assure_ you, Twilight Sparkle, that Spike was such a joy to be around, and fairly helpful! He and I talked for a good while when he helped tidy up the castle library," Luna smiled. The Princess of Friendship sighed in relief, smiling proudly that her dragon son surpassed her expectations.

"And our sisters were well-behaved as well?" Rarity questioned before a whole pit crew of spa workers surrounded her, giving the fashionista her usual spa treatment.

"Oh my, your sisters were an absolute treat!" Luna gushed. "It was so nice getting to watch over them for the weekend that Checkered and I are looking forward to our own colt now more than ever!" She looked down through the surface of the water at her slightly bulging belly, running her front hooves over it.

"In time little sister, in time," Celestia snickered at Luna's enthusiasm. "Though I must confess that I myself cannot wait to see and play with my new nephew. And of course, see you become a mother, Luna."

"I uh, I'm sure you'd make a fantastic mother as well, princess," Starlight gulped, still feeling nervous about speaking up. Luckily for the unicorn, no one objected to her compliment, but they instead agreed.

"Princess Celestia is practically the mom to Equestria," Bon Bon replied, "being a mother to a filly or a colt would probably come natural to her," the candy making mare bet, throwing a foreleg around her marefriend's neck.

"Uh, may I ask you a personal question, your highness?" Cheerilee asked like one of her own school ponies toward Celestia.

"I don't see a reason why not, Cheerilee. I'm positive we're all comfortable with each other?" Celestia guessed, only to receive nods of agreement from everyone else. "Oh, and please call me Celestia in this setting," she winked toward the educator.

"Okay then, speaking of parenthood, h-have you and Glock spoken to each other about starting a family?" Cheerilee asked with a bit of hesitation, knowing that it was a large question. To the shock of everyone, even the spa workers who had begun work on all of the girls, froze when their beloved princess' cheeks turned pink at the inquiry. The unicorn worker who had been pouring some minerals into the large hot tub backed away. "Oh, please don't be mad at me, your highness. I-I was just curious," Cheerilee pleaded.

"No, it's, ahem, quite all right," Celestia had to clear her throat. "I just trust that _everypony_ here understands what what we say stays within these walls?" She asked out of the corner of her mouth, directing her question toward the employees of the Ponyville Spa.

"Of course, your words here are safe your highness," a pink earth pony replied, ceasing filing Rarity's hoof. "We understand a lot of ponies use the spa as a way to get a few things off their chest. We pride ourselves in making this a safe environment for private conversations," she explained. The Princess of the Sun's face relaxed, feeling relieved by the answer.

"Thank you," Celestia offered the spa worker a smile while the rest of the employees and masseuses went right back to work. Celestia's friends and sister on the other hoof, continued to listen, intrigued by her answer. "To answer your question Cheerilee, Glock and I _have_ discussed the possibility of a foal what with Luna's pregnancy coming to light. However, we would like to let my sister stay in the spotlight and not take any attention away from her."

"But, you _may_ have a foal or foals one day, princess?" Twilight bit her lip, hoping to not offend her former mentor. Celestia only smirked toward her fellow alicorn, giving a slow nod.

"Anything's possible Twilight Sparkle. I wouldn't bear a foal from any other stallion than Glock." Celestia couldn't help but feel a little bashful at her statement, no matter how true it was. After over a millennia of being forced to keep a neutral and regal personality, she was still adjusting to acting like a normal mare.

"Aww, that's so sweet," Fluttershy beamed.

"I feel the same way about Checkered," Luna added, smiling just thinking about her future husband. "Though, I _am_ rather curious, are there any possibilities for any of _you_ girls to bear children with your special somepony?" With the exception of the bubbling of the hot tub and the spa ponies trotting around, the room fell silent of any conversation. The mares that were in committed relationships pursed their lips at such a loaded question.

"Well, _we'd_ have to adopt, your highness," Bon Bon looked toward her unicorn marefriend who looked to be deep in thought.

"I don't think we can speak for Twilight just yet. I mean, she and Flash did just restart their relationship again from what I've been told; a foal might be rushing things," Starlight gave her opinion, still refusing to lift the cucumber slices from her eyes. Twilight opened her mouth to agree with her student before Rainbow interrupted her.

"Damn! I should've used that as an excuse to sleep with Soarin!" Rainbow barked, gritting her teeth.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity scolded. "I may not want to enjoy motherhood this instant, but I know you shouldn't guilt a stallion into sex with the excuse of having a child unless both of you are ready! Or at least if you conceive one by pure accident," she added.

"Meh," the cyan pegasus sighed.

"Anyway!" Twilight cut into the conversation to steer it away from Rainbow's bitterness, "I understand that sleeping with Flash right after we rekindled our relationship isn't necessarily the best step, but at least it was for good reason." Twilight admitted. "But, obviously we're working on the foundation of our relationship, so a foal is definitely out of the question for now."

"At least you have Spike at the moment," Celestia winked.

"Yes! And he's all I need right now for a son," Twilight sighed, thinking how much she loved the young dragon as her own. Even _if_ she and Flash Sentry worked their way up to marriage and a foal, Spike would _always_ be her first son.

"Speaking of Flash and babies," Pinkie Pie chimed in, redoing her mane style with some shampoo, "I'm willing to bet where the next little bundle of joy will come from!" She sang, grinning ear to ear. Every mare that had a stallion for a coltfriend froze, only moving their eyes upward at their hyperactive friend.

"And who do you think it'll be Pinkie?" Fluttershy questioned, not worried since there was no possibility for the foreseeable future for her.

"I think it'll be from Sweet Apple Acres!"

Both Applejack and Cheerilee's fur on the back of their necks stood up. "What?" Cheerilee exclaimed.

"Heh?" Applejack did a double take, raising her eyebrow. "W-what exactly are ya gettin' at there, Pinkie?" Applejack and Ivan had truthfully never discussed actually having foals of their own. The closest they'd ever done was when he off handedly mentioned how great of a mother she would be, and they'd only made love one time other than the Estrus.

"Uh," Pinkie cocked her head, darting her blue eyes between Applejack and Cheerilee while the other mares in the hot tub looked at her curiously. They were trying to deduce which mare Pinkie was referring to. "I was talking about your brother and Cheerilee, silly Applejack!" The pink earth pony giggled. "Wait," the giggle suddenly turned into her trademark overdramatic gasp, "Unless….are you and Cougar planning on starting a family!?"

Applejack's eyes nearly popped from her head at the question. She really had no clue how to respond; she didn't want to sound repulsed by the idea, but she also didn't want to give off the impression that they were and have someone mention it to Ivan. Applejack _hated_ the thought of putting that much pressure on him. "N-no! Pinkie, Ah love him, but we've only been together a couple 'o months," she reminded her, but that didn't stop Pinkie.

"So? That doesn't mean it _won't_ happen, right?" Applejack could only purse her lips and rest her chin upon her crossed forelegs, not knowing how to answer yet another question from her bubbly friend.

"Ahem, Pinkie?" Luna grasped the pony within her magic, gently pulling her away from the edge of the tub, "Let's not rush our friend too far ahead. She and Cougar are very happy at the pace their relationship is going; they'll come to that life changing decision when they know they're ready," the alicorn patted Pinkie's head like she would a foal.

"Thanks princess," Applejack sighed in relief, "sorry Pinkie, but right now the both of us are happy where we are," she reiterated Luna's statement.

"Aww!" Pinkie humphed. "Well, I still think your brother and Cheerilee will give you a nephew or a niece soon," her attitude changed from disappointed back to cheery. The mare in question squeaked, thinking about giving birth and raising a foal with her coltfriend.

"I don't know about soon, Pinkie Pie, but I'm not against the idea, and Big MacIntosh told me he enjoyed helping raise Applebloom," Cheerilee chuckled nervously.

"Hehe," Lyra giggled, "before any of us knows it, we'll _all_ be raising the next generation of Equestria!"

"While I enjoy the positive spirit Lyra," Rarity cleared her throat, "_some _of us have yet to find a special somepony," the unicorn removed the gunk from her face, gesturing to herself, Fluttershy, and Starlight.

"Oh come on Rare," Applejack lifted her head up, "if Ah can find a special somepony in Ivan, Ah'm sure y'all could find a special somepony 'o yer own," she offered up some encouragement for her friend.

"Please, there's nopony in Ponyville who's phosisticated enough or famous enough for Rarity," Rainbow sneered.

"Rainbow Dash! First of all, the word is 'sophisticated,'" Rarity groaned.

"Lemme see if I care, Rarity," the Wonderbolt chewed on her lip while a masseuse worked on her lower back.

"And second of all, I've abandoned the pointless journey to find a famous or fancy pony. If I could find a stallion half as decent as Cougar or Checkered Flag, then I'd be grateful!" Both Luna and Applejack took the moment to feel a tad bit prideful for the compliment in their coltfriends. However, with all the talk of Applejack and Cougar's relationship, and the fact that the Estrus weekend had come and gone, Twilight couldn't help but feel a bit curious. She tried to shoo the question away, but her inquisitive instincts were far too powerful.

"Um, Applejack?" She spoke up softly.

"Somethin' that matter Twilight?" Applejack was happy that the questions about a family with her special somepony were dying down.

"N-no, everything's fine," a little bit of sweat formed on the violet alicorn's forehead. "I was just wondering, could I ask you a personal question? I just figured since it's us girls here and we all trust each other…" the Princess of Friendship trailed off, not knowing how exactly to phrase the question. Applejack, on the other hand, gulped, knowing precisely where Twilight was going with this, just as Ivan had predicted. Obviously if the talk had turned to one about others having kids, then questions about her and Ivan making love wouldn't be far behind.

"Yeah? Go on then Twilight; there ain't nothin' wrong with bein' curious," Applejack slowly nodded.

"Uh, well…..did you and Cougar," she blushed, holding her hoof up to her mouth, feeling embarrassed for thinking of it. "Did you and Cougar spend the weekend together?" Twilight asked her question in the most innocent way she could think of. "Oh please don't be upset for me asking that!" She suddenly pleaded. Applejack's face heated up enough to fry an egg.

"Oh my," Celestia blushed despite not having a say in the question whatsoever.

"I-It's okay Twilight," Applejack grinned as sweat dripped off her face. "Like Ah said, there's nothin' wrong with bein' curious. Ah can't lie ta any of y'all," she paused for a moment to gather herself. "Yes, Ivan 'n Ah spent our first Estrus together," she admitted, biting down on her lower lip as her heart jumped into her mouth.

"W-well," Fluttershy stuttered, hiding her face behind a magazine, "We're happy for you two?" She guessed.

"That _is_ if it was enjoyable for you two," Rarity pointed out, trying not to sound too intrusive over a sensitive matter. "I'd have no clue what to expect due to his…..opposite nature."

"She doesn't seem disappointed or frustrated," Bon Bon shrugged, "I mean, Rainbow's displaying that perfectly."

"Buck you!" Rainbow snapped.

"Ugh, that's _my_ job, Dash," Lyra rolled her eyes. Rainbow Dash growled, yet did nothing retaliation to the unicorn.

"Applejack?" Rarity called once everyone had settled down.

"Winnin' every blue ribbon in the Equestria National Rodeo wouldn't even compare ta what Ah felt when Ah was with Ivan," Applejack continued, knowing what Rarity would ask next. "He just…took care 'o mare, 'n was so gentle," she sighed.

"No offense, but I'm going for a steam," Starlight announced. She wasn't disgusted by what Applejack and Cougar did, but talking about sex wasn't a conversation she wanted to be apart of. The unicorn briskly trotted her way into the steam room, abruptly shutting the door for some quiet time.

"Uh oh, Ah wasn't too graphic was Ah?" Applejack questioned.

"Certainly not!" Luna assured the farmer. "I think that was a particularly sweet description, Applejack. It certainly sounds like him."

"Well, we talked about what ta say if anypony asked us if we made love over the weekend," she replied with a somewhat nervous blush.

"You actually _rehearsed_ what to say?" Twilight did a double take.

"It was _his_ idea. He thought it'd be natural if anypony was curious, so we agreed that if anypony asked, we'd tell the truth so neither of us would feel sleazy."

"Hold on!" Pinkie blurted. "You mean to tell me you left him alone with the other guys _and_ gave him the okay to talk about having sex with you?!"

"Uh, _we _just talked about it Pinkie," Cheerilee pointed out. "If Applejack said Cougar's okay with it, and she's okay with him talking about it, then what's the problem?"

"Oh come on, Cheerilee! You're a teacher; you know who immature boys are! Who _knows_ what they could be doing with that information!?"

"Pinkie dear, you're overreacting. _Our_ boys are more mature than grade schoolers," Rarity said with confidence. "Besides, you know full well that Cougar isn't prideful."

"Did you forget that _Discord_ is there too?" Pinkie folded her forelegs over her chest.

"Oh dear…." Fluttershy dropped her magazine. And it was at that point that the faces of every mare in the room fell.

**(With the guys; Ivan's POV)**

Sweat dripped down and off my dirt smudged face as my heart threatened to burst from my chest. I'd pinned my back against a nearby tree, trying to keep my breathing as quiet as possible to not alert a group of enemies that was close to my location. I was a mess; a dirty red bandana was tied around my forehead, and a pair of tattered pants were the only things I was wearing save for some bruises and dirt along my body. As I held in a breath in my throat, I peered my left eye around the trunk of the tree, watching as a dwindled yet still strong army of skele-ponies marched toward my friends who were pinned against the side of a mountain. We had gotten separated earlier in our quest during a surprise attack from the enemy, and I was trying to devise a plan using the element of surprise.

"Now!" Captain Wuzz shouted, releasing a quintet of arrows from his bow. Garbunkle the Magician slammed the bottom of his staff on the ground, shooting a giant ball of green and blue flames, igniting the arrows while Gandore shot magic blasts from his orange horn.

"_No," _I sneered quietly as another blast of magic disintegrated the arrows midair, allowing the ashes to fall pitifully to the ground. The Skele-Ponies raised their shields, blocking the magic blast from Gandore.

"Uh-oh," Sir McBiggon bit his lip from behind his helmet that had cracked in half, revealing one side of his face for the world of Spiketopia to see.

"Muwahaha!" The evil Squizard chortled, taking a few steps forward with his evil platoon. "Fools! Accept that you have lost, and that Princess Rarity shall be my bride, FOREVER!" He shouted to the heavens, laughing once again before stopping abruptly. "Ahem, I mean uh, Princess _Shmarity!"_ Another archer besides Captain Wuzz, General Dead-Eye groaned and turned to Garbunkle.

"Who were you trying to fool with that name, Spike?"

"_Don't break character, Glock!" _The dragon magician whispered.

"Strike Eagle! I know you're out there watching!" The Squizard yelled, looking all around the trees. I ducked behind the trunk once again right as his eyes scanned the tree line where I was hiding. "I hope you enjoy the last few moments of your friends' lives!" I grasped the handle of my large Bowie knife, dropped to my knees, and crawled the through a few bushes where I'd hidden a special rope.

"Just a little closer you enchanted bastards," I said through gritted teeth at his platoon of ten skele-ponies. We had taken out a huge chunk of the army in our earlier skirmish, but it had also left most of us low on energy and weapons. I was only down to my Bowie knife, having started off with it, a mace, and a circular shield that I had lost when an enemy cut through the straps.

"Sir McBiggon, is your shield still holding up?" Garbunkle questioned, trying to cast a protective spell around the small group.

"Nope!" The Black Knight unicorn shook his head.

"ADVANCE!" The Squizard declared in his somewhat squeaky voice. The knights of the group stood firm, keeping the more magical members safe with their brawn. With the Skele-Ponies in place, I shot up to my knees and slammed my knife down onto the rope, releasing an avalanche of rocks that I had netted when I was separated from the group. "What's that funny noise?" Our Enemy halted, looking up where the rocks were tumbling down a hill. "Evasive maneuvers!" He levitated himself out of the way in time; the same couldn't be said for the rest of his platoon, however. All ten of them had been run over by my trap, leaving the Squizard all alone.

"Strike Eagle! All right!" Gandore cheered. Leaping up from my hiding place, I threw my knife at the Squizard as I began to charge toward him, ready to end this fight.

"AHHHH!" He screamed in agony as the knife cut right through one of his tentacles that held a wand. Red rectangles of cardboard shot out of the dismembered tentacle, rendering him in shock for a moment, unable to realize I was headed his way. As the bloodied knife clattered onto the dirty, I tackled the cephalopod, sending us both to the ground.

"How dare thee!" He snarled, jabbing my eye with his wand. My body jolted from the pain, giving him time to wrap a tentacle around my throat. I kicked my legs around and attempted to claw at his tentacle to let me go, but he was having none of it. "It gives me _great_ pleasure seeing you struggle for survival!" He taunted, slamming me onto the ground numerous times in a semi-circle pattern.

"McBiggon, grab a sword!" I heard Captain Wuzz shout. Even though I was beginning to lose air, I could still see the battered red unicorn gallop his way over and snatch a sword from a dead skele-pony, charging at the Squizard.

"Not so fast!" He growled, casting a spell upon the ground that jutted rocks up to the surface, tripping the Black Knight.

"_F-F-FUCK IT!" _I choked, grasping both hands around his tentacle and brought it to my mouth, biting down as hard as I could. He immediately howled in pain, releasing me while more cardboard blood erupted from his body.

"_No one defeats the SQUIZARD!" _He exclaimed, shooting magical bolts at me that I dodged as best as I could. One hit my left leg, making it sear in pain, but I forged on toward my Bowie knife.

"Guys, ATTAAAAACCCCKK!" General Deady-Eye declared, picking up more weapons from the ground and charged toward the Squizard with everyone else. The evil sea wizard spun around, casting spells as fast as he could. Garbunkle and Gandore cast counter spells, blocking the Squizard from making any progress, making him curse. Quickly, I swooped down and scooped up my Bowie knife, whirling around and setting my sights on my target.

"If you pathetic fools strike me down, I shall return! Or else your adventures end!" He threatened, hitting everyone with a blast of electricity. _'Well, _this_ one's over, Squidward!' _I thought to myself, lunging toward him as he had his back turned.

"YAHHHH!" I let out a war cry and plunged the blade into his back and out his front. All of his magic suddenly stopped, and his tentacles went limp. I hoisted him up in the air as if he were calamari on a fork and brought his head down so he could hear the final words of his life. "Yippie-Ki-Yay, mother fucker!" I growled, flinging him off my knife where he completely disappeared for good. "Now THAT, was fun," I exhaled in relief, grinning at my friends as they picked themselves up off the ground. As we all joined back up, Discord snapped his lions paw, making the game world vanish, and returned us back to throne room of Twilight's castle.

"Aw man, that was the _best_ game of Ogres and Oogliettes _ever_!" Spike shouted, sitting back in his mother's throne, breathing heavily from the excitement.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac nodded fervently, wiping sweat from his dirty orange mane.

"Hey Spike, wanna come with me and get some snacks?" Flash offered, stretching from the intense adventure. The dragon in question leapt to his feet, wiping sweat from his forehead. Things didn't exactly plan out this way. In fact, none of us with the exception of Spike and Big MacIntosh knew what we would be doing today. I'd just assumed we'd sit around the throne room and simply shoot the shit like most guys do on a guys day back on Earth. While I would have been fine with that, I was glad Spike and Big Mac invited the lot of us to play Equestria's version of Dungeons and Dragons, as was Flash since he was trying to find ways to bond with the dragon. That's not to say it started out the way we ended up playing.

Right in the middle of explaining the rules to myself, Flash, Soarin, and a rather disinterested Lord of Chaos, we got a surprise when Luna and Celestia appeared, asking where Twilight and the girls were at. As luck would have it, Checkered and Glock accompanied the princesses and wound up staying here with us while the alicorns ventured off to the Ponyville Spa.

However, even with the accommodation of the Captain of the Royal Guard and a seven-time racing champion, not all of us were interested in the role-playing game. A certain draconequus wasn't seeing eye to eye with the rest of us. And by that, I mean if Discord couldn't have fun, then he wouldn't allow _us_ to have fun. Yet, after a few events that included teleporting us to a Jazz Club and then directly into the game to torment all of us, Spike convinced Discord to tone things down a bit, and everyone included ended up having a great time together. And now,

"Okay guys, Flash and I have some orange soda, gems, chip &amp; dip, some fruits, and some vegetables!" Spike declared as he and Flash emerged from the kitchen, carrying the snacks and drinks.

"I don't think any of us will want the gems, Spike," Checkered Flag chuckled politely.

"Eh, more for me!" The drake dug into a large bowl, shoving a handful into his mouth.

"No pies?" Soarin asked, leaning forward against the map from Rainbow Dash's throne. "Guess Dashie and I will have to stop by Sugar Cube Corner later today," the Wonderbolt sighed when Spike shook his head.

"Um, hello?" Discord appeared behind Soarin, knocking on his head with his eagle talons. "Anypony home? Think Skies, _think!_"

"What do you want?"

"I'm one of the most powerful magical beings in Equestria. Ask and ye shall receive," Discord clapped both of his mismatched hands together. A large pie about the size of a wagon wheel appeared in front of the blue pegasus.

"I don't have to sell my soul or anything do I?" Soarin eyed the baked dessert suspiciously. With the shake of Discord's head, Soarin took a huge bite out of the pie, and promptly spat it out. "UGH! What the Tartarus is _in here?_!"

"Oh just my own special recipe: Toenails, nose hairs, and horseradish for flavor!" The draconequus sang, appearing in a chef's outfit. As Soarin tried to hold his stomach down, the rest of us failed to contain our laughter. "What? You _never_ specified what flavor you wanted."

"Sorry Soarin," I apologized, holding a fist up to my mouth to at least muffle my snickering, "but he got you pretty good, you have to admit."

"Actually, sweets aren't really my thing, except the occasional soda," Glock replied, sipping said drink while munching on a piece of celery.

"From what Lulu told me, Celestia has a secret stash of cupcakes in a hidden mini-fridge in her room, is that true?" Checkered asked the guard captain. At his expense, the lot of us leered over at the white unicorn, watching his eyes grow bigger at the question.

"Well, has Luna ever _lied_ to you before?"

"Clever Glock, I'll give you that," the racing earth pony grinned before downing the rest of his orange soda.

"Oooh, speaking of Celestia and sweets," Discord slithered his way back to Fluttershy's throne, making the disgusting pie disappear. "How _was_ everypony's Estrus?" Like clockwork, the sipping of soda and munching of snacks came to a crashing halt, much to Discord's delight. "Oh my, it seems I've hit a tender spot!" He chortled.

"Thank Celestia Lulu is pregnant; I have nothing to beat the bush around," Checkered retorted rather pretentiously, though since he's a nice guy practically 24/7, no one was bothered.

"I-I don't think that's really any of your business, Discord," Flash cleared his throat. "Not to be rude," he added.

"On the contrary Mr. Sentry, I was rather curious about you and Huffy the Magic Dragon's mother. What with you two only getting back together early last week, _that_ conversation before and in the bedroom must've been awkward."

"Knock it off, Discord!" Spike exclaimed in disgust, covering his ears.

"What? Is it such a crime to be a little curious?" Discord questioned as innocently as possible.

"No; the only crime _you'd_ be guilty of is being an ass, though," Glock explained gruffly.

"Eeyup," Big Mac agreed.

"Lay off him Discord," I inserted myself into the conversation after swallowing a potato chip. "He's still getting used to his mom and Flash being back together; talking about his mom doing…._that_ with Flash is just low."

"I don't think anyone could have put it better than you two," Flash said gratefully, pointing to myself and Glock.

"Maybe he's just jealous he hasn't gotten any for over a thousand years?" Soarin chirped, deciding to get some payback to Discord. Discord suddenly deflated like a cut tire in Fluttershy's throne, a look of embarrassment on his face.

"Thanks Soar," Spike unplugged his ears.

"Excuse me, but there's not much one can do when you're _encased in stone!" _Discord snarled. "And who are _you_ to talk about 'getting any'?"

"Uhh," Soarin blushed.

"Mr. Ban sex because my marefriend has a broken leg!" Discord disappeared and reappeared right in front of Soarin, pressing his nose against the stallion's.

"I only did it to keep Rainbow from hurting herself any more!" Soarin pushed his nose back against Discord's. Flash, Glock, and myself all stood up in an attempt to pry the two apart and keep them from trying to murder each other. We were all getting along just fine during the game; we didn't want to throw it away _now._

"Come on guys, just calm down," Checkered Flag beat the rest of us over to the bickering duo. The racing pony hopped up onto the map and got in between Discord and Soarin, gently forcing them apart. "You two just fought side by side against a magic squid. Are you really gonna let a few words tear you apart?"

"If he's gonna keep taking the piss out of us because he can't get laid-" Soarin began to say before Checkered plugged the pegasus' mouth with his hoof.

"Cool it, like Checkered said," I ordered, appearing behind Soarin to pull him further away from Discord.

_ZAP_

"Ugh, _not_ like that!" I groaned when in the snap of Discord's talons, Soarin turned into a frozen pegasicle, still pointing at the Lord of Chaos. "Discord, unfreeze him."

"I think we could reach an agreement faster if you'd just make yourselves clear!" Discord argued, folding his arms like a grumpy four year old. "You told me to cool it, so I froze him, and now we can't argue!"

"Return him to normal before I report you to Celestia," Glock threatened.

"Or Twilight," Flash joined in. "You know, I'm still unsure if she completely trusts you." Discord's face curled into a smile that rivaled that of Dr. Seuss' Grinch. He chortled before turning away from myself and the still frozen Soarin.

"Go ahead! While I _am_ reformed and still 'learning about friendship,' it doesn't mean I don't like stirring the pot every now and then," he grinned.

"Then I'll make you lick the spoon," Spike growled, climbing onto the map himself. "If you don't unfreeze him and go back to how you acted when we played the game, then I'll tell Fluttershy-"

"You'll tell Fluttershy?" Discord guessed at the same time as Spike. "You know, that _used_ to frighten me because I didn't want to lose Fluttershy's friendship, but because this isn't the worst thing I've ever done, she'll more than likely just take a tea day away," he shrugged.

"Aha, but you didn't let me finish," Spike replied smugly. "If you don't take this all back and let us enjoy a guys day, then I'll tell Fluttershy you have a crush on her." At that point, Discord's body turned as a pale as a sheet.

"_You. Wouldn't. Dare….."_ Discord narrowed his eyes to intimidate Spike.

"Uh-uh! If you do anything to him or me, you have several witnesses who will tell Fluttershy or my mom what you did."

"And maybe I'll slip a little something to Rainbow Dash," I added. "Do you _really _want to deal with her if she gets her leg healed up, but she can't do Soarin at all because he's in the hospital? I mean, she's already cranky as Hell because of missing out this weekend."

_ZAP_

"Then you _bet_…..what the Tartarus just happened?" Soarin's body went limp before collapsing after Discord thawed him out. I quickly assisted him back into Rainbow's throne as Discord slinked his way over to Fluttershy's throne.

"Definitely not the normal way I've dealt with fan fights at the races, but I guess it'll do," Checkered shrugged and disembarked from the map, sitting upon one of the guest chairs Spike and Flash had laid out while Glock, Flash, and I returned to our seats.

"Here," Discord clapped his talons and paw together. A new pie suddenly materialized in front of Soarin, gently dropping onto the map in front of him.

"Oh no, I'm not falling for that again! Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"Eh, somewhat," Discord held up his talons and tilted them from side to side. "But I assure you that it's a normal cherry pie with no surprise ingredients. Think of it as an apology for freezing you." Soarin eyed the pie before hesitantly taking a tiny bite.

"Woah, this is DELICIOUS!" Soarin shouted, gobbling up the whole thing in two bites, leaving his entire face covered in cherries, cherry juices, and pie crumb.

"And I thought _Pinkie_ was gross when she ate," I rolled my eyes, dipping a chip into some ranch. "How about we change the conversation topic to anything else?" I suggested.

"Good thinking Cougar," Glock crushed his can of orange soda, tossing it into a nearby rubbish bin.

"Before we do," Checkered commented, alerting all of us. "Speaking of you and Rainbow Dash, Soarin, whenever she does recover from her broken leg, I'll specially dedicate my 100th victory to you three," he smiled. Soarin belched before he could even reply.

"Three?"

"Yeah! You, Dashie, and your soon to be shattered pelvis," Checkered winked cheekily. Once again, the whole room was laughing at Soarin's expense, though he didn't seem as perturbed as before.

"Heh, heh, heh," Big Mac began to snickering. "Didn't know y'all had that in ya, Checkered."

"What? We're all just a bunch of friends hanging out," Checkered replied. "It's nice to kick back once in awhile and relax you know?" The rest of us nodded in agreement.

"Now that you mention relaxing," Flash cracked open a soda, "are you starting to get a little nervous about the big day? You've got less than two weeks." I too was intrigued about Checkered's feelings about his numbered days as a free stallion, but none of us were looking into talking him out of it.

"Well," the light grey stallion rubbed at the side of his neck, "I've been thinking more about it each day. And of course it's a life changing event, but I'm not as nervous as I thought I'd be. Asking Luna to be a special guest at the Crystal Empire Charity Bowl, now _that_ about gave me a heart attack," he confessed with a smirk. "I guess the fact that I'm marrying Luna _and_ we have a baby on the way helps my excitement trump my nervousness."

"But which are you looking forward to more?" Soarin asked.

"You're really making me choose?" Checkered replied in a deadpanned voice.

"Hey, just curious," Soarin defended.

"Well I can't. I love that I get to marry Luna, _and_ we'll be parents to a colt in a few short months," Checkered raised an eyebrow at the Wonderbolt, munching on an orange slice.

"How about this, are you guys ready to have a kid?" I inquired. "Are you two asking any friends for any advice, or maybe talking to any medical staff at the castle? I'm sure Applejack and Big Mac could talk to you since they helped Granny Smith raise Applebloom," I pointed my thumb toward the red stallion who promptly nodded.

"Eeyup. Anythin' y'all wanna know, just ask me or AJ."

"Oh, Luna's secretly been taking books about parenting out of the castle library since she was impregnated," Checkered explained, placing his elbows on the map. "But now since the truth is out for literally everypony, we're not so afraid to ask for words of wisdom. Carrot and Cup Cake might be willing to help right?"

"I'm sure we can get Pinkie to ask them a few questions for you," Spike shrugged.

"Anything helps," Checkered grinned, raising his can of soda.

"You know, Tia's been biting her tongue lately to keep from pressuring the two of you," Glock leaned forward, pointing a hoof at the earth pony, "But have you two thought of any names for your colt?"

"Actually, Lulu and I can't come up with _anything_," Checkered confessed. "We tried to write down a few names if our baby was a filly or a colt a few months ago, but….nothing."

"At least you've still got a few months," I pointed out to quell the stallion. "By then you two will be married, and maybe have the nursery all set up and then you can focus on coming up with a name." The small look of stress on Checkered's face melted when I brought up how much time there still was, but there was still one thing at least I was curious about.

"Checkered, do you two know if your colt will be an earth pony, pegasus, or unicorn?" Discord drummed his talons along the top of the map. "What?" He asked when all of us looked suspiciously in his direction. "Oh come now, you all wanted me to settle down and be part of the group," he rolled his eyes.

"True; we just didn't expect you to say or ask a legitimate question, Discord," Flash admitted lowly.

"Fine, whatever. I'm simply asking so Checkered here can be a little more prepared. An earth pony would be the least stressful of pony babies, but if it's a unicorn, I hope Luna and yourself are ready for bursts of magic at any time," Discord warned. "And they can range from simply knocking items off a counter or a shelf, to setting your mane on fire."

"I uh, I think since Lulu's an alicorn, we'll be fine," Checkered slowly munched on some grapes. "Plus, Celestia says she'll be there to help," he added with a small smile.

"And if it's a pegasus, you'll have to be careful bro. They won't be able to take full flights, but they can get their wings moving without really knowing it and suddenly fly out of their cribs for a short period of time," Soarin added.

"I wouldn't rule out an earth pony either," I chimed in. "Especially one that has Checkered's racing genes; he might be able to scramble his way out of anything and be hard to catch."

"Guys, I _do_ appreciate your concerns, but Luna and I are looking forward to whatever surprises our colt has in store for us. We figure it's one of the joys of parenthood," Checkered reassured us with a twinkle in his eye, a twinkle that didn't last very long.

"Oh buck!" Spike cursed.

"Chip a fang?" I joked at the dragon's expense.

"No," he rolled his eyes, "since your wedding is last minute, we don't have much time to plan you a bachelor party!" All of us just continue to stare at the dragon, not moving an inch. "What? I didn't get to plan one for Shining Armor, and I _really_ want to host one; I just found out what they are, cut me some slack!"

"Ooh, now _that_ sounds like a fun idea!" Discord trilled, starting to snap his talons.

"DON'T MOVE!" Glock shouted, throwing his can at Discord's head. "No more magic trips; they give me a headache," he barked.

"I was just going to bring up a list of suggestions. Wasn't the jazz club a swell idea?" Discord explained, snapping his talons to prove he was simply bringing up a list. "Or possibly laser tag?"

"I'm not going to _any_ party hosted by you, hodgepodge," Glock sneered, glaring at the draconequus.

"As a matter of fact, guys," Checkered clacked his hoof on the map to disrupt Glock and Discord's spat. "I didn't really want a big fancy bachelor party. Truth be told, I actually consider _this_ as a good enough bachelor party," he admitted. "I got to spend an entire day with folks I call my friends, and we got to do something extreme that didn't result in any assaults, jail time, or cheating on our marefriends."

"R-really?" Both Spike and Big Mac said simultaneously.

"Sure! I mean a few of my racing buddies might be upset they weren't here, but at least Lulu had no issues with me inviting them to the wedding."

"Huh, well, glad you enjoyed it?" Spike guessed.

"Hmm, since we're back to talking about the wedding, I'm sure everyone has the same question on their mind?" Discord smiled deviously.

"Will this one go off without somepony invading Canterlot?" Flash joked.

"Ye- no…." Discord face slapped himself and ran his lion paw down his face. "I haven't attended a wedding in over a millennia, but I'm positive everypony knows about the tossing of the bouquet and garter."

"I'm more interested in the _removing _of the garter," Checkered winked. _'Just when you think you know a guy,' _I chuckled to myself and hid my smirk behind a can of soda.

"Most grooms _are_ I believe," Discord agreed, "however, who do you think will be the next couple to get married? _Anything_ can happen." I, Flash, Soarin, Glock, and Big Mac all looked at each other, unsure of how to answer that.

"Actually," Flash spoke up, "my question would be something that your mom and I discussed a couple days ago, Spike." The drake squinted at Flash, removing his hand from the bowl full of gems.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Twilight and I were talking about the possibility of you asking Rarity to Checkered and Luna's wedding. After all, both your mom and Rarity are impressed with how you've matured since about the time Cougar here showed up," he pointed a wing at me. The poor dragon's hand suddenly went limp and collapsed on the table, hitting the side of the bowl and flinging the remaining gems behind him about twenty feet.

"Uhhh…."

"Look, your mom didn't want to put any pressure on you if you didn't want to ask Rarity, but she thinks it'd be sweet for both of you to go as friends," Flash quickly explained. Spike gulped and slowly picked his hand out of the bowl, pushing it away from himself.

"I w-was thinking of asking her t-to maybe dance like at the Gala, b-but her _date_? I-I don't think I can do that."

"Why not?" Soarin asked in return. "I'd think you've got a pretty good chance of her saying yes. At least you're a friend, so she know's you're not some creep."

"An' she was _mighty_ proud 'o yer deeds in Draconia," Big Mac nodded. "That might just work in yer favor."

"Plus, if I recall correctly," Checkered timed in, "she _did_ enjoy dancing with you after the whole Blueblood thing. It's possible Rarity would like to go with one of her best friends to make the whole day a little more special."

"And the added benefits of being a friend, if she would rather go by herself, then she'd let you down easier than if you two weren't friends," I added.

"Tartarus, if _I _can somehow get Princess Celestia to dance with me, then I'm positive that Rarity might at the very least dance with you again." Glock said when out of the blue, a miniature Discord appeared on my shoulder and tugged on my earlobe. "Cougar, can I talk to you privately for a moment?" The mini draconequus whispered directly into my ear canal.

"_About what?" _I replied out of the corner of my mouth.

"_Just make some sort of excuse to use the bathroom!" _With a groan, I pushed myself up from AJ's throne, easily alerting everyone else.

"Sorry, just have to drain the lizard," I lied, briskly jogging away to make it appear I had to use the bathroom. Once I exited the throne room with the mini Discord holding onto my ear, he snapped his lion paw and appeared in his normal form right in front of me.

"Fret not about my absence; I left a clone to keep the others none the wiser," he explained.

"You don't say," I grumbled, looking back at the closed door. "So, what's so important you had to ask in private?"

"Oh nothing," he waved his lion paw in my face, "just a little something I haven't a shred of experience in."

"And considering I haven't even been here a full year, you decide to ask me?"

"Trust me; you may just be the only one who might have useful advice and who may actually _want_ to help me," Discord turned away, bracing his right arm against the crystal wall and his forehead against the arm.

"Why do you- uh, never mind," I shook my head when I realized I was asking a rhetorical question.

"Simply put: Helping others is what you claim to be your personal lot in life is it not?" Discord turned around, keeping his forearm on the wall. Narrowing my eyes with suspicion, I gently nodded, confused by what this talk was about. Though I had a feeling in the back of my mind Discord was pulling my leg. "Besides, your current situation with Applejack may give you the experience to assist me," he reiterated.

"Woah, what situation?" I got a little defensive. "There's _nothing_ wrong with us right now!"

"Easy there tiger," Discord suddenly cracked a whip at me, silencing me. "I meant that your relationship with her is what can help me, if you still want to that is," he stroked his goatee.

"What. Do. You. Want?" I sighed and began losing my patience with the draconequus. "If you want my help, then cut to the fucking chase already!"

"Ooh, is your marefriend okay with that mouth of yours, or does Applejack like it?" He slithered his body through my legs and up in front of me.

"Yep, this conversation is over," I shoved him aside and trekked back toward the throne room door.

"No wait!" Discord begged. I then nearly tripped when _something_ locked around my ankle, preventing me from moving. I looked and growled when I saw Discord had hooked a chain around my ankle and locked it on the wall. "Just stay, please. I'll get right to what I wanted to ask you!" He actually clasped his hands together.

"Go ahead," I sighed, leaning my back to the wall.

"Okay, this little chat about Spike asking Rarity to Luna and Checkered's wedding really clicked with something in me. And as you already know, I _may_ have just a microscopic amount of feelings for our dear friend Fluttershy that eh…may or may _not_ amount to feelings that are higher than friendship," he admitted.

"You got the hots for her huh?" I smirked.

"Oh please, I wouldn't say something so deameaning about somepony like Fluttershy," Discord spat.

"Then would 'crush' be the right word?"

"That might be the most appropriate word to describe how I feel, but I know I'm definitely not her type as the kids say these days, so I won't waste your time in asking for your help to woo her." _'You're not as right as you think you are.'_

"Well, don't go off on what you like about her; that's really not important right now. Besides, it's probably how nice she is, how she was your first friend, her patience, how she cares for practically every creature she meets, especially you, all that crap," I rolled my eyes. Don't get me wrong, I completely understood _why_ Discord had a crush on meek little Fluttershy; hell, any stallion that managed to woo her as Discord said would be a lucky one just for her kindness alone.

"Don't you refer to _anything_ about her in that way!" Discord snarled, raising a fist up to me. "And you forgot her gorgeous hair! Now get to the part where you give me advice!" He grasped both of my shoulders.

"All right, all right just give me a second," I swatted his hands away. "Do you want to ask her as an actual date, or as friends?" I asked.

"Oh j-just as friends. And I want that to be the main point; Celestia knows what kind of pressure the poor dear could be under if she believes it to be a date. I wouldn't want to scare her," Discord's emotions swung from agitated to a little pessimistic.

"Good thinking," I stroked my chin. "Okay then. So here's what you do. I know you have a crush on Fluttershy, but just push that to the back of your mind until the wedding is over, got it?"

"Mhmm!" Discord nodded before cracking the top of his head open, and pushing something into the back of his mind. "Go on," he said after I was left staring at his exposed brain. No matter how long I'm here, Discord will probably always show me more fucked up shit.

"Right, then just ask her if she's excited about the wedding too. Obviously she IS excited, so use that to your advantage. Then, all you have to do is ask her, _"Hey Fluttershy, since we've been friends for some time, do you know what could make the evening of the wedding better? If we went together as friends to celebrate not only Luna and Checkered's union of matrimony, but how far we've come along as friends? I do owe you a grand thank you still for having the patience to help me change my ways."_ Trust me Discord, that'll make it seem more like a way to celebrate your friendship by going together than possibly giving her mixed signals that it's a date."

The Lord of Chaos stood in front of me, tapping his right foot on the floor and stroking his goatee, contemplating my advice that I rolled off my tongue. Honestly, I wasn't one for this type of advice back on Earth, but I remembered back before Applejack and I started dating, we had dinner at the Barely Pit in Ponyville, but we made sure it was just as friends and to make it appear that way. So I tried to remember how that'd worked in our favor to help Discord. Plus, since Fluttershy admitted her feelings for him to me back on my birthday, I _may_ have been trying to play matchmaker for the two.

"That's quite honestly better advice than I assumed would come out of you," Discord admitted.

"Believe me," I repeated, "if you stress the point that it's just as friends like you want it to be, I think you'll be fine. She likes hanging out with you anyway; hanging out on a special night just makes it all the more memorable."

"Well, I'll be sure to try that, Cougar," Discord snapped his eagle talons, making the chain connecting my ankle to the wall dematerialize.

"Oh, and one more thing."

"If it's about being nervous, you _know_ I'm good at hiding things like that," he bragged.

"Uh-huh," I scoffed. "No, I meant don't stare at her flank; I mean you make that _too_ obvious sometimes."

"Wh-what?! I do _not_ stare at Fluttershy's flank!" Discord actually blushed. "I wouldn't know _where_ you got that ludicrous idea in your head, but it couldn't be further from the truth."

"Whatever. You better turn mini again so no one gets curious," I jabbed my thumb at the throne room door. Discord nodded and crossed his arms, bowing his head and appearing as a three inch tall Discord on my shoulder before hiding behind my ear. "By the way, why did you ask me for help again?" I asked just as I pushed against the door.

_"Well, because _you_, a human, somehow managed to start a relationship with _Applejack_, a pony. I figured if that was possible, then perhaps taking Fluttershy to the wedding as friends could be easy,"_ Discord explained.

"Huh, that makes sense," I clicked my tongue.

"What makes sense, Coug?" Soarin asked me.

"Eh, nothing, I was just talking to myself," I replied facetiously before rejoining my guy friends at the map, ready to finish out our day together.

**End Chapter 59**

* * *

_Wow, two different scenes with the guys and the girls! I hope you guys enjoyed seeing Ivan hanging out with the guys and actually playing Ogres and Oogliettes because I freakin LOVED that episode with Discord, Spike, and Big Mac._

_And just a little bit of one-sided FlutterCord and Sparity for you guys! _

_So, please prepare yourselves for the next two chapters: Another Canterlot Wedding Parts 1 &amp; 2!_


	61. Chapter 60: Another Canterlot Wedding P1

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 60: Another Canterlot Wedding: Part 1**

_Hello all, and welcome back to Fallen Eagle! Today we've got Part 1 in a Two Part arc of Luna and Checkered Flag's marriage! But first, as I said in my previous chapter, my dad and I got to go to Tacoma from September 30 to October 2 to see REO Speedwagon and Def Leppard LIVE at the Tacoma Dome! And by god was it COSMIC! From performing songs from their 1981 High 'N' Dry album, to their 2015 self-titled album, Def Leppard STILL kicks ass! Just hearing my favorite songs like Hysteria, Armageddon It, Love Bites, Rock of Ages, Let's Go, Let's Get Rocked was one of the best experiences of my life. If Def Leppard is playing in a town near you, DON'T let that opportunity slip!_

_Also, I just want to say that tomorrow (October 15) marks two years that I've been constructing this story, and the realization didn't hit me until yesterday. I mean, TWO YEARS still working on the same story? I really want to thank every single one of you who've clicked on this story and have followed it for as long as you have. All of your support means the world to me, and it wouldn't be as fun without good, honest reviews such as yourselves._

_Oh, and I also just recently watched Equestria Girls 4: Legend of the Everfree on Netflix the other day. If you haven't seen it, I won't put in any spoilers. All I'll say is that Rainbow Rocks and Friendship Games were better movies. I LOVED that we got to go a new location. Not that I don't like Canterlot High, but I appreciate that we got a little variety. But, it just didn't have the same entertainment value that RR and FG had._

**Monkeyboy0118: **_Glad to hear your house is okay!_

**ShiningShadow1965: **_Well, actually I already have the name of the colt and the race of pony he'll be, but both those details won't be revealed until Luna gives birth! :P_

**WarHusky2000: **_Well he was born in Alaska which was purchased by the U.S. in 1867 from Russia, and his name is Russian, so he's got a little Russian characteristics in him. But anyway, when I saw Dungeons and Discords (GREAT episode by the way! Loved seeing Spike and Big Mac hanging out together. Parsnips...) I knew I HAD to have the guys all try that during a guy's day. _

**headreviewermk2: **_LOL, I had to have a friend help proofread on how girls actually talk when no guys are around. And I'm glad I tricked you at first! I was hoping everyone would react like, "Holy shit, new villain!"_

**OBSERVER01: **_Well, I've never been to a spa so I can't vouch! _

**Fur Poi: **_Sure for a quickie review XP_

**Caleb200888: **_Woah...I appreciate the compliment, but the woman wrote HARRY POTTER! And created her own universe with the books. She is LIGHTYEARS better than a fanfiction author!_

**dixie: **_I try to make their couple moments tender and not corny :P Oh God, if they were Canon, the fandom would have a meltdown that makes Chernobyl look like lighting a campfire with vodka. As for the conversations, notice how the girls wanted to know about AJ's sex over the weekend, yet the guys NEVER breathed a word about sex with the exception for Soarin wanting to just shut up Discord? Oh...just wait for Luna and Checkered's colt to get a glimpse of that :3 And is THAT how you spell it? Jeez, no matter how many times I rewound that scene where Spike says the name of the game, I SWEAR he said '_Ogres and Oogliettes.'

**SquritlePWN: **_Really? Oh boy. Well...magic and all that...yeah...But believe me, it was FUN finally getting to see Glock and Checkered join in with the guys. I know Glock especially hasn't gotten too much screen time, but that's beginning to change, and I like seeing him out of his element of the castle. Besides, Celestia WANTS Glock to relax once in awhile since he's been her personal bodyguard for twenty years and rarely took time off. As for FlutterCord and Sparity, well, I think you'll like what I have cooked up for them._

_All right guys, let's kick off Fallen Eagle's Two Year Anniversary with a wedding!_

* * *

**(Canterlot Castle Kitchen; Ivan's POV)**

"Ivan, can ya pull that sheet 'o mini fritters outta the oven?" Applejack grunted whilst frosting Luna and Checkered's huge wedding cake. As I held the ladder steady, I looked over to one of the many ovens in the kitchen, trying to spot which one was done.

"You sure you got this, AJ?" I took a step away.

"'Course Ah do, Sugarcube," she snorted and wiped some flour from her cheek. "Don't forget Ah've done this before fer Shinin' Armor 'n Cadence." With her confirmation, I released my grip on the ladder and headed toward the oven, making sure to maneuver around the chef ponies that were galloping around the kitchen with their own tasks. Today was the big day for Luna and Checkered Flag, and we all had to get to the castle around 0500 hours to start on the assignments that were given to us. Since my task had been completed weeks ago, and both the bride and groom wanted to be surprised, I opted to help my girlfriend cook all the treats and carve an ice sculpture in the shape of a crescent moon with a checkered pattern. The official ceremony would not begin for at least another three hours, so we had plenty of time to get dressed for the occasion once the food was cooked, and everyone else's tasks were done.

"Delicious," I licked my lips when the aroma of Applejack's cooking hit my nose from inside the oven. Due to the constant noise in the kitchen, and my focus on the hot treats, I didn't notice the kitchen door swing open as I took the mini fritters out of the oven and set them on the counter next to the other sheets of fritters. It was tempting to sneak one, but I knew the consequences of sneaking Apple family food without their say so. "Applejack, anything else you-"

"Hi Cougar!" I turned around to see Twilight's grinning face and a levitating quill and clipboard.

"For the love of God, Twilight!" I exclaimed, glaring at her as my heart rate slightly increased. "You're about as bad as Pinkie or Discord when you do that."

"Sorry," the alicorn chuckled. "I was just checking up on everypony's assignments for the wedding. Is everything on schedule at the moment?" She peered around me at Applejack and the ice sculpture.

"Well, this was the last batch of mini-fritters, the sculpture is done, and AJ is putting the finishing touches on the cake," I explained.

"Howdy Twilight!" The mare waved back at us with her own grin before sliding down the ladder. "Comin' in ta check everythin' off huh?" Twilight nodded in reply, scribbling something on her clipboard.

"Food and ice sculpture, check!" She said giddily. "Checkered Flag should be here in a few minutes to have a little taste of the food. He was just talking to Pinkie about the reception party." Twilight looked back up at us as a chef split the three of us.

"How do Luna and Checkered avoid each other with confirming all these important tasks?" I questioned, referring to the bad luck myth of the bride and groom seeing each other before the wedding.

"With my carefully and scientifically plotted out schedule!" Twilight dug into her saddle bag and produced a piece of parchment. "With this, the lucky couple should have no problems with bumping into one another before they're supposed to. Besides," she tapped the quill on the parchment, "Luna should be occupied until the ceremony with fitting into her wedding dress with Rarity's help."

"Three hours sounds about right with Rarity's keen eye," Applejack chuckled. "Want ta try a mini-fritter, Twi?" She scooped a cooled dessert into her hoof. The alicorn slipped it into her mouth with her magic with little hesitation, licking her lips appreciatively.

"Mmmm, delicious as always Applejack!"

"Thank ya kindly Twilight," my girlfriend beamed proudly. The alicorn princess gently rolled the schedule scroll back up and put it back in her saddle bag before making a few more notes on her clipboard.

"Well, it appears all of the food preparation is complete. We just need Checkered's approval, though I'm sure he'll love it like everypony else," Twilight grinned.

"Who else do you need to check off, Twilight?" I grabbed one of the mini-fritters that Applejack graciously allowed me to have.

"Hmm, I just got done overseeing the Wonderbolts and a few pegasus guards putting decorations up in the throne room, so I'm gonna have to pay Starlight a little visit!"

"What job did you give her again?" I asked, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. With Starlight's sudden appearance a few weeks ago, there was no doubt that she would be invited to the wedding now that she was Twilight's student, but I never caught what preparations she would be helping with.

"Actually she's helping Blueblood, Spike, Vinyl Scratch, and a few castle workers set up the gardens for the reception."

"I thought that was Pinkie's job?" That struck me as odd if Twilight had seen Checkered discussing the reception party with Pinkie.

"Pinkie _plans_ the reception party, but the gardens have to be prepared for the guests," Twilight explained. "You know, setting up the snack tables and chairs; clearing space for a dance floor. Once Checkered Flag approves of Pinkie's plans, she'll head down to the gardens to help put the finishing touches on it."

"Hmm," Applejack scratched underneath her hat. Twilight looked in her direction just as AJ opened her mouth, "Spike 'n Blueblood together. Are ya sure that's a good idea considerin' the last time they interacted?"

"I think they'll be fine," Twilight shook her head. "Spike and I trust that Blueblood wants to start anew, and Spike's not going to harm him or anything for no reason, especially since he apologized to Rarity." Speaking of Spike and Rarity, the dragon didn't come and tell me or Big Mac that he had even attempted to ask Rarity to the wedding. We didn't want to pressure him, but I still felt that Rarity would give him a friendly shot or a dance at the very least. Bringing it up to _Twilight_ however, that wasn't going to happen. "One more thing before I go look over the gardens," Twilight put her hoof over her muzzle, scanning her eyes across her clipboard.

"Do you need to look closer at the cake?" I wondered exactly how she would do that without having to taste it.

"No, I think it looks great," Twilight put her list down, "but….Applejack could I please borrow Cougar for a minute?" Applejack was just as surprised as I was, more so due to Twilight's uneasiness about asking to talk to me.

"Ah think that's more up ta Ivan than myself," Applejack looked curiously at me.

"Sorry, I just meant do you need his help for anything at the moment? I need to talk to him about something." The southern mare simply shrugged, holding her hoof out from me to Twilight.

"I suppose I could spare you a few minutes," I smirked. Twilight suggested that we go out into the hallway where it was a little less hectic and cooler than the kitchen, so I followed the alicorn out. Though, I really had no clue what she wanted; only two things popped into my mind. She didn't seem upset with me, so hopefully Spike didn't blab that the guys and I tried to get him ask Rarity to the wedding.

"Okay," she began by tucking the quill behind her ear, "not counting the reception party, just about everything that Celestia, Luna, and Checkered assigned us seems ready," Twilight looked up from her clipboard. "Except one thing," the alicorn bit her lower lip. Immediately, my head flopped down to my chest with a sigh, knowing precisely what Twilight was getting at. "Could you _please_ tell me what song you've chosen for Luna and Checkered's first dance?"

"Twilight," I picked my head back up with a chuckle, "believe it or not, Luna and Checkered are the only ones who've yet to ask me what it is."

"Be that as it may, I still want to be able to cross it off the list. I'm over the fact that the bride and groom haven't even _listened_ to it, but all I want to know is the name."

"Try to understand that I want it to be a surprise for them, Twilight. I told Checkered it would be a surprise, and he was all for it," I explained. "I want to be able to see how happy they are in the moment of their first dance. If they already listened to it, it sort of loses its magic and meaning." Twilight's face fell flat.

"Look, I get that Cougar, but even if you tell me, I wouldn't ruin the surprise for Luna and Checkered," she swore. Although it was a little demeaning for her, I reached over and petted the top her head behind her horn, only displeasing her a little more.

"I trust you Twilight, but I want it to be a surprise for _all_ couples." With a frustrated groan, she plucked the quill from behind her ear and pretty violently crossed out my task from her clipboard. "Sorry to frustrate you, but if Luna trusted me to pick a song, I'm gonna make sure it's special for everyone."

"No," she held up a wing, "it's perfectly fine. I _do_ appreciate how serious you're taking your assignment," Twilight offered me up a smile. "And with your track record at the Gala, nopony should be worried."

"You do know I won't actually _perform_ it, right?"

"That honestly never crossed my mine," Twilight shrugged. "I just meant your taste in music is fairly decent, and the music from your world is interesting to say the least." _'Fairly decent?' _

"I'd have to agree with you there, Twily," another voice chimed in. I looked up and Twilight spun around to see none other than Cadence, Shining Armor, and Checkered Flag approaching us. "Right Cady?" Shining Armor added.

"Absolutely!" Cadence agreed. Twilight gasped excitedly and galloped over, nearly tackling her sister-in-law and brother to the ground.

"When did you two get here?!"

"Just a few minutes ago," Cadence giggled. "We just had to drop off our wedding attire in our room before we came to see you." The Princess of Love stole a glance from me and smiled, "And hello to you, Cougar."

"Cadence, Shining Armor," I replied as Twilight released her hug on the two ponies, "and the stallion of the hour." Checkered trotted over to me and stuck out his foreleg which I grasped and shook. "Feeling nervous yet?"

"Maybe just a little," the earth pony admitted. "Making the rounds with all of your friends was fun. I can't wait to taste what your marefriend's cooked up."

"Ooh!" Twilight squeaked. "So do you approve of Pinkie's reception party plan?" She took the quill from her ear and the clipboard from under her wing.

"Absolutely! I think everypony will have a blast." Twilight hummed as she crossed off Checkered's approval, mentioning how good Applejack's food was, but he still had to taste it.

"There's Equestria's newest knight!" Shining Armor patted my back. Twilight, unsurprisingly, had written her brother and his wife about the whole ceremony, including the fact that I had been knighted by both Luna and Celestia. "Feel any different now, Cougar?"

"Not really. I don't have to report to either Luna or Celestia, and I don't have to live in Canterlot. In actuality, all Luna explained to me was that I have to report any incidents that I deal with to Twilight, and I have the authority to bring anyone under any suspicion into her castle for questioning."

"Well, since you're never afraid to do what's right, I'm sure you'll get accustomed to it quickly," the unicorn shrugged. "And I suppose you and I are like brothers now; don't forget I was captain of Celestia's guard before I married Cady and moved to the Crystal Empire with her. I'd trust you if you were on the Crystal Empire guard," he added.

"Thanks Shining Armor," I grinned, patting his shoulder as Twilight led us back into the kitchen. "You know, speaking of you and Cadence, and since you two had your wedding here, do we need to run a quick rehearsal of the wedding?"

"Lulu and I talked with Celestia about that last night actually," Checkered chimed in, stopping so a few chef ponies could trot past him. "And we told Celestia that the only things that really needed rehearsing were our vows, and we've got them memorized. Plus, everypony's been through a wedding before; Spike knows when to give us the rings, Applejack's sister and her friends already know what to do with the flower petals, and you've already got our first song picked out. The rest is easy," Checkered reassured me.

"AJ, we've got a few more tasters," I announced to my girlfriend who was still frosting some decorations on the cake. She turned around to see myself and Twilight accompanied by Cadence, Checkered, and Shining Armor before hopping off the ladder.

"Well all right then!" She grinned happily. "Nice ta see ya yer highnesses. An' congratulations Sugarcube," AJ shook Checkered's hoof. "Ivan's laid out all the mini-fritters on the counter; take yer pick," the mare insisted.

"Mmm, I could smell your cooking when we arrived," Cadence sniffed the air and licked her lips.

"It's the strange cravings already starting," Shining Armor leaned closer to me and Twilight, whispering his joke. Unfortunately for the stallion, when he turned back to grab a mini-fritter, his wife took one and proceeded to smother it all over his face.

"Hehe," Applejack had to cover her mouth to stifle her snickering.

"Aww, don't worry Shiny, I still love you," Cadence cooed and licked some of the fritter off his muzzle. The stallion swiftly wiped the rest of the food off his face, only to throw a foreleg around his wife.

"Hey Checkered, this is what you're in for, buddy," Shining called to the racer. "You sure you're up for this?" He grinned. Applejack, Twilight, and I peered over at the groom-to-be as he was in mid-chew.

"Oh Shining, play nice!" Cadence scolded teasingly. "Don't fill his head with second thoughts; I look forward to calling him Uncle Checkered."

"I'm just teasing, Cady," Shining rolled his eyes and nuzzled his pregnant wife. "Aunt Luna and Checkered have honestly looked ready for months."

"You don't have anything to worry about, Cadence," Checkered swallowed his mini-fritter, trotting over to give his future niece a hug. "I would never second guess marrying your aunt. I've been looking forward to this possibility since I was younger than you," he pointed to Twilight.

"Wait, you've had feelings for Luna since you were around your twenties?" I did a double take. "But she's only been back for what, five years, give or take a few months?" I turned to AJ and Twilight.

"Sounds 'bout right, Sugarcube."

"Well," Checkered sighed, "I've only told Lulu and Celestia this, but when I was in school and being taught Equestrian History, I couldn't believe how beautiful Luna was, even though her pictures were just drawings in books. Even though some textbooks were slightly bias against her, I just related to her situation." Now it was Twilight's turn to do a double take.

"Uh Checkered, I'm no expert on Earth Pony Racing, but I've seen some of those trading cards that Applebloom has. Your bio clearly states you're an only child." The cheerful atmosphere in the room dialed back a bit. Checkered's happy grin seemed a lot more forced, as if he didn't want us to know his true feelings.

"You're not wrong, princess," he forced a chuckle. "Luna only did what she did because she felt like her sister was purposefully hogging the spotlight and relished that Equestrians back then didn't appreciate her night sky. I agree that attempting to overthrow Celestia was wrong, but I still took up the time to truly study her whole life leading up to her banishment, even during my early racing career. All I could do was hope that she could come back one day and that I could at least get to see her beautiful form in pony," he explained. "I never thought that I'd get to marry her one day or conceive a child with her," his forced grin all of sudden seemed genuine once again.

"So, you spent all of your teens, twenties, thirties, and early _forties_ without at least a steady marefriend?" Shining Armor's jaw dropped.

"Of course not," Checkered shook his head. "I had a few flings here and there, but they were all only after my money and fame. Which I know is what a lot of potential suitors for royalty only want," he exchanged nervous glances with Cadence and Twilight. "But I assure all of you that Luna's happiness and love is what I want out of her. Even when textbooks said we were supposed to fear her, I loved her, and I wanted to show her that mistakes can be forgiven."

"Aww!" Cadence gushed and picked up the small stallion in a bone crushing hug. "Welcome to the family!" Twilight and Applejack cooed as well at the sweet moment while Shining and I simply smirked at the situation.

"Th-thank you, C-Cadence!" The racer gasped for air.

"I think I'll just add something to the checklist," Twilight grinned, jotting down a note on her clipboard. I peered over her shoulder to see that she had written down, _'Checkered having a family moment with Cadence and Shining Armor,'_ and had checked it off. "Everything seems to be going off without a hitch!" The alicorn said happily. "This is gonna be the best wedding in the history of Equestria!"

"Hehe, well, at least until you get to plan your wedding to Flash, little sis," Shining Armor pulled Twilight close. Twilight's eyebrows shot up to her hairline and her face turned tomato red.

"Mmm," we heard Cadence moan as she snuck another mini-fritter from the counter, though Applejack didn't have any issues with it considering she and I made enough for a crowd of about three-hundred guests. "I just _love, love, love_ your cooking, Applejack!" Twilight, AJ, and Shining Armor suddenly whirled around in their spots, staring at Cadence in horror and leaving Checkered and myself in the dark.

"Did she say the secret word?" I asked, scratching my head.

**(A Short time Later)**

Not too long after the cooking of the food, most everyone had joined up together in the dining hall for a quick lunch before the final preparations would be made and everyone would have to get dressed for the occasion. Hell, even the Wonderbolts, Vinyl, and Discord were eating with us. The only ones that were not eating with us were Rarity and Luna who were still preoccupied with Luna's dress, hair etc. And Blueblood was with Luna as well, apparently trying to spend some quality time with his aunt before her big moment. "Peanut butter and jelly?" Discord eyeballed his sandwich, opening it up. "How simple," he took a huge bite.

"Keep quiet, Discord," Glock took a swig of cider. "There's nothing wrong with a classic."

"Yeah, and we just needed something to eat that AJ could whip up in no time," I agreed with the captain, licking some peanut butter off my lips.

"Plus we need to save our appetite for a big dinner," Fluttershy added after cutting the crusts off her bread. Discord had actually arrived in Canterlot early this morning with us because Fluttershy asked him to assist her with her songbird choir for the wedding march. Knowing the draconequus, I knew he'd never pass up a chance to spend one on one time with the shy pony. Everyone's attention in the room was suddenly drawn to the door as it swung open forcefully in a grand entrance.

"GET DOWN!" Pinkie Pie declared, jamming a bowl full of chips over Checkered's head and shoving the poor stallion under the table. All of us were torn between seeing who had arrived and if Checkered was okay.

"Pinkie! What are you doing?!" Checkered demanded, struggling under the mare's hold.

"I'm here everypony!" Rarity's elegant voice sang while she strolled into the room. "Luna's dress is coming along-" She stopped dead in her tracks, however, when she noticed Checkered being held hostage by Pinkie Pie under the table. "Um, Pinkie darling?" Rarity asked cautiously, "why does Luna's groom-to-be have a bowl strapped to his head under the table?" Pinkie breathed a sigh of relief and tossed the chip bowl back onto the table.

"Are you okay, Checkered?" Celestia questioned. The stallion nodded and went to return to his seat, but instead trotted to the other side away from Pinkie.

"I was worried that Princess Luna was coming through the door!" Pinkie explained. "You know how much bad luck it is for the bride and groom to see each other on their big day before they get hitched!"

"Oh Pinkie," Rarity shook her head, "while I am one who loves to entertain that superstition, attacking the poor dear is a bit much."

"Who would've thought Twilight's separate schedules for the two would be the least crazy way of keeping Luna and Checkered apart?" I cracked a smile while Rarity joined us at the table. She thanked Spike who got up from his chair and pulled out the last vacant one for her. Twilight sent me a displeased look in reply at my joke, balling up a piece of parchment and tossing it into my face with her magic.

"Anyway, what were you saying about Luna, Rarity?" Checkered smiled at the seamstress. Twilight pushed aside her plate to make room for her checklist.

"Oh! Well her dress is coming along fabulously! I'll put the finishing touches on her once I've had a quick meal. Believe me Checkered, she'll look like an angel once the entire ensemble is completed," Rarity squealed in excitement. "By the way," she turned to a waiter who was refilling Fluttershy's water, "Princess Luna requests a small snack and glass of Colta-Cola please." The waiter nodded and trotted his way back into the kitchen to complete the order.

"Hey," Flash Sentry sniffed the air, "is something burning?" He asked.

"Smells like sulfur," I scrunched my nose, darting my eyes around the room. My eyes landed on a certain yellow Wonderbolt who had been sitting quietly next to Soarin the entire meal. I could see a tiny wisp of smoke rising up from underneath the table.

"Misty!" Soarin exclaimed. "You're smoking inside Celestia's castle!?"

"We've been practicing the flyby all morning, Soarin!" Misty argued, holding the cigarette in between her feathers. "I need something to calm me down!" She took a quick drag of the cancer stick.

"Well there _are_ countless guards in this castle who may tickle your fancy," Discord said in a snarky tone.

"Discord!" Fluttershy squeaked, trying to hide the blush on her face. Misty Fly simply glared at the draconequus, waving him off with her wing. Celestia cleared her throat and gently took the cigarette out of her mouth with her magic.

"Hey!"

"Miss Misty Fly, I don't mind ponies who partake in smoking, but may you please do it on the balcony so we may all breathe?" Celestia requested politely, giving the pegasus her cigarette back.

"Yes your highness," she tried to reply as civilly as possible, but still came off as grumbling. The mare took a short flight outside to the balcony to enjoy her smoke, leaving us to enjoy the rest of our lunch.

"Oh Cougar," Celestia added right as I was about to grab a second sandwich. I took my hand back to give the princess my undivided attention when she dropped something I was getting a little tired of. "As excited as I am for Luna's wedding, I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to hear the song you've chosen for her first dance with Checkered. I trust you've chosen the best one you can," she smiled.

"Oh boy," I pinched the bridge of my nose. Knowing what was upsetting me, Applejack said not a word, but she massaged my back with her hoof to placate me. "Look guys, I'm going to level with all of you because you're all my friends," I announced, releasing my nose. "It was fun teasing everyone that I won't reveal what song I picked, but I swear that the next one who asks me again is getting chucked over that railing," I pointed to the balcony that Misty Fly was currently occupying.

"That's a bit excessive Cougar," Cadence remarked softly, putting her hoof over her mouth.

"What? It's not like anyone would be hurt," I shrugged. "The Wonderbolts are here, and we've got three of the four alicorns of Equestria in one room; anyone I'd throw over would be saved. Besides, when the bride and groom are the _only ones_ who have yet to ask me the song, then there might be a problem," I added. Despite my explanation, there were still a few that weren't very happy with my announcement.

"Still, don't ya think that response is a little inappropriate for a simple question, Ivan?" Applejack nudged my arm. "Ah know yer a lil tired 'o bein' asked, but keep in mind that there's nothin' wrong with bein' a lil curious."

"Eh, I kind of agree with your coltfriend, Applejack," Rainbow Dash came to my defense. "Curiosity only goes so far before it annoys the buck out of somepony," she shrugged, taking another bite out of her sandwich.

"Like I said, Applejack, it was fun at first, but now that today's the day, asking about the song is a bit redundant," I hugged my arm around Applejack's torso.

"But, if we're asking questions around here," Rainbow continued, slowly turning to Fluttershy, "if nopony else will ask it, then I will. You actually agreed to take Discord along to the wedding as your plus one, Fluttershy?!" She exclaimed. Ah yes, Discord had taken my advice and eventually talked to the nature loving pegasus about going to the wedding together as friends. Surprisingly, no one had said a thing until now. Though, Fluttershy didn't say anything until last night when we all got together to form a game plan for today.

"Is that _really_ your business, Rainbow Crash?" Discord sneered. The draconequus and pegasus got up from their cheers, ready to butt heads right above Fluttershy. The poor pony looked completely stressed with two of her closest friends arguing, looking in between them and not knowing what to do.

"When it concerns you going on a date with my best friend, you bet your flank it's my business!" Discord gasped loudly as his face contorted into horror and I swear a tiny blush appeared on his cheeks.

"Pfft!" He attempted to play it off. "Were you even listening last night? It's _not_ a date, not even close!" Discord shook his eagle hand before pointing a talon at Rainbow Dash.

"Oh I was listening all right! I just couldn't believe it and hoped it was just a bad dream!"

"Please don't fight!" Fluttershy begged, flapping her wings to get in between Discord and Rainbow Dash. Most everyone at the table ceased eating at the events unfolding while a few continued to eat, enthralled by the drama. Soarin had clasped his hooves around his girlfriend's tail, trying to prevent what Discord did to him a few weeks ago from happening to Rainbow.

"Is there anything I can do to help, Fluttershy?" Lullaby pushed her chair back. Soarin finally yanked Rainbow Dash back down to her seat, holding her shoulders down to keep her from getting up again.

"Thank you, Soarin," Fluttershy exhaled. "Now Rainbow Dash, I know you're my oldest friend, but you really don't have anything to worry about," she explained, slowly descending back to her seat as Discord did the same.

"I just wanna make sure he doesn't lead you on or anything," Rainbow ground her jaws together.

"Mmm, the amount of trust you have in me makes me feel _so_ assured," Discord dryly replied, drumming his lion paw on the table. I simply stared at the three in the middle of the argument, a confused look on my face.

"Aww, have a little faith, Rainbow," Fluttershy cooed. "I know Discord's ways of entertainment may not be the most polite, but I have a lot of fun in his company. Besides, he explained that he wanted to celebrate how far our friendship has come, and that he wants it to be a way of thanking me for being his friend," the Element of Kindness gave a sweet smile to Discord. "Plus, I trust that he'd never do something like that, to me or anypony," she leaned over in her chair and gave Discord a quick hug.

Discord gladly returned the hug, but not without sticking his tongue out at Rainbow Dash. "I'll make sure you have one of the best nights of your life, Fluttershy!" He boasted. Applejack gently nudging my arm tore my gaze away.

"_Ah don't suppose y'all had a hoof in Discord askin' Fluttershy ta go with him?" _She whispered teasingly. I snorted quietly and gently pulled her closer.

"_Well, the poor guy came to me for help. He said something about my luck with you might be able to help give him good advice on asking Fluttershy," _I explained. The sound of the dining room door opening again prevented me from saying anything further to my girlfriend. Pinkie Pie subsequently tried to hide Checkered again, but Celestia was watching over her brother-in-law.

"Thanks Celestia," the racing stallion breathed a sigh of relief as the Princess of the Sun levitated him behind her chair rather than forcibly shoving him beneath the table with a large bowl over his head.

"Ah, nephew!" Celestia chirped to the most recent member of the dining room. Upon turning around, Prince Blueblood was already halfway across the room, walking in a brisk pace like he had something urgent on his mind. "Come to join us for lunch before the guests arrive?"

"Good day everypony," Blueblood cleared his throat. "I hope the planning is going well for the day?" He added, stopping right next to Celestia's chair.

"No hiccups from what my mom's recorded so far," Spike said, holding up the parchment that Twilight had him triple check.

"Does Princess Luna need an adjustment for anything?" Rarity asked, scooting her plate forward to stand up. "She just sent me to get something to eat, but I don't mind coming back early."

"No, Miss Rarity," Blueblood chuckled. "She's overjoyed with all that you've done for her today, but Aunt Luna _did_ send me here for a reason."

"Everything okay, Blueblood?" Checkered emerged from behind Celestia's chair. "I know we can't see one another, but is she all right? Does she need Celestia or Cadence?" He asked with genuine concern. Now would be the time for the butterflies in Luna's stomach to be swarming, that is if she were feeling nervous. Even though Celestia wasn't married, she would be the most likely that Luna would call upon for cheering up.

"Actually, she requested the presence of her good friend Cougar," the stallion explained.

"What?" I immediately turned from hugging on Applejack. What the hell could Luna possibly need to see _me _for? I'm happy to talk to her, but what help could I be? I most definitely was not married, so I wouldn't have any advice to share. Or maybe because I wasn't paying too much attention, I heard him wrong. "Say again, Blueblood?" I asked.

"My aunt Luna wishes for you to appear in her chambers," the unicorn repeated. "Though, she didn't give me any reason as to why, other than it was urgent." I stole a glance from Celestia who simply responded with a shrug. With a quick swallow, I put the last few bites of my sandwich back on my plate, giving a confused look to Applejack.

"Go on then, Sugarcube. Y'all don't wanna keep the princess waitin'," she encouraged, lightly pushing against my shoulder. Since it was only the bewilderment that kept me in my seat, I truly saw no reason to not go with Blueblood.

"All right then," I accepted, getting up from my chair just as Celestia's nephew more slowly and regally approached me, rather than quickly trotting like anyone else. "Lead the way, Blueblood," I motioned to the still open door of the dining room.

"Excellent," the prince replied, making a little more haste for the door. I'd begun following him, but something held me back, something I just felt needed to be done. "Cougar, are you not coming?" Blueblood asked curiously, surprisingly not sounding impatient.

"Just a minute," I held up a finger, turning around and swiftly moving back to Applejack's chair. The mare looked at me incredulously, wondering why I wasn't leaving as fast as possible. Without saying a word, I tenderly cupped her face and planted my lips onto her own before moving a hand onto her back. Applejack had jumped at the sudden kiss, seizing up for a minute before kissing back.

"Oooooh!" Pinkie and Surprise exclaimed.

"I'll be right back, okay?" I asked after pulling away from my now flustered girlfriend.

"S-sounds good, Sugarcube. Now go on 'n get ya scoundrel," Applejack joked, giving me a quick hug and then a gentle shove in Blueblood's direction. Right as I turned to rejoin Blueblood, I noticed Cadence giving me a sly wink and motioning toward Applejack with her wing. The uncertainty of visiting with Luna shortly before her wedding was now washed away thanks to a tender moment between myself and my girlfriend, but that didn't mean the walk over would be a piece of cake.

Despite Blueblood willing to walk me back to his aunt's room, it's still a huge adjustment witnessing him acting nice and polite. We'd accepted his apology especially since Luna and Celestia were more than willing to give him a chance to redeem himself, but just like my feelings toward Starlight Glimmer, I wouldn't put my trust within him right away; he had to earn it. Spending six months in Griffonstone adjusting his attitude was one thing; applying that to real life situations was a different story entirely. Though I had to say that he had gotten off to a good start upon his return.

"So," the stallion said flatly. I figured he'd only said it like that because neither of us was really trying to strike up a conversation considering our past. "My aunts have brought me up to speed on just about everything I have missed in half a year."

"Really?" I replied, trying to both amuse him and make the journey go by faster. "What really surprised you the most?"

"Well, at first it was that Auntie Luna was engaged, which I'm happy about mind you," he cast a sideways glance in my direction.

"I kind of figured some of the Canterlot Elite wasn't too thrilled she was marrying an Earth Pony," I shrugged. Fancy Pants and his wife, Fleur-de-lis, told us that while they too were happy that Princess Luna would be settling down and starting a family with the love of her life, some Canterlot Elite A.K.A. unicorns didn't think an Earth Pony was worthy of Luna giving him the time of day. Thankfully though, it was only a minority of unicorns that believed it. I recall Rarity gagging on her tea in her Canterlot Boutique when Fancy Pants uttered the words, '_Anypony who disapproves of the marriage simply because the groom is an Earth Pony can go buck themselves to be perfectly honest.'_

"I know, I used agree with their mindset," Blueblood admitted. "But I have never seen her so happy, and that's really all that matters to myself, Cadence, and aunt Celestia. Besides, I had an audience with Checkered a few days ago. Very soft spoken and wise; he's truly in love with aunt Luna, not her status or money like I've seen so many suitors seek out over the years, especially from aunt Celestia," his voice started to turn into a growl.

"How about the idea of having a new cousin?" I asked as we passed a group of guards making their rounds.

"Honestly, I haven't been around children much in my life, so having a baby in the castle _will_ be a new yet odd experience. But….it _is_ auntie's baby, so I'll welcome him, no matter how loud he'll cry at night or how many messes he makes," Blueblood shuddered, not that I could blame him from how much work a kid is. "I just hope she nor her husband call upon me to foal sit; my inexperience with children may not end well."

"Celestia might be the first one to volunteer for that job," I reassured the stallion.

"Hmm, indeed," he eyed me. "You know, I was brought to light on something else." I returned his gaze, curious as to what he meant. So much has happened since he was shipped off to be kept under the watchful eye of the Griffon King that I really couldn't narrow down any possibilities. "I didn't bring it up upon my immediate return because I didn't want to sound callous toward you in case it was still a tender subject," he explained, slowing down his pace. "And….I know it won't mean very much coming from me, but I wish to apologize." _That_ made me come to a complete stop without slowing down. Hearing that particular word slip from the mouth of _Blueblood_ is something I would probably never grow accustomed to, even if he does earn my trust back.

"What are you getting at, Blueblood?"

"Your scar," he said lowly yet didn't point at it with his hoof. "Auntie Luna told me about how you were given that scar whilst protecting and saving her in Draconia," the prince explained. I couldn't do a thing except stare at Blueblood. While I was confused and not displeased, not a single one of my friends ever brought up my little war prize from Draconia after my little meltdown in the infirmary shower with Applejack. I was glad no one spoke of it, and I was getting more used to it every day, but I still found it hard to even discuss. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what you and your friends had to endure, even if it was for a noble cause of saving my aunt and her unborn colt."

"You uh," I stammered, looking briefly into my reflection in a window behind the prince, "you know you had literally nothing to do with that incident, right?"

"Of course I do," he snickered, "but that does not mean I am forbidden to be sympathetic." He had a point, I couldn't deny that. I looked at him, still feeling a little incredulous, and nodded in agreement. "And I am happy that everypony returned alive, even though the injuries were many," Blueblood continued. "Though, if it were up to me, I would've had the four demons that held my aunt hostage killed on site," he growled, his eyebrows scowling. My attention was finally drawn away from my reflection. While there was a part of me, and I'm sure _everyone_ else, except for possibly Twilight, that would've preferred the dragons dead, their fates were in the right hands.

"I don't think less of you for believing that," I replied, moving in front of the stallion who was now snorting like a bull. "But King Horntail and Princess Ember are taking care of them. I'm sure whatever they're doing is worse than what any of us could have done," I explained. "Except for that dragon that Celestia beat into a coma," I muttered to myself.

"It does not matter, Cougar," Blueblood looked up at me. "Their actions deserve no less than death in my eyes. Taking an Equestria Leader, _my dear aunt_, hostage and inflicting injuries upon her, yourself, several royal guards, and a few Wonderbolts are the actions of monsters and no less!" He barked.

"Trust me, had Horntail's guards and his daughter not found us, Celestia _would've_ finished off her dragon, and Luna was ready to rip Garble to shreds just for hurting me, let alone what he did to her," our eyes locked, clearly in disagreement with one another. "Look, they attacked us first, so we hit them back," I continued. "King Horntail granted us to do whatever was necessary in order to survive. Plus, we made _allies_ with Draconia in the process."

"Harrumph!" Blueblood scoffed. "I'm glad that you did inflict pain upon them, but if you ask me, dragons should be exterminated for the evil that they are. I do _not_ trust this, King Horntail, _or_ his daughter that you and my aunties speak so highly of. How do we know they weren't plotting on the inside in order to get closer to Equestria to overthrow it?"

"Hey," I pointed my index finger at the stallion, "You're fucking lucky that Twilight isn't here, or else you might find yourself back in Griffonstone," I warned him about his rather speciesist remarks. "You're learning, I can see that, but you've still got _a lot_ of ground to cover Blueboy." The prince's expression softened upon my mentioning of his lessons, but before he could say anything, a familiar gruff voice interrupted him.

"Ah Cougar, there you are. Princess Luna is expecting you," Bat Fang said. When neither I nor Blueblood said anything, the bat-pony marched forward, giving Blueblood a distrustful glare. "He's not bothering you, is he?" The two of us still hadn't acknowledged the lunar guard's presence, but instead gave each other a sly smirk.

"Nah," I finally said, "Bluey here was just telling me about his lessons with Celestia and Luna," I explained. Blueblood didn't seemed very pleased with the nickname I'd given him, but nonetheless kept up the charade for Bat Fang, breathing not a word of our disagreement.

"Yes, I thought I'd help pass the time on our way to auntie's chambers," he cleared his throat.

"Very well," Bat Fang rolled his eyes, turning back to me. "Come on, Princess Luna wanted to ask you about something," he explained, trotting his way past me and around the bend in the hallway.

"I shall see you at the ceremony then," Blueblood gave me a polite bow before turning hoof and heading back to the dining hall, leaving me to follow Bat Fang and see just what Luna wanted to ask me.

**(Luna's Chambers)**

"Princess Luna, Sir Cougar has arrived per your request," Bat Fang announced the moment we entered Luna's chambers. The metallic sounds of Luna's hoof plates trotting against the marble flooring of her bathroom was the only response Bat Fang received until Luna poked her head out of the door. A large smile spread across her face as her sight settled on me.

"Cougar!" She said, excitedly exiting her bathroom. The mare didn't slow down as she approached me and threw her forelegs around my shoulders.

"Woah," I exclaimed, not expecting her to hug me like this. The mare only tightened her grip, so I reached around and patted her back. "Good to see you too, Luna," I added. She eventually let me go and fell back on all four legs, still grinning.

"Apologies, it's just good to see fresh faces," she apologized. "Not that I don't like Ms. Rarity's help, but it's not easy being cooped up inside my room all day," Luna explained, opening her balcony door with her magic.

"Ahem, do you need anything else, your highness?" Bat Fang stepped forth.

"No thank you, Bat Fang. You may take a break," Luna granted. "I need to speak with our friend in private regardless," she looked at me, though I could detect a hint of shyness in her voice, _Luna's voice,_ which normally dripped with command and confidence. The lunar guard bowed his head and exited the room to give us privacy, gently shutting the door behind him.

"So…" I began.

"Please," the princess interrupted, magicking a chair over next to her bed. "Have a seat, Cougar," she requested, venturing over to her bed and sitting on the edge, patting the top of the chair.

"All right," I nodded, not wanting to waste her time or offend my friend. "You know, I think you look great, Luna," I complimented as I took a seat. While her hair remained the same, she was wearing a nice form fitting silver dress with dark blue images of stars, moons, and her cutie mark where it usually is on her flank.

"Thank you," she blushed, "Ms. Rarity did a phenomenal job on it; I only hope Checkered likes it," the alicorn stood up and patted her flank, showing off how well the dress fit against it.

"I-I'm sure he'll love it," I averted my eyes and thought of Applejack. I guess my attraction to Applejack, and being around nothing but ponies for close to a year, has helped fuel my interest in mares, not that I was complaining. Though, Luna giggled at how I looked away, sitting back down and put a hoof on my shoulder.

"Oh Cougar, you're simply adorable with your shyness around other mares. Your marefriend is lucky to have a loyal stallion such as yourself."

"Thanks," I managed to force a smile. "Checkered came to taste the food for the reception," I changed the subject, feeling a little more comfortable now, "and then he joined us all for lunch."

"How is he doing?" Luna immediately asked.

"Well, he admitted he's a little nervous," I thought back to our conversation, "but Checkered's looking forward to the ceremony," I replied. The mare sighed happily, allowing a small smile to appear on her face. "Do you miss him?" I asked out of the blue. Sure, it was a bit of a silly question, but if talking about Checkered made her happy, then I wanted my friend to be happy.

"I spent thousands of years without a special somepony, Cougar," Luna looked at me incredulously. "I believe I can spend a few hours apart from him since we'll be together forever soon enough," she folded her forelegs across her chest.

"So you _do_ miss him?"

"Yes," Luna admitted, her forelegs falling to her sides. "You try being forced away from the one you love whilst being in the same building," she explained.

"It'll be worth the wait, trust me," I gently rubbed the mare's back in between her wings. "This isn't the first time a bride to be has asked to see me before a wedding," I revealed. Luna's ears twitched excitedly at my statement as she turned her head back in my direction.

"It…it isn't?"

"Nope," I shook my head.

"You mean, Lyra wanted you to be in her presence before she married Bon Bon?" Luna asked curiously.

"Yea- no, no," I corrected myself, giving Luna a weird look. "Do you remember my friend Adam?"

"Oh, of course," Luna grinned in embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she tried to apologize.

"You're fine," I held up a hand. "But," I removed my hand from her back, "this brings me to my question," I admitted much more seriously than I'd been with Luna.

"Oh?" Luna blinked. "What do you have on your mind, Cougar?"

"I don't mind spending a little one on one time with you Luna, but why did you need to see _me_ specifically? Not to sound rude, but if there's a problem or something, don't you think maybe your sister could help better, or even your niece who _is_ already married?" Luna just stared at me, rubbing at her shoulder nervously before averting her gaze. "I didn't mean to-" I tried to explain.

"No, you have nothing to feel ashamed for, my friend," Luna looked back up at me, biting her lip. "I really don't know how to ask you such a….personal question. It's something that neither Celestia nor Cadence can help with," she professed.

"Personal?"

"Well, it's more important than personal," Luna explained, removing her hoof from her shoulder and replacing it back onto mine. "And it bears a lot of responsibility. In fact it may be one of the most important aspects of any wedding," she added.

"It's not about your song is it?" I asked, failing to hide the irritation I felt about the subject. Luna's face fell flat as she shook her head in response.

"….No, I thought I said I trusted your decision about my and Checkered's song?"

"Sorry, it's just that _everyone_ wants to know what I picked and it's starting to piss me off," I rambled. "But, that doesn't matter right now. What do you need me to do?" I got right back to the point.

"Cougar, let it be known that I do not wish to ask too much of you," she curled her hoof into my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "And if you do not want to go through with it, I shall hold no grudge against you." I nodded, encouraging her to go on. "My friend," she gulped, "since my father is not here, would you….would you be willing to walk me down the aisle and give me away to Checkered Flag?"

I felt as though the Hulk had just punched me in the gut. "I….what?" My head nodded involuntarily before I regained control and shook it in shock. Me? Giving a bride away to her husband? Let alone a _princess?_ "You want me to…." My hand slipped out from Luna's hoof and began to massage my forehead.

"If you're willing, please walk me down the aisle," Luna repeated with her ears drooping anxiously. "I-It's customary for a bride to be given away to her husband at a wedding," she tried to explain.

"I know that," I retorted, having been to two weddings previously where the bride had been walked down the aisle and given away. "But are you _sure_ you're asking the _right_ man? If your and Celestia's dad isn't here, then shouldn't Blueblood take ahold of that duty? He's the closest blood related male relative, right?" The pounding in my chest rivaled that of a bass drum; that was indeed a _huge_ responsibility to uphold, and it only made me uncomfortable because I wasn't related to Luna at all. And despite us being friends for nearly twelve full months, it just didn't feel….right.

"Indeed he is," Luna confirmed, blanketing her wing over my back. "However, I've already inquired him about the role."

"And he _declined_?!"

"Surprisingly yes. I was about as taken aback as you are right now, Cougar."

"But, why did he?"

"My nephew told me he believed he had not yet earned that honor, and wouldn't have enough time to earn it back before my wedding day," Luna delineated.

'_Of all the times for Blueblood to give a shit about others,' _I thought. "What about Shining Armor? I know he's not blood related, but he married your niece, _and_ got her pregnant too!"

"I did actually consider asking my nephew-in-law," the mare answered, standing up from her bed, her wing brushing over my hair as it returned to her torso. "However, when Blueblood declined, the next male I contemplated was you yourself," she now stood directly in front of me, eye to eye. I didn't even bother trying question why; Luna knew all to well that's what I was going to say next. "Cougar, you are quite possibly one of the most honorable beings I've ever known. You put everyone before yourself, always offer your assistance, are very forgiving, faithful not only to your friends, but your marefriend as well, not afraid to step up for what's right, even at the cost of your own life," she listed off before reaching out a hoof toward my hand once again. "And I would feel so honored to have a man with a heart as good as yours to escort me to my marriage with Checkered Flag."

_"Luna…"_

"I understand that this a _lot_ to ask of you, and I will not feel anger toward you if you don't wish to go forward with it," she continued, giving me a hopeful smile. With a drawn out sigh, I slipped my hand out from Luna's hoof and stood up, making her take a few steps back.

"Luna," I started again before gently engulfing the mare with a tender hug. "You were the first friend I ever made in Equestria, and you were kind enough to visit me in my dreams the first few weeks I was here. And I'd dare call you one of the closest friends I've ever had. I felt honored enough just picking out a song for your first dance with Checkered, but I don't know what to say to this," I monologued, pulling back to look at her. "Except yes, I'd love to be involved more in the biggest part of your life. I'd feel blessed to be able to walk you down the aisle and make you proud," I smiled, moving a hand to her shoulder and squeezing it.

"Thank you!" Luna exclaimed, jumping up and hugging me again. "Thank you for doing this, _and_ bringing me back to my Checkered Flag!" She continued, squeezing me even tighter by the minute. "Please," she finally released me, looking like an excited rock fan at at concert. "If there's _anything_ I can do for you, simply name it!" She gushed.

"Well, since I'm already doing two important tasks for your wedding now, can I be excused from making a speech at your reception?" I asked. I was honestly dreading having to make a big speech at her reception because I'm _not_ very good with words, except with the mare I love. Even though I wasn't expecting to say anything at her reception except for her and Checkered to get on the dance floor, I wouldn't be rude and refuse to say anything if I was called upon.

"Done!" Luna exclaimed. "And don't worry about telling my sister; she already approved of you being the one to do this," she assured me.

"All right then." A sudden knock on the door cut our conversation short as the door creaked open and Rarity poked her head in.

"Oh dear, I'm not interrupting am I?" She asked.

"No, we're pretty much done here, right Luna?" I turned to my alicorn friend who nodded in agreement.

"Excellent! Princess Celestia just sent me down to let the two of you know that guests will be arriving soon, and I have to do some finishing touches with you, princess," Rarity announced. "Which means you must get dressed for the occasion, darling," the fashionista put on her red glasses.

"If you say so," I sighed with a click of the tongue. "At least Applejack likes it when I have to dress up," I added, opening the door to Luna's room.

"Honestly darling," Rarity said flatly, "it isn't _that_ bad."

"Eh, I'll see you girls later," I replied over my shoulder before exiting the room.

**-X-**

The countdown was nearly at zero for Luna and Checkered; all of the invited guests were waiting in the throne room along with Celestia, Discord, the Wonderbolts, and Checkered Flag. My friends and Starlight were supposed to be in as well, but Twilight had a little issue with who Starlight invited to the ceremony. "Trixie? You invited _Trixie_ to Luna's wedding?" Twilight interrogated Starlight.

"Nice to see you too, _Princess Twilight_," a blue unicorn mare known as Trixie replied condescendingly.

"What's the matter, Twilight?" Starlight questioned. "I met Trixie in the sauna of the spa during our trip. She and I were having the same problem trying to make new friends and not really knowing what we were doing," she explained.

"You have _no_ idea what Trixie is capable of!" Twilight exclaimed. "She tried and succeeded in taking over Ponyville with a mystical amulet!"

"Wasn't that for like, half a day or something?" Pinkie pondered.

"It doesn't matter if it only happened for twenty-two minutes!" Twilight snapped at her party-loving friend. "I just have a very hard time trusting her," her tone softened as she looked at her protege.

"But all six of you are pushing me to make new friends beyond yourselves," Starlight retorted.

"Well, why not start with Cougar here?" Twilight pointed at me with her wing.

"Hey, don't drag me into this!" I exclaimed. Yes, I still didn't fully trust Starlight, but that didn't mean I wouldn't try being nice to her. However, I _hate_ being drug into arguments I have no part in.

"I'll try making friends with him when _he's _ready!" Starlight raised her voice. Well then, she just earned a few points from me. "The fact of the matter is, how can you push me to make new friends, but want to drive away the first pony I meet?"

"Because Starlight, the only two times we've met, Trixie's been up to nothing but trouble! I can't help but feel a little cautious when she's around," Twilight explained, trying to reach a hoof out to her student.

"And you don't have an issue with this, Princess?" Rainbow asked Luna.

"No, it's good that they're letting off their steam now in private," Luna replied kindly. "Well, as private as this is," she corrected herself.

"Do you believe Trixie cannot redeem herself, Twilight?" Trixie…asked in third person. "She apologized and swore the last time we saw each other that she would work on turning a new leaf! Yes, when Trixie met Starlight, she had no clue that you were her mentor, but once Starlight told me, Trixie saw it as an opportunity to help bury the hatchet between us."

"If you all can give _me_ a second chance, then why can't you give Trixie one?" Starlight glared at Twilight.

"Technically this would be a third chance," Spike corrected. I was waiting for Twilight to either tell Spike to be quiet or just glare at the dragon to get him to shut up, but instead, the alicorn stayed silent as she analyzed her student's question.

"If you won't let my friend stay, then we'll just leave, Twilight," Starlight threatened.

"Perhaps we could stop by the market for some peanut butter crackers?" Trixie suggested.

"No wait!" Twilight begged. "Don't go, Starlight!"

"And why not?"

"You're right. It's not fair of me to give you a chance to redeem yourself and just leave Trixie out in the cold," she admitted.

"Oh?" Trixie raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. Even though I'm your teacher, Starlight, I shouldn't make every decision for you or micromanage your choices," Twilight said, approaching her student once again. "As a student, you're still learning, and it's good for you to make choices for yourself, even if I may not agree with them at first. If you want to be friends with Trixie, then I support your decision," she gave her student a hug.

"Thank you, Twilight," Starlight smiled.

"Just….be aware that it might be a little bit of an adjustment for us," Twilight nervously chuckled.

"It will be the same for Trixie too!" Trixie agreed. "But she is willing and ready to start things over you and your friends," the magician held out a hoof which Twilight accepted and shook. "And she for one understands how odd this will be; she would not blame you for feeling uneasy about this transition."

"I'm sorry for doubting the two of you," Twilight replied. "But hopefully we can put this behind us."

"Yeah because Princess Luna's wedding can't start late, right Twi?" Flash Sentry tapped his girlfriend's shoulder. Twilight froze for a brief moment before yelping, realizing that the ceremony was due to start _very_ shortly.

"Oh, I hope you're not angry with us, princess!"

"Perish the thought, Twilight Sparkle!" Luna shrugged. "Honestly, waiting here in silence would've driven me mad." Everyone suddenly silenced themselves as one of the massive doors to the throne room cracked open.

"Ahem, if you're all ready," Discord said impatiently, poking his draconequus head from in between the doors. "Princess Celestia says that it's time to begin the ceremony," he announced.

"Oh my, we don't want to keep everypony waiting," Fluttershy exclaimed gently. The pegasus was about to enter the throne room herself, but stopped when she realized that she'd be the center of attention if she went in alone. Luckily for her, Rarity took charge.

"All right, places everypony!" The fashionista exclaimed, sorting everyone into a neat, single file line with myself and Luna at the back. "Now Sweetie Belle, I know you've done this before, but I still want you to be on your best behavior and do it _exactly_ as you have in the past. Understand?"

"I'll make Princess Luna proud!" Sweetie Belle squeaked, hoisting up her flower petal basket with her magic.

"That's my little sister!" Rarity ruffled the younger unicorn's mane before taking her place in line.

"Good luck, Sugarcube," Applejack said, quickly turning around to kiss my cheek before it was too late. Luna's wing cheekily brushed against my back while our friends minus the Crusaders shuffled into the throne room, the door shutting with a quiet _click._ I had not the slightest idea how long we'd have to wait for everyone to get situated before it was our cue. However, at least we knew the cue was the playing of the organ.

"You okay there, Luna?" I asked when her wing went a little stiff around my shoulder. The poor mare tried her hardest to hold a straight face, but she couldn't help biting her lip.

"Oh…I'm just f-feeling a little queasy, Cougar," she replied, looking a bit ashamed as she looked up at me.

"I'd be surprised if you weren't," I offered her an encouraging smile, shrugging her wing off my shoulder before gently grasping the end of it in between my fingers. "You'll be fine, Luna."

"This is just a big step in my and Checkered's life," she continued, blinking hard with a quavering voice.

"Well, you two already have one down," I replied, glancing down at her tiny baby bump. "What's one more?" I asked, gently rubbing her feathers in between my fingers for comfort. I didn't really know what else to do, especially since I've never massaged anyone's wings before. It seemed to be helping Luna, however.

"Cougar, Checkered deserves the _best_ wife and mother to his colt that Equestria can offer. I…I want to be sure that I can give him everything he deserves," she opened her eyes which were revealed to be a little damp.

"Come on," I released her feathers and quickly wiped her tears away with my thumb before the mascara that Rarity put on her ran down her cheeks. "You don't have a thing to worry about, Luna. I've seen it; we've _all_ seen it," I motioned to the Crusaders who were still waiting patiently for our cue, yet giving Luna and me privacy to chat. "He loves you, and you love him. Don't think about it too hard, and don't try to change yourself at all; Checkered loves you the way you are, even back when he was in high school and studied you in history texts," I added.

Luna's quivering lips slowly turned into a smile. I pulled my hand away from her face, only for her to gently rub her cheek against my palm. "Thank you, Cougar," she said gratefully.

"Like I said, it's normal to feel a little nervous. At least you're worried about being the best spouse for Checkered," I smiled in return just as the booming of the pipe organ in the throne room interrupted us. The Crusaders all squealed as quietly as they could, getting back in line and raising their baskets of flower petals. Luna and I still stood side by side, turning to face directly in front of us as Celestia's golden magic engulfed the throne room doors and slowly pushed them open.

The guest list was actually _much_ smaller than I'd anticipated, though a couple hundred was no picnic. Nonetheless, with all of them standing up and turning to face us simultaneously, they sounded as though they numbered in the thousands. Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle all did exactly as they were instructed. The trio of friends skipped their way down the red carpeted aisle, tossing flower petals behind them and to their sides.

_"Here we go," _I whispered out of the corner of my mouth. On cue, Luna and I stepped forward in rhythm toward the altar where the groom and our friends were patiently awaiting us. To be honest, as we made our leisure pace, I took a few glances at the mare whose wing was wrapped around my right arm. She no longer seemed as nervous as she had been out in the corridor. Her eyesight was fixated on her soon to be husband, mouth curled into an overjoyed smile, and ears lying flat on her head in relief.

As we reached the front row of seats for guests, Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis just so happened to be sitting in the last two chairs closest to the aisle. The stallion of the duo gave both Luna and me an approving nod while his wife's magic held a handkerchief near her eye. The Crusaders ceased tossing their flower petals, all following one another before standing in front of their respective sisters. Checkered Flag stood in front of Celestia, patiently waiting for Luna and I to arrive with a few of his racing friends, Shining Armor, Blueblood, Big Mac, Soarin, Glock, Flash, Discord, Spike and even Twilight and Shining's dad were standing off to the side. The rest of our friends, including Cadence and Twilight and Shining's mom stood on Luna's side.

"Thank you," Luna said softly to me as we came to a gentle stop. The mare quickly wrapped her forelegs around my torso, squeezing me tight.

"_Go get your stallion,"_ I whispered into her ear when she let go. The alicorn and earth pony reached out held each other's hoof, uniting for the first time today, trying to keep their eyes from bursting.

"You look beautiful, Lulu," Checkered greeted his fiancee. I on the other hand, gave a polite bow to both Celestia and Luna before journeying over to join the rest of the guys on Checkered's side. Even though I was more than happy to join the guys, deep down. wanted to stand with Applejack. Nonetheless, the pipe organ gently quieted, allowing Celestia to speak. The great princess cleared her throat, making Luna and Checkered drop the other's hoof, turning to face her.

"Ahem," Celestia opened up a scroll. "Mares and Gentlecolts, we are gathered here on this beautiful April afternoon to witness the momentous union of Princess Luna of Equestria, and Checkered Flag of Applewood in the bounds of holy matrimony," the alicorn announced. Luna took the opportunity to lay her wing across Checkered's back, massaging his tuxedo lovingly. Across the way, I could already tell that Rarity was struggling to hold back tears, making Rainbow Dash look more irritated than usual.

"Friends and family, please remember that everypony, no matter what age, race, or even species," Celestia looked over at myself, "deserves to love, and to be loved. And the joining of my b-baby sister," Celestia started to stutter her words a bit, her voice beginning to strain. "And her sp-special somepony Checkered Flag is proof of this. Th-that two souls, no matter how different physically or socially, can be united to-together as one, so long as they love each other."

It wasn't Celestia, but _someone_ was now quietly sobbing. Someone crying at a wedding was perfectly normal…..except it was coming from _our _side. Discord and I looked to the far right of our line to see Shining Armor dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief. _"Are you…crying?"_ Discord snickered as quietly as he could. _"Stallion up!"_

"Shh!" Night Light shushed the draconequus.

"Luna and Checkered," Celestia continued after taking a moment to gather herself. "Everypony who truly knows the two of you understands the amount of love that fills your hearts. But rejoice in the fact that marriage will only strengthen that love, and your expecting colt will make it stronger than even today. Let your union be an awakening, so that you may learn, laugh, and fall in love all over again. We, your f-friends, and y-your b-big si-sister wish y-you a-all the happiness in E-Equestria," Celestia began to falter once more. "The bride and groom," Celestia roughly swallowed her tears, "will now exchange their vows," the alicorn held up a hoof to her mouth.

The happy couple turned to face one another, taking a step back to give themselves some room. Checkered sighed, reached his hoof out and caressed Luna's cheek. "Lulu," he began, "from the moment I was taught about your history in school, I was in love with you. Even though the images of you were simple drawings in text books, I believed you were the most beautiful mare I'd ever seen." A few mares in the audience, Rarity and Fluttershy included, awwed, at the opening statement. "And despite the fact that the tone of the history texts painted you as a monster, I sympathized with your situation, and how you felt leading up to…._that _day. I sympathized with you because you felt shunned and outcast by your citizens, the same way my own mother shunned and abandoned myself and my father in the Applewood hospital the day after I was born."

"_Holy shit!" _I couldn't help from commenting on the admission. And apparently I wasn't the only shocked one. _Even Luna_'_s_ face looked both shocked and disgusted by Checkered's revelation.

"But," Checkered continued, "the more I truly studied you, and ignored the tone of the textbooks, the more I fell in love with you. You were a good pony who made a mistake, but I didn't let it define who you were. All throughout my life, I waited, even prayed a few times, for Celestia to lift your banishment from the moon. I just wanted to show you that there were still a few ponies in Equestria who admired and respected you, even loved as I did. I never had a true relationship in hopes that maybe I could have a chance with you. And that night in the Crystal Empire when you accepted my invitation to the Charity Bowl, and I was granted the honor to meet you in pony, felt like a dream come true, no matter how much a few of my friends said my standards were too high," the stallion turned around and winked at his racing friends.

"Still, I'm thankful everyday for your return, and that somehow I now have a special somepony that I can call my wife and the mother of our colt. Like your moon in the night sky is the _only_ moon, you'll always be the only mare for me, Luna. And I'm just so happy that I can give you the love I've held in my heart for over thirty years. I vow to love you more each day, to treat you like a queen, to be your shoulder to cry on, to take care of you when you fall ill, and to protect you and our colt with my very life should it come up. I love you, Lulu," Checkered concluded, still caressing his future wife's cheek.

One look across the way was the perfect summary for how just about every mare in the room felt. Most mares were either crying, wiping their eyes, or blowing their noses as what I would admit was a damn good vow straight from the heart.

_"Checkered,"_ Luna sniffled. _"Th-that was beautiful,"_ she allowed his hoof to wipe away her tears.

"I do believe auntie found the one," Blueblood murmured, his mouth slightly agape.

"I-I'm sorry everypony," Luna apologized, "I m-may need a moment," she announced.

"Take all the time you need, Lulu," Checkered replied sweetly, moving in to hug her. I had to confess that it was pretty damn adorable how the two shared a hug, and Luna rested her chin atop Checkered's black and white mane for comfort. Thankfully, no one in the whole room demanded for ceremony to proceed, not even Discord. Every guest respected the bride's wishes and allowed her to collect her thoughts and feelings before she could go on with her own set of vows.

"Checkered Flag," she said after a deep breath. "I truthfully never gave love too much thought in my life. Of course, Tia and I had each other when we were young, and I still had her sisterly love when I was brought back to Equestria, plus the love of friendship from the Elements of Harmony," she began. "However, I believed that was all _I_ needed. Even my niece's marriage didn't stir up any feelings within me to find a special somepony. It didn't help that many potential suitors were after only my royal status or money," she added. "However, my entire outlook on love and sharing it with a special somepony changed the moment your invitation was delivered. I knew nothing about your sport of racing, but Tia insisted I give it a go and do a special appearance since it was for charity. And I am forever thankful that I listened to her because I never would have met you, Checkered."

Luna paused momentarily to let that moment of her and Checkered's first meeting sink in for everyone. "I've seen kindness and generosity first hoof from my friends Fluttershy and Rarity, but I was blown away by how you treated all of your fans like family. Never for a moment did you show any thinning of your patience, if there _was_ any. And you were so charming during the dinner after the charity race, making sure everypony was taken care of, especially the younger fans. Somepony as caring and selfless such as yourself is a rare treasure that should never be taken for granted. I knew that night, after you offered to take me a moonlit walk with you around the empty race track, that even if we would only stay friends, I would do everything in my power to be a part of your life. A-and that night you asked m-me to be your special somepony, I felt a sense of completion that I never knew I needed. Just like a dragon protecting its treasure, I will _never_ let you go. I feel a little empty whenever I have business to attend to and you must go race somewhere, but every time you return, it feels like Hearth's Warming Morning in my heart, and I swear to you that I will love you even after I take my last breath, and that I would never have another stallion be the father of my colt." Luna bent down and nuzzle her nose against Checkered's, letting a few tears finally fall.

There was a quiet, almost golf-like, round of applause once the bride finished her vows. And yet, I couldn't help but look over at Applejack, and feel that same sense of completion that Luna had mentioned. I couldn't stop the smile from forming on my face when she looked around and quickly slipped her stetson onto her head from under her dress. We'd only been together a few months, but just as I've told her dozens of times, she's the only woman I've loved, and I couldn't find another as perfect as she was. I'd never tell Applejack what was on my mind _this_ early in our relationship, but maybe another year down the road when no doubtably _our_ friends would begin settling down.

_"_Th-thank you, Luna a-and Checkered f-for those w-wonderful vows!" Celestia choked. I couldn't blame her for struggling to keep her composure since it was her only baby sister getting married. It was rather sweet actually. "Now, the rings please, Spike," she announced. The dragon, who had been holding the two rings on a pillow the whole time, stood up straight and briskly walked over behind the bride and groom so that he was facing the audience.

"Your rings, your highnesses," he bowed politely as Luna's magic engulfed one ring, and Checkered picked up the other with his teeth.

"Ahem, Checkered Flag, do you take Princess Luna of Equestria as your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, forever and always, 'til death do you part?" Celestia said a little more quickly than expected, though she managed to say it without forcing back a sob.

"I do," Checkered replied, lifting the ring up to Luna's bent head to put it on her horn. Luna bent her head back up, eyes welling up with tears as the silver and dark blue ring slid down to the base of her horn.

"And do you, Princess Luna, take Checkered Flag as your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, forever and always, 'til death do you part?"

"I do!" Luna exclaimed, slipping a small chain around the ring before tying it around Checkered's neck, the same way Lyra gave Bon Bon her ring at their wedding.

"Th-then," Celestia's composure had lost the war, "b-by the p-power vested in m-me, I n-now p-pronounce you M-Mare a-and C-Colt. Y-you may k-kiss my baby sister!" She exclaimed, wiping some tears away with her golden magic. A few of us politley chuckled at Celestia's slip up, finding it more charming than horrifying as some might.

Luna and Checkered took one last look at each other before nuzzling their noses once again, and Luna's magic coiled itself around Checkered's hooves, lifting him up to her height. The bride and groom cocked their heads to the side and shared their first kiss as husband and wife. Without missing a beat, the audience erupted into applause and cheers. Everyone on both sides joined in with Pinkie Pie firing a party cannon straight in the air, letting her confetti fall gracefully around Checkered and Luna.

As Luna put Checkered down and hugged her husband tightly, Celestia and Cadence trotted over, sharing in the hug for their newfound family member in Checkered. "Ah'm proud 'o ya, Ivan," Applejack said as she quickly galloped over to me and threw her forelegs around my torso. "Hope ya saved me a dance, Sugarcube," she added when I gladly returned her affections.

"Only for you, Applejack," I said, running my hand below her hat and kissing her.

"IT'S PARTY TIME!" Pinkie cheered, jumping back onto her hind legs. One job down, one to go, and I was going to make sure it went just as perfectly for the couple as the ceremony did.

**End Chapter 60**

* * *

_So, Luna and Checkered are now married! I hope you guys enjoyed this first part in the two part Lunared Flag wedding arc. I really wanted to aim to show how close of friends Luna and Ivan really are with this chapter because I felt I haven't done too good a job with that so far. Plus, I really hope that Checkered shedding some light on his past will be well received. I know we didn't really know too much about him before, but I was saving all that for his and Luna's wedding day._

_The next chapter is pretty much fan service, but in a good way!_

_Please review, and rock on my friends!_


	62. Chapter 61: Another Canterlot Wedding P2

**Fallen Eagle **

**Chapter 61: Another Canterlot Wedding Part 2**

_Phew, so I'm glad to finally have this chapter complete! I really, really tried to get this chapter out as soon as possible, but life continued to get in the way. However, it's complete and I hope the wait was worth it. Anyway, I suppose some people may want me to say a few words about the Season 6 finale. Well, you can watch my review of it on my YouTube channel, but in a quick summary, I freaking LOVED the finale._

**Sassymouse:** _There will DEFINITELY be more Luna/Ivan buddy buddy scenes in the future! I really love writing them as friends. Also, here's the bill for my hearing aid! _

**headreviewer mk2: **_Oh there was definitely heightened security, even more than the last wedding. I just didn't think it was worth mentioning since it was all about Luna and Checkered. _

**dixie: **_Thanks...I really can't believe the drive I still have to finish this story, and that a lot of people are still staying here. And Checkered kept it from Luna (even though he loves and trusts her) because it's REALLY a sensitive issue for him. Which is pretty much why he works hard to be the best at racing and why he treats his fans like family; he doesn't want others to feel like a burden or abandoned. _

**WarHusky2000: **_Well, the reception is here!_

**Monkeyboy0118: **_Wow, thanks man. I'm glad my stories can make people happy as well as entertain. _

**SquirtlePWN: **_Thank you very much! I've been jotting down ideas for their vows EVER SINCE Checkered was created to make sure they were perfect and not bland or by the book. Especially since she's marrying an Earth Pony which we know some unicorns see as the lowest class of ponies, they had to be special. And because I really wanted to show these two characters really love each other. As for Blueblood, I needed to show that yes, he's changing the way he sees the world, but he can't just do a 180 immediately. I want him to develop at a natural pace. And just in case you have doubts, he 100% wants to learn how to be a leader like his two aunts and earn the title of prince. He's really sorry for how he's acted previously and wants to turn over a new leaf_

**SkullSlim690: **_Thank you_

**NoOne: **_You're welcome bro!_

**OBSERVER01: **_Well, I have some ideas for Trixie..._

**ShiningShadow1965: **_I can tell you right now that Blueblood has nothing to do with being a traitor. His intentions on becoming a leader like his two aunts are 100% true._

_That's all I have to say guys. Please review this chapter as always, and I hope the extra wait was worth it, especially for you FlutterCord and Sparity fans... ;)_

* * *

**(Castle Gardens; Ivan's POV)**

Once Luna and Checkered were officially married, and the Wonderbolts minus Rainbow did their flyover, it didn't take long at all for everyone to move on out to the castle gardens where everything was already set up. Though, since it was Pinkie who'd planned everything for the reception, it wasn't shocking at all for things to shift that quickly. However, things couldn't move on to Luna tossing the bouquet or Checkered removing her garter just yet. "Hold on everypony!" Cadence announced as we'd barely started to file everyone into the area. "We can't move on until _every_ guest is here!"

"Oh my Celestia!" Lyra exclaimed, hanging a foreleg over Bon Bon's back while the line of guests continued to pour in, "I hope I can catch Princess Luna's bouquet!" She squealed in excitement.

"Uh uh!" Bon Bon shook her head. "You're already married to me; you can't catch the bouquet!" She countered. I personally never believed that mumbo jumbo about the pair that caught the bouquet and garter would be next in line to get married. To each other or different partners though depends on which superstition you believed.

"Oh you're no fun, Bonnie," Lyra stuck out her tongue. Her earth pony wife scoffed and rolled her eyes, squeezing Lyra tighter with her own foreleg.

"That's not what you told me last night," she purred. Okay, now was about the time to cover Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle's ears, but thankfully Rarity stepped in and didn't actually change the subject. The seamstress played off Lyra's original statement.

"Then leave some room for the singles, darling," she politely pushed past the unicorn and earth pony couple. "Momma's going to catch her a princess bouquet!" She gushed with big blue eyes.

"Or you know, those who aren't married?" Soarin suggested, giving Rainbow a little shove. The cyan mare's cheeks faded to light pink before she shook her head, glaring at the Wonderbolt captain.

"Don't get any ideas, Soar," she warned.

"Aw, I'm just havin' a little fun, Dashie," Soarin tickled his wing under her chin. Albeit playfully, Rainbow's face fell flat before she lightly smacked her boyfriend's wing away, yet still leaned up against his torso.

"_Maybe we should get Luna to throw it to Cheerilee,"_ I whispered to Applejack, who began snorting and trying to contain her laughter.

"_I-Imagine the look on Big Mac's face!"_ She snickered in the direction of the unsuspecting couple. Luckily though, Granny Smith and obviously Applebloom fully supported accepting Cheerilee to the Apple family. And if they allowed a vote from me, I'd be all for it.

"Hey Twily," Shining Armor gently nudged his little sister. "Why don't _you_ try catching the bouquet?" He asked, clearly doing it just to push the alicorn's buttons. Twilight's eyes immediately expanded in shock as she took a quick look at Flash Sentry who was standing beside her.

"Sh-Shining! You know I-I don't believe in that superstition!" Twilight stuttered, darting her eyes from side to side as a few beads of sweat rolled down the sides of her face.

"Well if you don't believe in it, then what's there to get so worked up about, little sis?" Shining grinned, relishing in pulling Twilight's leg. The purple mare searched around for a legitimate answer, but found none.

"Maybe because she doesn't want certain some ponies to make a big deal about it?" An unlikely hero for Twilight voiced their opinion. "Especially since she and Flash Sentry have only just begun repairing their relationship?" Discord added, sipping some punch. Ah yes, the draconequus was referencing Lyra and Bon Bon's wedding where some mare named Rose Luck caught the bouquet, and her friends _and_ Pinkie went apeshit over it. Hopefully whoever catches the bouquet and garter won't be bombarded by their friends. "What?" Discord rose a curious eyebrow when nearly everyone who'd heard him just stared at him.

"We uh….just didn't expect _that_ answer out of you," Flash admitted.

"Are you feeling okay?" Spike asked.

"Oh," Discord rolled his eyes, "I pull fun at ponies and I'm being too mean; I try to help save a friend from embarrassment and suddenly I must be on my death bed!" Obviously he was joking; Fluttershy even giggled at his response.

"Well, he's not wrong," Twilight confessed, rubbing at her shoulder. Flash moved to place a gentle hoof upon his marefriend's back, but a certain pink pony slipped in between them, wrapping her forelegs around both Twilight and Flash's necks.

"Aww, don't worry guys!" Pinkie squeezed the alicorn and pegasus. "We're your friends; we wouldn't make too big a deal if you caught the bouquet or garter!" Both the mare and stallion struggled uncomfortably in Pinkie's iron grip, yet they were still able to cast disbelieving looks at Pinkie Pie.

"Maybe some of you wouldn't," Flash replied flatly.

"Come on, Flashy!" Pinkie grinned. "I only got excited about it with Rose because _she _believes in it. If it happened to any of you girls, I wouldn't drag it on if it annoyed you or made you uncomfortable." At that point, both Twilight and Flash tapped Pinkie on her sides with their wings. "Oops, sorry!" She sang before releasing them.

"Honestly, it's better to have friends poke a little fun at you than not knowing what strangers believe in," I remarked, scratching behind Applejack's ear.

"And _sometimes_ family," Twilight added, squinting her eyes at Shining Armor.

"Just because you're all grown up, a princess, and have a coltfriend doesn't mean I won't stop having a little fun with you, Twily," Shining chuckled reassuringly. "Besides, you don't seem to mind when Cadence does it," he added with a quick ruffle to his sister's mane.

"Even if it is just for fun," Flash replied, slowly putting his wing around Twilight's back, "I still like the pace we're going at, Twilight." The princess giggled and leaned in closer to the orange pegasus, nuzzling herself against the crook of his neck.

"Excuse me?" A familiar British-like accent called out.

"Dr. Whooves!" Twilight exclaimed happily. I suppose she was glad to finally change the subject. She gave a quick nuzzle to Flash's cheek before approaching her scientific colleague and shaking his hoof. "Glad to see you made it. I apologize I couldn't say hello to you earlier."

"Oh it's quite all right your highness," the scientist shrugged. "A small break from the lab is just what I needed. Though, I'm not interrupting am I?"

"Nah, we're just waiting for Luna and Checkered to do the bouquet and garter thing," Spike pointed toward the couple with his thumb. Dr. Whooves looked toward the bride and groomed and hummed.

"Right, right, of course!" He grinned. "I just wanted to come by and let you know that I have successfully reverse engineered the long range radio system from your craft, Mr. Cougar!" The stallion announced, pointing a hoof at my direction. My mind blanked for a second before the memory of him coming by Applejack's house came flooding back. Honestly, ever since that particular morning, _so much_ had happened to our group of friends that I'd forgotten that Dr. Whooves was poking around with my jet's radio and my portable two-way radio. But, just as I was about to say anything, Twilight's loud gasp interrupted me.

"Oh no!" She quickly slapped her hoof on top of her head. "Doctor, I'm so sorry I haven't been able to-"

"Ms. Sparkle, there's no need to apologize to me. I understand how important your duties to Equestria are," he waved his hoof around. "It'd be unfair to expect you to drop whatever it is you're doing in order to help me," the stallion assured her.

"I know, but you _did_ ask if I could help weeks ago, and I've just been so busy lately helping other friends, helping with the wedding, and plus I have my own personal student to teach," Twilight explained.

"Student eh?" Dr. Whooves appeared intrigued. "As in a student of science perhaps?"

"No, I'm helping her learn about how to make and…..keep…..friendships," Twilight trailed off, her head slowly lowering to the ground.

"Hey Twilight, are you okay?" I asked with concern. I've seen her manage stress really well with the breathing techniques Cadence showed her, but I've never seen her do this before. "Need a drink?" I added.

"No, no; I'm fine," Twilight held up a hoof. "Doctor Whooves, I think I may have an idea that could benefit everypony!" The alicorn squealed with excitement.

"O-Oh! Do go on then, Ms. Sparkle," the scientist sounded unsure if he should be interested or put off by Twilight's ebullience, leaning a bit back from the alicorn. No one knew what Twilight's game was, so we just sat back and let it play out.

"Starlight, could you come over for second please?" Twilight asked her unicorn student who was mingling with Trixie near the snack table.

"What is it, Twilight?" Starlight trotted over, leaving Trixie by the snack table for the time being.

"Starlight, I'd like you to meet my fellow scientific friend, Dr. Whooves!" Twilight introduced. "And Dr. Whooves, this is my personal protege, Starlight Glimmer!" As polite as an Englishman from my world, Dr. Whooves smiled and graciously held out a hoof to shake Starlight's. However, upon realizing that Twilight was introducing her to a friend of Twilight's, Starlight looked a bit timid.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Glimmer."

"Uh…h-hi," Starlight muttered, her hoof trembling as she grabbed ahold of Dr. Whooves' and barely shook it. "W-what did Twilight say your name was?"

"Dr. Whooves," the earth pony replied incredulously, raising an eyebrow at Starlight's lack of confidence. "Though, if I may ask, what troubles you, my dear?" He asked so kindly.

"Sorry Doctor," the light pink mare apologized. "I-I've just had trouble in the friend department before."

"I'm just trying to assist in her studies by introducing her to potential new friends," Twilight quickly explained before the doctor could even ask.

"Well, on the hooves practice _is_ the best practice there is!" Dr. Whooves exclaimed triumphantly. "And if Princess Twilight believes I could help you, Ms. Glimmer, then by all means, you may consider me a friend," he grinned.

"Oh! Th-thank you," Starlight wiped some sweat from her brow nervously.

"You know, Doctor, Starlight also managed to travel some twenty-odd years back in time," Twilight threw in nonchalantly. The mare might as well have told him his lab was being foreclosed on because I swear the tan colored stallion had the _exact_ same facial expression that Doc Brown had when Marty McFly told him about his knowledge of the Flux Capacitor.

"B-by Celestia's mane!" He blurted in astonishment. I'm not too sure how many other guests had heard them, but if they did, they paid us no mind. "How in Equestria did you manage to accomplish such a feat, my dear!?" Starlight uncomfortably shifted her eyes around and bit her lower lip. She didn't appear too thrilled that she had to bring up her act of evil.

"I've uh….you know…been pretty talented with magic? I resurrected an old spell by Starswirl the Bearded," she gulped. I didn't blame her that she left out the important fact of _why_ she resurrected the spell; I barely knew the stallion myself, so I had no way of knowing how he'd react even with Twilight's stamp of approval on their pending friendship.

_"Mom," _Applejack, Starlight, Flash, and I were close enough to hear Spike whispering to Twilight. "_How does Starlight making friends with Dr. Whooves help _him?" Twilight simply ruffled her son's spines without breathing a word, holding his head in place so he could watch.

With a hearty chuckle, the good doctor politely placed a hoof on Starlight's shoulder. "Ms. Glimmer, have you ever given any thought in joining the world of science?"

"I-what?" Starlight blinked, puzzled by the out of nowhere question.

"I do believe science and mathematics can explain things far better than magic, however, I do not dismiss the immense capabilities that magic itself has," he explained. "Combining the two, having them work hoof in hoof, is the best chance to make life as best as it could be. And as you can see, I'm quite the limited one when it comes to magic, hence why I loved collaborating with Ms. Twilight here," the doctor pointed to the alicorn. "But with her royal duties, _and_ having to teach you on her free time, I was wondering if, when you yourself have time available, you would like to become my part-time lab assistant? Not just for working on time travel, but with other experiments and inventions I work on, such as these radios I've reverse engineered?"

"Me? You really want _me_ to have a role like that?" Starlight did a double take.

"Well, my last lab assistant was recently promoted to Postmaster of the Ponyville Post Office, so she's had far less time to help me. Plus, since your instructor wants you to make new friends, this could be a good opportunity to help you," Dr. Whooves added. Starlight looked back at all of us for some advice on what to do. The only thing Twilight did was grin gleefully and nod her head.

"Um….sure," Starlight said as she turned back to the stallion. "It sounds like it could be fun," she added, offering him a grin of her own.

"Haha! Excellent, _excellent_!" Dr. Whooves cheered. "I'm sure Ms. Twilight will show you were my lab is located; stop by whenever you can, my dear." The doctor held out his hoof once again. This time Starlight shook it with a little more confidence on her face, a small smile showing up.

"Thank you, Doctor," she said.

"Oh please, as my assistant, you may call me Emmett."

"Okay…Emmett," Starlight corrected herself.

"Now, I do believe you all were mingling amongst yourselves; I'll just go enjoy the rest of this lovely reception your friend planned," the pony of science winked at Pinkie Pie before trotting off to the snack table.

"Didn't see that happenin'," Applejack scratched the side of her head.

"At least Starlight made a new friend," Fluttershy pointed out. "Good call Twilight!" She complimented. However, not everyone was particularly happy. Starlight whirled around, looking ready to explode at Twilight.

"What….was…._that_….Twilight?!" She demanded, snorting steam out of her nose and glaring at her teacher.

"W-what do you mean?" Twilight jumped, her ears flat on her head. "I-I just wanted to help you make new friends!"

"I get that, but couldn't you have pulled us to the side in private to talk about it?" Starlight asked in a hurt voice. "I mean, did you _have _to put me on the spot in front of everypony for that?"

"Oh…." Twilight realized her faux pas. "I'm sorry Starlight, I just saw an opportunity for both you and Dr. Whooves to help each other that I didn't want to pass up."

"Still, couldn't you have asked him to meet you later and have me wait with you while everypony else was busy?" Starlight started to calm down. "You know I'm still getting used to this; I made friends with Trixie because it was just the two of us with nopony else to make a big deal about it or judge my performance."

"Uh, nopony here would've judged you, Starlight," Spike replied assuringly.

"It's okay Spike," Twilight gently put her hoof to his chest. "It's reasonable that Starlight was scared to be put in the center of attention for that. She needs to learn at her own pace, not the pace _I_ want her to learn. And I shouldn't try to force her into a friendship," Twilight solemnly walked over and slowly held out her hoof. "I'm sorry I've been such a horrible teacher today, Starlight," she apologized. Starlight actually let out a long, winded sigh before accepting Twilight's hoof.

"At least you have my best interests at the height of your concern," Starlight replied. "And I forgive you, but I honestly am looking forward to being friends with Dr. Whooves," she looked back over at the stallion, "if I can somehow help him accomplish something. I've never worked too much with science before, but trying new things is what friends do…right?" She asked to a sea of nodding heads.

"Oh, just you wait!" Pinkie squealed. "Helping a friend finish something is one of the _best_ feelings in the whole wide world! Well, other than mastering the theremin," she shrugged.

"Hey, think of it this way," Rainbow's scratchy voice cut in. "You're getting the hang of this faster than Dickcord over here," she jabbed her hoof in Discord's direction.

"And just _when_ did friendship become a competition, cripple?" Discord asked in a low growl, getting close to Rainbow's face, only for the mare to blow a raspberry at him. "Harrumph! I'm on my best behavior and get _no_ respect for it," he grumbled. Fluttershy appeared to open her mouth to reassure him or something, but the blaring the royal trumpets cut her off.

"All right, finally!" Vinyl cheered, getting anxious about the two of us playing the song for Luna and Checkered. Well, I'd select the song and she'd actually play it.

"Thank you for your patience, mares and gentlecolts," Celestia announced as soon as the blaring of the royal trumpets died down. Luna and Checkered were standing side by side, just patiently waiting for the next step in their wedding. "And now, the lovely couple will now follow through with the traditional tossing of the bouquet and removal of the garter!" The Princess of the Sun concluded before galloping her way into the crowd with a giant grin on her face.

"Is it really fair for family members to try and catch it?" I leaned over and asked Twilight.

"Technically there's no rule against it, though I can see why some would disapprove of it," she shrugged. Pinkie Pie, however, shushed the both of us, having just as big a grin as Celestia.

"Here goes!" Luna exclaimed, lighting up her bouquet with her silvery magic. Even before she threw the damn thing, I could feel a tenseness in the air. About 99% of the mares in the crowd leaned forward, eyes locked on the bundle of flowers like a hawk on a mouse. Since there weren't too many guests at Lyra and Bon Bon's wedding, there wasn't a ferocious scramble for Lyra's bouquet. Though since this was _Luna's, _it might turn into a feeding frenzy. With a mighty heave of her magic, Luna tossed the flowers into the air toward the crowd. Somehow, some way, all of the guys in our group of friends simultaneously took a step back just as the bouquet arced its way directly toward us. Discord even yanked Fluttershy back and put himself in front of her so she wouldn't be in the line of fire.

"IT'S MINE!"

"I WANT IT!"

"OUTTA MY WAY!" Came the mad and rabid cries of the female guests as they lunged for their desired treasure like a shark going in for the kill.

"We could probably sell tickets to this," Soarin bumped his elbow into Big Mac's side amidst the chaos. Although I was pretty sure that the infirmary might be getting a few patients tonight, the mares were so fucking crazy about catching this thing that none of them could actually catch it. It bounced to and fro from their hooves, off their heads, and off their backs like all twenty-two football players on the field scrambling for the ball in the Super Bowl. That is…..until one mare in particular leapt up and over the crowd, performing a front flip as she snatched the bouquet out of the air.

"YES! I DID IT! IT'S MINE! ALL MINE!" Rarity squealed and jumped around excitedly on her hind legs, hugging the bouquet close. "BACK! BACK AWAY YOU CANNIBALS!" She growled, charging up her horn at the jealous mares who'd failed.

"Calm down, Rare," Applejack said dryly.

"Yeah, it's just a bunch of flowers," Rainbow agreed while everyone who leapt for the bouquet picked themselves up. "I mean, look all around you; we're in a _garden_ for Celestia's sake!" The seamstress gasped almost as if Rainbow had offended her.

"Well then! _You_ couldn't handle the responsibility of receiving the bride's bouquet!" She harrumphed and brushed a strand of her mane out of her eye.

"Hey, why didn't you go for it?" I asked Celestia, noticing she actually hadn't moved at all since she got out of her sister's way.

"Oh, I just like watching the show that follows," the alicorn smiled knowingly, trying to feign innocence. "I wanted to make sure I had a front row seat," she added with a pat to my back.

"Ahem," Luna cleared her throat. "Not to be too pushy, but is everypony ready for things to move along?" She inquired after sitting down in a chair. Luckily, and I do mean_ luckily_, us guys were a lot more calm and collective about the whole garter thing than the girls were about the bouquet. Although it _is_ tradition, going apeshit over this stuff is a bit immature in my eyes, no matter how entertaining things could be.

Once things had settled back down, Checkered got down onto his hind knees and wriggled his eyebrows at Luna, who blushed in returned. As the stallion reached up and under his wife's silver and blue dress, there was a collective, _'Ooohhh,'_ from the audience. Only since this was a royal wedding and the maturity levels were a bit higher than the average wedding, it wasn't hard to discern who was making those noises.

"Don't enjoy yourself _too _much there, Checkered!" Discord commented. "You've already put a colt in her!"

_Zap_

The draconequus coughed up some smoke after Celestia zapped him with a bolt of lightning for his words. However, Celestia may have acted a bit too quickly for what Discord had said. Luna was making some rather bold comments herself. "Oh ho Checkered! Wait until the honeymoon," she giggled and blushed at the same time before Checkered's hooves reappeared. Without even looking, the stallion flung the garter into the air behind him, instead focusing on locking lips with his wife.

"Heads up!" Soarin called.

"Hey!" Big Mac exclaimed when, out of nowhere, Applebloom tried to push him under the garter so it'd land somewhere on him. My heart rate rose just a bit when I realized that Checkered had tossed the garter in _our_ direction. Even though I didn't believe in this myth about catching the bouquet and garter, it'd just feel a bit weird if I had caught it only recently after walking Luna down the aisle.

"Uh-oh," a male voice expressed once the garment had landed. Since he was standing beside me, I could see how red Spike's face was getting when he reached up and pulled the intimate piece of clothing off of the spines on his head.

"Way to go Spike!" Flash teased, grinning and patting the dragon's back. Twilight even had trouble holding back a snicker or two at her son's embarrassed face.

"Uhhhh," Spike droned as the garter hung loosely in his claws. "What…..what do I do with it exactly?"

"Why you keep it of course, Spikey!" Rarity giggled, running her hooves gently over his head while holding her new bouquet within her magic. "For good luck that you'll find your special somepony," she added. That really didn't help the drake's uncomfortable demeanor as his purple scales continued to turn red. With an audible gulp, Spike nervously darted his around before jamming the garter into the pocket of his tuxedo and downing the rest of his punch. Too bad for him though; all of the girls in our group giggled at just how anxious he was about it. I suppose since it belonged to Luna, it only made him that much more nervous that an intimate piece of clothing came from someone like her. If it had come from Rarity, he probably would've fainted; Twilight….he most likely would've screamed.

"Yo Coug!" Someone announced my shortened callsign. I jerked my head in the direction the voice came from to see Vinyl waving her hoof for me to come over.

"Right," I said in realization that my turn was up. In fact, Luna and Checkered had already removed the chair from the dance floor and were politely waiting for me to move my ass.

"Go on 'n make 'em proud, Sugarcube," Applejack gave me a gentle push in Vinyl's direction. I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before jogging over with practically everyone's eyes watching my every step. I'm sure with the type of 'elite' crowd here this evening, they might not expect much out of my song choice despite Pinkie throwing Cadence and Shining Armor's reception a few years ago. But since the last reception here was a hit, the elites may have brought broader minds. If only they were all like Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis.

"Got the goods?" Vinyl asked me as I fumbled my hands into my pockets in search of my phone.

"Right here," I pulled my phone out of my pocket with a grin. The DJ mare returned my grin, levitating the audio cable over and inserting it into the device's headphone jack. The speakers emitted a tiny amount of crackling as my thumb scrolled through my numerous playlists until I settled on the one song literally _everyone_ was waiting for. With a quick sigh, I looked up at the happy and excited couple waiting to begin their dance, but not before shifting my gaze to Applejack. Of course she was intrigued by the fact that it was a country song, but I was hoping she'd be able to look past that fact and understand why I had selected this tune in particular. While it _was_ strictly about a recently married couple, and a few lyrics would hit home with Luna, the song really could fit any couple. I was crossing my fingers that all of my coupled friends would enjoy it. I gave my girlfriend a wink before turning back to Luna and Checkered, giving them a thumbs up with my free hand before clicking on the song.

And as the first few piano and guitar notes played through the speakers, the midnight blue alicorn and light grey earth pony began their dance. I couldn't deny it whatsoever; seeing Checkered nuzzle into Luna's neck instead of the other way around due to her being taller was pretty adorable.

_I see the questions in your eyes_

_I know what's weighing on your mind_

_But you can be sure I know my part_

_'Cause I'll stand beside you through the years_

_You'll only cry those happy tears_

_And though I'll make mistakes_

_I'll never break your heart_

_I swear_

_By the moon and stars in the sky_

_I'll be there_

_I swear_

_Like the shadow that's by your side_

_I'll be there_

_For better or worse_

_Till death do us part_

_I'll love you with every beat of my heart_

_I swear_

_I'll give you everything I can_

_I'll build your dreams with these two hands_

_We'll hang some memories on the wall_

_And when there's silver in your hair_

_You won't have to ask if I still care_

_'Cause as time turns the page_

_My love won't age at all_

_I swear_

_By the moon and stars in the sky_

_I'll be there_

_I swear_

_Like the shadow that's by your side_

_I'll be there_

_For better or worse_

_Till death do us part_

_I'll love you with every beat of my heart_

_I swear_

As the bridge of the song hit, and the guitar went into a solo, everyone's jaw dropped and their eyes lit up. Luna's silvery magic crept out of her horn and engulfed both herself and her husband as they continued to twirl and sway around together. The two then slowly levitated off the ground, stopping until they were about ten feet up, still dancing with each other as if nothing had happened. Checkered slipped his forelegs around Luna's neck and stood up on his hind legs, hugging her close. Luna on the other hand smiled warmly and rested her chin on his black and white mane, nuzzling him tenderly while her wings blanketed around his back. The guests cheered, albeit politely, for the couple's display, happy for the two.

This, however, gave me the opportunity I was looking for. While they were all distracted, I managed to sneak away from behind Vinyl's DJ stand and navigate through the crowd back to my friends. I didn't care that I left my phone behind; it would stop playing once the song was done, and Pinkie had records of party music at the ready. A smirk appeared on my face since none of my friends saw me reappear right behind them, especially Applejack in particular. The orange mare was still staring up at the bride and groom, mesmerized by their dance in the sky.

I wasn't even trying to tease her or be sneaky, I just wanted to _really_ show her that the lyrics resonated with how I felt about her. As gently as I could, I put my hand to the back of her dress, massaging her. She jolted in surprise and snapped her head around to see what was happening, only to have my other hand reach up and softly pet the top of her head underneath her stetson. Applejack gave me a weird look because I was suppose to be with Vinyl, but she eventually couldn't help but smile and roll her head around in the palm of my hand.

_I swear_

_By the moon and stars in the sky_

_I'll be there_

_I swear_

_Like the shadow that's by your side_

_I'll be there_

_For better or worse_

_Till death do us part_

Quickly, before the song was ready to end, I scooted forward and crouched down in a squat next to Applejack, still scratching at the base of her neck. She took her eyes off Luna and Checkered again to see what I was doing just in time for me to mouth to her the final lyrics of the song.

_I'll love you with every beat of my heart_

_I swear_

_I swear_

The song gradually quieted down with the final few chords until gently fading away into the ever darkening evening, leaving nothing but the sounds of the royal gardens and the hum of Luna's magic to fill our ears. With no more music, Luna and Checkered opened their eyes and levitated back down to the ground, their hooves _'clacking'_ softly against the cobblestone. Triumphant cheers almost akin to Dale Earnhardt Jr taking the lead at Talladega filled the air. Hell, _Discord_ even whistled loudly for the couple!

The husband and wife had permanent grins on their faces while they approached us, waving to the crowd that was still cheering for them. "That really was a beautiful song, Cougar," Fluttershy complimented me.

"I _wholeheartedly_ agree, darling!" Rarity chimed in with a sweet smile. "If I ever am lucky enough to settle down, do not be surprised if I come for you for a wedding song, dear," she warned playfully.

"When," Spike cleverly snuck in while I tried to conceal a bit of bashfulness from everyone's praises. The dragon's quick word earned him another giggle and a hug from the mare of his dreams as Rarity cooed from how sweet he was.

"Cougar," Luna said as she and Checkered finally arrived. "We cannot thank you enough for that." The princess didn't even hesitate to throw her forelegs around my shoulders once again and hug me.

"I never had any doubts," Checkered added, chuckling at his wife's tight grip around me. "But, Lulu was right to ask you, Cougar. Do you think you can talk to your friend over there about making a copy of that on record for us?"

"I'll….ugh….ask Vinyl about it tomorrow!" I choked before Luna let me go.

"I kind of wish you came here earlier in time for _my_ reception," Cadence giggled, holding her hoof up to her muzzle. Twilight appearntly took a little offense to that, doing a double take at her sister-in-law. "Oh, you were perfect, Twilight," the Princess of Love ruffled Twilight's mane.

"WHOO-HOO!" Pinkie Pie cheered, jumping to her hind legs on a refreshment table. "Crank it up, Vinyl!"

"In due time, of course," Luna smiled. "As for now, enjoy yourselves!" She exclaimed, wrapping her foreleg around Checkered's neck and hoisting up a cup of punch.

"Yer a genius, Sugarcube," Applejack told me once everyone had gone to get some more refreshments or get on the dance floor.

"I told you you'd like it, hun," I brushed a loose piece of her mane out of her face before planting my mouth onto hers.

* * *

**(Halfway through the party; with Discord)**

The lord of chaos grumbled to himself, his back leaning against the main refreshment table of the reception party. Discord's eagle talons were curled around a cup full of punch while his lion paw drummed itself on the tabletop behind him. Sometime had passed since Princess Luna and her husband, Checkered Flag, had their first dance, and the reception was now in full swing. _'I suppose Moonbutt will force us to address him as prince in formal settings from now on,' _Discord rolled his yellow and red eyes, his thoughts keeping him company as his friends were busy partying.

He needed a break for himself, even at the cost of not spending time with Fluttershy. After the bride and groom's dance, and the couple's dance, Luna had the idea of having the guests dance with those that they did not accompany to the wedding. Of course some ponies were happy with their new dance partners, such as Flash Sentry with Princess Cadence, Spike with Celestia (after having danced with Rarity which left him a tad speechless afterwards), Prince Blueblood with Trixie, Cougar with Luna, and so and so forth. Despite Discord's happiness at getting to share a dance with Fluttershy, he was unfortunately stuck dancing with quite possibly the only pony that actually frightened him: Pinkie Pie.

"I swear that mare is purposely skipping some medication," the draconequus said under his breath, sipping his drink. "Hmmm," he frowned, bringing up his lion's paw and snapping his fingers. The purple colored drink turned a shade darker before he took another sip. "Much better," he licked his lips as the now spiked punch refreshed him. Sure, he liked having tea most of the time with Fluttershy, but he didn't mind having something a little stronger every now and then. Still….he hated being away from Fluttershy, even if he got to spend all morning with her and her songbirds. _'I do need to give her a proper thank you for taking me as her personal guest,'_ Discord tugged at his goatee. Casting his gaze around, his eyes locked onto an entrance into the garden's maze. He knew how excited his pegasus friend was about animals; the gardens were filled with exotic creatures she'd fawn over. Plus, everyone was well aware that Fluttershy enjoyed peace and quiet. "Aha!" Discord exclaimed, getting the perfect idea to spend some one on one time with his favorite pony. "A quiet little stroll under Luna's night sky should suffice for Fluttershy," he said to himself.

"You know, talking to yourself is a sign of insanity," Trixie said to the draconequus with a raised eyebrow, levitating numerous peanut butter crackers onto a plate. Discord frowned at the illusionist and flipped the plate over, spilling the snacks onto the ground.

"Look who's talking, Ms. Third-Pony point of view," Discord replied dryly, purposely stepping onto the crackers while Trixie watched on in horror, gasping. Quickly downing the rest of his drink, the mystical being turned and began to scan his eyes around the reception party area for his buttery yellow friend. Sure, he'd been keeping a close eye on Fluttershy and her friends when he was relaxing by himself, but it was easy to lose sight of them in the crowd. It didn't take long, however, for the draconequus to spot the distinguishable light pink tail and heart-shaped mane of Fluttershy across the way of the reception. She appeared to be talking to someone, most likely Rainbow Dash or Rarity, but Discord neither saw nor cared at the moment.

Not wanting to wade through the crowd like a lost tourist, Discord simply snapped his lion's paw and disappeared in a flash of magic. "Oh Fluttershy?" He called out her name once he reappeared behind her. However, with how loud the music was, and the fact that the pegasus was speaking to Rarity and Spike, she didn't hear her chaotic friend at first. "Ahem," Discord clapped his eagle talons and lion paw together without hesitation.

"Huh?" Fluttershy gasped as a light blue bubble materialized right around her, Rarity and Spike. The latter two had actually seen Discord appear, but his impatience didn't grant them the time to alert their friend of his presence. "Oh, hello Discord!" Fluttershy greeted after turning around to see the draconequus occupying the bubble. All noise outside the bubble was muted, giving the foursome some peace and quiet from the music and other guests.

"Just couldn't wait for her to be done talking to Rarity, huh?" Spike scoffed.

"Oh please, I just thought you three would want to hear each other a little better," Discord tried to fib convincingly.

"Uh huh," Rarity squinted, not falling for Discord's lies.

"Well I just as easily could've cut you off from her," the draconequus pointed out. "But I didn't. I just simply wanted to see Fluttershy about something and thought I'd give you the common courtesy of finishing your chit-chat without any distractions," he explained. A couch suddenly appeared with the four, which Discord happily sat upon to patiently wait out the conversation.

"Oh! Actually we were just about-" Fluttershy began before Spike held up a hand.

"Is that…..Rarity's couch?" He asked incredulously, cocking an eyebrow at the lord of chaos.

"WHAT?!" The seamstress shrieked, eyeing the piece of furniture closer. Discord nonchalantly shrugged and picked up a large bucket of popcorn from underneath said couch, tossing some into his mouth.

"You've fainted countless times onto this old thing, so I _had_ to see what the fuss was all about, and my my is it comfy!" He leaned forward and purposefully dug his butt into the cushions to leave an imprint. Spike leapt in between Rarity and Discord to keep the mare from ripping the draconequus' goatee straight from his jaw.

"If you get a single kernel in my cushions!" Rarity snarled, flailing her forelegs about.

"Fear not dearest Rarity," the popcorn and couch disappeared with a snap of Discord's eagle talons. "Your couch won't be harmed at all this evening; you may finish your talk with Fluttershy now," he granted permission to the three.

"Actually, we were just finishing up," Fluttershy giggled at her friends' antics. "I mean uh, if you don't have anything to add, Rarity?" She asked.

"I honestly could use a drink right about now, darling," Rarity groaned tiredly, rubbing her hoof about her eyes. "You can go on with Discord if you'd like." At this point, Spike perked up with a grin, offering the mare his hand.

"Mind if I lead the way, Rarity?" He asked politely, though Discord and Fluttershy could spot a hint of timidness in his voice. Somehow, probably from her frustrations with Discord, Rarity didn't seem to notice this.

"Oh Spike, you'd be my hero!" Rarity exclaimed, accepting his hand with her hoof, allowing him to lead her out of the bubble and to the punchbowl, leaving Discord and Fluttershy alone.

"So," Fluttershy didn't hesitate, "what did you want to talk to me about?" She asked innocently with her usual warm and friendly smile. Discord was busy giving Spike a double thumbs up and a cheesy grin before realizing Fluttershy had said something.

"Oh, ahem," he cleared his throat into his lion's paw. "Well, I was just wondering….the party's been going for some time now, and I wanted to know if you'd like to take a little breather?" He suggested, tapping his talons and paw together.

"Ooh, what did you have in mind?"

"I don't believe anypony else had wandered off," Discord looked behind at a pathway that led to other parts of the royal garden. "Would you mind a nice, quiet stroll through the garden?" _'Just the two of us?'_ His thoughts added for him. "Besides, don't you think it's getting to be a bit warm being around all these other ponies?"

"Now that I think about it, I _have_ been feeling a little warm lately," Fluttershy admitted. "But I think a _quiet_ walk in the gardens with the two of us is just the break I needed," Fluttershy smiled in relief. Truthfully, she wanted to get away from the bigger crowd herself, even though she'd spent the majority of the reception with her friends.

"Wonderful!" Discord cheered before catching himself. "Ahem, I mean, how _lovely_," he cleared his throat before clapping his talons and paw together. In an instant, the noise cancelling bubble popped, and the pegasus and draconequus vanished from the reception party, reappearing in a seemingly empty part of the castle gardens. The first thing that Fluttershy noticed, besides the cool air that felt like heaven on her fur, was she could hear crickets chirping!

"Oh my, it sure is more peaceful," she exhaled happily, enjoying that the music was now a good distance away and wasn't giving off a rumble in her chest from the beat. She took a look around at the beautiful scenery, taking in how serene and calming the noises of the garden at night were. However, when she gazed down toward the end of the pathway Discord had teleported them to, Fluttershy felt a little heaviness in her heart.

"I think it could use just a little touch of chaos," Discord said flatly, leaning his elbow on one of the many statues in the garden. "But I suppose what Luna and Celestia do with the place is…..passable," he shrugged. "Is something the matter?" Discord asked, noticing that Fluttershy had sort of a sad look on her face as she slowly trotted past him. "Are you feeling a bit famished, Fluttershy?" A plate of vanilla cream cookies materialized into Discord's lion paw.

"I'm sorry Discord," the animal lover apologized with a sigh, stopping at the end of the path and turning back to look at her friend. "I just….didn't realize how special the gardens were to us," she explained, mustering up a smile.

"Special? Us?" Discord flung the plate behind him like a frisbee before disappearing and reappearing beside his pegasus friend.

"I mean our friends and you," Fluttershy corrected, pointing around the bend. Discord removed his orange top hat, popped open his head, and gave a little scratch to his brain before taking a peek at where Fluttershy was gesturing.

"The hedge maze?"

"You know, where we all met you in pony and you uh," Fluttershy paused, afraid of saying the wrong thing. However, she didn't have to worry about finishing her sentence. Discord himself took a few steps forward, his arms hanging loosely at his sides, dropping his top hat to the ground as his ears and even deer antler and gazelle horn drooped sadly.

"Trapped you all in here and tormented you for my own amusement," Discord finished shamefully. Fluttershy sensed the guilt in his voice and was at his side in no time, patting his arm to comfort him.

"Aw, it's okay Discord; it's all in the past," Fluttershy cooed. "I know what you did was…."

"Evil, selfish, cruel, I could go on," the draconequus said lowly, thumbing through a thesaurus before gently sitting down on a stone bench. "I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, dear Fluttershy, but sugarcoating what I did won't help a thing."

"Look at how much you've changed since then!" The pegasus continued her pursuit, flapping her wings until she was hovering at Discord's eye level. "You've made amends with the princesses, helped Cougar adjust to his new life, and made friends with Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, and me."

"Again, I'm grateful that you're trying to cheer me up," Discord clicked his tongue. "But no matter how much I change or what _good_ I do, the past is forever, and nothing we can do can alter that." Fluttershy pouted yet gently rubbed her hoof in between Discord's antler and horn.

"But it isn't fair to you to only focus on your past, Discord," she pointed out.

"But it isn't good to ignore it either," Discord retorted, clenching his eagle claw and lion paw on the stone bench. "As sweet as you are Fluttershy, I _was_ a monster before; anypony who denies it is a fool. I know it happened before we were friends…..but," Discord suddenly took ahold of one of Fluttershy's hooves in his eagle claw, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for putting you and your friends through that nightmare and driving you apart."

"Oh Discord," Fluttershy removed her hoof, only to eagerly envelope Discord's orange tuxedo and slender frame in a hug. The draconequus froze, allowing a bit of a blush to appear on his cheeks before he patted his friend's back in between her wings. "I forgive you!" She exclaimed happily.

"And…I'm sorry for what I did to you during Tirek's attack," Discord added solemnly.

"But you told me that siding with Tirek was a plan to double cross him," Fluttershy pulled away, looking at her friend in bewilderment.

"Oh it was, but I should've stopped him earlier with Twilight's help before you were all imprisoned, and before I made you cry," Discord's voice seemed to crack a little. "That in of itself should be a punishable crime," he added, looking down at the path below.

"Discord, I forgave you before," Fluttershy gently pushed his head back up with her hoof, "what kind of friend would I be to take it away?" She questioned with a warm giggle.

"You know," he chuckled in reply, standing up from his seat and allowing Fluttershy to let go. "I'm glad I was able to get that off my chest, but I _did_ have a motive for wanting to take a private walk with you, my friend," he grinned.

"Oh?" Fluttershy raised her eyebrow.

"I really wanted to thank you for being patient with me, showing me the true power of friendship, and for taking me as your plus one to the wedding," he explained, raising his eagle claw up to the sky, "but now I suppose it's also a way to apologize for my past mistakes," the lord of chaos swept his eagle claw downward. Fluttershy, however, didn't follow the motion of his claw. Instead, she took a step forward, her mouth nearly becoming unhinged from her jaw at what she was witnessing.

_"Discord…."_ she said in a whispered awe. A few stars above in Luna's night sky began to swirl around like snowflakes blowing in a gentle breeze, flowing down toward Fluttershy and Discord's position. Her teal eyes continued to grow, completely captivated by the beautiful sight as the stars seemed to be forming something. Discord had to use nearly all of his strength to keep from chuckling at his friend's reaction to his plan.

"Ah, there we go," Discord grinned from ear to ear, sighing once the stars came to a stop and forming a stairway up to the sky. "Shall we, my dear?" He bowed gracefully, offering his lion paw to her hoof.

"W-won't Princess Luna mind that we're using her stars?"

_'Oh how adorable.'_

"Pshaw!" Discord chuckled, "Something tells me Moonbutt's _really_ enjoying herself too much at the moment to care." The draconequus extended his paw out further, waiting for the beautiful pegasus to take it. Inhaling deeply, Fluttershy smiled and put her hoof into Discord's paw. "Fret not, Fluttershy; I'd never allow you to walk on something that would allow you to fall," he promised.

"Oh my," Fluttershy let out a shy giggle after taking her first step onto the star stairway. It was like walking on a translucent cloud, but she knew she wouldn't be looking down for _too_ long or else her fear of heights would take over and ruin this moment between her and Discord. The two climbed the staircase at a respectable pace, trying to soak in every second of this quiet opportunity. Once they were high enough, Discord released his paw from Fluttershy's hoof, flying backwards in front of her so she wouldn't be tempted to look down at the ground below.

"There, that wasn't so bad was it?" Discord asked sweetly, patting Fluttershy's mane to keep her calm. Fluttershy could only smile bashfully at her shyness, lightly swinging a front leg back and forth. She began to giggle once again, however, when she noticed that her hoof swished some of the stars around like water, yet they continued to hold her up.

"This is amazing!" She exclaimed, still playing with the stars as she looked up at her friend. "I can't believe Princess Luna gets to do this every night. I thought just admiring her night sky was a treat, but this….." she trailed off, tossing some of the stars up in the air and allowing them to sprinkle back down around her. Discord couldn't help but stare at the innocent pony, watching as the flakes twinkled all about, giving her a faint but noticeable glow. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked, but how to do so without making his true feelings obvious or making her uncomfortable?

"Fluttershy?" His mouth spoke without him realizing it.

"Yes?" Fluttershy's wing flapped some of the flakes away from her eyes. Discord stood with his mouth hanging open, unable to say anything, and feeling like an idiot for doing so as each second slipped on by. And yet, Fluttershy simply smiled at him, waiting with more patience than Discord had ever seen for him to say something.

"Ahem, you uh," he stammered, reaching over with his eagle talon, "you have some in your mane," he pointed.

"Oh!" Fluttershy attempted to brush her mane, but Discord stopped her.

"I wasn't complaining; I think they accentuate your eyes." The draconequus gently moved Fluttershy's mane back behind her ear to show more of her beautiful face, all the while mentally screaming, _'A two bit novel wouldn't say something that lame!'_ He tilted his head, however, when Fluttershy's yellow cheeks flushed as she pursed her lips and looked away.

_"Th-thank you, Discord," _the pegasus replied meekly. Discord's heart began to beat faster and faster. He had to think of something to keep the moment from getting any more awkward than it was.

"Can I show you something?" He blurted the first thing that came to mind. Thankfully, Fluttershy cleared her throat and turned back to face him. The blush on her face was slowly fading away.

"Mhmm," she nodded. Sighing in relief, Discord motioned for her to sit beside him, getting down onto his stomach.

"Now, this _may_ seem a little scary, but I promise I won't let anything hurt you," Discord swore on his very life after Fluttershy gently laid down on her stomach as well, her wing barely brushing against Discord's. The pegasus gasped and covered her eyes when she realized that her friend was using his magic to rip a tiny hole within the stars, giving them a view of the gardens, castle, city, and party below. "It's okay," Discord said softly, stroking the mare's wing.

"S-sorry, I don't mean to be such a scaredy pony," the pony's body trembled.

"Fear not, Fluttershy; I've got you," Discord answered in a comforting tone. Feeling safe and secure with Discord's words and his stroking of her wing, Fluttershy slowly removed her hooves from her eyes, looking down at what her friend wanted to show her. "What do you think?"

Fluttershy couldn't believe what she was seeing. "I've never seen anything more…." the pegasus trailed off. "I can't even think of a word to say!"

_'Neither can I,'_ Discord replied in his head, looking at the preoccupied pony rather than the view down below. "Are you still feeling all right?" He questioned, placing his cheek on top of his eagle claw and lion paw, continuing to look at her.

"Better!" The pegasus exclaimed. "I never thought I would be able to see something like this."

"Well," Discord chuckled, "I _do_ try my best to please my friends." The draconequus' grin faded away when he felt something incredibly soft touching his side. Shooting his eyes down, Discord discovered that Fluttershy had scooted closer to him, allowing their bodies to touch. Not knowing what else to do, Discord elected _not_ to tell Fluttershy in fear of making her feel shameful. Rather, the lord of chaos, lifted a wing of his own and blanked it over Fluttershy's back. To his surprise, the pegasus sighed contently.

"Thank you for showing me this, Discord," she said after what felt like an hour of cuddling with her.

"N-no problem," he tried to blow it off. "I'm just happy I could help make your night a memorable one."

"No, Discord," Fluttershy suddenly yet gently slipped from under his wing, standing up on all four legs. Discord quickly patched the hole back up before standing up as well.

"Hmm?"

"Thank _you_ for convincing me to take you as my plus one," Fluttershy nervously swung her foreleg back and forth again. "I don't think I would've had as much fun without you here."

"Well, as you've shown me time and time again, things are always better when friends are involved," Discord played with his thumbs, trying to keep focused.

"D-do you mind if I do something?" Fluttershy sputtered in a squeaky voice.

"Do something?" Discord raised an eyebrow. His friend had _never_ sounded so vague before.

"It…it's just a thank you," Fluttershy explained.

"Oh come now, you don't need to thank me for this," Discord crossed his arms. "This was _my_ thank you and apology to you because you're my friend." His explanation didn't stop Fluttershy, however, from gently flapping her wings and raising her off the stars until she was eye level with the draconequus.

"I know….but still, it's a sweet gesture that I want to recognize," she countered sweetly.

"If you must," Discord sighed, snickering the animal lover's enthusiasm. "What did you have in mind? A hug?" He stopped when Fluttershy took in a deep breath, as if she were preparing to receive a shot from a doctor, and floated closer to his face. "Ooh, a secret! I do love-" Discord rubbed his hands together before his whole body froze like Han Solo in carbonite from Fluttershy's warm, soft lips pushing against his cheek.

His eyes glazed over as his mind tried to jumpstart back up to process what was going on. He had lost all feeling in his body, but Discord blinked his vision back to see Fluttershy pull away from his cheek, her face holding a sheepish smile and cheeks growing pinker by the second. The draconequus began breathing again, bringing his paw up to his cheek as a tingling sensation began to radiate from the spot on his cheek from the kiss to the rest of his mismatched body.

"F-Fl," Discord stuttered, attempting to get his mouth working again. All of a sudden, he let out a cheerful laugh before falling onto his back, the stars cushioning his fall, and babbling like an idiot. A few flakes ascended from where Discord had fallen, slowly twinkling back down around the draconequus.

"Hehe," Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle at her friend's reaction. _'At least it didn't scare him,'_ she thought to herself, covering her muzzle with her hoof. The pegasus calmly trotted to Discord's side, sitting down on her haunches to wait out his reaction until he returned to normal…..at least _Discord_ normal. "I….I hope that didn't cross a line," she muttered when Discord's giggling had begun to die down.

"No, not at all," Discord wrapped his lion arm around the tiny pegasus' body and pulled her closer to him. "You wouldn't want to see if your friends miss us, would you?" He asked incredulously, hoping that he'd get to spend the rest of the night with her until it was Fluttershy's bedtime. The pegasus actually took a look down through the starry floor, moving a few out of the way with her hoof.

"….No, I think they're having a good time without us. Besides, I don't think anything else tonight will be better than right now," she replied sweetly, allowing Discord to pet her mane. Sure….it was just a friendly kiss, a thank you for opening up to her and helping make the night even more memorable than she ever could dream. _'Not tonight,'_ she shot down the part of her that wanted to confess to Discord, '_it's already perfect. Don't take a chance at ruining it and your friendship,'_ her conscience advised, which sounded a lot like Twilight's voice.

"I humbly agree," Discord concurred, moving some more stars out of the way to allow Fluttershy a view of nearly all of Equestria.

"Enjoying yourselves, are we?" A voice from behind startled the duo. Fluttershy yelped and spun around to find none other than Princess Luna with somewhat of a smug smile on her face.

* * *

**(End of Reception; with Spike &amp; Rarity)**

"Well, that certainly was a fun time, wouldn't you say, Spike?" Rarity asked her dragon friend. After many hours of dancing and celebrating the marriage of Princess Luna and the now Prince Checkered Flag, the reception was declared over. All of the guests politely filed out of the garden and returned to their respective homes with the exception of special friends of the princesses who were granted rooms for the night in the castle, having put in a hard day's work to make the wedding come together.

"I'll say!" Spike agreed, slinging his tuxedo jacket over his shoulder as he walked side by side with Rarity down one of the many corridors of Canterlot Castle. Much to Spike's surprise, the mare he'd harbored a crush on for years had asked him to take a walk with her after the festivities had ceased, and before they would head off for bed. "I think it's safe to say that Cadence and Shining Armor's reception has been beat!"

Rarity giggled at the drake's enthusiasm. "I'll be honest, I was just a _tad_ skeptical about the music for the evening, but Cougar proved he can be trusted with musical selections," the seamstress admitted, recalling her pledge to their human friend about music for her own wedding someday.

"I never doubted him for a second after what he did for us at the Gala," Spike ran his hand through the green spines on his head, flicking some sweat off. "Phew, it _is_ nice to cool off though," he added. The unicorn beside him shuddered, having suffered a few beads of sweat of her own at one point in the evening. "How do you think Fluttershy faired with Discord?"

"Well, it really isn't any of our business," Rarity pursed her lips together as the duo rounded a corner, "but at any rate, Fluttershy trusts Discord more than anypony, and let's be honest Spike," she turned to face the drake, "Discord cares more for Fluttershy than anypony else, so I don't think anything bad happened. I'm sure they probably went for a casual stroll or just talked."

Spike put his free hand up to his chin and rubbed it, thinking. "That really doesn't sound like Discord you know?"

"Like I said Spike, as much as I would love to hear the details from Fluttershy, only she can tell me when she wants to. Maybe he did just go for a quiet stroll, something more suited for her," Rarity suggested. It sounded almost alien to Spike. _Discord_ acting mature and doing things for others? He'd spent a lot of time with Fluttershy before, but from what the dragon could recall, the draconequus always had a hint of doing something for himself whenever he'd hang out with the meek pegasus. But, Spike supposed that if Rarity would agree to dance with him, then Discord having something in mind solely for Fluttershy wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

"Rarity?"

"Yes Spike?" The unicorn smiled at her friend, happy to hear what he wanted to talk about. She had actually grown a bit concerned when he ceased talking for a moment during their walk, anxious that the fact they were alone was making Spike feel nervous.

"Did you have fun tonight?" Spike asked. The question immediately puzzled Rarity; she'd _just_ mentioned that the night was a fun one indeed. Why would he ask her if she already told him?

"…Why yes I did, Spike," the seamstress answered, unable to stop from raising her eyebrow in confusion. "But you know I just told you that, right?" Spike sighed and turned away from Rarity, rubbing at his neck with his free hand.

"Well, yeah," he admitted almost shamefully, unable to look at the unicorn. "I just meant if you had fun when we….you know," he insinuated, almost as if he were talking about something dirty.

"Danced?" Rarity said for him, her confusion turning into a bit of worry. "Is there something wrong, Spike?"

"No, no," the dragon finally looked back to assure her that's not what he was getting at. "I wanted to make sure I didn't disappoint you when we danced around others," he explained. Rarity couldn't help but let out a sharp giggle. She wasn't laughing _at_ Spike; she thought it was rather adorable how he was worried he may have disappointed her in some way when it couldn't be further from the truth.

"Don't forget, Spike, you and I danced at the Grand Galloping Gala last year," Rarity quickly replied to avoid hurting his feelings due to her unintentional giggle, adding a reassuring smile. "You were a fine dancer then and tonight, and I had fun then and tonight." The unicorn said with her 'sweeter' voice that she knew made Spike melt, just to put him at ease.

"Yeah…but this time I asked if you'd want to dance with me before the day of the wedding even took place. You _knew_ you were gonna dance with me, and I just wanted it to be perfect for you; you deserve a perfect dance." Rarity truly didn't expect that answer from Spike. In fact, the statement made a blush creep it's way onto her cheeks. Feeling flattered, the seamstress gently put a hoof onto Spike's shoulder, making the duo stop walking.

Rarity giggled again, "You're honestly the best dance partner I've ever had, Spikey," Rarity admitted with a bat of her eyelashes.

"Hehe, thanks Rarity," Spike gulped from the close proximity. "Thanks for dancing with me," the drake added with a timid grin. Rarity slipped her hoof from his shoulder, and the two began walking down the hallway once again.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, darling. This wasn't just a fun night," Rarity revealed, "This was honestly one of the most fun nights of my life." Spike's heart jumped at his crush's admission. "And I'm glad I could share this date with you."

"Date!?" Spike exclaimed, stumbling over his feet. The poor dragon was about to trip due to his embarrassment when his body was enshrouded with Rarity's blue magic, holding him in place.

"Spike are you okay?" Rarity helped stand him back on his feet, patting his back.

"I-I'm fine," Spike allowed his heart rate to decrease to normal. "But, tonight wasn't a date; we just danced together," he clarified, slowly shifting his gaze to the unicorn comforting him. "Right?" He added apprehensively. He had no idea why Rarity abruptly declared that tonight had been a date between the two. If anything, he was afraid of _himself_ accidentally calling it a date and having Rarity believe he was getting the wrong idea.

"Well, no…not technically," Rarity looked away, mentally berating herself for putting Spike in an awkward position. She wanted to slap herself for nothing thinking about what she wanted to say and avoid making her friend uneasy. "But we _did_ spend the whole reception together, even when we were in the company of others," the fashionista reminded him. Spike's eyes began to wander, copying his thoughts as he analyzed the events of the night. He found Rarity's hoof gently cupping his cheek, pulling his head back in her direction until he was staring back into her brilliant sapphire eyes. "It can be our little secret; nopony suspected nor accused us of having ulterior plans for the evening. However, because I had so much fun with you tonight, _I'll_ always consider it a date," she smiled sweetly, removing her hoof from the dragon's purple cheek.

"O-O-Okay," Spike sputtered, biting on his lip.

Rarity knew that no amount of reassurance from her would be enough for Spike. All she wanted to do was help him relax a little more around her instead of acting like a puppy afraid of a thunderstorm. And no, she wasn't annoyed that Spike would sometimes babble on when in her presence or become a little clumsy; she found it pretty cute to be honest. But at the same time, she felt a little saddened that Spike felt he had to put himself through all of that in fear of her finding out about his crush on her. As his friend, Rarity wanted to help him calm down and have nothing to hide nor fear from her. And yet….there really was only one way to help the poor thing. Sooner or later, he needed help with this; a time like this seemed perfect. After looking around to make sure nopony else was watching nor listening, Rarity glued her eyes right onto Spike's green ones and set forth her plan.

"Spike, would you be a dear and do me a favor?"

"Uh, sure, what can I get you?" Spike _did_ seem to return to normal if only to try and not disenchant her.

"Oh, it's nothing I want you to get for me. It's just something I need you to _tell_ me," Rarity explained. Feeling a tad baffled, Spike only nodded in reply. "Spike, please tell me your true feelings for me," Rarity stated bluntly. Spike's jacket instantly slipped through his fingers and slumped to the marble flooring.

"F-F-Feelings!?" Twilight's son choked out, coughing up a bit of black smoke. Rarity took one step forward, just to try and ease him into her request, but with how freaked out Spike was, he only backed himself up into the window, trapped between it and his crush. "Rarity," he put on a faux smile, "I-I-I only like you as a friend. N-Not that I don't think you're beautiful or-" the seamstress plugged his mouth up with her hoof.

"Spikey, just calm down," she firmly ordered. "Trust me." The drake obeyed, sucking in a deep breath of air through his nostrils before gulping. "Please, Spike, don't deny it. It's obvious to everypony in Ponyville, even to the princesses _and_ Checkered Flag, that you have secret feelings for me." With a defeated whine, Spike slumped his body against the glass, hanging his head in shame. He put his hands to his face as if trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Rarity….I can't," he admitted. "I just, I just can't," the drake repeated, pausing in between his confession. "We're already good friends; I-I don't want to-" Spike attempted to explain, but the mare in front of him wasn't having _any_ of it.

"Spike Sparkle!" Rarity exclaimed, stamping her hoof onto the floor in front of Spike, shutting him up. It wasn't her outburst that got to him, it was what Rarity _called_ him. No one Spike had met, even his mom, had ever used Twilight's last name when talking to him. "You tell me your feelings for me this instant!"

"W-why?" Spike managed to croak out.

"Because we're already good friends as you pointed out," Rarity took a sharp breath, relaxing a bit before continuing. "I don't want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me or feel embarrassed simply because you have a crush on me," she explained sweetly, stepping back to give Spike some space and air. Rather than try to force it out of him, the seamstress remained silent to allow the reptile to gather his thoughts. She even tenderly ran her hoof over the spines on his head the way he liked it when he was smaller.

"Rarity," he sighed, licking his snake-like tongue over his lips, "I honestly didn't tell you by now because I tried to explain it back when my greed went haywire and you stopped me from confessing." Rarity cooed, slipping her hoof from the top of his head back down to his cheek. Despite having to explain his crush to Rarity, Spike couldn't ignore her because he knew she trying to help him get over his fear of her knowing. He gave her his full attention, looking her straight in the eye.

"Yes, I already knew back then," she giggled softly at the memory, "but please Spike. You only tried to come clean because you didn't know if we would make to the ground safely. I want you to tell me right here, right now, under normal circumstances. We're friends, you have nothing to fear." With a gulp and a few shaky breaths, Spike conceded.

"R-Rarity….I-I…"

"Come darling, you're doing so well," Rarity encouraged, taking one of Spike's hands in between her front hooves, massaging it gently.

"_I love you_!" He barked in a squeak, face red and sweaty, eyes clenched tightly. Spike honestly had no idea what to expect in reply from Rarity, but that's really what frightened him most.

"Oh Spikey-Wikey!" She called him by the pet name she'd rewarded him with from what seemed like ages ago to the two of them. Rarity looped her forelegs around Spike's body, pulling him away from the window and hugging him tightly. "I'm so proud of you! Was that so hard, sweetie?" She asked him with a satisfied smile.

"Yes!" Spike exclaimed, looking as if he were about to vomit. Upon hearing his answer, Rarity immediately released him, knowing that it was best for him to get whatever else he needed off his chest. "It's hard admitting to someone you love them because it's impossible to know what their reactions will be! I just….didn't want you to be creeped out and avoid seeing me because I'm a dragon and not a stallion…."

Rarity's mouth nearly dropped to the floor. "Spike!" She glared, "Forgive my language, but only a heartless bitch would do something like that to a _friend_. If we had just met and you told me, then yes, I would be a little put off by it, but avoid you? Perish the thought! I appreciate that you got to know me at first, became my friend, and never once expected me to return your feelings or anything at all. I for one respect that you made the decision to keep it under wraps as long as you felt, and was content on being a valuable friend and helping hand to me. You should be proud of the young dragon you are, and Twilight should be proud of how you've come up. And honestly….I'm thrilled to know about your feelings for me. Out of all the stallions, and even some mares, who have asked to court me, you actually care for me and my feelings instead of my status, money or body. If anypony were to have a crush on me, I'm happy it's somepony as respectable and trustworthy as you."

Spike stood, dumbfounded at the mare's speech. Even though it was all true, he didn't know what to say, think, or do now with Rarity's admiration for his maturity with his crush. Especially how she's glad to have somepony love her for _her_ instead of material possessions, status symbolism, or sexual desires. "Rarity?" He smacked his lips open and closed a few times, scrambling through every inch of his brain for something to say.

"Yes Spikey?" The mare blinked at him, but in his mind she intentionally batted her eyelashes.

"Wh-what do we do now? I mean, now that _I_ know how you feel about my feelings? I don't expect you to return them or anything, but this doesn't change our friendship does it?"

"Of course not, darling. You'll always be my Spikey-Wikey," Rarity grinned, levitating his jacket back onto his shoulder. "To be honest, all I wanted to do was help you get over your fear. However, I hope to not disappoint you-"

"I think we should sleep on it and let it sink in first," Spike quickly said, offering his own toothy grin. "I mean, I don't want you to feel obligated to give me a chance just because I confessed; it wouldn't be fair to you."

Rarity bowed her head, giggling before looking back up at the dragon. "I think Cadence should add 'Trustworthy' to your title in the Crystal Empire," she hugged the drake again, nuzzling her head into his chest. "Come now," she said after the two parted, "I'll walk you back to your room," she offered Spike one of her forelegs. He gladly yet gently took it, walking with her down the corridors once again. Except now, he felt….free. Free of the fear that had plagued him for so long; free from the strain of trying to hide how he felt to Rarity. Even if they would remain friends and never try their chance at dating, Spike was perfectly fine with that. Just knowing she wasn't repulsed or creeped out by his feelings overjoyed the young dragon.

In fact, Spike felt so relaxed that the walk was over before he even realized it, feeling much quicker than when their walk after the reception began. A little part in him was disappointed that it was over so soon, but the more mature part of him reminded him that he'd taken a big step tonight, and he'd never have to worry about anything with Rarity again. "Well, good night Rarity," Spike exhaled, opening the door to his own room. "Thanks again for dancing with me and helping me stand up to myself," he thanked her, releasing her foreleg.

"Anytime darling. I'm glad you don't feel like you have to hide anything from me," she smiled. The duo stood in the middle of the doorway, waiting for something else to happen. Rarity honestly was waiting to see if Spike had anything else important to say, but that appeared to not be the case.

"So, I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow," Spike darted his eyes around, hoping he wasn't forgetting something important.

"Indeed," Rarity nodded. "But as you know, Spike, you were such a gentledrake tonight, and that deserves to be rewarded," she cleared her throat. Spike blinked several times, unsure of what the mare meant before she did it. Rarity cupped Spike's cheeks and gently put her lips to his, kissing him goodnight. He had been kissed like this by Rarity before, but it was a short peck at the Gala for defending her from Blueblood. _This_, however, was something he'd never dealt with before. Not wanting to make a fool out of himself, Spike politely put his hands onto Rarity's shoulders, unsure of what else to do besides return the favor.

Finally, Rarity pulled away, satisfied that she'd given Spike the reward he deserved with a smile on her face. Spike pulled away just as soon as she did, hoping to not prolong it longer than she wanted it. "_Sweet dreams Spikey-Wikey,_" Rarity whispered to him, taking a step back and closing his door with her magic before venturing down the hall to her next destination.

Spike put a pair of claws up to his mouth, allowing the tingles to radiate throughout his mouth and chest. Feeling a bit weak in the knees from the emotional rollercoaster of the past few minutes, Spike fumbled to his bed, dropping his jacket on the floor and not even bothering to remove anything else from his scaly body, collapsing his head onto his pillows and facing the ceiling. He lay quiet with his own thoughts before muttering something to himself, "Why are mares so complicated?"

* * *

**(Ivan &amp; AJ's room; Ivan's POV)**

"Oh God, what a day," I groaned, flopping down onto the queen sized bed in my and Applejack's room for the night. The wedding and reception had been huge successes; the bride and groom were happily married at last, and I was just fucking beat.

"It was all worth it though, Sugarcube," AJ climbed onto the bed with me, snuggling up close and putting her hoof on my chest. Even though my entire body was sore from having to stand _a lot_ all day, having my girlfriend gently massage my chest with her hoof helped everything relax.

"Yep, Luna and Checkered are married, everyone had fun at the reception, and I got to spend all morning with you," I brought my hand around AJ's neck and lightly scratched behind her ear. "Perfect day," I added, kissing her nose.

"And how!" The mare exclaimed joyously, resting her head into the crook of my neck and peppering it with tiny kisses.

"I told you you would like Luna and Checkered's song," I bragged. All throughout the reception, I had numerous ponies, mostly friends of Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis, come up to compliment me about the first dance song. But as one would guess, my favorite compliment was Applejack's.

"An' Ah told y'all that yer a genius, Ivan," she sighed, scooting even closer to me and hugging her leg around my torso. "But it _is_ nice ta relax after all that; just you 'n me." I carefully removed the stetson from her head, setting it onto the nightstand, and running my fingers through her soft and damp mane. It didn't bother me whatsoever that her mane was a tad sweaty; I honestly thought a girl who wasn't afraid of sweat under any conditions was sexy.

Although cuddling with Applejack was nice and relaxing, we were both burning up in our formal attire, and I just wanted to cool off. I slipped my hand down the back of Applejack's neck, massaging it and her back in the process as my fingers searched around for the zipper on the back of her dress. "Uh, Ivan, what are ya doin' there Sugarcube?" AJ raised her head up to look me in the eye.

"Just trying to help you cool down is all," I explained. "And I know you'd like to get out of that dress as soon as possible." My index finger and thumb found the zipper, but I didn't even move it until she said I could.

"Uh-huh, or do ya just wanna see me without it?" She raised an eyebrow, catching onto my little game.

"A little from column A, and a little from column B," I shrugged, smirking at the mare. Try as she might, Applejack couldn't hold her serious face for long before she snorted, chuckling as she nodded, allowing me to unzip her. Unlike the movies where it took about half a minute for a guy to unzip a girl, I swiftly opened up the back of her dress in the blink of an eye, surprising her.

"Wanna get ta the show that bad huh?" She blinked in surprise at how fast her dress became loose around her shoulders. "Ya rascal," she winked before pushing herself off the bed and sitting on the edge. Getting into our bout of teasing, I twisted my body onto its side to watch her. Applejack looked over her should back at me, eye half-lidded as she slipped her dress off her shoulders one at a time. Considering she'd never had anyone to do this for, and some ponies rarely wore clothing, she was going to milk this for all it was worth.

Once Applejack slipped her forelegs out of the dress, she slowly pushed it down her torso until it was at her waist, all the while giving me a sly look over her shoulder. She stood up on her hind legs with her foreleg steadying herself on the nightstand. The dress slipped off her body with a little shake of her rump, giving me quite the view, especially since AJ bent downward to pick up the dress and toss it aside onto a nearby table. Rarity may not like how it would wrinkle like that, but at this point, _who cares?_

"Gettin' any ideas there, partner?" A devilish grin spread across her face as she climbed back into bed, pushing me onto my back and straddling her body over mine. She bent her head down and playfully began to nibble at the base of my neck.

"….Maybe," I moaned as she reached the sweet spot. I moved my hands up and rubbed my fingers down her back, making her moan as well when I kissed her ear.

"Heh, like what?" The mare raised her head and brushed her lips against mine. We exchanged a few short pecks for about a minute before I gently pushed her head back down so her ear was back in front of my mouth. My gentle breathing on her ear made her shudder something fierce. Giving her one more kiss to her ear, I opened my mouth and whispered.

"_Like….I could use a shower,"_ I replied with a smart aleck grin.

"W-what?" Applejack pulled her head back to give me an incredulous look. With her caught off guard, I quickly yet gently lifted her up and slipped out from under her body, allowing her to drop back on her hooves on the bed. I had to bite my tongue to avoid bursting out into laughter from her jaw dropping open as she spun around.

"Remember?" I asked, walking toward the bathroom as if nothing had happened, "we didn't get a chance to shower this morning," I opened the door and turned to face her. The look of bewilderment on her face had changed to a look that said, _'Ah'm gonna kick yer butt,'_ complete with furrowed eyebrows, clenched jaws, and a frown that bared her teeth. I knew doing that to her probably wasn't smart, but I had a plan. "So, see you in about ten minutes hun," I winked, opening and shutting the door as fast as I could.

With little time, I flung the shower curtain open and twisted the knobs on. The shower roared to life as I began to strip the tuxedo off my body. Button after button, piece by piece, I put every article of clothing into a nearby hamper until I was down to my underwear and black socks. A cloud of steam wafted by, indicating that the heat of the water was at the perfect temperature. I noticed that the mirror was fogging up by the second. With not too much time left, I slipped my thumbs into the waistband of my boxers when a cool rush of air hit me like a semi-truck.

I peeked over just in time to see Applejack standing in the doorway before she slammed the door shut, a glaring yet determined look carved into her face as her tail quickly locked the door. Skin tingling from the rush of cooler air, I cracked another smirk and crossed my arms over my chest. "Need something, hun?" I asked in an innocent tone. The orange mare only narrowed her eyes at me, squinting them until they were mere slits. She even snorted for good measure, showing off that she was none too happy with me.

Stomping forward toward me, Applejack reached up with one of her forelegs and removed the hair twist from her mane, letting it fall loosely behind her neck before doing the same with her tail. The two red twists were tossed off to the side as the mare stopped right in front of me, rearing up on her hind legs and planting her hooves right on my chest rather hard. Despite the heat of the shower, I could _really_ feel the hot breath from AJ as she continued to snort at me through her nose like a bull. "Y'all get yer butt in that shower," she ordered, pushing her hooves against me. "_Right now,"_ she added, slipping one hoof down to my boxers, ripping them down my legs and freeing my penis to the steamy air and causing me to shudder.

"N-now?" I continued my game, my smirk faltering.

"Or else Ah'll just drag ya in there myself if Ah have ta," she threatened, tracing her hoof over my abs. "Ya ain't gettin' me all worked up 'n just leavin' me like that." I couldn't keep it up anymore; her cold, hard voice was taking over the rational and logical side of my mind, replacing it with nothing but love and lust. Holding up a finger, I took a step back from AJ and kicked my boxers away as she collapsed back to the floor, eyes still squinting at me. I flung my socks off my feet and stood naked in front of Applejack, ready for whatever she wanted.

I reached over and slid the shower curtain open, stepping under the cascading fall of the warm shower water, waiting for my girlfriend to follow. "Back against the wall," she sneered, stepping in herself and closing the curtain with her tail. The showers inside the castle were pretty massive, even by my human stature. There was room for at least two or three other couples if need be. But, wanting to get right to making love with Applejack, I obeyed her command, pressing my back against the blue and silver tiles of the wall. The mare's eyes slid down, looking at my crotch as she licked her lips before looking back up. She stood back up on her hind legs, allowing the water to wash over her entire body, getting me even more excited while she proceeded to put her hooves back on my chest, ramming her mouth onto mine.

"Oh…yeah," I moaned as we opened our mouths and let our tongues wrestle for dominance, but….this mare had a different idea in mind. She all of a sudden ran her hooves on top of my shoulders and pulled her mouth away from mine.

"Get ready Sugarcube," were the only three words she gave me in warning. I had no time to comprehend what she meant because she immediately leapt up and snaked her forelegs around my neck for leverage and placed her rear hooves on the tiles behind me, straddling my body. My hands instinctively moved around to hold her so she wouldn't fall, grabbing her rump to support her. "Mmmm," she groaned as my fingers dug into her firm flesh.

"A-Applejack!" I exclaimed, trying not to moan too loudly as her stomach was grinding against the underside of my member. The mare in question had one hell of a smug look on her face, but that only turned me on even more.

"Ah'll teach ya ta get me excited 'n leave me high 'n dry," she growled into my ear, lifting her waist up and lining up our private areas. She wasted no time once the tip of my penis prodded at her entrance and generously slid down until junior was buried inside her. I couldn't handle the pleasure anymore and slid my right arm directly under her rump for support and moved my left hand up behind her neck before I shoved my tongue back inside her mouth.

Applejack moaned victoriously, having successfully seduced me, even if it was apart of the little game I'd cooked up. With my arm supporting her, Applejack rose up until just junior's head was still inside her, dropping back down until our hips connecting with a sensual _smack_. Our breathing intensified until we'd have to take quick breaths of air in between kissing, all the while I'd move my own hips to match her thrusts.

Eventually, we stopped kissing and rested our foreheads together, giving each other gentle thrusts to extend our love making before we'd be spent. _"I-I-I love you,"_ I muttered in between breaths. Even with the warmness of the water, which added to erotic nature of our session by making her fur even softer and warmer, it felt much colder compared to the heat of our combined breath as we wheezed.

_"Ah know," _she replied, giving me a smirk as our lips softly met once again, further strengthening the love and trust we had in one another. I wanted today to last forever; I got to walk one of my best friends down the aisle to her husband, all of my other friends had the time of their lives at the wedding and reception, their was such a strong presence of unity amongst all of us at the castle, and I got to end it in the best way possible. I only hoped the rest of my friends' nights ended as happily as mine.

**End Chapter 61**

* * *

_So just in case some people are wondering, the scene between Discord and Fluttershy is very similar to Dixie Darlin's story, _The Most Chaotic Emotion_. Since she and I are good friends, she granted me permission to pay homage to her story within my own story, so I didn't steal anything :P Hope I did you proud, Dixie!_

_The song featured in this chapter is '_I Swear'_ by John Michael Montgomery _

_Also, just in case anyone is interested, next chapter will NOT feature Ivan nor Applejack whatsoever. There are two scenes that I cut from this chapter (because it would've drug on had I not cut them) that will be combined into a short chapter, and yes, they are EXTREMELY important to the story, so don't skip out!_


	63. Chapter 62: The Princess' Warning

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 62: The Princess' Warning**

_What's this? An early update!? Yeah...I felt really awful about how long the previous chapter took to get out, so I took two scenes I cut out from the previous chapter and spliced them together into their own chapter. And no, this isn't really a mini-chapter like the one with Twilight, Spike, and Flash Sentry because this one is about twice as long. Not too little, not too much, just a medium-sized chapter for you guys since the last two chapters were REALLY long. _

**headreviewermk2: **_I don't really know...Ivan was just playing with Applejack because he loves it when she takes charge like that._

**axelialea: **_They can't get married yet; they've only been together a little over three months at this point. And again, Ivan is a human. I can't just magically have AJ get pregnant just because. That's a cop out, and I won't do it._

**SkullSlim690: **_Actually I HAVE watched Legend of Everfree. Short review: Rainbow Rocks and Friendship Games were better._

**WarHusky2000: **_I know the stereotype about girls gunning for the bouquet, (heck one of my friends told me I got it pretty spot on) but I wanted it to be over the top and almost violent, especially since it was a princess' bouquet. Hence why Rarity called the other mares cannibals_

**Sassymouse: **_Well, like I said, this chapter was mainly fanservice, but it also progressed a few potential couples as well. Besides, I've always wanted to have Rarity tell Spike how he truly feels about her so he doesn't have to live with the fear of her reaction anymore. _

**Monkeyboy0118: **_I was kind of hoping some people would think that, but nope, I planned for Rarity to catch the bouquet and Spike the garter ever since I came up with Luna and Checkered's wedding. _

**OBSERVER01: **_To be honest, Sparity was really my first ship for MLP, ever since I became a fan over two years ago. I do have some plans for them, but not just yet. The FlutterCord thing though, yeah I got inspiration from Dixie Darlin's story, but I also wanted to use that opportunity for Discord to really spill about how sorry he was for when he was a villain, and to really show his character development that he's changing his ways by showing how sorry he is and not wanting to sugarcoat it._

_Anyway, I hope this chapter suffices for now. Please review and tell me what you think!_

* * *

**(Two Nights Later; Canterlot)**

Bat Fang, the captain of Princess Luna's Lunar Guard, exhaled quietly to stay as silent as possible as he made his rounds throughout the castle gardens and the perimeter of the gates and wall around said castle. The veteran guard paused for a brief moment to get a bearing on his surroundings, scanning his eyes and keeping his ears peeled for anything remotely out of the ordinary. He looked up toward the night sky, taking a little break to gaze at the beauty his princess was able to provide night after night, even if she was not in Canterlot at the moment.

Princess Luna and her husband left shortly after their reception was complete, leaving happily to enjoy their honeymoon. While their destination of Las Pegasus may have wandered into the cliche category, its seedy nature didn't exactly scream royalty. Nonetheless, both the bride and groom enjoyed the city and settled on its location to consummate their marriage, even if she was already carrying their colt. Venom, Bat Fang's longtime fellow guard, was chosen to be the sole guard that accompanied the prince and princess on their vacation. With another sigh, Bat Fang blinked his golden eyes away from the distracting night sky, focusing on his job of protecting Prince Blueblood, and obviously Princess Celestia as they slept for the night. "Heh," the bat pony scoffed to himself, knowing that he really only needed to focus on protecting Celestia's nephew seeing as how she had the captain of _her_ Solar Guard as her coltfriend, and she was Princess Celestia!

But still, Bat Fang had a job to protect not only the members of the royal family, but the citizens of Canterlot as well. The night time was also the most important shift when the majority of ponies were defenseless due to the demand of sleep, hence the importance of the Lunar Guard. And while some ponies may have feared the darkness of the night, even with Luna's moon guiding them, Bat Fang enjoyed the tranquility it offered. "What the?" He blurted softly when the light of the moon was interrupted for a fraction of a second on the ground in front of him.

The bat pony jerked his head upward, scanning his eyes across the sky to see who or what was flying above. He was _sure_ it was a shadow and not just a trick of the light; he distinctly saw the shadow of a pair of wings pass over the ground in front of him. What really heightened his alertness, however, was the fact that Celestia had ended Night Court about an hour ago and, as far as Bat Fang knew, there weren't any special guests scheduled to meet with the princess tonight. "_Come on,"_ he whispered quietly, squinting his eyes in hopes of catching at least a silhouette against the dark blue backdrop of the night sky. Bat Fang growled when out of the corner of his eye he spotted something land on the roof of a house just outside the castle gates. Normally, he would've signaled at least two other guards for assistance when investigating an unannounced guest, especially one acting as strange as this. However, the lunar guard's eyebrows shot up when the silhouette shifted its position enough to reveal the outline of a _dragon._

He had to act quickly and at least try to confront the intruder of Canterlot; running back to get backup may leave the dragon enough time sneak its way past other guards and up to Celestia's chambers. "For the princess," he snarled to himself before leaping into the air, flapping his bat wings as gently as possible to stay stealthy. Even though he'd been through a lot with dragons in Draconia, the bat pony wouldn't let those memories get to him, not while he had sworn to protect Canterlot with his very life. Bat Fang didn't know whether or not dragons could see in the dark, but he didn't have time to find out or even think about it.

The dark image of the reptile seemed to turn in his direction, but didn't act as if it knew he was coming. Nonetheless, as Bat Fang drew nearer and stiffened out his wings to glide quietly and avoid detection, the winged lizard leapt from its current position across the street to the top of the local doughnut shop, crouching down and leaning on its left arm. Sucking in a deep breath, Bat Fang continued on his original course and landed gently on the same rooftop where the dragon had been resting merely seconds before. Understanding that he couldn't simply launch himself toward the creature and attempt to subdue it by himself, Bat Fang waited patiently to study the dragon's behavior and hopefully gain the element of surprise long enough for more guards to come to his assistance. He also wanted to avoid a mass panic within the regal city, knowing some citizens would jump to the conclusion of a dragon invasion.

"What's your game?" Bat Fang mumbled to himself, keeping his eyes glued on his target. There was a pair of guards pacing back and forth in front of the castle gates, but they were not bat ponies like himself and didn't have as good of nighttime eyesight as bat pony guards. At least with Luna's moon, they had some assistance with nocturnal vision. Bat Fang had to be careful to not alert them until the time was necessary, only forcing a small drop of sweat to travel down the side of his face. He couldn't stifle a gasp when, in a flash, the dragon disappeared behind the doughnut shop and left his eyesight. Without thinking, Bat Fang leapt from the rooftop he was currently hiding on and glided over to the bakery, landing with a thud.

Suppressing a growl, he quickly yet carefully tip-hoofed across the roof in hopes of making as little noise as possible until he reached the edge of the roof. Roughly gulping, Bat Fang peered over to get a bird's eye view of the alley behind Joe's Doughnut Shop, only to find it seemingly empty. A few old delivery crates and spare barrels of bakery ingredients were the only objects the bat pony could discern other than a few pieces of scattered paper littering the ground. Bat Fang suddenly hopped down, using his wings to slow his speed, and came to a gentle stop on the ground below. The stallion's eyes were peeled with his hoof slowly drawing a dagger out of a sheath on his armor, for behind a dumpster, he could see the faint shadow of the dragon hunched over, appearing to hold something within its claws.

_'Thank the princess,'_ he thought, biting his fangs into his lower lip to keep from breathing loud. Once he did that, the night went completely silent with the exception of his own heartbeat. Not even a gentle breeze was flowing through town; it almost felt like he and the dragon were the only two beings awake at the moment. Bat Fang crept up to the other side of the dumpster like a cat, getting as close to the metal container without scraping his armor against and alerting the intruder to his presence. He had no intention of just outright slaying the creature, but he had to think of what to say and what to do before he had to come face to face with it. Even if the dragon would just escape after being discovered, that would be enough to let Celestia know what was going on.

Ever so cautiously, the grey bat pony peered his golden eye around the edge of the dumpster in case his target was getting ready to move.

_CRASH_

Not much could really scare the captain of the Lunar Guard, but things can change when one is trying to be so quiet that they could hear a strand of hair falling to the ground. A garbage can from one of the other business had tumbled over with two cats fighting over some garbage, disturbing the tranquility of the night. Bat Fang immediately pulled his head back and took gentle breaths through his nose, still holding the dagger over his chest as the dragon stood up, snorting. He couldn't help the fact that his eyes were increasing in size with every step the reptilian took closer to his hiding spot.

The light of the moon suddenly vanished, making sight difficult even for the night pony. He could've sworn his own heart ceased beating from fear of the tall dragon standing merely half a foot from him with their claws on its hips, and the scent of sulfur seeping out of its nose. "Mmm?" The dragon mumbled, taking another step forward. This move allowed the moon to shine light once again, but this only made it easier for Bat Fang to be spotted, and he knew it. Making a quick prayer, Bat Fang eased himself back into a standing position before leaping at the dragon.

"What the!?" The dragon yelped before having its mouth covered by Bat Fang's hoof. Before it even realized what was going on, the lunar guard had one hoof in the dragon's mouth and the other hoof around its neck, yanking it around. The dragon growled, trying to defend itself as Bat Fang grunted, using all of his strength to subdue the beast. The two struggled for a moment with the dragon trying to claw at Bat Fang to get him off while Bat Fang flapped his wings to try and bring the dragon to the ground.

Finally, Bat Fang led it over to one of the empty crates, forcing it to trip and fall on its back, hissing at him all the while. His dagger was immediately at the reptile's throat as just a deterrent when the bat pony got a look at the city's intruder who was struggling underneath him. "By the name of the princesses, I demand you- Princess Ember?" Bat Fang's face contorted into confusion, his eyebrows furrowing, nostrils flaring, wings outstretched, yet jaw hanging open.

The turquoise colored daughter of King Horntail ceased fighting Bat Fang when she heard him call her by name, breathing a sigh of relief that whomever attacked her actually knew her. "Geez Bat Fang, were you _trying_ to get mauled?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Withdrawing his weapon and putting it back in its sheath, Bat Fang stepped off the female dragon, still glaring at her. He _still_ hadn't forgotten how easily she had dispatched of everyone who'd journeyed to Draconia with the exception of Celestia.

"You're one to talk, Princess Ember," Bat Fang snapped in his gravelly voice. "Sneaking about Canterlot at night can get you _killed_," he warned as Ember stood up and dusted herself off.

"Well, something tells me I wouldn't get a very warm welcome just waltzing up to the front gates," she rolled her eyes. "But at least I was found by someone I know."

"Are you alone?" Bat Fang questioned, noticing that the dragon princess had a satchel bag around her waist, the strap wrapping itself around her shoulder.

"My father isn't dumb," Ember sneered. "Sending anyone else but me, someone who hasn't dealt with the princesses of Equestria, would jeopardize our truce," she pointed to herself with her thumb claw. "And sending one of his idiot guards along with me would just increase our chances of getting caught."

"Yeah, I get it," Bat Fang said rudely, removing his helmet to run a hoof through his jet black mane. "So, what'd your father send you here for anyway?" He motioned toward her satchel bag. Ember cast a skeptical look at the bat pony, raising an eyebrow and putting her claws around the satchel protectively.

"To speak with your princesses," she explained, "under orders of my father." Bat Fang said nothing in reply, darting his eyes between Ember's own eyes and her satchel. The female dragon sighed, unzipping her satchel. "I have an important message that's meant for Celestia and Luna's eyes; it's up to them if you or Glock are allowed to read it." Ember produced a scroll and twirled in within her claws.

"Don't forget that I am the captain of Luna's personal guard," Bat Fang reminded her and attempted to reach for the scroll with his wing, but the dragon snatched it away. "Ugh, if you wish to bring this or even speak to Celestia, I have to know what it's all about," he growled impatiently.

"Fine," Ember scoffed, tossing the scroll into Bat Fang's waiting wing. "I just don't want to waste time arguing about this," she crossed her arms. With a roll of his eyes, Bat Fang unfurled the scroll, scanning his eyes across the text that he only guessed Ember had written.

"….Oh," the stallion remarked as his eyes slowly increased in size, and his ears flattened against the top of his head. Ember gently tapped her foot against the stone ground, softly sighing as she expected this reaction from Bat Fang; she just wanted to get the message to the right ponies. "I see," the bat pony lowered the scroll and returned it to the dragon.

"Good, now you _know_ why your princess has to see it."

"Well then," Bat Fang cleared his throat, "although it's night time, I'll get you in to see Celestia, Princess Ember," he announced. Sure, it would've been easy to just take the scroll and drop it off with Celestia, but the guard knew it was important to get the messenger in to see the princess if at all possible in case they had more information than the message gave. Ember smirked, glad that her mission from her father was going much smoother than either had anticipated, but she grumbled when Bat Fang's foreleg kept her from advancing forward.

"What now?" She groaned.

"Two things. We might be on understanding terms, but I can't just walk you up to the gate and let you inside," he explained.

"I'm gonna regret this," Ember pinched the bridge of her nose, "but _why?"_

"Word spreads through both the solar and lunar guards quickly. If it ever leaks to the citizens that a dragon managed to get to the city undetected at night, even if you meet with Celestia, it could cause a panic."

"Didn't she explain to the rest of your kind that our countries have a truce?" Ember scoffed. Bat Fang only sighed, feeling a little ashamed at how skittish and even judgmental most ponies could be.

"It's still new," he finally said. "It'll take time for the idea of dragons and ponies living in peace to sink in; some won't even assimilate to the idea. You might even have to make a special appearance _with_ Luna and Celestia to quell any worry from the populous."

"I have to come back here?!" Ember barked, forcing Bat Fang to plug her mouth with his hoof.

"Shh! Not so loud, _princess_," he ordered, his tone full of condescension. "And at least my home can't kill anyone." Ember glared down at the smaller pony, clenching his hoof with her claws before forcibly removing it from her muzzle.

"_Just take me to your princess, _now," she said through clenched fangs.

"However," he continued, frustrating the dragon even more. "If at any moment my princess feels threatened, I _will_ do what I must to protect her," he admitted, trying to sound as intimidating as possible. His efforts, however, were for naught as Ember simply chortled at him, patting his helmet with her claws.

"Ha! Still sore that I beat your flank without losing a breath when we first met?" She smirked, receiving a hiss from Bat Fang in reply. "Oh calm down little colt, I won't make you embarrass yourself again," Ember crossed her arms, still holding the smirk on her face.

"Follow me," Bat Fang ordered and pushed his way past the female dragon. "Just do as I say, and we'll get to Celestia's chambers in no time," he added, poking his head out into the street, keeping an eye on the pair of solar guards at the gate. Although he was knowledgeable about procedures, Bat Fang still had to take a minute to study the timing of each time the two guards passed each other and turned around.

"_How much longer_?" Ember sneered quietly. Bat Fang held up a hoof so she'd shut up, waiting for the two pegasus stallions to pass one another.

"Okay, now!" He exclaimed, lightly hitting Ember's arm to signal her to take flight. The duo launched in the air, their shadows from the moon passing in between the guards with their backs turned. Despite a little friction between the two, Ember did precisely as Bat Fang had instructed so she would remain undetected as he personally escorted her to Celestia's chambers. A few times the two had to fly a little lower or near darker areas where the moon's light couldn't reach, but nonetheless, they'd made it….just not exactly where Ember had in mind.

"Why are we on her balcony?" Ember questioned, keeping away from the glass on the balcony doors by sticking close to the walls. "This is _literally_ where assassins would head to try and kill someone!"

"_Quiet!"_ Bat Fang hissed, glaring at her. "_If I had brought you through the castle, you would've been discovered and somepony would've gotten the wrong idea."_ Ember had to bite her tongue in order to stop a frustrated growl to escape her mouth.

_"Why not just bring me to Luna's chambers if she's the ruler of the night and _awake?"

"_She's not here, now shut up!" _the lunar guard snapped. Unable to say anything else, Ember sighed in defeat and drummed her claws against the wall. Bat Fang squinted his eyes and scanned the room as best as he could in hopes that Celestia was at least inside. Ember swore, however, that she could hear faint moaning within the room.

Knock, knock, knock

Bat Fang tapped the window thrice with his hoof, trying to not hit it too hard and give Celestia the wrong idea that something was up. Both he and Ember froze when they heard not Celestia's voice, but _Glock's._

"Did you hear something?" He asked. Bat Fang could see the solar guard captain's figure shoot up from the large bed, looking all around.

"N-No!" Came Princess Celestia's voice, almost in a whine.

"_Are they-"_ Ember began to ask, pointing with her thumb.

"Shit," Bat Fang muttered, tapping on the window again before announcing, "Princess Celestia, this is Bat Fang; I have urgent matters that require your attendance!" He spoke in a normal voice. All of a sudden, the balcony doors glowed bright gold before whipping open, knocking into the bat pony and sending him tumbling back into the railing. He moved his helmet out of his line of sight to see an angry alicorn with a disheveled mane glaring at him. The poor stallion then was lifted up by the alicorn princess' magic, bringing him close to her snorting face as Glock quickly appeared and stood at attention.

"_What, do, you, want?"_ Celestia snarled.

"Hello princess," Ember just spoke out, not wanting at all to have Bat Fang explain himself, especially since Celestia looked ready to tear him in half even if he had a good reason for disrupting her night.

"Princess Ember?" Glock peered around his marefriend's body, furrowing his eyebrows and dropping his jaw.

"Oh my," The Princess of the Sun blushed from her rude behavior in front of a guest, the daughter of a newfound ally no less. "W-what can I do for you, Ember?" She chuckled nervously and quickly fixed her mane so it was flowing all on its own again. "Is your father well?"

"Uh yes," the turquoise dragon reached into her satchel and produced the scroll for the second time that night. "In fact, he's the one who sent me here to deliver this message to you," she explained, happily handing it over to the designated recipient. Before Celestia could even open said scroll, Bat Fang anxiously cleared his throat.

"P-Princess? C-Can I be put down now please?"

* * *

**(Castle of Friendship)**

Reading had always been a favorite past time of Twilight's; everypony knew that. Whether it be the latest Daring Do novel that was impossible to put down, or if she was bored or ill, a good book would invariably put her in a good mood. Tonight was no exception for the Princess of Friendship. The excitement of Princess Luna and Checkered Flag's wedding was still fresh in everyone's mind. Twilight and her friends were especially happy for Luna, seeing as how they personally knew of her struggles to assimilate to modern Equestria after having been stuck on the moon for 1000 years. But now, the Princess of the Night and Moon was happily married and expecting her first foal. Thus, Twilight was still too excited to sleep right now, even two days after the ceremony had been completed. And yet, as she continuously turned the pages of her _History of Earth Pony Racing_ that Checkered had signed for her, and the crackling of the library's fireplace soothed her, the creaking of the door drew her attention. "Twilight?" Flash asked softly as his head appeared from behind the door.

"Flash!" Twilight grinned and set her book aside. "I thought you went to sleep about an hour ago?" The blue maned pegasus gently shut the library door behind him before joining his marefriend on her favorite reading couch, lightly nuzzling his cheek against her's.

"Yeah, but it was more like dozing off," he shrugged, taking a peek at what Twilight was reading. "And when you weren't there when I woke up, I thought I'd come see what you were up to."

"Oh, well you don't have to stay up for me," Twilight cooed and quickly levitated a bookmark in between the pages she was on, closing the book to give Flash her undivided attention.

"It doesn't bother me if I get to spend some quiet time with you," Flash replied and motioned for Twilight to come closer. Without hesitation, the alicorn scooted closer to the pegasus and snuggled up against him as the two coated each other in their wings. "By the way," he added, causing Twilight to look up at him. "Spike and Starlight's rooms are secure; Spike fell asleep with another one of his comic books," the guard reported. "What?" He chuckled when Twilight pulled away from his chest and gave him a warm smile.

"Nothing," she blushed and said sweetly, "just, thank you for doing that, Flash."

"Heh, it's no big deal; I'm _supposed_ to make sure everything's secure."

"I understand that, but I'm still glad I have a second set of eyes on him," Twilight bashfully admitted, knowing how protective she was coming off. Though thankfully, Flash didn't judge her for it.

"Even though he's grown up quite a bit?" He snorted with a lighthearted grin.

"I know he can take good care of himself," Twilight rested her chin upon Flash's orange furry chest. She wasn't very good at flirting without sounding even worse than Fluttershy, but Twilight loved it when Flash was able to remove his armor and relax like a normal pony. Perhaps she could get some advice from Rarity on the subject. "But, I still worry sometimes," Twilight added sheepishly. "Now that he _is_ older, there's so much more that I have to teach him and watch out for," she bit her lip.

"He's in good hooves," Flash's hoof shakily yet tenderly touched the back of Twilight's mane, stroking it nervously. Despite the fact that they were back together again, Flash wanted to work things out at a more leisurely pace so the duo wouldn't make the same mistakes as before. And though they'd spent the Estrus Weekend together, Flash didn't want to rush anything, even normal activities like cuddling. "You already brought him up to this point; somepony as sweet and understanding as you shouldn't have a problem teaching Spike a little more about life."

The purple mare slowly lifted her chin from Flash's chest, reeling back from the sweet compliment. Her movement, however, caused Flash to become a little anxious from his actions and removed his hoof. "Thank you, Flash," Twilight moved her own hoof up to Flash's cheek. The alicorn princess simply couldn't help herself from smiling at how warm Flash's words made her feel. She'd been praised by her friends for how she's raised Spike and how she's embraced her motherly role before, but the compliment just felt more special coming from Flash.

Without breathing another word, Twilight decided to go with the warm feeling that radiated from her chest out to her hooves. She gently leaned forward and pressed her purple lips against Flash's orange ones, surprising him. Flash's ears and mane stiffened from the surprise kiss of his marefriend, but the stallion instinctively closed his eyes and kissed Twilight back tenderly.

Though it was sweet, the kiss didn't last too long. Twilight pulled away from Flash, a happy smile and blush on her face. She slowly opened her eyes, only to have her happiness shrink to concern. Flash appeared to have something on his mind, or he was disappointed. "Flash?" Twilight asked. "Is everything okay? Was the kiss disappointing?"

"No, no!" Flash quickly shook his head and grinned to try and reassure his worried marefriend. "It…it was great!" He exclaimed. Twilight trusted his word, but she knew that if he enjoyed the kiss, then something else was on his mind.

"Flash," she said softly, "if something's wrong or on your mind, please tell me. I won't be mad or patronize you," she swore, sitting up and holding one of Flash's hooves in between her's.

Flash couldn't ignore the trusting looking in Twilight's violet eyes. "Twilight, I _did_ enjoy the kiss, but I realized that it was our first since we've gotten back together." Twilight thought about it for a moment, her nose scrunching up in thought.

"Well….we _did_ participate in the Estrus remember?" She reminded him sheepishly.

"Y-yes," he sighed as a blush formed on his cheeks. "But I'm being serious Twilight," Flash coughed to keep a straight face.

"Okay, okay. So it _was_ our first kiss since we've given our relationship another try," Twilight conceded. "And I admit it's a great occasion, but what about it gave you that reaction? I wasn't too rough was I?" Flash lost his battle with keeping a straight face after Twilight said that.

"Heh, absolutely not," he assured her, chuckling lightly. "It's just that in two months, I missed being this close to you."

"Aww," Twilight cooed, nuzzling her nose against Flash's. "If you missed it though, why didn't you just kiss me before when we've been like this?" She asked curiously. They'd obviously cuddled together in the library and slept in Twilight's bed since Flash got the transfer from Canterlot, even when they shared the same bed after the wedding reception!

"We were still getting readjusted to our relationship, _and_ we were getting used to living together. I thought it'd be better to take things one step at a time?" Flash guessed. Giggling in reply, Twilight swiftly pecked Flash's lips again, grinning at his reaction.

"Well, I think we've taken that step now, Flash," she giggled again, cozying up to the royal guard. The alicorn sighed contently as Flash gently put his forelegs around her torso, pulling her closer and allowing her to listen to his heartbeat as she cuddled her ear against his chest. "You know what I missed about you?"

"What's that?"

"You using different voices for characters whenever you read out loud."

"…..I read out loud?" Flash exclaimed in surprise. Twilight snickered and was about to tell him when a brilliant burst of golden light suddenly lit up the room, catching the comfortable couple off guard.

"Ahh!" Twilight yelped, jumping off Flash and falling on the floor.

"Twilight!" Flash hopped off the couch and stood in front of his marefriend to protect her, sprouting his wings. The alicorn scrambled to her hooves and peered around one of Flash's wings to get a view of what was intruding upon her library. The couple gasped as the golden light faded away, revealing none other than Princess Celestia, Glock, Bat Fang, and a dragon princess that was all too familiar to Flash.

"_Princess Ember?"_ Flash asked in disbelief. Twilight was, unsurprisingly, a little taken aback at an unfamiliar dragon standing in her library considering the last run in she had with dragons. But if Celestia was with her, then Twilight could trust Princess Ember, especially if Flash recognized her. The alicorn even took note of the scroll the female dragon was clutching in her right hand.

Ember politely gave Twilight and Flash a nod as Celestia spoke, "I'm so sorry to disturb you at this late hour, Twilight Sparkle," she apologized, stepping forward from her own group. Flash Sentry folded his wings back against his torso and escorted Twilight forward, the two giving a respectful bow to both Celestia and Ember. "But Princess Ember visited my castle earlier with some less than encouraging news from her father, and we had to speak with you about it posthaste."

"Oh," Twilight's curiosity turned to slight apprehension. Bad news concerning dragons _definitely_ got her attention and her mind cranking out ideas on what was wrong. Nevertheless, she kept her composure and politely extended her hoof towards the dragon princess. "Nice to meet you though, Princess Ember," she mustered up a grin. Ember eyed Twilight's violet hoof before limply curling her claws around it.

"Likewise I suppose," she said flatly. "I wish we could've met under less stressful matters, but there's not much we can do about that," the dragon sighed.

"I have so many questions about dragon culture!" Twilight suddenly blurted excitedly. The five others in the room cast a quizzical look at the Princess of Friendship's outburst, making her feel embarrassed. "Ahem, s-sorry," she stuttered, grinning awkwardly.

"Right," Ember rose an eyebrow before shifting her gaze to Flash. "You and Spike doing okay?"

"Better," Flash replied, keeping his eyes squinted at Ember. Although he trusted her from how helpful he was to he and his friends in Draconia, Flash still wanted to keep his guard up considering two of his princesses were in the room. "Any news on Garble and his cronies?"

"They're dead," Ember said bluntly after a moment of silence.

"WHAT?!" Both Flash and Twilight exclaimed. "B-b-but _how_? _Why? When?_" Twilight rambled on while her brain began to fry. Flash was still just as shocked as his marefriend, but was more silent about it.

"Calm down, my formal pupil," Celestia advised sweetly, cupping Twilight's cheek with her wing to help her gather her thoughts. "I understand this is very jarring news, but Ember's scroll from her father should help things make sense." Once the pearly white alicorn took a step back, Twilight performed the breathing exercise that Cadence had taught her, getting her thoughts under control. While she did this, Ember took the opportunity to toss said scroll over to the bookworm, who caught it within her magic.

Twilight unfurled the message and, with Flash, began to read it accordingly.

**From the throne room of King Horntail of Draconia. **_Dear Princess Celestia, I am writing to you with an update on the progress of our most recent prisoners, just like we had agreed to do. Unfortunately, the circumstances surrounding the prisoners in question are not celebratory. My daughter, Princess Ember, was tasked with getting Garble or one of his goons to talk about why they foal-napped your sister, Princess Luna, but a few weeks ago, she discovered that they were all dead from being hanged by chains in my dungeon. I can assure you that we worked diligently to get them to talk before even thinking about their sentencing, so it was not us that ended their lives. However, Ember and I have our suspicions to the cause of their deaths. We've spent the past few weeks with other guards attempting to piece together exactly what happened in their last moments, and their motives for their business with Princess Luna. I am sending this message along with my daughter to you so she may bring back your response, and hopefully some ideas of what happened. Because of our truce, I truly wish to offer any help that I can to get to the bottom of this so none of your subjects are harmed any further. Please, give my regards to your sister and your friends who were injured rescuing her. I hope to hear that you all are healing or are already healed. _

_-King Horntail_

"Oh my," Twilight lowered the scroll with a gulp. "This is definitely troubling," she returned the message to Ember.

"Now you understand why we had to tell you right away," Celestia explained.

"What theories have you and your father come up with, Ember?" Flash questioned. The turquoise dragon groaned, running her claws over the dark blue spines on her head.

"Look Princess Celestia, I know it sucks that we're at a dead end for answers on why they stole your sister," she began in a somewhat apologetic tone.

"And I do not cast blame upon you or your father, Ember," Celestia assured her sweetly, smiling at the dragon.

"But we've come to an agreement about Garble's death," she continued. "That he and goons were cowards, and they died for one reason. They needed to stay quiet….forever," Ember explained.

"So they…._killed_ themselves?" Twilight squeaked, nibbling on her lower lip about the subject. Flash draped his foreleg around her shoulders, holding her close.

"Sounds like something a coward would do when caught," Bat Fang chimed in.

"Possibly," Ember snorted, "but that's only one theory my father and I came up with." At this point, Twilight and Flash noticed that Bat Fang, Glock, and Celestia all looked a little downtrodden, as if they knew what Ember was about to say was heavy. Then again, they understood Ember probably spilled everything to the others earlier before visiting Twilight's castle.

"And….the other theory?" Twilight asked cautiously.

"Well," Ember's snake-like tongue licked her lips. "One problem with the first theory is that one of Garble's goons was paralyzed from dealing with Celestia, so all he could do was crawl around."

"So maybe Garble tied the chain around his neck to help him?" Flash guessed.

"Again, maybe, but a more likely scenario, one my father believes is the truth, is that someone on the outside killed them to make sure they wouldn't talk."

"You mean, like a partner? Or someone who wanted to take the law into their own hooves?" Twilight gasped.

"I don't believe any dragons other than Ember and King Horntail would care about getting revenge for Garble foal napping Luna," Glock cut in with a sneer.

"But if it _was_ someone who killed them, who could it have been?" Flash questioned, feeling a little uneasy himself. "Especially if it was someone trying to keep them quiet?" Ember sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.

"All we know is that NO ONE could have gone down there without me knowing in the first place. And who really could've forced all of them down, wrapped the chains around their necks, and hung them from the ceiling?" She asked rhetorically. "_If_ it truly was someone who killed them, they had to have done it from outside their cell, and that means…." she trailed off, giving the floor to Celestia.

"Someone had to have been watching our rescue to know where Garble was being held, or they may have struck a deal with him and his goons, but killed them when they failed so they couldn't expose their identity," the alicorn continued. "Either way, it appears we may possibly have a treasonous citizen, or a group of them on our hooves," Celestia announced solemnly. "It's the only logical reason that the dragons knew of Luna's dream walking ability." Twilight and Flash slowly looked at one another, feeling just as scared as when Tirek was rampaging across Equestria.

**End Chapter 62**

* * *

_So, how did you guys like Ember's return? I knew I had to bring back the fact that Garble and his goons were dead to the main characters of the story, but I think the best way was to have Ember show up in Equestria to warn our heroes of what's going on. Originally she would've shown up on the night of the wedding and tell Celestia herself, but with the heightened security, she would've been caught for sure, so I retooled the idea to give her and Bat Fang a bit of the spotlight, especially since Bat Fang IS in fact still sore about getting his flank kicked in Draconia by Ember. _

_And I wanted to show Twilight and Flash's newly reformed relationship progressing, or else I feared just showing them as a normal couple like Ivan and AJ or Rainbow and Soarin wouldn't be enough to prove they're taking this seriously. I know this isn't visual art, but I still believe in showing progression rather than just telling it. _

_But I also wanted to leave this chapter as a bit of a cliffhanger for you all. Have fun!_


	64. Chapter 63: The Final Piece to my Past

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 63: The Final Piece to my Past**

_Welcome back, my faithful readers. This time around, we have something a little special: A Flashback chapter! And one for Ivan nonetheless! I'm really trying to get better at posting chapters in a more timely manner, but I'm glad this one didn't take the usual three weeks to come out. _

**axelialea: **_Oh don't worry, I don't plan for anything like that to happen. In fact, if you read this chapter, you'll find out that that's an impossibility!_

**caleb200888: **_Eh, I'm trying to build on Glock and Celestia's relationship since I did really just spring it up at the Gala. You know, giving them scenes like that, or Celestia teasing him, or just talking about him to her friends/sister._

**Nostalgia Cop: **_Can't be worse than a RariJack story_

**headreviewer mk2: **_Don't forget that he can fly, but then again with how frustrated Tia was from being interrupted with her happy time, she might've also super glued Bat Fang's wings to his torso :P_

**WarHusky2000: **_Thank you :) That really does mean a lot to me. Heck, I've been watching movie reviewers for so long on YouTube that I've been trying to get subtle foreshadowing down so it's not too obvious, and something doesn't just pop out of nowhere. Like my clues that indicated that Luna was pregnant before the big reveal._

**Chipmunkfanatic: **_Well, they are indeed selfish, and cowards. Don't forget that one that pleaded for his life when Celestia was kicking the shit out of him. /)_

**Sassymouse: **_Like I said back when I was writing the Draconia arc, once I saw Ember in The Gauntlet of Fire, I couldn't let her character go to waste! She's too damn cool not to use, and I knew I couldn't just allow the discover she and her father made die off like nothing happened. As for Bat Fang, I love using him when I can, especially since the bat ponies don't get a lot of love in the show. And yes, I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a little banter between he and Ember for her besting him so easily in Draconia. And as for Flash, my biggest thrill is actually getting to write him and Twily together. I never thought writing Twilight Sparkle of all ponies in a relationship could be fun! Especially because in most stories that involve Flash, he's an asshole, bland, or an abuser...But I do also enjoy expanding the family part between he, Twilight, and Spike. _

**OBSERVOR01: **_It's always nice to see Ember! And you know what? I really love writing Celestia in these normal pony-type settings instead of her just being regal all the time. She's still a mare with needs, wants, and feelings, and just wants to take a load off every once in awhile. _

_No more dilly-dallying! On with the Flashback!_

* * *

**(A month and a half later; Ivan's POV)**

I couldn't breathe nor blink. I should've been asleep, or at the very least comfortable and at peace with Applejack snuggled up to me. Normally, her soft whinnies as she snored would've lulled me to sleep, but at that moment, as I stared at the clock on my phone, waiting for the time to change, I felt like a kid in the doctor's office preparing for a shot. I just wanted the anticipation to be over. And no, this wasn't excitement…..this was pure dread.

A few days after Luna and Checkered's wedding, Twilight and Flash summoned the lot of us over to discuss some disturbing news. None of us had a single clue as to what to expect from that vague description, but it was still shocking nonetheless. Twilight even had a surprise waiting for us in the form of Ember from Draconia, who was here to relay the news herself. It turns out that Garble and his cronies were dead by hanging in King Horntail's dungeon, apparently to keep quiet about their motives and how they stole Luna from the safety of her own chambers in her and Celestia's castle. What was sickening, however, was the fact that Horntail, Ember, and Celestia suspected that the four guilty reptiles were actually _murdered_ by someone on the outside…possibly a treasonous citizen of Equestria who couldn't afford one of the quartet to sing. Twilight and Ember brought up a good point that only strengthened this theory: How else could Garble have known about Luna's dream walking ability?

And yet, even though that information was disheartening to say the least, and put us all on high alert to keep our eyes and ears peeled for _anything, _that wasn't the reason I was feeling distraught. My heart about stopped when my dry eyes regained the ability to blink and I saw the time on my phone change from 23:59 to the quadruple zeroes, midnight. A soft whimper escaped my mouth as I finally remembered to breathe, and a new day was born. May 21st to be exact, also known as one year. It had now officially been one year to the day when my life on Earth was literally shot down. I didn't have any doubts that Pinkie would probably throw some sort of party to celebrate the fact that everyone here had been friends with me for a whole year. While I was completely thankful for that….there was something important I've kept from my friends ever since that fateful day. And I couldn't let them celebrate our friendship with this dark cloud hanging over my head. I needed to at least tell someone so I wouldn't bring down everyone's mood, _if_ there was a party or at least some sort of celebration.

I hated knowing what I had to do, but I _knew_ I should've spoken with someone about it by now. With a sigh, I gently placed my phone on the nightstand next to Applejack's bed and looked at her sleeping form. It helped bring a smile to my face just knowing how beautiful she was and how much I loved her. Yet, I had to go through with this, especially since my love was the embodiment of honesty, and I trusted her with anything. "_AJ?"_ I whispered gently, brushing my thumb against her cheek. The mare stirred slightly, but continued her slumber. I moved my hand down to her shoulder, and bent my head down, kissing her forehead and shaking her shoulder as softly as I could. _"Applejack? Hun?" _

"_Heh?"_ Came a snort from the slumbering pony. I removed my lips from her forehead but kept my hand in place. She took her hoof off my shoulder and rubbed her emerald eyes, squinting them in my direction. "_I-Ivan?"_ She asked sleepily, yawning. Still feeling a little guilty for having to wake her up so late, I kept my mouth shut and waited for her to shake off her sleep. "What time is it?" Applejack's voice started to return to normal as she peered over at the alarm clock on her nightstand.

"It's midnight, hun," I quickly replied. "Look, I'm sorry for waking you, AJ, but-"

"Is everythin' all right, Sugarcube?" She got right to the point. AJ understood that I wouldn't wake her up if it wasn't important, so I was glad she wasn't ticked off at me, which she would have every right to be.

"I love you," I just blurted out. It wasn't getting to the point like my girlfriend wanted, but I just wanted to ease her into what I wanted to talk about. The mare blinked twice before flatting her eyebrows.

"Uh, that's nice Ivan, 'n Ah love ya too, but did ya have ta wake me ta tell me that?"

"It's not just that," I took her hoof in my hand and gently massaged it. "Please…I need to talk to you," I begged. I didn't mean to sound so dejected, but the anxiety I felt coupled with the weight of the year old memory, I couldn't help but look at her sadly. Thankfully though, she could tell that what was wrong was important. With her curiosity piqued, Applejack sat up on her left foreleg, her eyebrows raised back up at my solemn tone as she looked at me with genuine concern.

"'Course Ah'll listen Ivan," the mare said sweetly. "What's wrong, Sugarcube?" She reached over with her other hoof and put it back on my chest, rubbing it in the way she knew relaxed me.

"I just- I know I have to be honest with you Applejack; I love you," I repeated, "and you deserve to know this." I couldn't dive into it just yet, though. I had to set everything just right so she could really understand where I was coming from. "Do you know what today is, Applejack?"

"The 21st?" She asked after thinking about it for a minute. I nodded to confirm she was correct. "What about the- oh!" Her eyes lit up.

"I met you all a year ago," a sad smile spread across my face. My hand gained a mind of its own and gingerly cupped Applejack's cheek. "Believe me, I have more than one reason to be happy about meeting you," I kissed her nose lovingly. "But, not everything about today is a happy occasion."

"Ah know," she nodded. "Di-did you wanna talk about yer other friends?" Unsurprisingly, I puzzled her with a simple shake of my head. "Th-then what do ya need ta talk about?"

"I should've told you this a long time ago," I confessed shamefully, letting my head droop down a bit. Luckily, I had my girlfriend there to raise it back up with her hoof.

"Only if ya feel yer ready, Sugarcube," she gave me a loving smile. Although it was easy to tell she was still tired, the amount of trust in her eyes just made my heart swell. And, without even thinking, I rested my forehead upon her own so I could be as close to that trust as possible.

"Well," I tried to smile in return, but the quivering of my lower lip prevented that. "I think it's been long enough, and I love and trust you enough to help me," I recalled our chat in the infirmary shower about my scar. "But..."

"But what Ivan?"

"I'm afraid, Applejack," came a pathetic sigh. I wasn't trying to stall or anything. Waking her up this late at night was hard enough for me as it was, so I wasn't going to waste her time purposefully. In fact, I was all right with spilling my feelings to her as I should have a long time ago, but there was something else I was fearing. My forehead gently slipped off hers, but I tenderly laid my head against her shoulder for comfort, almost like a reversal of when she admitted she loved me back on Christmas Eve.

"Sugarcube," she replied in a comforting tone, resting her chin on my head and running her hooves along my bare back. "Ya don't have ta be afraid; it's just me here, 'n ya know Ah won't judge ya. Ah want ta help."

"I can't help it, AJ," I continued, nuzzling her soft fur. "It's not that I'm afraid of telling you because I _do_ want to." The mare lifted her chin from my head and even stopped massaging my back, yet she kept her hooves in place.

"Then tell me what yer afraid of, Ivan." She actually said it in a simplified tone as if she were a school teacher talking to a timid first grader. With no other choice, I raised my head from her shoulder, making sure to look her in the eye so she knew I was being serious.

"I-I really wouldn't blame you," I exhaled in a shaky voice. "But I'm just scared that after I tell you…..you won't love me anymore," I confessed. The mare immediately gasped, pulling back away from me like I told her I cheated on her.

"_Ivan Pearson!"_ She sneered quietly, avoiding waking up the rest of Ponyville. "How could you say somethin' like that?" She frowned, glaring at what I had said. I only felt more guilty by pissing her off, but I expected something of a reaction like this. "Yer the only one Ah've ever loved as much as Ah love ya. Whatever ya have ta say can't change that!" She growled.

"Applejack," I weakly put a hand to her cheek, rubbing my thumb across her freckles. "Do you remember how I went overboard on Filthy Rich and Trenderhoof? And how I quickly volunteered to go with Celestia's rescue team?"

"Y-yeah?"

Before I could continue, I tenderly crashed my lips into hers, taking in how soft they were, and the sparks I felt within my chest in case this was the last time she'd allow me to be this remotely close to her. I took her by surprise, but she didn't hesitate to kiss me back. We sat there for about a minute, moving only our mouths together while the rest of our bodies stayed motionless. "_I-It all started with my country's leader, our president,"_ I whispered as we parted for air, only for me to hug her tightly. "Six months before I crashed into your life….."

**(18 Months Ago; Washington D.C.)**

Sometimes going outside of the base, other than for flight missions, had its advantages. Just taking a stroll with my squad mates, CO, and a couple of Secret Service agents through the White House, soaking in all the history decorated within its walls was enough to make the patriot within me feel like a kid at Disney Land. I wasn't showing it as much as my friends, however. "Come on Ivan!" Adam grabbed ahold of my arm, yanking me away from the middle of the hallway toward a wall of portraits. "Get a picture with me and the president's portrait!" He exclaimed.

"The kids wanted pictures, huh?" I jerked my arm back from my friend's grasp, a smirk appearing on my face.

"They've never been to the White House, Ivan," he replied impatiently. "When I told them where we were going, I promised them pictures and a few souvenirs. You know, a little something for New Year's?" The man had been taking pictures on his phone non-stop since the Secret Service drove the six of us to Pennsylvania Avenue, and it looked like he might use up the rest of his phone's storage before the day was out.

"Should've just made it a surprise, Adam," I crossed my arms.

"Which reminds me, we've gotta stop by the gift shop on our way out," he clicked his tongue. "Now hurry up before our group gets too separated." Adam motioned for me to stand next to him, right in front of President Reagan's portrait. Rolling my eyes, I slung my arm around his shoulder, trying to mimic Reagan's look as Adam took the picture.

"Cougar, Reaper!" Stinger's old but still powerful voice boomed from the end of the hallway. "You'll have time to play vacation later, now get your butts back to the group!" He ordered. Adam nervously chuckled, jamming his phone back in his pocket before the two of us jogged side by side down the hallway.

"Sorry sir," I apologized, saluting our longtime commanding officer once we reached his spot.

"I hope to God you had a little more composure when you met with the queen last week," Stinger grumbled. He meant well, but since we were in the White House, the commander was doing everything in power to keep us in line.

"Other than Grizz choking on a cucumber sandwich, everything was fine," Adam shrugged.

"Just get moving," Stinger smacked us the back of the head. Needless to say, we booked it until we caught up with the rest of our squad whom was standing in front of a large metal door guarded by a few MPs. My eyes lit up, however, when I realized who was waiting for us at the door.

"Ah, there's the rest of your squad now," a man in a dark blue suit grinned, politely moving past Tex with his hand outstretched toward me and Adam. "Nice to meet you two."

"Mr. Vice President!" Adam said in astonishment, eagerly grabbing his hand and shaking it. "It's such an honor sir; I voted for you and your boss!" Vice President Fredrickson grimaced at my friend's Terminator-like grip, but continued to grin.

"Well, that's very kind, Lt. Jones," he finally was able to pull his hand back, shaking it. He gave me an uneasy look after enduring Adam's eagerness, but still politely offered me his hand.

"Don't worry Mr. Vice President," I assured him, gently shaking his hand. "I won't send you to the hospital," I winked.

"Thank you, Lt. Pearson," he sighed before turning to the pair of MPs standing guard. "At ease men." The two guards stepped aside simultaneously, allowing the Vice President to enter in a key code, the door opening like one from Star Trek. "This way, gentlemen," he announced somewhat proudly, giving us an inviting grin. We naturally stood aside and allowed Stinger to enter before doing so ourselves.

_"Kiss ass,"_ I heard Boa mutter to Adam, who just scoffed in reply. The large metal door shut behind us with a deep thud, locking back in place with beeps and metal clicks. The room before us was modeled almost exactly like any White House strategic room from movies, but even so, it was impressive. The entire back wall was covered with large monitors displaying maps of the world, surveillance videos from various cities, and several monitors with updated information pouring in by the second. Dozens of staff members worked down below on the floor, sitting in front of numerous computers, their hands dancing across keyboards as they spoke into headsets. I braced my hands against a metal railing, taking in the sight we'd been granted permission to see.

A large table with about two dozen chairs and microphones sat empty in the middle of the room with a perfect view of the largest screen on the wall. "Not as hot in here as you might think!" Someone greeted us. I turned to see who it was, only to grip the railing so hard my knuckles popped and turned white!

"Mr. President!" Stinger exclaimed, saluting our Commander in Chief. All five of us pilots copied him.

"At ease boys," the president laughed, gladly shaking all of our hands down the line we were standing in. "You're that group that just got back from working with the RAF, right?" He asked when he reached me.

"Yes sir! The queen told us to say hi for her," Tex replied in his usual booming voice.

"Glad to hear she's doing okay," the president concluded after I shook his hand. "I'm also happy to see that all of you could make it here on such short notice _and_ this close to New Year's," he said apologetically. "But, can I get any of you something to snack on or drink?"

"No sir, we're just here for what you needed us for," I replied. Adam frowned and slapped his hand onto my shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"Come on, Ivan! Loosen up a little; we all deserve a little break from that stint in the UK."

"Meeting with the queen and the royal family afterwards was a break enough, Adam," I brushed his hand off my shoulder. "If the president called for us personally, I'm sure it's a serious matter."

"Actually," the Vice President intervened, "Chad and I invited you over to congratulate you on your campaign in Britain," he corrected.

"And just to take a look at our Naval operations just south of Florida," President Chad Walker chimed in. "Right Andrew?" He looked back over at the Vice President.

"Even though we're in the Air Force?" Stinger asked, puzzled.

"Well, since you were already here, and you're some of the most elite fliers in the American Military, we thought you might be interested in taking a little peek," President Walker explained. "Now then, any snack or drink you want, just ask!" He grinned, motioning us to follow him down to what I assumed to be the large table below.

"There, see?" Adam lightly punched my shoulder. "Just lighten up a little and soak in a once in a lifetime chance, bro," he pleaded. I sighed in defeat, knowing that no one else except possibly Stinger would be going into this as serious as I was. But I didn't let it bother me; the boys really did deserve a nice respite, and if spending an afternoon with the President and Vice President was it, then I'd join in for a little bit of fun with them.

With the two leaders of the nation guiding us, we ventured down the metal staircase to the pit below. Much to my surprise, the volume of analysts working at the computers didn't increase all that much; I could still hear a few of my squad mates chatting with one another. "Fresca?!" Boa barked toward Tex in a bit of disgust. "The president says we can have anything we want to drink or snack on, and you choose _Fresca?_"

"I plan to relax a little, not get drunk in front of the leader of the free world," Tex replied flatly, smacking his RIO in the back of the head as we sat down. Most wouldn't think they'd work well together at all if this was any indication, but once the duo strapped into their T-38, they were matched as perfectly as chocolate and milk.

"It's no issue Commander," President Walker chuckled at Stinger's disapproving glare to Tex and Boa. "In fact, our chef just completed a large batch of buffalo wings if anyone is interested," he offered. No one objected to the idea, so the president sent a few staff members to the kitchen area for the wings and a few variety of drinks. Yet, no matter how much I wanted to relax a little like all my friends were, one thing kept my mind down. A few weeks ago, our military satellites picked up some increased activities in Cuba. Nothing had caused a panic just yet, but it appeared that they were stockpiling surface to air missiles at their military bases, just like they had done in the 60s when Kennedy was president. The only evidence intel had gathered for the military and the White House is that they either wanted to do what they couldn't nearly sixty years ago, or they just wanted to fuck with us to cause even more friction between our two nations. Needless to say, it had a few people on the edge of their seat, my squad and myself included.

"What's on your mind, son?" The Vice President suddenly turned to me.

"Hmm?" I looked up to find most everyone looking in my direction. In fact, I had been so deep in thought that I hadn't noticed the trays of buffalo wings arriving. "Oh, it…it's nothing," I shook my head and reached for a wing. I _really_ didn't want to bring up anything negative and spoil the guys' good time.

"Nonsense," Vice President Fredrickson assured me. "We'd like to make your visit as relaxing as possible."

"Of course!" Walker exclaimed. "Tell us what's bothering you, Lt. Pearson," he requested politely, almost grandfather-like.

"Ehh," I uncomfortably set my wing on the plate before me, wiping my fingers on a napkin. "It's really not important, Mr. President," I replied with a few clicks of my tongue. I could feel the rest of the guys, Stinger, and the Vice President looking at me questionably.

One look, however, in my CO's direction changed my mind. Years of being under his command granted me the ability to somewhat understand his body language, and he did _not_ look happy that I was denying a simple request. "Please Lieutenant, call me Chad," the president asked of me before I could reply.

"All right, _Chad_," I replied awkwardly. "Since you mentioned what the Navy's doing down south, I'm just a little concerned with everything that's happening with Cuba." Both Chad and Andrew nodded at my confession. "I hate to bring up something negative here," I added apologetically.

"Understandable," Andrew said, leaning back in his chair but drumming his fingers on the table. "Well, we _did_ want to show your squad just what we've got planned so far," he reminded us. "Would you folks like to see how the Navy's handling this?" He offered. A huge weight seemed to lift off of me as Stinger, Tex, Boa, Grizz, and Adam all agreed without complaint.

"If it's just to put your mind at ease, son," Chad smirked. "This _is_ a celebratory occasion after all!" The president leaned over in his chair, whispering something to one of the secret service agents behind him who then said something into the radio in his ear. Chad stood up after his little chat and announced, "Could we please get the location of the fleet near Cuba on screen?"

The giant digital map of the world whirred to life, blinking several different colors before a pair of vertical lines and a pair of horizontal lines dispersed from the edge of the screen. The four lines then converged in a blinking red square south of Florida, zooming in on the screen that held numerous dots just north of Cuba. "Ahem," President Walker cleared his throat, grabbing a laser pointer from his suit. "As you can see here, we've got an aircraft carrier, several destroyers, and a few submarines that can destroy surface to air missiles before they reach their target at the ready," the red light from the pointer danced around the screen.

"Nothing's really happened yet," Andrew chimed in, "but we'd like to be a bit more ahead of the game than the boys were in the 60s."

"So this is just our way of showing what we've got waiting for the Cubans if they choose to fire, sir?" Adam questioned, sounding about as interested as I was. The president nodded proudly, turning his attention back to the screen and circling the largest object on screen.

"If anything happens, God forbid, we'll launch about half a dozen F-18s equipped with bombs and air to surface missiles to take out the rest of the Cuban's payload, plus a few EMP bombs to disable them completely."

"_Luckily we'll never have to go there with the Navy ready to kick some ass,"_ Adam whispered in my ear. I couldn't help but chuckle, knowing he was right. Though, I wouldn't mind going through a joint-op with the Navy after our successful mission with the RAF.

"Wait a minute," I noticed something up on the screen that made me stand from my seat.

"Lt. Pearson?" The Vice President asked.

"Did the carrier just launch a pair of F-18s?"

"That's odd," Andrew scratched the side of his head. On the screen, two bright green squares appeared on the large rectangular shape of the carrier before blinking their way across the shape and over the ocean. "Chad?"

"Don't worry, don't worry," he reassured the lot of us. "I ordered Commander Lance Parker of the _USS Roosevelt_ to launch a few jets as an extra precaution," he explained.

"Not to question you sir, but is that really such a safe idea?"

"I have to agree with my pilot, Chad," Stinger stood up as well. "With how close the fleet is to Cuban waters, launching jets is pretty damn risky," he leaned forward with his palms on the table. "What if they take it as a threat?"

"I _assure_ you all that nothing will happen. They'll just perform a few flybys before returning to deck. Just a few drills to make sure they can be up in the air as soon as the Cubans launch their missiles. Which again, God forbid."

"Listen Chad-" Andrew began before the president rolled his eyes and held up his hand.

"Comms, patch me in to Hornet 1," he ordered. "We'll even get a word from the lead aviator that everything is fine." I still didn't feel good about this. A chicken should never strut too close to the fence when a coyote is licking his chops from the other side. Setting up a small fleet is one thing, and having jets on standby is another. But having them fly about is damn near teasing the enemy.

_BEEEEEEEEEEP_

A long sustained high pitched beep crackled over the speakers within the strategy room, silencing everyone, even the analysts at the computers. "That's a fucking _missile lock_!" Grizz suddenly cursed, jumping up so fast he knocked his drink over on the table. My heart began racing while I scanned the entire area on the map, searching for any objects that could represent any enemy jets or missiles.

"Hornet 1, Hornet 1!" Walker wasted no time. "What's happening up there?"

_"Mayday, mayday! Something's got a lock on us, but we can't figure out what! Nothing's showing up on radar!"_ Came a panicked cry. "_Hornet 2?!"_

"_Same thing on our end, but my radar's jamming up!" _The second pilot shouted. We could hear something being pounded from the end of his radio, possibly the pilot hitting the radar to see if it was malfunctioning. _"Come on you piece of shit!"_

"Pull them back!" Stinger ordered sharply, not caring that he was talking that way to the president. "Order them to land, sir!" President Walker, however, didn't listen. Instead he turned to what I could only guess was the senior analyst of the room.

"See if you can trace that missile lock. We need to know exactly where it's coming from."

"Sir," I intervened, "with all due respect, tell them to land! Having them flying blind is bad enough, let alone when the enemy has a clear lock on!"

"Hornet 1," the president ignored me. "Tell us if you can see anything out of the ordinary; we don't see anything peculiar on our end."

"Chad, please!" The Vice President begged. "These men are pilots! I think you should heed their word!"

"Those aviators are on _our_ side of the boundary," Walker explained, never sound irritated or out of patience. "The Cuban military wouldn't _dare_ to shoot at any of our men or women without thinking of the repercussions."

"Don't you understand that their leader is just as nuts and ruthless as his father was?!" Tex exclaimed. "If they can't see what's targeting their backs, the best thing to do is get them the hell outta there!"

"I will call them back once we've traced the missile lock."

"Give us another two minutes sir," an analyst reported as the two squares on screen turned 180 degrees to perform another flyby. Even though they _were_ on our side of the boundary, I never doubted an enemy. I couldn't even remember the last time I blinked as my eyes were glued to the screen.

"Two minutes is too long!" Adam shouted. Without warning, two long rectangular objects emerged from the shape of Cuba on the map, curving and winding in the direction of the jets.

"THEY'VE FIRED! PULL THEM BACK!" I yelled, leaping across the table and snatching the president's microphone from his grasp. "Hornet 1, Hornet 2! You've got two surface to air missiles heading straight for you!" The president didn't even try to wrangle the microphone from my grip. Instead he placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and placed an order into the audio device.

"Men, I order you to pull back immediately! I repeat pull back and get as far away as you can! Subs, fire when ready!"

"_Wh-where are they?!"_ The aviator from Hornet 2 demanded. _"I can't see anything! Hornet 1, you got visual?"_

_"Negative Hornet 2!"_

"Evade and continue north!" Walker repeated. "We'll have the subs take care of the missiles!"

We could only sit and watch in horror, praying that the two F-18 aviators could get far enough way for the patriot missiles to intercept the Cuban's missiles in time. I nervously released the president's microphone from my hand and slinked back across the table, a shiver traveling up my spine with each heartbeat. Everyone sat in silence while the radio transmissions from the jets were left on. Eventually, two more missiles showed up on our screen, a whoop of joy from the floor staff indicating that they were indeed the subs' missiles.

"They won't get there in time…." Stinger mumbled, his chair creaking as he slowly sat up. "EJECT THEM!" He bellowed toward the president. Little by little, Stinger was right, for the pair of Cuban weapons were closing the gap between them and the F-18s.

"Hornet 1, has your radar become functional again?"

"Fuck the radar, Chad!" Andrew cursed. "Tell them to eject!"

_"Wait! I-I've got a clear- SHI-!"_ The aviator's radio was cut off mid sentence, the macabre sound of dead silence filling its place.

_"HORNE-!" _The second aviator was cut off. The two jets and two missiles vanished off screen, leaving two patriot missiles empty in the sky. The next thing we heard was the feedback of Walker's mic as it fell from his loose grip onto the table.

_"This is the USS Roosevelt….we're sending a chopper to their location, Mr. President,"_ the commander of the aircraft carrier solemnly announced. President Walker sat down roughly in his chair, covering his eyes with his hands.

"Sir? It's confirmed….the lock on came from a Cuban Naval Base," one of the analysts said in a shaky voice. Vice President Fredrickson, however, was more angered than the rest of us.

**-X-**

I wanted to throw up. Nearly two and a half hours had come and gone since the events in the White House strategy room had occurred. And ever since the two aviators' radios were cut off by the missiles, I had been sick to my stomach. President Walker and Vice President Fredrickson apologized for what we had to see and hear before granting us full permission to head back to our hotel while they got everything under control. They even dispatched a pair of Secret Service agents to accompany us if we needed anything. War was not a matter of if anymore, but when now that our military had been attacked in U.S. waters. Though _when_ we would declare war on Cuba was still on the table.

None of us could really blame the president. He didn't send those poor pilots over the boundary or have them fire in the island nation's direction. Sure, we all agreed that he could've had them pull back sooner, but no one knew at the time what had locked onto their F-18s. What if a whole squad of Cuban pilots locked onto them and had followed them back to the carrier and lit it up?

"All right, if no one will say it, _I_ will!" Boa barked after stomping around our hotel suite for about forty-five minutes, muttering to himself. "I say we get about fifty A-10s, fly back over to Cuba with the Navy and sink the fuckers right into the Atlantic!"

"And just walk right into a trap? What if shooting down those two jets was just bait?" Grizz asked from his chair with his arms crossed. "Don't you think we should get some recon on their air bases first before going in like Schwarzenegger?"

"Or what if they were just waiting for us to get close enough, take out a few of our own, and then blow up all of southern Florida while we're trying to figure out what the hell's going on?!"

"Calm down, Boa," Stinger remarked from the doorway to the mini bar. "Letting off a little steam is one thing, but you're talking about suicide here! You wanna be responsible for the loss of nearly five dozen more American lives?" Boa snorted and glared toward our CO, kicking at the foot of his bed.

"Well, I sure as hell don't want to sit here and wait for millions of innocent _civilian_ lives in Florida to be lost!"

"And you think just launching us in there like kamikazes will scare them enough to surrender?" Tex joined in, pointing a finger at his RIO. "Stupid shit like this is exactly why Stinger made me the pilot!" He snarled. Boa suddenly pushed Tex back into a wall, huffing and puffing like Michael Myers.

"Knock it off!" Stinger bolted over to the pair, shoving them apart like a hockey ref. "You two won't see the cockpit of a jet for a month if you keep this up!" He threatened. Tex and Boa just gave each other dirty looks before the former stepped back and kicked the foot of his bed again, flopping down on the bed.

"Hey Ivan, you doing all right?" Adam sat at the foot of my own bed while everyone else let out their frustrations. I'd just been staring up at the ceiling ever since we got back, not having moved an inch. "Come on man." I exhaled slowly, lazily shifting my gaze over to my best friend. "You know it freaks me out when you're like this."

"Freaks you out?" I replied for the first time since our return to the hotel. Grunting, I pushed myself up and rested my back against the headboard, legs crossed and elbows resting on the sides of my knees.

"You know," Adam narrowed his eyes, "when you give the whole damn planet the silent treatment and just stare into an abyss? You've been doing it a lot more lately, and it's not healthy."

"Don't give me that psychobabble shit."

"Ivan, needing some down time to decompress is fine, but you become an emotionless zombie whenever something like this happens. You even do it when when something happens that we don't even have a hand in!"

"Well, you see what they're doing!" I jabbed my thumb in Tex and Boa's direction. "Someone around here needs to keep a level head-"

"Don't give me that bullshit excuse, Ivan!" Adam rose his voice at me, but the others didn't stop their arguing to se what was going on over here. "Please," he sighed, putting a hand on my shoulder, "as your brother, you need to stop blaming yourself whenever shit like this happens."

"Why? I have the capabilities and the will to protect people. If I'm _breathing_, I have a job to do; if I can't perform that job, then it's _my fault_!" I snapped, slapping Adam's hand off my shoulder.

"Really? Then tell me what more could you have done to help those F-18 pilots, Ivan," my friend demanded. "If it was your job to help them, then what could you have done?" I opened my mouth to answer him, but nothing came out. Shamefully, I closed my mouth and looked away from Adam, glaring at the wall. "See? You're beating yourself up over something out of your control!" Adam sighed. The man patted my back, "Look, I don't blame you for wanting to do good and defend people. That's noble enough, but you need to remember that you can't save _everyone_."

"I can sure as hell try," I swallowed, still not turning to look at him.

"Then how can you enjoy life if that's all you think about? Opening up to your friends and letting them help you doesn't make you a burden. We're all here to help each other; trust me, you'll feel a lot better when you stop moping to yourself and just talk to us." Adam quickly moved his arm around my shoulder and gave me a tight hug, patting my back once again.

"Thanks bro," I turned to him, offering my adopted brother a weak smile and returned the hug.

"And you know, finding the right-" he tried to add before a knock at the door interrupted him. The rest of the room went silent as we heard the electronic beep of the door lock, and a Secret Service agent poked his head through the now partially opened door.

"I hate to bother you, men, but the Vice President is here for a visit," he announced. All of us with the exception of Stinger let off a chorus of confused responses as our CO invited Fredrickson into our room.

"Let him in," Stinger responded, standing at attention. The rest of us stood up as the Vice President very briskly entered the room with his two personal bodyguards and the pair of agents assigned to us followed, shutting the door. "What brings you here, sir?"

"Please, please, no need or time for that," he forcibly yanked Boa's saluting arm down.

"Sir?" Boa took a step back.

"Do you have more info on….you know?" Adam questioned. Andrew looked over at us before blinking hard and roughly rubbing the side of his head.

"In a way, yes," he growled. "I wish I had come here with positive news for you, but we've discovered something…..haunting." The way he said it chilled at least me to the bone, almost like a combination of afraid and sickened.

"Well, is the president on his way or coming up with a plan to get back at those bastards?" Grizz sneered.

"No, in fact, Chad has no clue I'm here," the VP admitted. "The only ones that know I'm here are you six, my bodyguards and the two agents I dispatched for you all."

"Then, why are you here sir?" I took a step forward, squinting my eyes to try and figure out what the hell was going on. The depression and anger I'd felt for the past two hours quickly morphed into concern.

"Because," Andrew gulped, "I need your help," his eyes darting over between the six of us. My eyes increased back to their normal size, the concern now being joined by confusion.

"Our help?" Stinger had his arms crossed, but was staring at the vice president like Clint Eastwood.

"Yes. You see, Commander, I had my suspicions over what transpired in the strategy room, so I had a little chat with Chad about it in the Oval Office."

"What were you suspicious about?" Even one of his own bodyguards didn't know what he was getting at. Andrew put the side of his fist to his mouth, exhaling into it.

"Gentlemen, I'm sorry to say, but our president isn't the man he led you to believe."

"_What?"_ I said in a hush.

"I asked him why he didn't order those men to land the moment there was a missile lock imposed on their planes. Chad at first tried to deny it, but we've worked together for so long in politics I can tell when he's full of shit. Eventually I broke him down and got him to admit what he did…our president used those innocent pilots as pawns to jumpstart a war with Cuba."

"_No!"_ Adam exclaimed.

"He told me that he saw an opportunity to get Cuba to cooperate and bring democracy to their nation, even at the cost of two American lives. He waited for those missiles to launch so he'd have an excuse to declare war and have the whole of the U.S. backing his decision. He claims that the pilots wouldn't have died in vain, but I can tell he doesn't care. All he gives a damn about is his legacy: The president that brought democracy to Cuba, and peace between them and America. Which is why we have to stop him from addressing the nation so we can stop what he's started before more innocent American and innocent Cuban lives are lost."

The silence that followed was deafening. Stinger clutched the edge of the table he was standing next to before slowly collapsing onto a chair, staring at the ground in horror. Adam was frozen, unable to move at the news that the man he voted for had betrayed the entire country, a quiet whine emitting from his open mouth. The four secret service agents behind the vice president removed their sunglasses, their faces as pale as a ghost. I myself was shaking in my spot, feeling about as sickened, shocked, and lost as Luke Skywalker in his first confrontation with Darth Vader. "I know this is difficult to process, but we haven't much time," Andrew said after giving us a moment.

"W-what can we do to help sir?" Boa's usual brash attitude had completely vanished. He sounded truly frightened that fellow pilots had been essentially murdered by the president, and I can't blame him.

"Well, I came to all of you because if I went to the CIA or practically anyone else with the Secret Service, they'd talk to Chad about it and he'd just deny it and erase the audio tapes from the Oval Office. Besides, he'd also have a room full of analysts to back him up that he tried to do everything he could to save the pilots."

"So what's your plan?" Stinger mustered up the courage to talk.

"Before the day went to shit, Chad was talking about taking you all out to dinner for meeting up with us today. One of you could ride in the back of his limo on the ride over with him, and arrest him once we get to the restaurant. I'll even have one of them ride up front with the driver to verify why you're arresting the president so it doesn't look like an assassination attempt," Andrew explained, gesturing to one of the secret service agents who nodded in agreement. "And I can have two others ride with me and the rest of you in my limo, while the other two go back to the Oval Office and secure those tapes and the surveillance footage before anyone can get to them as evidence."

Everyone silently but surely agreed to the plan, knowing what was at stake, and that we were but a few that had the opportunity to prevent an all out war.

"When do we leave?" I snarled.

**-X-**

The plans for the evening definitely changed from what the vice president had told us back at the hotel. Only moments after he gave us the grim news, room service appeared at our door with an entire feast at the ready, all courtesy of the president himself. Andrew and his two bodyguards left as soon as we found out who'd sent the dinner to our room, having to get back to the White House before President Walker knew where he had been.

We also discovered through a phone call from Walker that he _personally_ wanted to fly our whole squad plus Stinger home on Air Force One as an 'extended apology for what we had to witness.' It took Stinger his whole will power to not blow up at the commander in chief over the phone, but he persevered even though he demanded a few shots of scotch from the mini bar afterwards.

Luckily though, one of the agents dispatched to us in our room confirmed that the vice president would be joining the president on the flight, so the original plan to get the surveillance and audio tapes from the Oval Office could stay somewhat intact. The only thing now is we had a more private opportunity to arrest the president and give the incriminating evidence over to the head of the Secret Service, at least before we took off from the White House's private airfield outside of D.C.

"Lt. Pearson, are you sure you're all right?" The president asked of me. I had been hand picked by Walker to accompany him in the back of his presidential limo for the ride to the airfield while everyone else was in the vice president's limo. I didn't have the slightest clue why he chose me, but we couldn't afford acting suspiciously around him, so I went without question.

"As much as I can be," I replied, looking out the window at the cold winter's sunset.

"I really can't apologize enough for what you, your men, and your commander had to see, Lieutenant." My knuckles felt like they were going to blow out right through my skin from how tight I was clenching my fists, turning as white as the snow on the sides of the road. "Would some music help?" Walker suggested after I didn't respond to his faux apology. Maybe he _did_ feel sorry we had to personally witness two naval aviators dying, but I didn't give a fuck about his feelings anymore. One of the agents that had been with us at the hotel flipped on the radio in the back of the limo to a classic rock station, allowing music to fill the car.

_Cause you're living on a paper sun _

_Blind to all the damage done _

_Living on a paper sun _

_Waiting for the tide to turn _

_Living on a paper sun _

_You can't hide and you can't run _

_All your dreams have come and gone _

_Living on a paper sun _

_"_You know, I've always found this to be an underrated song," the president continued as the bridge of the song hit.

"The feeling's mutual, sir," I finally replied once we entered a tunnel, the concrete walls blocking the view of the sunset. Anger and dread swelled within my chest with each passing foot the limo traveled. It was protocol for the president to enter Air Force One after a pair of armed agents, and since I would enter with him….._I_ would be the one to initiate his arrest with the agent in our limo assisting me and the rest of my squad following suit. What really terrified me, however, was I didn't know how far we would get, even with a few members of the Secret Service on our side. Would any of my squad mates be shot? Would _I_ be shot? Would the vice president hold back the president's guards so we could arrest the president? But, we still couldn't act until we knew the footage and audio tapes had been secured.

"You know, Ivan," Walker called me by name for the first time. I couldn't help but feel and look a little stunned towards the leader of the free world. "Our business near Cuba is a naval operation?" The president cracked open a bottle of brandy, pouring into a glass.

"Yes…sir?"

"Well, I for one think it would be a shame or even a crime to allow the skills and talents of the Ghostrider Squadron to go waste simply because you are apart of the Air Force and not the Navy," he began, sipping his brandy as if we were discussing the upcoming Super Bowl.

"….And you want us to work alongside the Navy?" I swallowed, trying to keep everything in check. Walker offered me a glass of my own, but I rejected it.

"Of course! And maybe since you boys helped the RAF, perhaps they'll lend us a helping hand?" He suggested. "Naturally, your planes won't be able to be parked on the _Roosevelt_, but I don't think relocating your squad to a Florida Air Base should be too much of a problem."

"I'd have to check to see what Stinger and the boys think of that first," I put on a fake smile. "I mean with _so much_ that's happened in the past few weeks, we may need a little breather to think about it," I turned my attention back to the window, frowning.

"Ah, well that's to be expected for how much work your squad puts in to keep our skies safe," the president polished off his drink with a pleased groan, setting the glass into a cup holder. "But do take my offer into consideration, Lt. Pearson. After all, isn't this why you and your adoptive brother dropped out of school to join?" My eyes blew open, and my head snapped around to face President Walker. "Heh, heh," he chuckled at my reaction.

"You knew?"

"Yes, I'm well aware of the little fib you and Lt. Jones cooked up when you were seventeen in order to enlist," Walker grinned. He interrupted me before I could even think of answering, "The government always knows, Lieutenant. Rest assured that many people within the government, myself included, have no qualms with what you two did. In fact, our military could use more men like the you and Lt. Jones, true patriots to your country," he praised.

"Are we now?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Mhmm," Walker nodded, putting his hand on my shoulder. "There's just one thing I have to ask of you."

"What's that, Mr. President?" I stole a quick glance at his hand before returning my gaze to his.

"Keep doing what you can for the good of the nation, son. Protect it as best as you can from anything that threatens it and your fellow citizens." I couldn't help but narrow my eyes toward President Walker as a confident smirk spread across my face.

"Don't worry sir, I plan to," I swore.

"Good man!" The president pulled his hand back, adjusting his tie. I suddenly felt the limo begin to lose momentum and make a wide turn, making me, the president, and the secret service agent lean a little bit. "Ah good, we're here." I took a look out the window to see the large blue and white 747 that was Air Force One with what appeared to be a few dozen security personnel littered around the plane. "Don't worry about your luggage," Walker patted my back before stepping outside of the limo. One look through the back window allowed me to see the vice president's limo parked directly behind us with my squad exiting the vehicle.

"_Lieutenant,"_ the agent whispered to me just as I was about to step out as well. He didn't say another word to me, opting instead to gesture to his ear piece, giving me a thumbs up. It took but a second before the sense of dread felt like an elephant weighing down my shoulders. I slowly pointed out the open limo door toward the president, raising my eyebrows at the agent. He simply nodded and tossed a pistol over to me like we had planned before the president arrived at our hotel. He then held up a pair of handcuffs, dangling them towards me and then hid them behind his back.

"Pearson! You lose something in there?" Walker poked his head back in.

"Uh, no sir! It's just a little cramped in here," I lied, jamming the pistol into a pocket on the inside of my jacket.

"Well you're definitely not alone on _that_ thought," he rolled his eyes. "Oh well, come on," he offered me his hand. The president stood there, bent over with his hand reaching out to me, but I just sat down, refusing to move an inch. Behind the president, Andrew's guards and our squad were waiting, blocking any other security agents from getting to the president. The trap had been set. "Lieutenant?"

"Mr. President," I growled, grabbing his wrist with my free hand and yanking him forward. The man fell onto his knees into the limo, grunting.

"Pearson! Wh-what's the meaning of this?" He demanded, trying to yank his hand away. The serviceman sitting next to me produced the pair of handcuffs, inching closer to the president.

"As an American citizen, I place you under arrest for the murder of two American aviators and for conspiring to start a war!" I declared, pulling the pistol from my jacket pocket. However, right as I pointed the gun at the president, he instead yanked _me_ toward him. Caught off guard, I was pulled forward where the president's free hand punched across my cheek. My hand that was grasped around his wrist let go as I fell to the floor of the limo in a daze from the force of the punch.

In a blur, I could see the president scrambling to me to get the gun while the serviceman intercepted him, the two coming together like a pair of WWE stars, punching and clawing at one another. "Stand down, the two of you!" The president sneered. "Or I'll have you sent to Guantanamo for this!"

"Sir, what you've done is unforgivable!" The serviceman retorted, dropping his pair of handcuffs to fight the president. I could hear voices on the outside demanding what was happening. If we didn't act fast, our whole plan would be undone! I tried to wriggle out from underneath the two men, only to have the president elbow me in the gut, forcing an ungodly choking sound to emit from my mouth. "Make it easy on yourself, sir. You'll get a fair trial!" The serviceman pleaded.

"You two have no idea how hard that decision was to make!" the president snarled. Right hooking the serviceman. Groaning, I pulled myself up and onto the couch while the president was momentarily distracted, reaching for something.

_SMASH_

"GAHHH!" The secret service agent screamed in pain as the president grabbed the empty brandy glass and smashed it into the serviceman's face. I held back from throwing up as streaks of blood formed all over the poor man's face, even his eye. The president huffed, grabbed the pair of hand cuffs and wrapped them around the agent's throat, pulling back as hard as he could. The look on the president's face as he strangled the injured man was inhuman.

I cocked the hammer of the pistol back, pointing it right at the president's head. "Walker, let him go," I ordered, still trying not to lose my dinner at the scarred face of the agent. Walker snarled, glaring over at me.

"Andrew's always been the do-gooder. No leader in the history of the world ever had clean hands," he said through his teeth. "He told you everything didn't he?" I said nothing, but pointed the gun closer to him, resting my index finger on the trigger. "I knew it. I'll just have to send him with you _and_ your squad to Guantanamo."

"No offering me a chance to get out?" I asked through my teeth as well, breathing heavily.

"Of course not," Walker rolled his eyes while the agent flailed his hands back, trying to claw at the president. "You'll just take me down the instant I- YAHH!" He cut himself off and lunged forward, grasping one hand around the barrel of the pistol and pushing me against the mini bar of the limo. "GIVE ME THAT GUN!" He screamed, punching at me with his free hand while we wrestled for the gun.

I tried yelling back, but Walker wrapped his fingers around my throat, squeezing it tight. All of a sudden, the secret serviceman leapt from behind the president, curling his arms around the president's chest, pulling him back. The president, however, kept his hand tight around the barrel of the gun, holding onto it. I yanked it back as hard as I could and-

_BANG_

The gun went off, momentarily deafening me as I felt something warm and wet dripping on my hands. Shaking my head clear, an image of the president with a look of shock on his face entered my field of vision. "Huh?" I exclaimed when I saw a large dark red hole in the president's chest that was growing redder by the second. I looked down to see splatters of blood on my hands and a few specks on the matte finish of the firearm.

"Lieutenant? Are you all right?" The serviceman asked as he sat the president down on one of the seats. I could see where the bullet had been stopped by the vest he'd been wearing under his suit.

"THE PRESIDENT'S BEEN SHOT!" I could hear someone on the outside shout. My hands started to shake in horror at what had happened. I'd been angry at what Walker had done, but not _this_ angry.

"Pearson," the serviceman shook my shoulder. "I'll be your witness, I swear," he promised me as the doors to the limo ripped open.

"Ivan?" I could hear Adam's voice underneath the shouts of everyone else. I shut my eyes in shame and allowed my entire body to shake like a leaf.

**-X-**

**(Flashback over)**

"_They took the president to a private government hospital, but it was too late for him," _I continued my story as hot tears streamed down my face. _"Andrew took over as the president and turned the evidence over to the FBI, CIA, every government facility necessary to prove what Walker had done….."_

Applejack gaped, her face stuck like that since the second third of my story. "Ivan-"

"_I'm a murderer….."_ I choked, squeezing more tears out of my eyes.

"No, no you _aren't_, Sugarcube," AJ gently put her hoof on my cheek, wiping at my cascading tears.

"_But,"_ I held her hoof in my hand loosely, still allowing her to wipe my tears, "_Applejack, I _killed_ him. H-he was unarmed."_

"Well, so what, Ivan?" The mare scooted closer to me, cuddling up and wrapping both her forelegs around my torso. She even laid her cheek against my shoulder, nuzzling it lovingly. "He attacked both that secret service guy 'n you," she countered. "An' he _definitely_ wasn't an innocent man."

"_I-I know, but all we wanted to do was arrest him and let the Supreme Court decide what to do,"_ I turned away from her, believing I wasn't worthy of cuddling this close to AJ. That didn't stop her, however, from pulling me back, squeezing me tighter.

"Ivan, Ah know ya don't feel too proud 'o yerself right now, but tell me one thing."

_"What's that?" _I sniffled.

"Y'all didn't go ta jail now did ya?" Applejack held my cheek with her hoof so I wouldn't be able to turn away.

_"W-well no. The FBI looked at the security tape of the limo and the serviceman testified in favor of me,"_ I admitted. "_They ruled it an accident because we were wrestling for the gun."_

"Uh-huh," AJ smiled warmly. "An' y'all didn't _mean_ ta do it, right?"

"_Of course not!"_ I sobbed. "_It was supposed to just make him comply and go into custody. I'd _never_ kill someone who's unarmed purposefully."_

_"_Sugarcube, that's all Ah need ta hear," she moved a hoof down onto my chest, massaging it in circles.

_"But still-" _I tried to counter argue.

"But…nothin'!" AJ exclaimed. "Ah understand yer not happy with the outcome, Ivan, but the fact 'o the matter is y'all have nothin' ta be ashamed of. So what if he was unarmed? _He_ allowed two 'o yer fellow pilots ta die fer selfish reasons and put countless other lives at risk. Them poor boys couldn't fight against those missiles, especially when the president just sat there 'n led them ta their deaths. Far as Ah'm concerned hun, yer president signed away his life the moment he fought back against ya. _He_ made ya pull that trigger; you didn't do it on purpose."

_"That night, AJ,"_ I continued after a moment of silence, laying my cheek on Applejack's shoulder, my tears matting her orange fur. _"I vowed to do whatever I could to exterminate as much evil as I physically could, and that if I had a chance to save someone, I'd do it. That's why I was so eager to go to Draconia to save Luna. So I could atone for ending a man's life when it wasn't my job to. Did he deserve it? Probably…..but it shouldn't have been me holding the-"_ I was cut off by Applejack wrapping her forelegs around my neck and slamming her mouth onto mine, kissing me ferociously.

"Sugarcube," she huffed after I finally stopped trying to talk. "Y'all stop _right now_," she ordered me. "It was an accident plain 'n simple. Ah don't love ya any less fer somethin' that was outta yer control. The past year my friends an Ah've known ya, you've proven how loyal, sweet, selfless, carin', honest, 'n just an all around good man you are. Ya might've been rough around the edges at first, but you've grown so much 'n learned how ta open up ta yer friends, but more importantly how ta trust yerself. In fact, Ah love ya even more now that you've worked up the courage ta tell me this. You. Are. A. _Good._ Man, Ivan, 'n Ah'm never lettin' ya go!" She snuggled her head into my chest, yanking me back down onto the bed where she squeezed me as hard as she could, holding me close. "Ah love you," she added, resting her chin upon my chest and giving me the most reassuring smile I've ever seen. "Please, don't feel sorry fer yerself, don't feel like ya have somethin' ta make up fer. Just keep bein' the man ya are; that's all Ah could ever ask o' ya," she pleaded.

"…_I love you,"_ my voice cracked as I threw the blanket back over us and wrapped my arms around her in return. She raised her head slightly, allowing me to bend mine down and to connect our lips. She still loved me, even after what I thought would be a deal breaker, Applejack wouldn't let me go. _"Thanks for listening,"_ I added, my tears beginning to dry up, but not before they turned from sadness to happiness.

"Shh," she moved her hoof up to my lips. "Just let me hold ya, hun." Applejack said softly before resting her head back down on my chest with her ear right above my heart. "Ah'm _always_ here fer ya, Ivan."

If I could tell Applejack what'd happened and feel like a great weight had lifted off me, then I could tell my other friends no problem. Sure, I still felt a twinge of guilt every time I thought back to that night, but I was positive that as time went on, the guilt would whither away. And with my status as a knight, I could still help those who needed it, and stop evil from spreading. The best part was I had a whole slew of friends and a loving girlfriend to go to whenever I needed it; nothing could make my life better…..except maybe one thing.

**End Chapter 63**

* * *

_So, here's just a little tidbit of trivia for you readers. I gave the president in my story the last name of Walker after the governor of my state, Alaska, Bill Walker. This is just to get back at him for taking half of the dividends from every citizen of Alaska to pay for our state being unable to handle a damn budget. _

_Also, this obviously isn't the final chapter, I have SO much more left, but this really is the last piece to Ivan's backstory, and I hope it explained a lot of his earlier behavior in the story, and why he was so eager to volunteer to help rescue Luna. Plus, yeah, I threw in a ton of CouJack at the end._

_And yes, the use of Paper Sun in the president's limo was a hint of irony for him. If you're interested, the song is called Paper Sun and was written and performed by Def Leppard. It's on YouTube, but there was a special reason why it was written that you can research in Google._

_Don't forget to review!_


	65. Chapter 64: Better to be Prepared

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 64: Better to be Prepared**

_Okay guys, I know this isn't exactly what some of you were waiting for. But because of time constraints, I have had literally no time at all to work on this chapter. I've had to work on multiple videos for my channel, including two videos that are both over seventeen minutes long, (one of which I'm still editing together) and the movie theatre I work at has Rogue One. I've been pulling ten hour days at the theatre for the past week, so yeah, it pains me that I haven't been able to get much done. And this is the FINAL time I'm going to do this, but I've split in half what I've written down so far for this chapter so you guys don't have to wait as long for an update. That and what I have planned really needs a lot of time to get the quality all of you deserve. Otherwise, the last half of the original chapter would've been rushed, and I'm not going to do that to you, my readers. Again, I vow to NEVER split chapters in half anymore; I don't want these mini chapters to become the norm, especially with my plans for the final act of the story. Anyway, let's get to some review replies!_

**Gracie Ghost:** _I love catching people off guard like that :P_

**Nostalgia Cop: **_Well, this is awkward. I've actually never seen 'Whose Line is it Anyway?' Would you recommend it?_

**axelialea: **_Ivan's stated already that he's a one woman (or in this case mare) man, and is very loyal deep down. Plus, I really wanted to cement the fact that really nothing can tear these two apart with these facts coming to light for Applejack. _

**caleb200888: **_Thank you!_

**headreviewer mk2: **_EXACTLY! I also wanted to emphasize that he didn't start out wanting to do it, but once he saw that opportunity to make history, his ego blinded him from what he was doing, hence why I used the song 'Paper Sun' to show the audience that he's blinded himself._

**SkullRabbit775: **_The president sealed his own fate once he allowed those two naval aviators to die in the name of making history. Plus, it was emphasized that if he'd gone quietly, then he more than likely would've lived at least until convicted for treason by the Supreme Court._

**OBSERVER01: **_Yeah, it does have a somewhat '90s action feel to it. As for the party, just wait :) I was aiming for somewhat of a Tom Clancy feel_

**WarHusky2000: **_Yep, that's pretty much the last mystery about his life that's been solved. Now he has nothing to do but look forward to his life with his new friends and his Applejack. As for the cuddling, glad I could make it cute and romantic without it being mushy and forced. Even though they're different species, I want to make it seem and feel as natural as possible_

**Monkeyboy0118: **_HOLY CRAP SOMEONE KNEW IT! Yes! That's precisely what 'Paper Sun' was written about! Trust me, I don't like exposition all that much, but it was necessary because it was a flashback chapter. I did have an entire scene where the VP confronted the President in the Oval Office, but since it was a flashback chapter from Ivan's POV, it wouldn't have made sense because he wasn't there._

**SquirtlePWN: **_Stupid server! It's going on the list! But thanks, bro. Practically ever since the beginning, I've been adding ideas for that part of the story. Mainly to prove why Ivan despised a lot of humanity, and that I needed an incident that Ivan had to be apart of so he could feel guilty, but one where it's clear it wasn't his fault. I was also happy to show Ivan's brotherly relationship with Adam, and even show off the personalities of his squad mates. As for Celestia, Luna, the Mane 6 and Ivan coming up with a plan to stay ahead of who or whatever caused Luna's kidnapping...here you go_

**Need4SpeedLover: **_He now just sleeps with AJ_

_So, I have nothing else to say really other than have a safe and Happy Holidays! I will do my best (after I'm done working on my last video for December) to get the next chapter out, and with the quality all of you deserve. A LOT will be happening in the story within the next few chapters, so stay tuned!_

* * *

**(Canterlot Castle The Next Day; Ivan's POV)**

So, last night was fairly emotional for me to say the least. Thankfully, Applejack was right there to comfort and assure me that everything was okay, and that I don't have anything to be ashamed of for what happened inside that limo. Yet, her comforting attempts didn't make today any less heavy, and it wasn't solely because it was officially one year since I'd arrived in Equestria, but because Celestia requested my presence at her and Luna's castle this morning from a letter delivered by Derpy. The real kicker, however, was how she didn't ask anyone else except Twilight as well. "I'm glad you two could come on such short notice," Celestia greeted the two of us once we entered into her personal chambers.

"We apologize for how early in the morning it is," Luna yawned. Her pregnancy seemed to begin draining a bit of her energy at this stage. I hoped that she'd be able to perform her duties of raising and lowering the moon without stressing herself too much.

"No worries," I grinned, giving Luna a quick hug. The midnight blue princess cooed affectionately, gladly returning the hug.

"Yes, princess!" Twilight exclaimed, trying to sound awake. The bags under her eyes sort of negated her attempts. "We're ready for whenever you need…." She let out a high pitched yawn, "us!" A flushed look appeared on her cheeks. Celestia giggled at her former protege's sleepiness. Her horn glowed gold, and a tray full of coffee mugs levitated over from her personal desk.

"I think this may be of help," she smiled. Twilight and I each generously took up the offering, sipping the coffee while Luna more or less downed a whole cup like someone who was dying of thirst. She exhaled loudly, a huge euphoric smile on her face.

"Thank you," Twilight thanked politely, sighing comfortably as the mug levitated near her head within her magic. Glock and Bat Fang scooped up their own mugs within their wings, seeing as how they didn't have any magic themselves, and stood next to their respective princess at the ready. "Are we ready to start, princess?"

"Just abo-"

"I am _so_ sorry for my tardiness, aunties!" a male's worried voice apologized in sync with Celestia's chamber door swiftly opening and closing. I turned to my side and saw Blueblood halfway galloping toward our group, a look of regret on his face. He wasn't even wearing any formal attire like he usually would. "I was on my way when I accidentally bumped into a maid in the hallway. I had to help her pick up what I'd knocked out of her grasp before escorting her to her destination," the prince gave us the play by play, huffing a little.

"Calm down, nephew," Celestia's gentle voice soothed the stallion. "We were just about to begin anyway, but your reasoning is perfectly excusable," she smiled. Blueblood breathed a sigh of relief as his aunt patted his back.

"Oh thank you, aunt Celestia," he took the last remaining mug in his magic. "I trust you slept well, aunt Luna? Nothing keeping you awake yet?"

"Well, other than strange cravings and frequent trips to the bathroom during the witching hour, I am sleeping just fine," the alicorn replied, tapping her chin as she thought.

"Nice to see you again, cousin," Twilight greeted the prince, seeming a little more chipper now that she had caffeine in her.

"Cousin Twilight, Cougar! I'm glad you got my auntie's letter on time," Blueblood greeted us happily. "I trust with your expertise in military strategy and your personal dealings with varying personalities of ponies, we can get to the bottom of our dilemma," he looked between the two of us.

"This seems more like something you, Twilight, Cadence, and your aunts should discuss together, but I'm not one to deny a request for help," I replied, giving Celestia and Luna a wink.

"We made you a knight for a reason, Cougar; don't be modest now," Luna smirked. "Anyway, now that we're all here, let us begin," she cleared her throat and levitated her half-moon spectacles onto her eyes. Both her horn and Celestia's lit up, and a large circular stone table arose from the floor, resembling a slightly smaller version of the map in Twilight's castle. "Sister?"

"As you all know, the past month and a half has been rather….long for all of us," Celestia set her mug down on the tabletop, "but going off what Princess Ember brought to our attention, it would take some time to properly research all possibilities for how Garble knew that Luna could enter dreams," she announced. "Without jumping to conclusions or causing widespread panic I might add." I grimaced, for after six weeks of doing what Celestia asked of me, she wouldn't like what I had turned up.

"And what did you find out, Tia?" Glock questioned.

"Well, after talking with the head of _every_ train depot in Equestria, _and_ the owners of every hotel in Baltimare, Las Pegasus, Fillydelphia, Whinniapolis, Applewood, and Manehattan, they haven't reported anything too out of the ordinary in terms of travelers. And I was sent the train logs of every train that ran from at least a month before my sister was taken, but nopony has traveled further south than Appleoosa," Celestia reported dejectedly.

"Did you ask for any police reports from the major cities?" I questioned, scratching under my chin.

"Indeed, Cougar," Celestia sighed, shaking her head. "Nothing of interest was reported in except the usual break-ins to stores, public drunkenness, or the illegal brothel that was raided in Las Pegasus."

"Eww," Twilight shuddered, the feathers on her wings ruffling up. The Princess of the Sun levitated a saddlebag over, producing a few scrolls and folders for all of us to look over.

"This is every log, every report, and every document I've managed to get a copy of since Princess Ember last visited," Celestia added very stoically. I couldn't blame her for feeling disenchanted over coming up empty hooved after such a long time investigating. The rustling of paper and quiet murmuring replaced the sound of talking over the next few moments as we skimmed through what the alicorn had given us. I'd been handed a folder containing arrest records from all around Equestria with, as Celestia said, nothing to get too alarmed about. "Thank you for helping me with this task, Glock," the princess broke the silence.

"Think nothing of it, Tia," the guard actually managed a smile. While reading over one of the arrest records, I heard the faint sound of Celestia's lips kissing against Glock's cheek, proceeded by the guard's embarrassed chuckle.

"Hmm," I pondered, stopping on a specific name in a record for Manehattan.

"What is it, Cougar?" Blueblood questioned.

"Oh not much. Luna and I have just had some personal experience with this one," I pointed to a name in particular on the list.

"Really?" Luna set down what she had been looking over, her interest piqued. I quickly circled the name with a nearby quill before sliding it across the stone table over to the night princess, who readily adjusted her glasses. "Ah yes, Darkheart," she exhaled. "After spending a few weeks in the dungeon, I shipped him off to a halfway house in Manehattan so he could get his drinking under control. Some ponies just never learn," she shook her head, clicking her tongue in disappointment.

"Huh, you don't suppose _he_ could've had anything to do with your disappearance, princess?" Twilight scratched at the side of her head with her hoof. The purple mare's tongue was sticking out the side of her mouth as she thought.

Luna and I exchanged a brief look before chuckling, "Yeah, I don't think so, Twilight," I flipped around the pages of a separate record sheet. "He was just more of an angry drunk."

"Didn't he attempt to crush the both of you in the library?" Celestia cut in, darting her eyes in between myself and her sister.

"Indeed he did," Luna nodded, "though like Cougar said, he was completely drunk and well, our friend here showed him the error of his ways, even if those lessons didn't last."

"Very well, sister. Did you happen to find anything of interest while patrolling your nightly domain?" Celestia continued with our meeting. The smaller princess snorted, putting down the folder her sibling had granted her.

"Unfortunately, no. Throughout countless dreams and nights of searching, I've found nary a shred of evidence that could point us to whomever could have done this. And you know how much I despise encroaching upon dreams that need not my help, Celestia. Though, I did find myself a few times comforting Rainbow Dash's friend, Misty Fly, a few times from nightmares about dragons," Luna reported.

"Auntie? Did you happen to investigate the dreams of any dragons to see if they knew anything?" Blueblood inquired, holding his chin with his hoof.

"Yes, nephew, but alas, I found nothing. And as it would seem, I must limit my dream walking in the coming weeks," Luna added, looking down and rubbing her ever growing belly with her wings.

"Of course Luna, I understand," her big sister offered a sympathetic smile.

"Ahem," I coughed, gathering the attention of the others in the room. "I hate to rush things, Celestia, but at the rate this is going, I'm pretty positive that everyone here has turned up nothing since we found out that Garble's dead." The magenta eyed mare turned her head to the side, humming. "And I only say this because remember this is only a hunch that Ember and her father came up with. There's no real evidence of what happened, or even _when_ they were killed."

"Are you saying you _don't_ think we should prepare for somepony who wants to tear my and Luna's rule from Equestria, Cougar?"

"Oh come on, of course not!" I frowned. "I understand that it's better to prepare for something and nothing happens than being unprepared and something happens." Celestia quickly turned to her side, looking from Glock all around the table to me. Twilight on the other hand was subtly cutting her wing across her throat while glaring at me. "Look, I'm not saying we shouldn't do anything; it concerns me too that Garble knew what Luna can do to dreams."

"Uh-huh, so before I ask, does anypony have anything interesting to bring to light about the past six weeks?" Celestia looked back up at the rest of the group.

"Nothing princess," Twilight exhaled sadly while Glock and Bat Fang shook their heads. "Though, I _have_ been keeping in touch with Princess Ember!" The purple alicorn chirped. "She said that nothing else has really happened in Draconia, but she promises to keep her eyes and ears open for anything," she produced a letter from her own saddlebags.

"Blueblood?" I noticed he'd stayed silent after his aunt asked him if he discovered anything.

"Oh, s-sorry everypony, I was just pondering something," the unicorn apologized. "I truthfully haven't discovered anything through the grapevine of the Canterlot elite."

"Why did you talk to them?" Bat Fang's gravelly voice spoke up. "What would they have to do with anything?"

"Well, I _did _want to try and not raise any suspicion by keeping in touch with those I'd befriended before my stay in Griffonstone. Besides, a few of them _still_ dislike your presence here, Cougar," the prince said, rubbing the back of his neck. That fact really didn't surprise me at all, though it still made me roll my eyes. "I thought perhaps maybe one of them or a group of them could have plotted against my aunts because of their support for you."

"And….did you find out anything, Blueblood?" Luna leaned forward, looking above the rim of her spectacles.

"N-no, but a thought did in fact cross my mind…." the prince paused, seemingly unsure of whether or not he should finish his thought. Biting his lower lip, however, Blueblood took in a deep breath through his nostrils. "Aunties?"

"Yes?" Both Celestia and Luna replied in unison.

"You don't suppose the Pony Purity Pride might've had a hoof in this?" The sound of silence penetrated the air; every other pony in the room enlarged their eyes at the thought while I just stood at my spot, completely flabbergasted at what the stallion had suggested. I hadn't the slightest clue what in the world he was talking about, but based off his pessimism just to mention the three words, it didn't sound good.

"The PPP?" Twilight blinked, cocking her head to the side to aim her ear toward her royal cousin. "Um, Blueblood-"

"Nephew," Celestia interrupted, "they haven't been relevant in decades. Why, Twilight was just a filly the last time they made headlines."

"Even _then_ they'd been splintering off into different chapters and weakening for years," Glock added, staring coldly at Blueblood. Luna even nodded despite the fact she'd only been away from the moon for a hair under six years.

"I seriously doubt they would have the strength to pull off anything as complex as what happened to me if they cannot even gather enough followers to hold a rally. The Pony Purity Pride is about as concerning as a smudge on a window, Blueblood."

"Oh, sorry everypony," Blueblood apologized, his ears drooping to the side of his head.

"There's no need to apologize," Celestia said warmly to her nephew while I still stood with a confused look on my face. "We _are_ looking for any possible answers to prevent anything further from happening after all."

"Uhhh," I sheepishly raised my hand like a nervous student.

"Cougar?" Twilight acknowledged my request.

"What in the hell is the PPP?" I had a slight idea of what it was…..I hoped it wasn't what I was thinking. The three alicorn princesses exchanged a look of shame before simultaneously looking back at me.

"A group of ponies with nothing but self-righteousness and hatred in their hearts," Celestia replied rather bitterly. Before she could add anything, her sister cleared her throat, cutting off the larger alicorn.

"They hold the belief that ponies should not interbreed, let alone marry, other species," she explained.

"For years, any pony they discovered in a relationship with a donkey, griffon, or zebra…" Twilight continued, only to trail off with an audible gulp.

"Those buckers _also_ condemned and even attacked ponies who married and started families with different races of ponies," Bat Fang added with a snarl. "Like you and your coltfriend, Princess Twilight." My eyebrows immediately furrowed at the thought of Twilight being harassed just because Flash was a pegasus whilst she was an alicorn. "Heck, even Princess Luna and Checkered Flag, or even Princess Celestia and-" Bat Fang shut up when he saw the flames in Celestia's magenta eyes.

"_Yes,"_ the white pony hissed. The bat pony slinked behind the shadows to avoid the princess' moment of anger. "But again, their numbers have dwindled so much the past few decades that we haven't heard a peep from them in years," her wing suddenly draped around Glock, pulling him closer to her.

"Okay then," I gave a single nod, folding my arms.

"Anyway, back to the matter at hoof," Celestia rubbed the side of her head. "Since nothing has come to light, does anypony have an idea on how we can keep a close watch for anything that could threaten my sister again, or the safety of Equestria?" It wasn't going to be easy thinking of a solution to something we knew little about. We all understood that a treasonous citizen _was_ still a theory, but it was all we had to go off of.

"Well," I sighed, "we _could_ do what pretty much every first world country in my world did. We don't have enough information to look for anyone specifically, so could we station more guards or police ponies at train stations and harbors, and have them search through everyone's belongings for anything we can use?" I suggested. To my surprise, everyone had a look of shock on their faces, almost as if I'd insulted them.

"Absolutely _not_!" Celestia barked, glaring at me. I was beginning to feel a little hesitant being around the sun princess today. "Firstly, we need to keep this under wraps so as not alert whoever could be conspiring against us that we're on to them, and so we don't let our fellow citizens know that something may be threatening their safety and cause a mass panic."

"Not to mention that we would be sending messages to our little ponies that we do not trust them," Luna agreed, shaking her head. "Plus, visiting dignitaries may take offense to that, and it could cause a rift between Equestria and another country, something we do not need, especially at a high security risk time such as this."

"Withdrawn," I politely raised both my hands in defeat. "All I wanted to remind you of is we can't be everywhere at once. There's not too many of us who are aware of Garble's death, and we need eyes and ears in as many places as possible."

"True," Twilight nodded, "I mean, we've already got Ember on the lookout for anything in Draconia. And as much as I agree that we need to keep this matter as quiet as possible, I don't think it would hurt if we had other allies across Equestria lending us their eyes and ears," the alicorn proposed to her former mentor. Naturally, Celestia's lips curled into a frown as she thought, though it was easy to tell she was fighting with herself about the pros and cons of more ponies in the know.

"Celestia," Luna called out, "I do not believe we have much of a choice. If we are to stay ahead, then we _must_ let a select few others know what we're looking for so that they may alert us should they discover anything." The elder sister let out a great sigh, lowering her head until her flowing mane laid lazily atop the stone table.

"If we have little choice," she continued to frown. "I'm just a little concerned with whom we can trust to keep this matter to themselves and _only_ themselves." That was a pretty fair point she brought up. The last thing we needed was to trust someone close to the sisters or Twilight, only to have them slip what they've been entrusted with and blow our progress before we even began. "Or who can keep from being found out," she added.

"Cousin?" Blueblood chimed in. "With your experience working with numerous types of ponies, perhaps you know just the right ones for the job?"

"Hmm," Twilight's wing stroked her chin as a smile grew on her face. "I may know a few ponies we can trust with this information, and my friends may know other ponies of their own!"

"You mean like Rarity's friend Coco Pommel in Manehattan?" I asked.

"Or Rainbow Dash's coltfriend, the captain of the Wonderbolts?" Bat Fang added.

"Very well," Celestia smiled, picking her head up from the table while Glock gently petted the side of her neck. "Twilight, you may have your friends suggest friends or family of their own they think they can trust, and relay those names back to myself or my sister for a final judgment," the alicorn announced. "Luna and I will reach out to Cadence and Shining Armor as well."

"You know, if you trusted the king of the griffons with whipping Blueblood into shape, do you think maybe you could ask for him to keep an eye out for anyone out of the ordinary?" I questioned. Blueblood began chuckling nervously before seething and taking a step away from the table. His aunt, however, pursed her lips together.

"I'm not sure if that would do anything, Cougar," she admitted. "Truthfully, not many ponies venture out as far as Griffonstone, so he may never stumble across somepony plotting to harm myself or my sister. But, it doesn't sound like a bad idea," she placed a hoof on my shoulder.

"Just doing what I can to help, Celestia," I smirked back.

"And that is why we trust you as a knight, dear friend," Luna bowed her head. "Oh, but before we adjourn this meeting," she added, trotting around her sister and throwing her forelegs around my neck. "Happy anniversary, Cougar," she said, embracing me in a hug.

"Thanks Luna," I chuckled, folding one arm around her and gently returning the hug.

"Now I do believe we've gone over everything we can for today," Celestia announced as Luna released me and both she and her sister sent the stone table back into the floor. "Enjoy the rest of today as much as you can," she wished me luck. "We must begin our duties to set our plan in motion."

"Of course, princess," Twilight bowed. "Cougar and I will have a little talk with our friends on what you want us to do. But in the meantime, there's a little something Cougar needs to see," she said slyly.

"Give my regards to Checkered," I winked at Luna while giving Celestia a quick pat on the back. And with that, the two princesses, Blueblood, and Glock and Bat Fang bid us farewell as Twilight and I embarked back toward the train station.

"Hey Cougar," Twilight spoke up once we were out of Celestia's chambers, heading toward the exit of the castle. "Do you mind if we stop by Joe's Doughnut Shop? I uh, didn't really get that much to eat this morning." The alicorn's cheeks lit up pink when her stomach growled like a rabid wolverine. "My treat!" She giggled embarrassingly.

"Heh, sure thing Twilight," I chuckled.

**End Chapter 64**

* * *

_So, again guys, I know some were definitely not looking forward to a short chapter, but I don't like making you guys wait longer than necessary. I can promise you, however, that the next chapter will be worth it, especially with how important it is to one of the main characters. And I just really want to make sure its quality is up to the standards all of you deserve. And luckily, I do have a pretty good start on the next chapter since I've split in half what I've written. Once I get my Christmas video done for my YouTube channel, I'll get right back on Chapter 65._

_As for Celestia and the PPP, I understand it may not seem like her to brush off something like that, but hear me out. First off, I won't exactly say what, but it will be brought up again so it's NOT a one-off issue. Second, Celestia has been around for THOUSANDS of years, and in my story's universe, has easily seen the worst of what the Pony Purity Pride can do. So if she says their numbers have dwindled so much that she doesn't view them **as **threatening as in the past, then I'd honestly believe her. She will, though, keep it in mind should something else arise. _

_Also, please, everyone have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza or whatever you celebrate! Having loyal readers like all of you is a pretty good Christmas present to me. _


	66. Chapter 65: Seeds of My Past

**Fallen Eagle**

**Chapter 65: Seeds of my Past**

_Phew, damn those rewrites! Anyway guys, only a short message this time; you've waited long enough. Firstly, I want to thank everyone just for being so understanding about how long my updates have been taking. I really can't thank you all enough for your patience and especially for your support. I will say I've got a new schedule worked out that will hopefully give me equal time for both my story and my YouTube channel. Secondly, please read the author's note at the end for an important request._

_Thirdly, I have a pretty big announcement! If any of you, my dear readers, plan to be in Baltimore in early August for BronyCon 2017...then you just might bump into yours truly there. That's right, I have officially purchased my airline ticket, BronyCon ticket, and reserved my hotel room for this year's convention! I'm so excited!_

**axelialea: **Merry (belated) Christmas to you too!

**Sassymouse: **Thanks for the praise! That's pretty much why I changed the rating from T to M. I can't really tone down relationship troubles or some of the inner conflicts that some of the characters have, or else they wouldn't make as big of an impact. Sometimes it's good to have certain things for adults, but at the same time, present them in a way that's mature because there's a big difference between things that are mature and things that are aimed at adults. Like how King of the Hill is a fairly mature cartoon, but it's also realistic, while Family Guy is just aimed at adults and is pretty immature. Real life isn't just sugar and rainbows...sometimes we have to wade through pools of sour to deal with our problems. As for the PPP, that's definitely an idea I've kept secret since I started writing this story.

**WarHusky2000: **Happy New Year to you too! And yes, the PPP is like the KKK, pretty much when I had Celestia emphasize that their influence had died down to practically nothing, which is true for the KKK nowadays. I really have a hard time believing that there _aren't_ unicorns who hate the idea of interbreeding with pegasi, or pegasi hating to marry into earth ponies.

**Nostalgia Cop: **Thanks, I'll check into it!

**headreviewermk2: **Ivan doesn't really believe in the whole dream catcher thing, but yes, Luna has to take time away from her moon duties to keep from stressing herself out too much.

**Monkeyboy0118: **Thanks for understanding man, I really appreciate it!

**SquirtlePWN: **Actually, she has nothing planned at Joe's :P She was just hungry, and I wanted to bring back her growling tummy from the Ticket Master

**OBSERVER01: **This was actually aimed to show how much Blueblood is coming along since he's returned :P

**TigerVolcano5000:** Thank you, new reader! Always good to see some new blood around here! As for your ideas, just stick around ;)

Thank you to all for your patience, and I hope you like the newest chapter! I'm gonna go try and catch up on Lunar Legacy

* * *

**(Castle of the Two Sisters; evening)**

Today actually wasn't too bad. Once Twilight and I finished our meeting with the royal family in Canterlot, I got to help AJ and the family begin preparing the farm for cider season; had lunch with Fluttershy and Rarity at the only fancy restaurant in town; helped Bon Bon and Lyra at the former's candy shop; hung out with Pinkie at Sugar Cube Corner and even played with Pumpkin and Pound for a bit; and even just sat with Twilight and Flash in their castle's library, talking. Of course, Twilight and I discussed our meeting in Canterlot with everyone before I was whisked away to spend quality time with my girlfriend and gaggle of friends for the day.

I also took the time to retell the tale of my ill-fated trip to Washington D.C. to all of my friends once they were informed of Celestia's plan. Some were a little mortified of what President Walker had done, but they all, like Applejack, supported me and understood it was an accident even if a part of me still felt a twinge of guilt.

"Come on, Fluttershy!" Pinkie pushed the poor timid animal lover in front of everybody before the pegasus could even blink. Twilight definitely was right; the girls, Spike, Flash, Soarin, and even Discord put together a one year anniversary party for me in the ruins of a time beaten castle in the Everfree Forest. Though, I was informed that this used to be Celestia and Luna's old stomping grounds until one fateful night just barely over a millennia ago. "Everypony else had something nice to say to Cougar; now it's _your_ turn!" The party pony grinned widely, stepping away to give her friend the floor.

"Oh…oh my," Fluttershy gulped, sweat forming at her hairline. "I-I'm not good with speeches."

"There's a shock," Bon Bon giggled, only to have Lyra sock her in the shoulder.

"Look Pinkie," I exclaimed as I had one arm hanging loosely around Applejack's neck, holding her close. "I appreciate that everyone else has said a few words, but I don't need praise from everyone for what they think about me."

"Nonsense, Cougar!" The bubbly pony cheered. "We've come _this_ far; why stop now?"

"Because she's uncomfortable?" Rainbow Dash replied in a snarky tone, rolling her eyes. The cyan mare _definitely_ loosened up and became like her old self these past few weeks, mainly because her leg was 100% healed up, she returned to her full time duties as a Wonderbolt, and she and Soarin disappeared the night her leg was healed…..

"Fret not," Discord cracked his knuckles, "_moi_ can fix that!" And with the snap of his fingers, an abundance of Discord cardboard cutouts appeared in the room, plopping down in front of everyone. "Hmm, is it just me, or did this place suddenly get even more handsome than before?"

Applejack swiftly knocked the cardboard draconequus down with her free foreleg, grumbling at Discord's antics. "Oh Discord, I meant being put on the spot like this," Fluttershy explained softly, putting her hoof on his shoulder. "I don't mind speaking in front of friends."

"Oh very well," Discord face-palmed, running his paw down the length of his face. He clapped his paw and talons together; the cutouts vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Aww, I was gonna decorate that and use it as a sign in Sugar Cube Corner!" Pinkie whined.

"Whenever you're ready, Fluttershy," Twilight graciously gave the buttery pony the floor. After hearing a few words from everyone except Starlight since she was still getting to know me, I had no clue what else could be said. And the fact that just the get together was enough for me wasn't lost on my friends, but they insisted that they give me a few kinds words for being their friend for a year now.

"Um, Cougar?" Fluttershy's velvety sweet voice broke the waiting silence. "I can truly say that you're a real…._swee….._" she trailed off.

"I'm sorry?" I leaned closer to hear what she said.

"I think you're a real sweet…heart," she gulped in between words, letting out a nervous giggle. Bon Bon, Discord, Spike, Rainbow, Flash, and Applejack all snickered at how embarrassed the pegasus was.

"Ah think Ah can agree ta that!" Applejack rubbed her cheek against my arm, squeezing my waist tighter with her foreleg.

"Oh, well thank you, Fluttershy," I replied with a small grin.

"W-well, you _were_ a little distant when you appeared in Equestria. But overtime I saw more and more that there was a sweet side to you. How you bonded with Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle; putting your life on the line for our friends at Winsome Falls and for Princess Luna in Draconia; how you went out on your own on Hearth's Warming to forgive Twilight for her mistake; and, honestly," Fluttershy paused, chewing her lower lip. "I'm really happy that you found your special somepony, even if it felt a little odd for both of you when you first felt your spark. I've actually never seen Applejack as happy as she's been since Hearth's Warming."

Everyone with the exception of Fluttershy, Discord, and Spike cooed at her words. "Aww, well thank ya, Fluttershy," AJ about cut me in half with her foreleg's iron-like grip. "He might be a bit hard headed at times," she looked up at me, giving me a questioning expression, "but Ah wouldn't want him ta change," her face softened. I rolled my eyes, bending down and pecking her on the end of her nose.

"Totally!" Pinkie's shrill voice interrupted the sweet moment. "I'm glad nopony here cares that you two are different species! Come on, Cougar, you're selfless, a hard worker, loyal, and honestly, kind of cute!"

"I'm sorry?" My eyes nearly exploded from my skull at her words.

"Well, for a human at least," the party mare shrugged. "I don't know many other humans, but if I wasn't with Cheese, and AJ didn't lasso you up already, I probably would've given you a shot," Pinkie remarked as if we'd been discussing how to bake a cake. Of course, Applejack _loved_ teasing me, and she didn't let this opportunity go to waste. She chuckled at my horrified expression and kissed my cheek. How would I have been able to even keep up with her zaniness? Even Deadpool probably would've been freaked out a bit by Pinkie. "But if you could shoot magic ice from your fingers, you'd be _perfect!"_ She added.

"M-magic ice?"

"You all right there, Ivan?" AJ patted my back. "Pinkie's just bein' nice; don't be gettin' second thoughts now, ya hear?" The orange mare said in a threatening tone, but she was just milking my reaction.

I gulped. "Uh Cougar?" Twilight waved her hoof up in front of my face.

"Great, Pinkie fried his brain," Spike rolled his eyes, claws curling around his cup of punch. The reptilian then jerked his arm forward, splashing what little bit of drink in his cup onto my face, snapping me back to reality.

"Well, you're too kind, Pinkie," I grinned uncomfortably as the red liquid dripped from my hair and face. Surprisingly, Twilight wasn't mad at all for Spike's method of getting me out of my stupor. The bubbly party mare giggled, lightly smacking my arm with her hoof while Starlight levitated a towel over and dropped into my hand.

"Okay, that's enough messin' with Ivan's mind fer a day," Applejack gently shoved Pinkie back over to Rarity.

"And uh, thank you for what you said, Fluttershy," I finally wiped the punch from my face, gripping the damp towel in my fist. Abashed, Fluttershy nodded with her normal sheepish smile.

"I-I hope I didn't say too much," she gently swung her right foreleg just inches above the stone ground. "I know how much you don't like praise about yourself."

"Well," I exhaled, smirking, "when it reminds me of what I've learned and gained here with all of you….I really can't complain about it." I clicked my tongue a few times, my eyes slowly descending down to everyone's legs.

"Ahem, would you like to say a few things, darling?" Rarity's elegant accent lifted my head. "It is _your_ anniversary after all, Cougar. We've all gone through so much with you in our presence; perhaps it'd be interesting to hear your own thoughts?" The seamstress suggested.

"Ooh, I'd like to hear that!" Twilight chirped excitedly, grinning from ear to ear.

"You think so?" I flattened my eyebrows questionably.

"Hey, if you claim you've learned a few things over the course of a year with us, then I think it'd be a riveting listen!" Discord exclaimed with a snap of his talons. A bright flash of magic transformed the draconequus into a psychologists' outfit complete with a notepad, a pen, and oversized thick rimmed glasses. "Do go on," he crossed one leg over the other whilst hovering in mid air.

Rarity's words piqued the curiosity of more than just Twilight and Discord. One look around the long defunct library showed me everyone else in attendance nodding their heads in agreement with the lord of chaos. "If you want to of course," Fluttershy added with her gentle soothing voice. They knew full well that I wasn't one to brag about my accomplishments, but if my friends were pushing me to talk about what I've exactly gleaned from being apart of their group, then I wouldn't disappoint them, espeically since they went to the trouble for this party.

I exhaled and grinned at their enthusiasm, trading the towel in my hand for a fresh cup of punch. "I'll just make this more of a thank you to all of you," I announced and held up the punch in a toast, "instead of a speech about me."

"You _do_ know nopony will mind if you're just the teeniest bit prideful, right?" Pinkie asked before Twilight shoved a cupcake in the pink mare's mouth.

I stifled a snicker before continuing, "Anyway, I honestly can't believe I've known most of you for a year now. To me, with everything we've all done together, the troubles we've gone through, the small moments, and the memories, I feel like I've been friends with you all my whole life. I've only told Applejack this, but I took my friendships with my squad mates and even my best friend, Adam, for granted on Earth. Sure, I cared enough about all of them to fly alongside them and help them out on missions, but I never really took the time to be an actual friend. I'd decline their offers to hang out more often than not, but even when I did accept an offer, I didn't actually contribute anything to what we were doing. It took until Garble beating the shit out of me and giving me this scar," I pointed to the permanent mark on the left side of my face, "for me to realize that I was pretty damn selfish for my nearly my whole life."

"How's that, Coug?" Soarin questioned after I'd paused for a brief moment.

A shameful sigh was my answer before I said, "Because, I never took into consideration any of my friends' feelings if I never returned from a mission. I always went by the mantra of _If I die, I die_. But I realize now that that's not the way anyone should think about heading into a dangerous situation. I should still accept what could possibly happen, yet I also should've embraced what I had and thought about how those that cared for me would feel if I didn't come back. And….I want to apologize to all of you for thinking that way before I accompanied Celestia on her mission to save Luna."

"Aw, come on dude," Rainbow took one step forward, a sympathetic look on her face. "You don't have to-"

My raised hand silenced the pegasus, forcing her to retreat back next to Soarin. "But I also want to thank you all. Thank you for accepting me into your lives as a friend, and thank you for showing me how to be a better friend and what friendship actually means. You've all taught me a thing or two on how to open up about my problems instead of keeping them to myself. A part of me wishes I could turn back the clock with my new knowledge so I can correct my mistakes on how I treated my squad mates, yet I still wouldn't want to give up the new memories I've made here in my new home. I'll never forget the morning I forgave Twilight for her mistake on Hearth's Warming Eve; I've never been the one to console someone like that before, and it just felt so good to help someone I consider a close friend feel better." The alicorn in question smiled warmly. "And of course, I'll never forget Applejack showing me how to be more than just a friend," I gently slung my arm around her neck and knelt a little closer to her, hugging the mare tight.

"Ya big goof," Applejack blushed, chuckling as I pecked her cheek and stood back up.

"I'm really just thankful that somehow I was given a second chance to learn how to be a better friend and that my life does matter to others. I know I've only said this to Applejack, but really, I love each and every one of you in a different way," I took a sip of my drink. Of course, Starlight wasn't included in that part of my speech since I was still warming up to her and she was still learning about friendship herself, but I _was_ giving her a fair chance, so I didn't single her out. "Now don't take that-" I started before I was suddenly mobbed by every mare in the room, with the exception of Starlight of course.

"Aww, we love you too, Cougar!" Pinkie exclaimed as I was knocked backward into a wall by the wave of mares pinning me down in a giant group hug. I'd yelped in surprise from the dog pile attack, but I didn't fight against it. With a sigh, I allowed the mares to show their affection and even gave Pinkie and Bon Bon, the only mares I could actually touch, pats on top of their heads.

"Blech! All this affection is making me nauseated!" Discord whined, recoiling back. From in between the girls' manes, I could see Spike, Flash, and Soarin smirking in my direction.

"All right, Ah think that's enough," Applejack announced and detached herself from the pile of ponies. "We don't wanna smother him too much."

"You just want him all to yourself, don't you?" Bon Bon rolled her eyes at my girlfriend.

"Darn straight!"

I took in a deep breath, now that my lungs weren't being crushed, and brushed some of the fur from my shirt. "And it's just a brotherly thing for you," I assured the guys in the room.

"Thank Celestia," Soarin jokingly wiped his forehead. I couldn't help but notice that Starlight _did_ seem a little left out from what I had to say while everyone else returned to what they'd been doing before the sudden group hug. Although I was still warming up to her after trying to Biff Tannen the timeline, I still couldn't outright call her a friend just yet. However, since she'd shown up, I could tell she was making progress with Twilight and her friends, and she seemed to enjoy helping out Dr. Whooves at his lab.

"Ivan? Whatcha doin' there, partner?" Applejack's muzzle gently dug into my palm so I'd massage her freckled cheek.

"Oh, it's nothing," I gave her furry cheek a few loving flicks with my thumb before removing my hand. "Just…give me a second," I stepped around my girlfriend in the direction of Twilight's light purple protege.

"…Okay?" Applejack replied questioningly, her head following my movements. Starlight was still looking a bit left out, not paying attention to my approach.

"Hmm?" She looked up as I stopped before her. Her ears flattened against her head when she realized that it was me that had advanced on her.

"Hey Starlight," I began as normal as possible, trying to sound somewhat friendly toward her.

"Uh…hello?" The unicorn leaned back a bit, hoisting her right foreleg off the ground in puzzlement. She wasn't oblivious to the fact that I had trust issues with her, which is why the two of us never really spoke to one another. But that's not to say we wouldn't at least acknowledge each other once in awhile. I sighed and knelt down onto my right knee to be more at Starlight's eye level.

"Look Starlight, I know the two of us aren't even close to being acquaintances at this point, but I want to apologize if I made you feel a little left out in my speech."

Twilight's student blinked, zipping her eyes all around. "Oh…that's okay; remember I told you I understood how you wanted me to earn your trust?"

"Yeah, but I can't deny the fact that you're coming along with that nicely," I flashed her a grin. "It wouldn't be fair now would it?"

"I uh, I suppose not," Starlight put her right foreleg back onto the cracked stone floor, only to nervously rub at the side of her head with her left foreleg. I let out a long sigh, reaching my hand out for the mare to rest her hoof in. Reluctantly, Starlight did so, giving me an odd look as she did.

"I had a lot to learn when I came into their lives too," I jerked the thumb of my other hand toward our friends, "so I know how much of an adjustment it can be. And just because we aren't friends yet doesn't mean I won't at least be courteous. But….I do see you and I becoming friends down the road." I gently shook her hoof, giving her the most honest smile I could muster.

"Thank you," Starlight's uneasiness morphed into a grateful smile as she shook my hand. "I hope I can earn your trust someday." We ended our hand/hoofshake with me gently patting her shoulder and getting up from my knee, glad that Starlight and I were on the same page, even though we weren't friends yet.

"What?" I exclaimed when I turned to discover everyone else, with the exception of Discord, grinning at me and the unicorn.

"You really _are_ quite the sweetheart, aren't you, darling?" Rarity giggled.

"That was really kind of you to give Starlight reassurance of her progress, Cougar," Twilight added in her motherly voice. "And that you didn't want to make her feel left out."

"Respect goes a long way, Coug," Rainbow nodded. I held up my hands, feeling a twinge of self-consciousness heating up inside from the praise I was getting.

"Come on guys, I just don't want to make the same mistakes I did when I didn't refer to Twilight as a friend before," I chuckled. Applejack all too happily squeezed my waist with her forelegs, nuzzling her cheek into my hip.

"An' that's why we love ya, Sugarcube! Ah don't know where ya get all this sweetness from, but don't ever change," she repeated, giving my hand a quick kiss. Sighing yet again, I gently pulled the mare closer to me, scratching behind her ear.

"I don't think any of you have to worry about that."

"Well, I'm happy to hear that," Lyra bowed her head politely. All of a sudden, the light with the stone library began to fade, and the sky turned from blue to a brilliant mixture of purple and orange.

"Is it really getting _that_ late?" I asked. Discord hummed and jammed his lion paw into a pocket that materialized onto his body, pulling out a golden pocket watch and a monocle.

"Hmm, it appears so," the draconequus huffed onto his monocle before putting it over his right eye. "Time sure flies when you spend it with good friends, wouldn't you say, Fluttershy?" He wrapped his eagle talon arm around the pegasus' torso to hug her. The animal lover agreed and hugged her secret crush in return.

"I suppose we should start packing up for home, then?" I suggested, heading over to the refreshment table to put snacks away into tubs that Pinkie had brought. Twilight's magic, however, had ulterior motives as it suddenly engulfed my hand.

"Actually Cougar, we kind of have another surprise for you," the alicorn beamed while folding her wing over Spike's back. "Everypony, the throne room is prepped and ready for our very first group slumber party!" She announced giddily. "So just head on down while we get the party put away." I had to do a double take on what Twilight had just said.

"S-slumber party?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, silly!" Pinkie appeared from atop a bookshelf I was standing next to. "What better way to cap off your first anniversary with your friends than sleeping with all of them?" My mind immediately went the 'adult' meaning of the word sleep, forcing me to look a tad mortified.

"Oh my," Fluttershy's cheeks turned red as even Discord looked a bit taken aback, his monocle falling from his face and shattering on the floor.

"Pinkie!" Lyra barked, shuddering in her spot. "Poor choice of words!"

"What? Sleeping's a _ton_ more fun when you're surrounded by all of your bestest best friends in the whole world!" The earth pony spread her forelegs out as wide as she could make them. Rarity smacked her own hoof against her face when Pinkie failed to see her wording mistake.

"Look, everypony just head on down to the throne room while Spike and I take the decorations down," Twilight levitated Pinkie Pie down from the bookshelf onto the floor. "And no buts, Pinkie," she scolded, "you already helped set everything up; we'll put it all away. Besides, I'm sure you can find a way to entertain everypony else before we join you."

"Aww! But taking down a party helps you reminisce about the fun times you had! And it helps you get pumped for the next one."

"You need to reminisce about a party that _just_ ended?" Soarin squinted his eye.

"I like to take pride in my work, Soarin," Pinkie grinned happily before wrapping her foreleg around Discord's neck, yanking him down to her level. "Now come on, Discord! I just know you'll _love_ shadow puppet time!"

"No! I uh, I think Twilight might need some help with-" the draconequus tried to fight Pinkie's iron grip.

"And we'll drink some hot cocoa, make some s'mores in the fireplace…." Pinkie's voice trailed as she and everyone except myself, AJ, Rarity, Flash, Spike, Starlight, and Twilight disappeared into the corridor that lead into the old throne room of the castle.

"Ya know," Spike rubbed the back of his neck, "is it wrong that I sometimes like seeing Discord being tormented by Pinkie?"

"Well, I suppose as long as Pinkie isn't actually hurting him and just acting like herself, there's nothing wrong with it," Flash shrugged. "I think it's funny sometimes too."

"After all the teasing he likes to do to us, I see it as karma," I smirked, still scratching behind my girlfriend's ear, the mare quietly moaning from my affections. Everyone else agreed with my sentiments, but not without Twilight looking a bit confused.

"Just out of my curious nature, how come none of you went with the others? Spike and I can handle this easy."

"I thought it would just be something a friend would do to help," Starlight said honestly.

"I just like finding excuses to spend time with you and Spike," Flash ruffled Twilight's mane with his wing, causing her to blush. The princess cleared her throat to help her blush go away, looking in our general direction.

"Rarity?"

"Oh, well Spikey has helped me numerous times at the boutique; I thought I'd return the favor and assist the two of you with taking down the party," the fashionista explained as she patted the aforementioned dragon's head. "Or the three of you, I suppose," she giggled.

"And helping is the least I can do for you throwing me this party," I quickly said when Twilight turned her attention toward me, her mouth open. Twilight didn't even try to fight it, knowing how difficult it was to change my mind.

"I suppose that's fair," she shrugged and enshrouded her magic around the edge of a banner hanging above the large window of the library. "And I'm pretty sure Applejack didn't want to leave your side?" She smirked back at me.

"Was Twilight just snarky with me?" I zipped my gaze down at my girlfriend who simply patted my hip and began to dismantle the decorations along with everyone else. With a quick sigh, I followed suit and started to remove anything party related as well.

"Well, this shouldn't take too long then," Flash remarked as the two of us packed the leftover food away so we could fold up the refreshment table. "Hey Twilight, there's a spell you can cast to keep the food fresh overnight, right?" The orange pegasus cocked his head toward the mare. "I'm thinking of asking Pinkie if I can take some of this back to the castle."

"Oh of course!" Twilight squeaked and finished folding up Pinkie's banner. Her horn suddenly glowed its usual magenta color before engulfing the food containers for a few seconds, disappearing in a pop of light once she was done. "There, they should stay fresh for at least twenty-four hours." Flash thanked his girlfriend with a hug and proceeded to help me with the table.

"Glad to see your relationship going smoothly, Flash," I grunted while folding up the legs. "You and Twilight are about the only couple I've seen patch things up and actually come out looking stronger."

"Thanks Cougar," the guard flashed me a grin. "I'm happy for you and Applejack as well."

"You know," I chuckled, "if any of you had told me a year ago that I'd be with AJ, I probably would've punched them in the face," I only half-joked. Flash could tell I was being a bit serious if the sudden paleness of his face was any indication.

"I guess things work out when you least expect them too," he shrugged. The two of us flipped the table onto its side, sliding it up against the wall when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.

"And you know something else, Flash?" I nudged the pegasus once we turned around.

"Hmm?"

"Rarity's doing that on purpose." The unicorn mare in question was attempting to pack up the record player that Pinkie set up, but was _clearly_ faking her struggles to pick it up. Spike was already on the case, helping her pick it up off its table to relieve her of her stress.

"Sweet Celestia you're right," Flash gaped. "She's uh, not usually _this_ friendly with Spike," he noted when Rarity batted her eyelashes and thanked Spike for assisting her. I knew what Flash meant; Rarity would sometimes act a little flirtatious with the drake when asking or thanking him for help, but _this_…..this wasn't acting.

"You don't suppose-"

"I don't know," Flash pursed his lips, "but if she's doing what I think she's doing….oh boy Twilight's gonna go off the rails." The two of us simultaneously shifted our gazes over to where Twilight and Applejack were putting various party objects away in boxes, oblivious to how Rarity was acting around Twilight's son.

"She won't make Rarity disappear or anything, but I get where you're coming from."

"Should we-" the pegasus began before Rarity's sharp giggle halted everyone in their positions.

"Oh ho, Spike. You may be older, but you're _still_ simply too adorable sometimes," she smiled at the drake's scarlet cheeks. In fact, Spike was holding his left arm as if he were having a heart attack.

"Spike, you okay?" Flash called out. The only movements Spike could make, other than his tail twitching, were darting his eyes toward us and nodding his head. "You sure about that?" Flash added.

"Don't be so timid Spikey; I just accepted your offer to lunch tomorrow."

"What's this about lunch?" Twilight asked as she closed the lid on a box. I raised an eyebrow at how quickly the hairs on the back of Flash's neck stood at attention as he seethed. Applejack scooted the box out of the way before looking back up at Rarity and Spike.

"Well," Rarity looked back and forth between Spike and his mother, "I suppose this is a good a time as any considering the small amount of friends around us," she gently nudged Spike forward.

"Rarity? What's going on…..?" Twilight asked suspiciously. Rarity and Spike have been known to have lunch before as a way for the former to thank the latter for helping her around the boutique or assisting her with scrounging for gems and diamonds. But what Rarity had just said completely negated what we knew of their relationship.

"M-mom?" Spike swallowed. "I uh, kind of asked Rarity on a date; we're having lunch tomorrow," he explained with a stream of sweat pouring down his forehead. The instant Spike finished his sentence, Flash's wing stretched out in front of me, pushing me back.

"….What are you saying?" Came Twilight's rather odd response. I said nothing, but my mind was screaming, _'Denial!'_ over and over again as I opted to only widen my eyes at Spike's announcement.

"Really Twilight?" Flash asked in disbelief.

"Come now, darling," Rarity gently wrapped her foreleg around Spike's midsection. "I've decided to give Spike a chance; we'll date for a few weeks and see how things turn out," she explained.

"I….I didn't prepare for this," Twilight stuttered. "N-No offense to either of you, but I honestly never thought you'd say yes, Rarity."

"I don't blame you mom," Spike mustered a nervous grin, "I'm just as shocked as you are." Apparently silence was showing up uninvited to the post-party. No one dared to say anything as Twilight processed a rather huge step in her son's life. Naturally, I was rooting for the dragon for at least getting a chance with the woman of his dreams, but I also understood how difficult this would be for Twilight to deal with.

"Twilight, dear," Rarity cooed. "Please hear me out. Spike truly deserves this; he's been more patient and understanding about this than anypony I've ever met. Even when we first met he respected me well enough to be my friend without expecting anything more than friendship in return. And…through a few breakups over the years, he was always there to comfort me and be somepony to talk to," the fashionista smiled sweetly at Spike. "I honestly regret not giving him a chance sooner, but I plan to rectify that mistake and be his marefriend for a short period to see where it leads."

"Don't worry, I understand that part," Twilight reassured them. "But," she bit her lower lip, "my son dating my friend? That's definitely going to take some getting used to," she admitted.

"Aw, put it this way, Twilight," Flash blanketed a wing over his girlfriend's back, "wouldn't you rather Spike date one of your friends that you know and trust? Or some mare you have no clue about?"

The alicorn sighed. "Ohhhh, well I can't argue with that. Even though this is a little hard to swallow, I promised Spike I'd give him room to grow," she managed a smile. "And I _am_ a bit relieved that it _is_ someone I can trust that introduces Spike to the relationship world."

"Thanks mo-"

"However," Twilight interrupted Spike, "there _are_ a few things I want to talk about," she stated firmly. Both the unicorn and dragon nodded in response. The alicorn inhaled deeply before continuing. "First off, I'm not attempting to predict the outcome of this, but _if_ you two find out that you work better as friends….._please_ let Spike down gently, Rarity."

"Oh, of course, Twilight," Rarity seemed to be caught a bit off guard. "I wouldn't dream of discarding poor Spikey-Wikey like last week's garbage or a lowlife. And I don't see any possible reason for such an outcome." Spike blushed at the use of the pet name Rarity had given him when he was a baby dragon, finding it a bit more embarrassing than in his younger years.

_"She's taking this _surprisingly _well,"_ I whispered to Starlight who'd been silent this whole time.

"_You aren't the only one that's stumped, Cougar."_

_"_I'm just happy to at least get a chance," Spike cleared his throat. "And I don't plan on wasting it, Rarity," he promised.

"Aww, if things don't work out, I'm still happy to have you as a friend, Spike."

"Ahem," Twilight interrupted the two. "Secondly, no spending the night at Rarity's," she narrowed her eyes at Spike. "I don't need to be in a state of constant paranoia about what might be going on." The seamstress gasped, almost in an offended tone, and gaped.

"Forgive me, Twilight, but I _hardly_ think it's anypony else's business but my own and Spike's about what we do!" Twilight's eyes flashed open as she realized what she had said.

"Oh Celestia! N-no! I didn't mean it like that!" She frantically waved her forelegs around. "All I meant was if you two want to…._cuddle_ or just spend some quiet time together, I'd rather it be in the castle just to keep my mind at peace while we all get adjusted to your relationship."

"I think that sounds fair," Spike laid a gentle claw on Rarity's back to get her to calm down. I really couldn't hold Rarity accountable for jumping to conclusions at Twilight's words.

"Yes," Rarity exhaled loudly, her glare softening into an understanding expression. "If it gives me an excuse to be closer to Spikey _and_ inside that gorgeous castle of yours," she giggled.

"Glad we got that settled," Twilight sighed. _"I hope cuddling is all you do though,"_ she muttered under her breath.

"Twilight," Flash nudged the mare in the shoulder with his wing. The pegasus didn't need to say another word, for Twilight knew what he was insinuating and performed one of Cadence's breathing exercises.

"I'm sorry," she quickly apologized, interlocking her wing with Flash's. "I'm happy for you two, and I promise to not interfere with anything. No matter how much my instincts tell me to, I don't want to lose the trust from either of you."

"You have nothing to fear, darling," Rarity replied sweetly, "I shall treat Spikey the same way he's treated me since we've met," she nuzzled the drake.

"Thanks for being understanding, mom," Spike smiled, gaining the courage to coil his arm around Rarity.

"Well, it wouldn't be fair of me to be understanding of Cougar's situation and not yours." All of a sudden, everyone's attention turned back to me despite the topic still being about Spike and Rarity.

"….And I can't thank you all enough for that," I replied. "I mean I wouldn't blame any of you if I lost some of your trust."

"Now Cougar, it was a horrible accident brought on by your leader's actions," Rarity reassured me. "You wouldn't have been in that situation at all if he hadn't killed those innocent pilots."

"Exactly," Flash nodded. When I'd told everyone the story, Flash seemed more pissed than anyone by the president's decisions considering he himself was apart of Equestria's military. "A good leader shouldn't use their own soldiers as pawns for personal gain."

"An' don't forget," Applejack set her hoof into my hand, allowing my fingers to tenderly grasp it. "If he'd just listened ta ya, he would've lived at least until the justice system decided what ta do with the varmint."

"Although…." Twilight gulped. "I'm a little iffy on the fact that there needed to be a weapon involved at all," she admitted.

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously. Even though I was happy to have the support of all of my friends, I was honestly a little relieved to have someone critique what had gone down in that limo eighteen months ago.

"I mean, I understand completely that it was an accident, and that the president lunging at you caused the gun to go off, but to me his death would've been avoided if there wasn't a gun at all. It seems like you and the guard could've overpowered him by yourselves."

"That's like asking _me_ to not carry a spear around you, Celestia, Luna, or Cadence, Twilight," Flash exclaimed. "Cougar, I'm pretty sure that your leader's guards have to have weapons on them in case someone does try to attack them, right?"

"Yeah," I nodded, chewing on my lip. "And if the president was armed too, I wouldn't feel as guilty about it. Looking back on it, I wish the gun _wasn't_ loaded so we could've at least tried to trick him into surrendering."

"I don't mean to make you feel guilty, Cougar," Twilight explained as she approached me. "I just prefer more peaceful and diplomatic ways to resolve situations like that." While of course, any sane person _would_ look for a peaceful way to resolve an issue, but there do come times when peace isn't an option, and people have to do things they normally wouldn't. But since Twilight was being extremely fair in voicing her concern, I wasn't about to start an argument.

"I understand, Twilight," I smiled. "There's no shame in that."

"The point is, hun," Applejack interjected, "we're all proud 'o ya fer comin' forward ta tell everypony what happened. Ah know that wasn't easy ta do," the mare kindly prodded at the back of my hand with her muzzle.

"Well, everyone deserved to know for showing me how to be a better friend," I gently squeezed her hoof, massaging the top of it with my thumb. "Treating me like family," I added. Although AJ, Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity rarely ever said it out loud, the six of them were practically sisters in my eyes, just for how close they all were. "And for helping me trust myself."

Applejack softly chuckled and slipped her hoof out from my hand, sitting down on her haunches. "Take a seat real quick, Sugarcube," the mare patted the floor beside her, "Ah've got a lil somethin' ta tell ya myself."

"A-all right?" I incredulously replied, sitting down next to AJ who proceeded to gently place her head on my shoulder, snuggling up to me. Everyone else followed suit as well, forming a small circle in the middle of the library. They too were curious to know what Applejack had to say.

"Ivan, Ah've only told mah closest friends this, 'n practically all 'o those who were in Ponyville when it happened knows," Applejack began, sighing somewhat sadly. "But ya see, the night Applebloom was born…"

* * *

**(Flashback; Sweet Apple Acres)**

"Anythin' yet, Ma?" Young Applejack innocently asked as she poked her head through the door to her parents' room. What felt like an entire lifetime to the young filly had, in reality, only been a hair under nine months since her folks had announced that she would become an older sibling. And ever since the doctors confirmed that Applejack would have a younger sister, she couldn't wait for the day to come. Sundown may have been a sweet mare who enjoyed bringing treats to her son and daughter's class every now and then, or even helping with any project that Carrot and Cup Cake were working on, but she couldn't get enough of working outdoors and pushing herself to get the job done. The stallions in Ponyville knew she was attractive, but they were also smart enough to not try anything funny with her; Sundown had broken up a few bar fights by throwing some punches of her own, unafraid to get into a scuffle.

Her mother, a beautiful older looking Applejack but with blue eyes and a red mane and tail giggled at her daughter's excitement. "Applejack, your sister will get here when she decides she's ready," the mother gently rubbed her bulging tummy.

"Aww, why can't it be now?" The filly pouted, slipping her hoof off the handle to her parent's bedroom door.

"It'll be all worthwhile, sweetie."

"At least she's not as bad as her brother when you were pregnant with Applejack, Sundown," AJ's father Applebob chuckled heartily. AJ's father was known around Ponyville as the kind of stallion who wouldn't hesitate to drop what he was doing to help anypony that asked for it. He loved his family, and his passion for good old fashioned hard work was second to none. It didn't take much, however, for the beige colored stallion to step into a confrontation and become somepony's worst nightmare. Applebob was amongst the strongest stallions Ponyville had ever known; his son, MacIntosh, was well on his way to being a spitting image of his father, less the difference in their mane, tail, and eye color. "Every day he was non-stop chatter box, askin', "_When's mah sister gonna be here? When's mah sister gonna be here?"_

"Hey!" A colt's voice shouted from down the hallway. "At least Ah'll always be the older siblin'!"

"The point is, Applejack," Sundown motioned for her first daughter to come closer. "It's okay to be excited, but I can't decide when your baby sister will be born. We'd all like her to be with us right now, but believe me when I say that the wait is worth it," she smiled, curling her hoof around Applejack's.

"At least we know our baby'll have a great sister," Applebob added, grinning and ruffling his daughter's blonde mane.

Applejack sputtered, "All right, Ma. But can Ah at least name her?" She asked with anticipation. Both her ma and pa exchanged a look before shaking their heads, chuckling.

"Go on 'n get ta bed now, AJ," her father softly instructed, getting up from his bed and opening the door. "Y'all still have mornin' chores before school tomorrow."

"All right, pa," Applejack sighed, not having the courage to tell her parents that she didn't exactly yearn to have farming in her future. Nonetheless, the filly loved making her parents happy and didn't want to disappoint them. "Ah love ya both," she squeezed her father's forelegs tight.

"Ah love ya too, Sugarcube," Applebob replied with the nickname he'd given Applejack when she was a foal. The stallion hugged Applejack and pecked her forehead. "Good night."

"Night pa, g'night ma!"

"Sleep well, sweetie," Sundown smiled.

"Tell mah baby sister Ah love her too."

"_Would y'all just hit the derned hay already!?" _Granny Smith screeched from her bedroom.

"Ya don't wanna make grandma cranky." Applebob quickly ushered Applejack into the hallway, quietly shutting the door behind her. Though excited for the upcoming addition to her family, Applejack _was_ feeling a bit drowsy. The filly made haste, trotting to her room directly across the hall, tossing her stetson on one of the bedposts before snuggling under her blanket.

Tossing and turning for about fifteen minutes to get comfortable, she wound up lying down on her side, facing the window and staring directly into the inky dark blue night sky. Applejack sighed, wanting to fall asleep so tomorrow would come quicker, but that only made her think of her future little sibling. "Ah hope Ah'm a good big sister," the filly uttered to herself. A thought suddenly crossed her mind, a somewhat silly thought that she knew would cause a little concern within her family. Granny Smith had told her countless times about how Princess Celestia had graciously given her and her family the plot of land that would eventually become both Sweet Apple Acres and Ponyville, so the Apples had a personal tie in with the princess.

Applejack had been brought up by both school and family that Celestia was also just that….a princess; not a goddess that some ponies believed. However, it was also common knowledge that Princess Celestia was one of the most powerful beings in the world, and she'd done a lot to help ponies of the past and present, and presumably the future barring any unforeseen circumstances.

The orange pony gently rolled back over to make sure her door was latched before softly clasping her hooves together and closing her eyes. _'Might as well give it a shot,'_ she pondered, rolling back to the window. _"Princess Celestia….Ah'm not entirely sure if y'all can hear me right now or if this is how y'all know when ta help some ponies. Ah just wanted ta ask ya one thing." _Applejack paused her whispering, not only to think about what she wanted to say, but because she thought she heard something outside.

**_Chink!_**

She opened one eye and scanned around the front area of the house that was illuminated by the moon. She couldn't see any shadows of somepony prowling around or any strange hoof prints in the dirt. Nor could she hear any of the pigs, cows, or chickens causing a ruckus. Applejack shrugged it off and continued back to her little private talk.

_"Ah'd love ta have my sister be born sooner rather than later, but when the time is right, and my ma helps bring her into our world, please help me be the best big sister Ah can be."_

Thinking of nothing else to say, Applejack concluding her little conversation and yawned, stretching her forelegs out to prepare her body for sleep. "Hmm?" The filly rubbed her tired eyes as she took one last look out the window. She still couldn't see anything peculiar outside, but her ears twitched when she heard what she thought was the sound of splintering and creaking wood from downstairs as if somepony was bending a board.

The sound wasn't like the creaking of a staircase step, but like there was an enormous amount of pressure being applied. Just to be safe, Applejack threw her blanket off her body and slinked her way across her room to her door, opening it just a crack. The sound was a bit louder now, but still nothing to be too alarmed about.

**_Shiff_**

The sound of a what she thought to be a window opening threw the filly off course. Pulling her face away from her door, she jerked her head around to her own bedroom window, her fur standing on edge. There was nothing there. No sign of the window having been opened, nor was there someone standing on the other side. That didn't help bring her heart rate down, however.

_"Come on, Applejack,"_ she whispered to herself. "_Maybe Ma's just gettin' a bit warm."_ It really wouldn't have surprised Applejack all that much if this were the case. Sundown had a few times needed special means to keep cool ever since she had become pregnant; she could get warm fairly quickly. _"Hmm, maybe she could use a glass 'o water!"_ Wanting to help out, Applejack carefully swung her door open.

"HEY!"

"AHHHHH!"

The filly instantly froze on spot as the shout of her father and a bloodcurdling scream from her mother emitted from their bedroom. All of a sudden, the light flicked on from underneath their bedroom door; AJ could see the shadows of someone hustling around; loud thuds of hooves banging against the floor drowned out the grunts she'd been hearing.

"MA? PA!?" Applejack screamed, barging in through the door to a horrifying sight. Two ponies, a mare and a stallion that Applejack had never seen before, were inside the room with her parents, holding a bat, a crowbar, and a few empty burlap sacks. Applebob was struggling with the stallion, attempting to get the crowbar out of his hooves while her pregnant mother was in a defensive stance on the other side of the bed with the mare cornering her.

"AJ! Get your brother and your granny and run!" Applebob ordered. She couldn't move; the scene was too much for her body to anything but stand in shock. "DO AS I SAY!" Her father bellowed as the stallion continued to shove him against the wall, knocking several pictures to the ground.

Applejack's legs suddenly moved without her thinking. The love for both her mother and her unborn sister was too great. "Get the filly!" The stallion snarled whilst fighting for control of the crowbar. AJ lunged forward in front of her mother, trying to shield both her and her tummy.

The intrusive mare simply smacked the young filly aside with her hoof, sending her tumbling back into a dresser. "We know you make good bits farming," the mare sneered. "Where are you hiding it!?"

"You bitch!" Sundown shrieked, taking an opportunity to try and knock the bat from her attacker's hooves. She smacked the wooden object upwards and attempted to lunge forward, but due to her extra weight with the baby, she temporarily lost her balance.

Growling, the intruder regained her handling on the bat and attempted to bring it down upon Sundown's head as she tried to get her balance back. "Ma!" Applejack exclaimed, scrambling back onto her hooves despite the pain in her side from where she hit the edge of the dresser. She leapt upwards just as the intruder was swinging the bat down and wrapped her forelegs around the mare's neck as tight as she could.

"ACK!" The mare choked from the sudden loss of oxygen, stumbling around as Applejack's weight threw her off center.

"LEAVE MY MAMA ALONE!" Applejack screamed, never loosening her grip. The burglar now turned attempted murderer tried to whack the filly's head behind her, but Sundown punched the bat right out of her hooves and slugged her across the face.

"Applejack, get out and hide!" Sundown ordered while the bat clattered to the floor. Meanwhile, the struggle between Applebob and the stallion was at a stalemate. Both stallions were about equally matched. The pony holding Applebob against the wall saw out of the corner of his eye that his partner was in distress; he had a decision to make. He quickly snapped his head back to stare into Applebob's eyes before butting his forehead against the farmer's, momentarily stunning him.

"Hey!" The stallion burglar exclaimed as he whirled around to try and rip Applejack off his partner's neck.

**_BAM_**

A bright red blur came flying into the room, tackling the stallion into the nightstand next to Sundown and Applebob's bed. Macintosh held the stunned thief down on the ground and proceeded to pummel him, his hooves creating a sickening thud each time he struck the stallion's face. Reeling in from head butt, Applebob looked to see his young son taking care of the intruder. "Mac, no!" He shouted when the intruder punched his son in his cheek, knocking him backwards a bit.

Before the intruder could do anything to his only son, Applebob raced over and grabbed Mac's orange mane with his teeth, ripping him off the stallion and throwing him back toward the bedroom door where Granny Smith appeared with a lasso. Growling, Applebob turned back to the stallion, desperate to make him feel pain for daring to touch his son. He grit his teeth and locked eyes with his adversary…..only to feel a hot flash of pain jam into his chest.

"BOBBY!" Sundown exclaimed in horror, silencing everyone in the room. Applebob's limbs went stiff as boards; the stallion beneath him grinned, twisting the dagger he'd pulled from his burlap sack around in the father of the Apple family's chest.

"PA!" Mac screamed at the same time as his mother. The father grunted in pain as the dagger left his chest, dripping blood onto the stabber below, his grin still on his face. The burglar easily knocked Applebob to the side, chuckling to the horrified Macintosh. Hearing her brother scream out her pa's name like that caused Applejack to loosen her grip on the mare's neck as she turned to see what happened.

With both Sundown and Applejack distracted, the female burglar whirled Applejack around, knocking her hind legs into the side of Sundown's head. The force of the hit detached Applejack, sending her flying to the ground in front of her Granny who immediately stood in front of her. Sundown cried out in pain, stumbling backward before the intruder dove towards her. There was a terrible crash as Sundown was forcibly pushed into the other nightstand, headfirst into a lamp and belly first into the edge.

The mother cried out in agony from the shards of the lamp digging into her face and the edge of the nightstand hitting her belly. "MAMA!" Applejack shoved Granny aside and darted toward her fallen mother and her attacker. She scooped the bat up within her front hooves and swung it as hard as she could at the burglar before she could strike her mother. The bat snapped in two from the force of the hit, sending the intruder spiraling onto the bed with a split scalp.

At the same time, Granny threw her lasso over the head of the stallion that'd stabbed her son, tightening it around his neck as, in a fit of rage, Macintosh picked up the crowbar and struck it over the head of the stallion. The red colt breathed heavily through gritted teeth, fighting back tears as he used his adrenaline to pick up the stallion and throw his head straight through the window before turning around and bucking his ribs as hard as he could.

Both Apple children dropped their weapons, their attentions focusing on their injured parents. "Son?" Granny asked worriedly, kneeling down next to Applebob. The mocha colored stallion tried to roll over to look up, but his mother had none of it. She yanked her scarf from around her neck, putting pressure on his stab wound.

"_M-m-mom,"_ Applebob gargled up some blood.

"Don't talk!" Granny snapped, trying to fight back tears.

"Pa?" Macintosh asked hesitantly, his eyes watering.

"Go 'n get the wagon hitched up," Granny Smith ordered out of the corner of her mouth. "An' go help yer sister," she added when the young colt stood up.

Applejack gently pulled the remains of the lamp off her mother, squealing in terror at the trickles of blood down her orange furry face. She also took note of the bruise on her mom's extended belly, only increasing her fear. "Ma? Ma?" AJ tried to help her stand up. Her brother was over in an instant, standing on the other side of their mom to help her onto her hooves.

_"B-Bobby…"_ Sundown whimpered.

"Ma, we gotta get ya ta the hospital," Mac tried to calmly explain. Gingerly, Applejack and Macintosh slipped underneath their mother's forelegs, allowing her to walk on her hind legs, and tried to escort her out of the room.

"Yer gonna be all right, Ma," Applejack attempted to not choke up. "_Yer gonna be all right,"_ she added as she jerked her head away from the sight of her father.

"_M-mom,"_ Applebob sputtered against her wishes. The older mare tried to put her hoof to his mouth so he wouldn't talk, but he gently pushed it away. _"L-leave me here….g-get Sundown ta the hospital."_

"Ah ain't leavin' mah son," Granny swore. She untied the lasso from the neck of the presumably dead pony in the window, only to retie it around her son's torso to keep the scarf on his wound. With all her strength, she carefully helped Applebob up onto his hind legs, walking him out of the room as AJ and Macintosh did with their mother. The family quickly laid Sundown and Applebob into the back of the family wagon before Granny climbed in the back to watch over her son and daughter in law. Applejack and Mac hitched themselves up with haste, giving each other mournful looks before taking off toward the hospital into the night.

**(Flashback over; Ivan's POV)**

"_…P-Pa didn't make it ta the hospital,"_ Applejack inhaled deeply as her lower jaw quivered against my forearm. Although Twilight, Spike and Rarity had heard the story before, they were already bawling their eyes out. Flash and Starlight on the other hand were more shocked, though they too had been crying. _"The doctors put him 'n mah mom in the same room, but he'd stopped breathin' by the time they laid him in the bed," _she continued in her quiet voice.

"AJ," I said, cupping my hand over her freckled cheek, "y-you don't have to-"

"_Ma was barely hangin' on by the time they hooked up all them machines ta her,"_ Applejack interrupted, squeezing her eyes shut. _"The doctors said her skull was fractured 'n that she had bleedin' in her brain; they had ta cut mah ma open or else Applebloom would've died."_ The mare was visibly shaking like a leaf now; she was trying her damnedest to keep her eyes dry, but I knew I had to do something.

I slipped one arm around her back and the other around her rump, scooping her up and gently setting her on my lap, cradling her close. She didn't even protest. AJ buried her face into my chest, wrapping her forelegs around my torso as I gently rocked myself back and forth. "Shhh," I cooed as my own tears streamed down my face.

_"Th-that's why Ah never cry o-o-n the outside, Ivan."_

_"_Wh-what do you mean?" I asked as softly as I could. The mare pulled away from my chest and laid her chin upon it, looking straight into my eyes with her now puffy emerald ones. She swallowed before responding.

"_Ah had ta be strong fer her….fer Applebloom." _I tried to smile for Applejack, if only to try and cheer her up. My hand held the back of her head, gently stroking the back of her mane. "_A-at least ma got ta hold Applebloom b-b-before-" _she slid her face back down until she buried it back into my chest. The mare was beginning to choke her sobs to keep them down, but I couldn't stand to see her like this.

_"I know it hurts,"_ I whispered, "_but you need to let it out," _I said with a loving peck to the top of her head. All of a sudden, Applejack began to wail loudly into my chest. Having never heard her actually cry before, it was a bit unsettling, but I was there to comfort her, like I always promised I would be.

_"Ah…Ah miss them so much!"_ She cried, her voice muffled by my chest.

_"Just let it out,"_ I repeated, massaging her back and resting my chin on top of her head, cradling her close. I felt a little bad having to see the woman I loved crying, but at the same time, I was glad I could comfort her when she needed me. _"It's okay, Applejack; I'm here,"_ I assured the mare, nuzzling my cheek against the top of her head. _"We're here for you,"_ I quickly corrected once I remembered that she also had the support of her other friends. She continued letting her years of bottled up sadness out for a few minutes before starting to slowly calm down. Eventually, the orange pony was down to only letting out a few sobs and a few sniffles here and there. _"I'm always here for you,"_ repeated exactly what she'd told me last night, feeling happy to say it.

_"Ah love you,"_ I could barely make out what she said in her muffled voice.

_"I know…."_

_"Ivan?"_ She gently pulled her head away from my chest, revealing her wet cheeks and puffy eyes to me.

_"Yeah?"_ I was too happy to dry her freckled cheeks with my thumbs.

"_Ah, Ah wish ya could've met them. Ah know it in mah heart that they would've loved ya ta death, Sugarcube." _Applejack smiled through her heartbreak just for me. I couldn't help but smirk at her comment; she even chuckled at my reaction.

_"I'll still try to do them proud, for you, Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Applebloom,"_ I touched my forehead to her own, rubbing it gently. The two of us then softly pressed our lips together, relishing that we'd grown even closer within the past two nights, trusting each other with the secrets of our darkest moments, only to come out loving each other even more.

**End Chapter 65**

* * *

_So yeah, this was pretty much my headcanon for what happened to Applejack's parents and how she in turn started to cry on the inside only. And I understand that the writers came out with some new information about AJ, Applebloom, and Big Mac's parents, but I've chosen to stay in the dark about that. And I hope, dear readers, you all respect that. I choose not to know; there are just some things I have no desire to know. _

_By the way...yes I did in fact reference a certain other fanfic..._

_Also, it wasn't mentioned (because I really couldn't think of a good way to word it) but my theory on how Applebloom got her name is because a new life bloomed while two others died, hence Applebloom._

_Plus, I hope the names I've chosen for the Apple parents are all right. I got Applebob from the game bobbing for apples, and I chose Sundown for the mother because I think it sounds like a pretty badass name for a pony (if Sunset is any indication), and I didn't want it to have an Apple theme for fear of it being misconstrued as an insinuation of incest. It also came from the phrase my grandfather loves to use "Sun up to Sundown," as in a hard worker. And no, I did NOT realize until well after I chose it that there was a Top Gun character with the call sign Sundown; that was purely coincidental. _


End file.
